Audubon New Mexico Fall 2007

The State of New Mexico’s Birds By Betsy Daub, Director of Bird Conservation
If anyone had been listening, they would have laughed at me. I was talking to the birds. As I hung the bird feeders around the Randall Davey Audubon Center, the mountain chickadees clearly thought I was taking far too long with my task. “Hang on, you guys. Give me a second,” I pleaded as they scolded and fl itted from branch to branch inches from my head. Even when the feeder was in place, they really couldn’t be bothered waiting for me to retreat, snatching seeds while eyeball to eyeball with me. But even as I laughed at these adorable little creatures packed with personality, I was sending them a silent blessing: “Good luck, little fellows.” And New Mexico’s mountain chickadees need all the luck and preservation effort they can get. Eighty-three percent. That’s how much the population of mountain chickadees in this state has declined since 1967. Eighty-three percent. Think about that. No way to put a happy face on that piece of data. In June, Audubon released “A State of the Birds Report; Common Birds in Decline,” an analysis of 40 years of bird population information collected by citizen scientists for Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count combined with, for the first time, Breeding Bird Survey data from the U.S. Geological Survey. What emerges from this assessment is an alarming picture of declining populations of many of New Mexico’s common and beloved birds. These are not rare or endangered species. These are birds familiar to most of us, the birds that visit our feeders and our yards; they are birds we are used to seeing on fence posts in our communities. But now we are seeing far fewer of them.

Joining mountain chickadees on the list of common birds in decline in New Mexico are horned larks (down 81%), loggerhead shrikes (down 74%), western meadowlarks (down 57%), and pinyon jays (down 54%). These species show strong signs of decline in both surveys. Among the 35 other species showing at least a 50% decline in at least one of the surveys (either the Christmas Bird Count or the Breeding Bird Survey) are lark sparrows, common nighthawks, Cassin’s finches, yellow-headed blackbirds, fox sparrows, northern flickers, Steller’s jays, northern pintails, dark-eyed juncos, and rufous-crowned sparrows.

This is not just a New Mexico phenomenon. Nationwide, Audubon’s analysis shows populations of common birds declining. Eastern Meadowlarks, like their western cousins, have declined 71%. Field sparrow populations across the continent have fallen 68%. In the last 40 years, we’ve lost 77% of our northern pintail ducks, 78% of our evening grosbeaks, and a horrifying 82% of the nation’s northern bobwhites. Gone. Simply gone. In a June editorial in the New York Times, Verlyn Klinkenborg notes, “…this is not extinction, but it is how things look before extinction happens.” Like a tornado siren warning of an impending storm, this report blasts us from our deafness to unseen danger. Something terrible is amiss. The decline of common birds is a wake-up call that we are mismanaging our world’s environment – to the detriment of the winged creatures that delight our days, and to the detriment of human health, prosperity and quality of life.

Collateral damage. Our missing birds are the unintended side-effects of human activities that result in the loss of healthy grasslands, forests, wetlands, and the ongoing degradation of overall environmental health. Perhaps as individuals we fail to notice fewer of our favorite birds, but all of us have seen the culprit – with every open field that is developed as new housing or a shopping center, with each wetland that we used to see on our way to work but is now drained and paved for highways, with each small family farm that is put into high intensity, industrialized agricultural production. Compounding these threats to birds is the broader problem of global warming resulting from current energy and transportation practices that clog our atmosphere with carbon. Human “progress” marches on, without fully accounting for the impacts to our fellow earth travelers – and ultimately without a complete assessment of the long-term impacts to ourselves.

In New Mexico, mountain chickadee populations struggle from a loss of natural nest sites due to the harvesting of large conifers and aspens, and the removal of standing dead trees that provide cavities for nesting. Many common birds in decline, both within New Mexico and across the country, are grassland birds like horned larks, loggerhead shrikes and western meadowlarks. These species suffer when grasslands are converted to agricultural and human development, and when fields are planted and crops harvested before nesting can come to completion. Pinyon jays are at risk when pinyon-juniper forests are fragmented from human development and logging, when drought years reduce the cone crop, and when fi re suppression creates unnaturally dense pinyon pine forests. This is the kind of news that can make me want to climb into bed and pull the covers up over my head. These are big problems. We are small people. We are overwhelmed.

The good news is – we are not as small as we sometimes feel, and that when a bunch of “small” people work together, mammoth change is possible. Take for example the very data upon which this analysis is based. Tens of thousands of ordinary people worked together year after year to conduct Christmas Bird Counts and Breeding Bird Surveys, generating sufficient data for scientists to conduct a meaningful analysis. This could not have been done without the “small people.” Concerned people can make a real difference.

What now? Solutions exist – from concrete action close to home to those addressing issues at the national and global levels:

• Smart Growth! Advocate for it – at your local and state levels. With careful, thoughtful planning, we need not chew through the remaining habitats in our communities in order to have the amenities we seek. Pay attention to candidates running for office and their positions on planned growth for your communities. Make it an election issue.

• Smart Growth Starts at Home. Review your own decisions and their impacts. Are you considering building a new home in that beautiful area outside the city limits where there is a bit more nature? The desire for homes in natural places is a common one – but one that impacts those natural places and their birds.

• A dedicated, on-going funding source for land and wildlife protection and clean energy development legislated for New Mexico. Audubon has been advocating for this at the Roundhouse for several years. This year, let your state representatives know that you want this passed.

• Bird-friendly land management. Those of us owning land can implement practices to provide for birds. This can include delaying mowing of fields until after nesting is over, or placing marginal cropland into the Conservation Reserve Program, or retaining mature trees on forest land.

• Demand national legislation to address global warming. Public concern about global warming has finally forced our policy-makers to accept it as an issue. Public pressure will be what forces our elected officials to take action. We need policies that address this problem at a large scale if we are to reverse our dangerous course.

• Reduce your own carbon footprint. Consider using public transportation when possible. Purchase energy-efficient light bulbs for your home. Recycle, reduce, re-use. Ask that the businesses you frequent do the same. I was shocked to learn that a café I go to did not recycle. Stepping out of my comfort zone, I politely asked a server if she could tell the owner of my desire to see the business start recycling. Within days, the café was recycling its aluminum and plastic.

• Ask Congress to support conservation oriented legislation – such as the Farm Bill and initiatives addressing renewable energy.

• Support organizations and efforts working to protect birds and bird habitat. Through Audubon New Mexico’s Important Bird Area program, more than 60 sites in the state have been identified as critically important for the well-being of birds. Audubon is working with landowners, municipalities, and state and federal agencies to build awareness of the importance of these sites and to identify strategies to enhance the management and protection of these areas. Audubon also advocates with policy-makers for initiatives that support New Mexico’s birds and habitats. As a non-profit, Audubon depends on the financial support from involved citizens in order to do its conservation work.

• Volunteer in bird monitoring projects. Consider participating in the Christmas Bird Count and collecting information that helps Audubon track bird populations in New Mexico and across the country. Add your bird lists from your birding outings into eBird, the on-line bird database created by the National Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Please Join Audubon for the 2007-2008 Christmas Bird Count
Volunteer counters are needed to gather important information on New Mexico’s wintering birds – and for a day of fun. Make it one of your holiday traditions! The count period runs between December 14, 2007 and January 5, 2008, and you may join one or more of the day-long counts at locations across the state. For specific counts and their dates, continue to check our website (www.nm.audubon.org) or the National Audubon Society’s website (www.audubon.org/bird/cbc/index.html) for updates and contact information.

Good Things Come To Those Who Wait By Lynn Tennefoss, Interim Executive Director, Audubon New Mexico
And the wait was worth it! Audubon New Mexico is thrilled to welcome Karyn Stockdale as our new Executive Director. Karyn brings to Audubon exceptional experience in advocacy, conservation, fundraising, and administrative leadership. She will join the staff on November 12. Karyn knows New Mexico well. She has an excellent knowledge of the state’s land, water, and wildlife issues, and brings a strong record of successes in the conservation of its special places. As Project Manager with the Trust for Public Land in New Mexico, Karyn oversaw multiple conservation projects, including eff orts that helped protect over 45,000 acres in the state, and almost 17 miles of the Rio Grande. She has effectively worked with private landowners and federal, state and local agencies, and has lobbied the legislature, and secured project and organizational funding. Karyn received an M.A. in Parks and Recreation from the University of New Mexico, with an emphasis in environmental education, making her well-positioned to lead Audubon’s respected education programs in exciting new directions. Recently, Karyn was recognized by the Trust for Public Land for her “outstanding skill, creativity, and passion in the pursuit of protecting places that are precious to the people of New Mexico.”

A native of Texas who grew up in South Dakota, California and Colorado, Karyn’s educational and professional experiences have been in the West, providing her with a solid understanding of the issues facing the region. She is an experienced wilderness guide, and the mother of two young children, Keely and Willa. As Executive Director of Audubon New Mexico, Karyn will oversee all of Audubon’s conservation, advocacy and educational efforts in the state.

Karyn joins a dedicated Audubon team that includes talented new staff and board members (see related articles in this newsletter). During the months without an executive director, Audubon staff worked uninterrupted in their efforts, serving thousands of children across the state in education programs, and dedicating Important Bird Areas and forging partnerships to protect birds and their habitats. The Audubon Board continued to make the decisions that keep Audubon on track with its mission. It has been a pleasure to serve as Interim Executive Director, and I thank all staff and board members for their dedication and tremendous service in a time of transition.

Please join me in welcoming Karyn Stockdale to Audubon! We are delighted to have her leadership in protecting and advocating for New Mexico’s birds and habitats. Welcome Karyn!

Meet Our Newest Board Members
Peter Venemma brings a valuable background in business to his efforts on the Audubon New Mexico Board and as a member of its Executive Committee. He currently manages a family business based in Michigan that manufactures parts for “clean and green” diesel engines. Peter’s previous work experience was with two companies in the oil fi eld equipment and tools business, which provided him with a three-year assignment in London, Belfast and Bordeaux. He holds a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University, and a Masters degree in Business Administration from Harvard. Born in New Orleans, Peter has spent most of his life in Houston. His wife, Diane Stanley, is a successful author and illustrator of children’s books. They have three adult children; two daughters, one a professor and the other a public defender, and a son who works for a theatrical management company in New York City.

 Al Sanborn “I was delighted to be asked to join the board, given my interest in conservation, birding, and awakening a wonder of nature in children,” notes Al Sanborn, Treasurer and Secretary of Audubon’s Board. Before retiring and moving to Santa Fe in 2001, Al spent a career in the commercial banking industry, where he was involved with risk management and in making large loans to businesses. He held senior positions with Bank of America in San Francisco and Shawmut National Corporation in Boston. Al’s last position was CEO of the Risk Management Association for the banking industry. In addition to serving on Audubon’s Board, Al’s retirement activities include working with the Service Corps of Retired Executives to counsel small business owners, serving as president of Santa Fe’s Life Long Learning Group, Renesan, and participating in Audubon New Mexico Roundtable seminars. He and his wife and their grown daughters enjoy spending time together traveling through the Intermountain West, hiking around the Santa Fe area, and birding – although Al modestly describes his birding skills as ranking “last in the group!”

They Don’t Make Them Much Better By David Henderson
In my tenure as Executive Director at Audubon New Mexico, I had the great privilege of meeting and knowing a large number of extraordinary people. And so I made a rule to always highlight the collective works of the Audubon family instead of focusing on any single individual’s commitment or accomplishment. It is said that rules are made to be broken, and I am about to break one of mine. On August 7, 2007 we lost one of New Mexico’s conservation heroes, Tom Wootten. He was special in many ways, but I will always remember him as the guy who would not allow himself to be pigeon-holed as “this or that sort of environmentalist.” If he spotted an environmental injustice, he was up early working on it. Working on it meant rolling up his own sleeves to tackle the problem or to network with others within the environmental community. His personal commitment of time and energy was followed by an equally impressive financial commitment – and Tom was one of the most generous environmental philanthropist in the state. Tom was my dear, dear friend and only time will reveal just how much I and the family of “enviros” will miss him.