Mark, Like Nick, I disagree with your questioning the motives of all birders with such a broad brush. I know many who are very enlightened, concerned, passionate about protecting habitats for the benefit of wildlife, above and beyond merely ticking birds on a list. The entire time I was at the Cabela's site, there were 6 other individuals. At no point, did any of us venture beyond any fencing or paved areas "trampling" the fields. The Uplands we saw were viewable only with the aid of scopes. It's apparent that the mowing, especially around the pond area has deprived the birds the protective cover they need. Couple that with the very high traffic volume at Cabela's over the weekend - hundreds of people at any one time - which was certainly a much more significant impact than the much smaller groups of a few birders. These factors most likely forced the sandpipers to go into the relatively undisturbed field west of Cabela's. What was also of concern to us was seeing 3 separate, unleashed Labrador Retrievers in the field around the pond, after we had observed several Killdeer chicks there. While it would be nice to educate Cabela's about the situation, keep in mind that their area is only a very small portion of Rentschler Field. The fate of the rest of the field is a done deal. If the mitigation part of the deal was to create a similar habitat elsewhere, shouldn't the focus of our concern be placed there? And for wiser land use and planning, to encourage landowners, private groups and state legislators to preserve, restore and create more open space/habitats for native wildlife, and strengthen protective laws? Meredith Sampson Old Greenwich ---------- Original Message ---------- From: "Mark Szantyr" <birddog55@charter.net> To: "Nick Bonomo" <nbonomo@gmail.com> Cc: ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org Subject: Re: [CT Birds] Ct endangered species lawsand Cabela's Date: Sun, 31 May 2009 23:29:09 -0400 And one more thing...where is all the concern about posting the location of these truly state-endangered species that are on private property? Are these not two of the guidelines that preclude posting of other birds? Just asking. Mark Mark S. Szantyr 80 Bicknell Road #9 Ashford, Connecticut 06278 860-487-9766 Birddog55@charter.net ----- Original Message ----- From: "Nick Bonomo" <nbonomo@gmail.com> To: "Mark Szantyr" <birddog55@charter.net> Cc: <ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org> Sent: Sunday, May 31, 2009 9:46 PM Subject: Re: [CT Birds] Ct endangered species lawsand Cabela's > With all due respect Mark (and you know I mean that), I think you're way > off > on this. First of all, there hasn't been any problem with people being > able > to view these birds from behind Cabela's, so I don't see how that could be > anyone's motivation here. I doubt that anybody wants to go trample through > the nesting habitat beyond the fence since all the birds in question can > be > seen from the parking lot; I hope we all agree on that. Second, give us > more > credit than that. Why is it so hard to believe that birders actually care > about the birds and not just their year/life lists? I think our > motivations > are pure in this case. I don't see any evidence to the contrary. > > I would have thought that a conversation involving bird conservation > issues > would be viewed as a positive, and at the very least a learning experience > regarding the state's laws. I hope this doesn't discourage anyone from > posting about bird conservation for fear of their motivations being > questioned. > > Nick Bonomo > Orange, CT > > On Sun, May 31, 2009 at 5:51 PM, Mark Szantyr <birddog55@charter.net> > wrote: > >> In reading all of the emails about the grassland habitat at Rentschler >> Field and behind Cabela's I wonder if what is really being discussed and >> protested is the lack of birder access. If it is concern about the >> well-being of the species complex using the grassland there, it seems to >> me >> that, at least until Pratt & Whitney begin the further development of the >> land, the current no access rule is perhaps the best conservation plan >> possible for the birds. Just today there were over twenty emails about >> the >> issue, several of them told of small groups that went to the area to see >> the >> birds. If you tally all of the small groups and individuals ( and in the >> spirit of full disclosure, I have been there twice this season and unless >> someone finds an accessible Fork-tailed Flycatcher, I am done) that have >> made the trip to twitch the birds, it would equal a significant impact, I >> fear. What are we really upset about? Lets make sure we are putting >> the >> habitat and species in front of our "birder's right" to twitch a bird. >> >> Mark >> Mark S. Szantyr >> 80 Bicknell Road #9 >> Ashford, Connecticut 06278 >> 860-487-9766 >> Birddog55@charter.net >> >> _______________________________________________ >> This list is provided by the Connecticut Ornithological Association (COA) >> for the discussion of birds and birding in Connecticut. >> For subscription information visit >> http://lists.ctbirding.org/mailman/listinfo/ctbirds_lists.ctbirding.org >> > _______________________________________________ > This list is provided by the Connecticut Ornithological Association (COA) > for the discussion of birds and birding in Connecticut. > For subscription information visit > http://lists.ctbirding.org/mailman/listinfo/ctbirds_lists.ctbirding.org > _______________________________________________ This list is provided by the Connecticut Ornithological Association (COA) for the discussion of birds and birding in Connecticut. 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