Category: Conservation

Whimbrels – a migration story

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This article was submitted by Merry Roy, NCWAS board member

Whimbrels, one of the seven curlew species remaining in the world, fly from their wintering grounds in coastal South America, up to their Arctic breeding grounds.  On their way north the Atlantic flyway Whimbrels congregate for a month along the Carolina and Georgia coast, feeding on crabs in the tidal marshes, readying for the last leg of their journey.  They forage in the day and roost on a few sandbars at night, protected from predators.  The largest roosting area is Deveaux Bank at the mouth of a river in South Carolina.  One-half of the Atlantic flyway population of Whimbrels (one-quarter of all the Whimbrels in North America) roost on this sandbar.

This species has declined by 50% since 1994 and the decline continues.  While astounding numbers of Whimbrel roost on Deveaux Bank, a state bird sanctuary and Important Bird Area, there are few other nocturnal roosting sandbars for these birds.  Fall migration back to South America takes them along Hurricane Alley, creating other stresses.  Birds detour storms, often stopping to recover on islands in the Caribbean.  The French-controlled islands of Martinique and Guadalupe allow the hunting of shorebirds and even advertise “destination hunts”.

Protection of safe roosting sandbars, the proposed creation of new islands for nocturnal roosts, and the reduction of shorebird hunting are all positive actions to slow the Whimbrel population declines, but there is another threat. That’s us.  Researchers fear that birders and photographers traveling to view the amazing nocturnal numbers of Whimbrels on Deveaux will flush the birds.  And there are few other safe places for them to go in the middle of the night. 

For more information about Whimbrels, please see “A Miracle of Abundance: 20,000 Whimbrel take Refuge on a Tiny Island” by Scott Weidensaul, Cornell Lab.

A very compelling movie about Wimbrels on Deveaux Bank, South Carolina is avalilable on YouTube. Watch the movie (9:26).

5 Legislative Successes

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2021 was a big year for state-level conservation and climate policy. Thanks to the support of Audubon Washington and Local Audubon Chapters across the state, the bills listed below are now law.

  • Clean Fuel Standard (HB 1091)
  • Cap and Invest program (SB 5126)
  • HEAL Act (SB 5141)
  • Updating Washington’s shoreline armoring policy (SB 5273)
  • Funding for post-fire sagebrush recovery, smart solar siting in the Columbia Plateau, and a near record-setting state conservation budget 

How did we do it in a pandemic while everyone is working from home? Audubon’s statewide network wrote to key legislators, signed and shared Action Alerts, and met with legislators to support these policies.    While seeing the above bills enacted into law was a huge lift that Audubon members can and should be proud of, we must continue our work to advance the ball for the environment.  Bottom line, what’s good for the environment is good for birds.  So our work is not done, in fact we never will be, and NCWAS will remain involved.

submitted by Mark Johnston 060121

Shrub-steppe song bird survey

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Material provided by Richard Scranton

For five years, North Central Washington Audubon Society participated in breeding bird surveys in our region’s shrub-steppe habitat. This was a collaborative community-based science effort with other eastern Washington chapters, Audubon Washington and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to identify songbird distribution within the remaining shrub-steppe in our state. It generated over 20,000 bird observations from 130 volunteers and represents an unprecedented volunteer undertaking in support of shrub-steppe birds and their habitat.

Now that the surveys have ended, what will happen with all that data? Representatives from Audubon Washington and several eastern Washington chapters have formed a committee that will work to put it to good use. The group’s mission statement is to ‘Promote Restoration and Conservation of Shrub-steppe Habitat in Washington State.’

Survey data has identified the highest quality shrub-steppe habitats in the state. The goal of this committee is to promote methods to keep these habitats sustainable. Shrub-steppe has long been the most threatened habitat in Washington with only a small fraction of its historical acreage remaining. There are many factors that could make the situation worse. One example is the devastating fires in Okanogan and Douglas Counties last September.

Updates will be posted to our website. If you would like to get involved or have questions, contact Richard Scranton at rscran4350@yahoo.com.

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Conservation Northwest partnered to make a beautiful film about our region’s shrub-steppe habitat. You can see it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfhM9vLQD-0&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR3Yc4u6_rDeEWjVZjWGGNab_OJgY3xLbbN8O6JzFLLEvb1xrPo-RHkZzgk

NOTE: there is a second link to this film in the Resources section of the NCWAS website.

NCWAS Action Alert – Legislation

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The current Washington State Legislative Session, which is scheduled to run through April 21, 2021, has before it several bills addressing issues important to birds and the environment.  Audubon Washington, the National Audubon Society’s office in Washington State, is actively promoting and/or tracking developments on many of them.  For details, we encourage you to read Audubon Washington’s bill tracker to see where important bills presently stand.  Because their statuses change regularly, the tracker will be updated weekly.  NCWAS encourages our membership to contact their State Senator and Representatives in support of any or all bills of personal interest, particularly those the tracker identifies as top or key priorities.  Questions about who your senator and representatives are, or how to contact them – go to  https://app.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/.

Changes in the Horan Natural Area

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The Horan Natural Area sits at the mouth of the Wenatchee River. Used for regional council meetings, the area is extremely significant to the P’squosa/Wenatchi Native Americans. Today, the area is owned by the Chelan Public Utility District (PUD). Washington State Parks administers the area north of the Wenatchee River as a developed RV campground and boat launch (Confluence State Park). The area south of the Wenatchee River is managed as the Horan Natural Area. The Horan area is used extensively by local people to jog, hike, bird watch, and relax with nature. While it is not in a condition that can be considered “pristine nature”, it does provide a sense of wildness and is unique in the Wenatchee valley and the city of Wenatchee.

The Wenatchee River delta formed over eons of ice-age flood influence, recent floods and human modification. The PUD owns two dams that bookend the city of Wenatchee – Rocky Reach Dam north of town and Rock Island Dam to the south. The Rock Island Dam is the first dam to span the Columbia River and began operation in 1933. The dam has been modified to provide more water storage and today backs water up to an elevation of 613 feet above sea level. The dam’s impoundment has inundated much of the historic delta formation that extended into the Columbia River.

The photo comparison shows two photos: a 1945 black and white when Rock Island Dam’s impoundment was 600 feet and a 2015 photo when the dam impoundment was as it is today, 613 feet elevation. By moving the slider, you can witness the change that 13 feet of inundation behind Rock Island Dam created.

Rock Island Dam is operated under a federal FERC license that will be renewed soon. As the PUD moves forward with the relicensing efforts, they are considering improvements to the ecological conditions in the Horan area. Re-introduction of water to the area is likely to occur. Significant water flowing into the Horan was terminated in 2005 when the City of Wenatchee stopped venting the Miller Street storm drain into the area. Constructed ponds in the Horan began to de-water. Vegetation has fully occupied one of the primary ponds of the past. Re-introducing water will be key to improving the ecological value of the area as well as a major benefit to recreational use.

The North Central Washington Audubon Society (NCWAS) has been encouraging many improvements to the area. Primary to our interests are the re-introduction of water to a system of ponds and channels that allow water to flow between the ponds and exit to the Columbia River. NCWAS recommends reshaping the existing ponds to have shallow-angled banks that benefit a variety of shorebirds and waterfowl. Audubon supports the enhancement of important native plants, especially those that were used by the P’squoas/Wenatchi Native Americans. Audubon puts a very high priority on creating a Native American presence in the area. Modern cultural improvements could include restoring the original Miller trading post and post office to their original sites in the south-west portion of the Horan area.

Planning and implementing improvements involves a myriad of partners and interests. The NCWAS looks forward to being a part of the planning and will continue to reinforce our desires for an area with improved bird and wildlife habitat, improved ecological sustainability, a clear expression of Native American history and use in the area, educational use by our diverse population, and recreational levels that are commensurate with the area’s capacity.

Photo courtesy of Mark Oswood, NCWAS

60th Anniversary of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

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Submitted by Tim and Mary Gallagher. Reprinted from the Wild Phlox newsletter.

In the waning days of his administration, on December 6, 1960, Republican President Dwight Eisenhower designated 9 million acres in northeast Alaska as the Arctic National Wildlife Range.

Twenty years later, on November 12, 1980, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act was passed in the U.S. Congress and Democratic President Jimmy Carter signed it into law on December 2 in the last days of his administration. This doubled the size of the Arctic Range and renamed it the Arctic Refuge.

The 1970’s were a time of oil embargoes and long lines at gas stations, clearly still fresh in many legislator’s minds.  Within the 1980 legislation 1.5 million acres of the coastal plain was portioned out for further study.  This area called Section 1002 was to be studied for its wildlife and wilderness value but also oil and gas potential.

Decades have passed, and another administration is coming to an end. During this time, we have improved efficiency in vehicles and developed electric cars and trucks.  We understand how important and fragile the coastal plain is to migrating nesting birds from all over the world. We know the critical nutrition it provides for the Porcupine Caribou herd, an animal essential to the survival of the indigenous Gwich’in people of Alaska and Canada.  Most importantly we now understand the consequences of fossil fuel extraction and impacts to climate change. Over two-thirds of the American people oppose drilling in this unique wilderness.

Yet, this outgoing Administration just announced a “call for nominations” in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, asking oil companies to identify preferred areas on the Arctic Refuge’s ecologically sensitive coastal plain to lease for oil drilling. The current Interior Department has set in motion the process for approving a massive new seismic testing program for nearly a half million acres of the coastal plain. Their proposal would involve hundreds of miles of “roads”, resulting from 90,000-pound seismic vehicles traveling with bulldozer convoys.  These conveys will carry supplies for up to 180 workers, threatening denning polar bears.

With the continued volatility in oil markets and major U.S. and international banks unwilling to invest in Arctic oil, the economic argument no longer is valid.  This combined with significant environmental and social impacts should require an environmental review.

What can you do to celebrate the 60th Anniversary?

  1. Support organizations like National Audubon Society, the Sierra Club and Alaska Wilderness League that have filed lawsuits against the current administration drilling in the Refuge or efforts to begin seismic testing.
  2. Call or email the oil companies and let them know you do not want them to drill in the Refuge.  Many major corporations such as British Petroleum have started to exit the Arctic.
  3. Call or email car companies and ask for better fuel efficiency and electric cars that can go further on one charge.
  4. Call or Email your Congressional Representatives and let them know how you feel about protecting the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge and the Trump Administration’s efforts to fast-forward drilling.
  5. Write letters to the editor of your local newspaper, showing your support for the Refuge.
  6. Let President-elect Biden know you want him to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and keep it as a Day One priority for his administration.
  7. Watch for online petitions and information on helping the Refuge and share them with your family and friends.

We need to come together and protecting the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for future generations would be a good start.

“If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it.”

President Lyndon B. Johnson, a Democrat from Texas, when he signed the Wilderness Act into law in 1964.