Whoopers Happening

Are Things Really Better in the Gulf?

whooperhappenings@earthlink.net (Mark Chenoweth) — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 13:12:21 GMT

I recently (8/25/2010) talked with the Gulf Restoration Network's Campaign Director, Aaron Viles, about what is happening in the Gulf, and how wildlife is doing there. What he tells me is not a good picture, and far from what the government and the media would have you believe. It's far from over, with birds and wildlife found dead and dying every day. His comments are below, and you can learn more by going to the Endangered Species Coalition's Gulf oil spill site here.

Also, stay informed about what is happening in the Gulf by visiting the Gulf Restoration Network here.

photo: A clean-up worker carries away a dead brown pelican found along a Gulf coastal beach in Louisiana.

Buy a Duck Stamp 'Cachet' to Support Gulf Coast Restoration

whooperhappenings@earthlink.net (Mark Chenoweth) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 04:11:00 GMT

The first stop the Operation Migration team makes in Florida to drop off half of their charges is St. Mark's NWR just south of Tallahassee. This will be the 3rd year that half of the young Whoopers will spend their first winter at St. Mark's.

Last month, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar unveiled a special envelope to be sold with the newest Federal Duck Stamp, with the proceeds to be used to benefit Gulf Coast restoration.

Proceeds from this special envelope will help fund Gulf Coast restoration. ©FWS

The “cachet” features a stunning silk-rendered image of St. Marks NWR on the Gulf Coast of Florida, taken by NWRA Refuge Photo Contest runner-up David Moynahan. The Federal Duck Stamp itself features an American widgeon by Maryland artist Robert Bealle. The special envelope was unveiled at an event in Memphis, with attendees including Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, CEO of Ducks Unlimited and former Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Dale Hall, and NWRA President Evan Hirsche, and included a field trip to nearby Wapanocca NWR.

The Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, also known as the “Duck Stamp,” was established in 1934 during the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt as a federal waterfowl-hunting license whose proceeds went to buy wetlands for duck conservation on national wildlife refuges. Today, the Duck Stamp still protects waterfowl habitat but also serves a much larger purpose and is one of the most successful conservation programs in America. Ninety-eight cents out of every dollar generated by the sale of these stamps goes directly to acquire wetland habitat for the National Wildlife Refuge System. Since it started, over $750 million has been raised to protect over 5.3 million acres of wetland and grassland habitat!

The Federal Duck Stamp and Limited Edition Cachet can be purchased for $25 at www.duckstamp.com.

You can order by clicking here, but be patient... they are not available at this time, and will take up to 6 weeks.

Four Months Later... The Oil Remains!

whooperhappenings@earthlink.net (Mark Chenoweth) — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 12:18:00 GMT

Tourists walk along some areas of the Gulf beaches, stepping into puddles of oil just waiting to trap something, human, feathered or hard shelled. Areas are closed to fishing, but oil is seen in surprising amounts along Gulf shores and if you dare to go into marshlands, oil has accumulated and made this once thriving area virtually dead. If you put your hand into the water, it will come out covered in a dark, oily and smelly substance. Your shoes or boots, if you wore them, will be covered in oil, and routinely oiled birds are reported and found, many beyond rescue and they die where the oil trapped them or after exposure back at the rescue centers. This isn't an account of past history along a Gulf beach in Louisiana or Mississippi... this is how it was just recently for several visitors who saw for themselves that things have NOT improved, with so much clean-up and repair necessary to restore what once was.

Most people think that with the capping and stoppage of oil, BP finished and did a great thing; most might even believe the oil is diminished and all is improving in the Gulf. Likely you have been listening to government spokespersons and reports that BP has encouraged. However, it is FAR FROM ACCOMPLISHED! The oil remains in huge pools, coating beaches, coastal marshes, and birds, shellfish and more are still dying! Every day wildlife centers rescue oiled creatures including laughing gulls, more brown pelicans and others as well as turtles and more. People routinely step into oil and putting your hand into the water results in a brown mess that isn't easily washed off even with lots of soap! Hermit crabs and shellfish are easily found and though people 'rescue' them from the oil pools, these slowly die even as they watch!

It is not even close to completion! Obama stated he and his administration would see to it that BP makes it right and he would be there for them until all returns to what it was. However, this is not happening, and the folks along the coastal regions in Louisiana, Pensacola (Florida), Mississippi and Alabama will tell you this. The media has grown tired and moved on in many cases, and most people are fatigued with Gulf news, seeking happier stuff, turning to other stories more prominent because that's what the networks want you to hear and see! But don't believe it.

Those who have visited recently tell me this is how it is, and little is being done to make things better. Few workers are seen doing cleaning and whatever can be done to improve and suction off oil that remains in pools and puddles all along some coastal sections. Birds are still found barely alive, many die even as rescuers are bringing them to the facility in Hammond, LA, or other closer centers where they are attended to until they can be brought to Hammond where the IBRRC and Tri-State now have their facility. It is a bad situation, and even 4 months after the BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded, things are far from what was promised. The people of our coastal areas deserve more... this must be made right! BP must be made to pay and make it right. BP stocks are rising, and they would like us all to think it's now 'business as usual'. They are trying to get off, and the clean-up they promised remains unfulfilled.

They owe it to the coastal residents of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Northern Florida. They owe it to the thousands of wild creatures... birds, turtles, and sea life that died because of their terrible mistakes. But most of all, they owe it to ALL OF US as a nation! This is our country, and the obligation to make it clean as it was remains unfulfilled! Don't let BP 'off the hook'... they made the mess and caused the terrible damage... they MUST be held accountable!

Write to your local legislators, state senators and support the work that conservation groups are doing. Without public support, BP will get their way... the public is moving on, people will defer their thinking, and believe all is fine. It's NOT fine, and far from even being just OK! Take action... avoid buying BP gas at any price, and while the station owners may be franchised, remember they knew what they were getting into when they invested, and their products are from a company that has proved irresponsible and unable to keep the promises its people made! Being rewarded for committing murder and an environmental disaster is NOT something to support!

Make some noise... write e-mail, a letter or call your state senators and legislators. It's up to all of us... BP is counting on things fading into the sunset now that the well is no longer leaking oil. But the nearly 200 million gallons of oil that got into the Gulf waters has NOT simply evaporated; it's still out there... killing birds that hunt fish, affecting the future of life in the Gulf. The oil on the marshes is hardly disappearing!

Make our government do something... make Obama and his people keep their promise... don't leave the Gulf's coastal residents alone. They can't do it without all of us behind them!

I believe, in our lifetime, nothing will be as important as the Gulf disaster, showing how awful things became and then stagnated as public sentiment and interest faded! We all must tell Washington to make it right! They promised, and come Election Day, we must remember that this promise, which they have broken, has also broken the hearts of many thousands of our people!

Let's not forget the Gulf... BP is responsible, and they have NOT finished the job they said they would and must see through. Let's make them complete the clean-up and be held responsible! Our irresponsible government will do only what it feels it must. It is up to 'we the people'... if any justice remains in our world, the voices of many will insure it happens.

Whoopers Happening

whooperhappenings@earthlink.net (Mark Chenoweth) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Whoopers Happening no longer reports current events about the Whooping cranes. Please enjoy these 'highlight' posts with past guests on WH.

Thanks for listening!

Whoopers Happening Highlight Podcast 4

whooperhappenings@earthlink.net (Mark Chenoweth) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 22:35:00 GMT

This is the last in my series of highlight podcasts, featuring excerpts from a number of older WH programs with comments from Joe Duff, Beverly Paulan, members of the class of 2005 (listen and see!) and Kent Clegg. This brings to a close over 4 years of podcasts about the Whooping cranes. However, before you think I have completely moved on, check out the podcasts I am doing for the Endangered Species Coalition or just click the round blue logo and link on the left.

I produced a radio program about the Whoopers which was featured on the ESC site as well as Radio Green Earth, and as long as the OM team and WCEP folks will talk with me, you'll be hearing from them again later this year. The disaster in the Gulf has put almost everything to do with endangered species aside at least a little, which seems unfair; but saving oiled wildlife has to be a priority. That is what many are doing, and while no one is forgetting those endangered species we all know need our help, this was a total impact out of left field that no one anticipated. One concern now is how migrating birds and other species that use the Gulf waters like turtles and whales will react to this highly toxic environment. There are some plans to possibly close certain refuges to hunting which might entice migrating birds to find the grounds more attractive and stop there, perhaps avoiding the desire to rest and feed near the Gulf shoreline. But this is still being determined, and while hunters may be dismayed, it might be an answer to encourage migrators to make a detour and avoid the issues they will certainly find near the Gulf.

I hope you found Whoopers Happening (or Whooper Happenings) somewhat informative, and I appreciate the comments and listenership these past 4 years.

photo: Half of the members of the Class of 2009 as they fly over the Dunnellon Airport, January 2010. Fred Wasti photo.

Whoopers Happening Highlight Podcast 3

whooperhappenings@earthlink.net (Mark Chenoweth) — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 17:27:00 GMT

In this program, the 3rd of 4 highlight episodes, a few moments on the observation tower at Necedah NWR the morning of Crane Fest 2007, comments from a few at the Dunnellon Flyover as heard on WH #41 in January 2009, and ultralight pilot Richard van Heuvelen talks about the 2008 migration.

photo: Actually a quilt made by Kathie Briggs, 'To Save the White Birds'. Courtesy of Kathie Briggs.

Whoopers Happening Highlight Podcast 2

whooperhappenings@earthlink.net (Mark Chenoweth) — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 00:48:00 GMT

Previously featured in Whooper Happenings #16, this program has excerpts and comments from a few of those at the second flyover at the Dunnellon Airport. Brooke Pennypacker takes the role of team leader and MC in the absence of Joe Duff at the event.

Whoopers Happening Highlight Podcast 1

whooperhappenings@earthlink.net (Mark Chenoweth) — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 20:29:00 GMT

This highlight episode features a chat with Operation Migration co-founder, inventor and aviator Bill Lishman. Bill discusses his first encounter flying with wild birds, the movie based on his work, 'Fly Away Home', his role in the classic film 'Winged Migration' and more.

photo: Joe Duff and Bill Lishman during taping of a public service announcement in Tennessee. Mark Chenoweth photo

The Lake That Became Deadly For Thousands of Birds

whooperhappenings@earthlink.net (Mark Chenoweth) — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 02:06:00 GMT

Unless you live in Central Florida, and even if you do, you may not recall the thousands of birds that died after stopping on their southerly or northern migrations in late 1998 and the spring of 1999 over Central Florida. Lake Apopka is the 4th largest lake in the Sunshine State, but it is primarily an agricultural lake, with much farming that took place since the late 1800s on its northern boundary. Flooding and draining the farmland with its rich use of pesticides and fertilizer led to serious problems in the lake, and by the 1950s it was no longer a fishing spot for anyone. It once had been a prized place to catch large bass that would do any avid angler proud.

This is a story, told by those who know and were there, of how a lake became toxic and killed many migrating white pelicans, gulls, bald eagles, blue herons and even endangered wood storks. How this happened is the result of mans' overuse and poor planning, and serves as a warning to others who might repeat the same mistakes.

No, there are no Whooping cranes in this story... fortunately, but there could have been had a few more years evolved. And who knows... several might even have made the trip from the Kissimmee Prairie and either lucked out or met their fate, with no known report of their demise today.

This report was a feature aired on Radio Green Earth on June 19th, and on NPR's WXEL. The story does have a happy ending, so if your heart breaks for those many birds who perished because they stopped at Lake Apopka in 1998 or '99, the epilogue is the lake is remediated today; while not perfect, it is actually a bird sanctuary and the wetlands are being reclaimed.

photo: Lake Apopka today from a boat guided by St.Johns River Water Management District personnel. Mark Chenoweth

Save Our Seabirds... They Need Your Help!

whooperhappenings@earthlink.net (Mark Chenoweth) — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 13:52:22 GMT

While BP has pledged to pay for all clean-up in the Gulf, if you think about this it is likely much work has already been done and will be accomplished saving wildlife that will never be compensated in terms of the huge corporate's money! Not everyone who rescues oiled wildlife is out there because it's their job and they are being paid; many are there just trying to save birds, turtles and whatever they can and the money factor doesn't enter their equation when the idea is to do what they can as soon as they can. Immediacy is the key, finding these oiled birds and turtles and cleaning them and nourishing them just as soon as possible. Sadly, way too many have already been found and it was too late for anything to be done for them. But in spite of what some naysayers have written, work continues and wildlife needs our help. The organizations doing this tirelessly and without BP's cash... perhaps they never will even submit a bill... are there to help. But get this... the US Fish and Wildlife people have a ruling that even licensed rehabbers who have years of experience rescuing oiled birds, and are well trained to do this are NOT being allowed! If this isn't absolutely ridiculous and extreme politics, tell me what is!

Right now negotiations and discussion is going on to change this, and with more than 100 brown pelicans being brought in some days even in Pensacola, FL, the valuable assistance these qualified people can provide is very much needed. To just let these birds die in the muck and oil from BP's tragic mistakes is not a tolerable answer.

One such organization that will be working with oiled wildlife and has the experience to rescue and treat them is Save Our Seabirds based in Sarasota, FL. Lee Fox is the founder and Executive Director of SOS, and I talked with her this week about what plans they have to help, how prepared they are to go wherever to insure wildife they encounter, imperiled from BP's oil spill, is nourished, examined, cleaned, treated, and allowed recovery time before release away from harm in Texas or on Florida's East Coast.

Lee is an experienced rehabilitator, and her team of personnel and volunteers know what to do and will make a difference. She talks about this, and you can visit her site at saveourseabirds.org/ . They could use your support (not her plea, this is from me and I know they could use the funding and consideration from listeners like yourself) and they are in Sarasota right on the Gulf Coast. Their information and a link to donate are on the site site.

Sadly, this is all just getting worse and the end is nowhere in site for now. Until BP can stop their oil well from flowing, now over 2 million gallons daily into the Gulf waters, clean-up is something that will be much worse than anything we have experienced environmentally in our history.

Let's hope something positive for us all comes out of this tragic accident, and that we can help as much wildlife in harm's way as we possibly can. We need more people who can help, and less politics and rules that govern by vague ambition and ego.

photo: Oiled brown pelican in Gulf waters. Win McNamee/Getty Images

International Migratory Bird Day at Disney's Animal Kingdom

whooperhappenings@earthlink.net (Mark Chenoweth) — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 13:41:16 GMT

The past 4 years, Operation MIgration has been the guest for International Migratory Bird Day at Disney's Animal Kingdom. The first 3, Peggy and I helped greet guests, take photos of youngsters sitting in the ultralight on display (it was Chris Gullikson's aircraft) and I did a few interviews asking several who stopped by OM's display about IMBD and their thoughts. The podcast below is a compilation of comments and guests from the first 3 events at Animal Kingdom.

White Ghosts of the Wetlands... America's Whooping Cranes

whooperhappenings@earthlink.net (Mark Chenoweth) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 02:45:00 GMT

Here's the broadcast on 4/10, done expressly for 'Radio Green Earth' (and broadcast on NPR's WXEL, West Palm Beach) about the Whooping cranes. It covers a lot of ground, drawing from audio resources since beginning podcasts for Whoopers Happening.