For those of you interested in helping the red knot (and other shorebirds as well), see the link below for the latest update. One of the things being explored is a birding competition with the money being donated to preserve habitat for shorebird migration. How about OOS coordinating? Do I hear any interest? Vicci Weeks _____ From: Bill Stewart [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Saturday, March 01, 2008 8:49 PM To: Gary Weeks Subject: Fwd: [PABIRDS] OT: red knot and crabs update Begin forwarded message: From: Scott Weidensaul <[log in to unmask]> Date: March 1, 2008 7:40:32 AM EST To: [log in to unmask] Subject: [PABIRDS] OT: red knot and crabs update Reply-To: Scott Weidensaul <[log in to unmask]> There continue to be positive developments regarding a bill to legislate a horseshoe crab moratorium in New Jersey. Below is the latest update from NJ Audubon (http://www.njaudubon.org/Conservation/HSCrabAlert.html#updates), urging its members to contact key state senators to move the bill out of committee. Supportive emails from Pennsylvania can't hurt. When sending your email, it would make sense to stress the fact that you voice your appreciation for the Assembly's quick action thus far, and note whether you spend a significant amount of time birding in New Jersey, as many of us do. Obviously, these senators are going to listen most closely to their constituents, but it's valuable for them to realize the world is watching, and we contribute to the $42 million a year that birding mean to the New Jersey economy. Scott Weidensaul Schuylkill Haven, PA 2008 UPDATES February 29, 2008 -- Great news! Just yesterday, the Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee by a vote of 5-0 forwarded the Horseshoe Crab harvest moratorium for vote by the full Assembly. The Committee members include Assemblymen Doug Fisher, Nelson Albano, John Amadeo, Marcia Karrow, and L. Harvey Smith. Special thanks to Assemblymen John McKeon and Doug Fisher are merited! We urgently need your help moving this legislation through the Senate Environment Committee. Please take the time to call Senate committee members and ask them for them to move the legislation out of committee on March 10. Please send an email to [log in to unmask] to report any conversations that you had including commitments and results. Senator Jeff Van Drew (609)-465-0700 or [log in to unmask] Senator John Adler (856)-489-3442 [log in to unmask] Senator Christopher Bateman (908)-526-3600 [log in to unmask] Senator Bob Gordon (201)-703-9779 [log in to unmask] (thank him for being leader on this!!) Senator Bob Smith (732)-752-0770 [log in to unmask] Senator Andrew Ciesla (732)-840-9028 [log in to unmask] Talking Points: 1) Legislators must move the the horseshoe crab moratorium legislation (S1331) out of the Senate Environment Committee on March 1. They should also commit to co-sponsoring the legislation and voting for the bill when it comes before the full Senate. 2) The moratorium needs to last until the Delaware Bay shorebird populations and spawning horseshoe crabs have fully recovered. 3) Due to the overharvest of horseshoe crabs, the Red Knot, a robin-sized shorebird, is facing extinction and two other shorebirds, Semipalmated Sandpipers and Ruddy Turnstones, are facing significant declines. 4) This legislation is needed since the NJ Marine Fisheries Council vetoed NJDEP horseshoe crab moratorium regulations. The NJ Marine Fisheries Council decision runs counter to the science and sets the Red Knot on a course towards extinction. 5) The Delaware Bay, our Serengeti, is one of the top four most important shorebird stopover sites in the world. We must be responsible stewards for this gem! Wildlife watchers visiting the Delaware Bay to view shorebirds and horseshoe crabs contribute up to $42 million per year to the local NJ economy. Thanks for your help to save the shorebirds on the Delaware Bay! ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]