A follow up to last week's thread on militias. I just finished talking
with a very discouraged Audubon member in Walla Walla County. She is on
the Planning Commission and working on the County's wetlands and wildlife
habitat ordinance. The debate on these issues has recently turned very
nasty to the point where she is receiving threats and folks are publicly
saying things like--"Who are these people who drive on our roads with
their binoculars identifying these nests. They better not come on my
property...."
Yes, I agree that the actual risk of physical harm to a birder is quite
small. However, if you live in a rural county and you happen to speak
out on environmental issues, you're risks of having your dog poisoned and
of you being intimidated and feeling threatened are quite high. We need
to support these courageous people when we can and start speaking out
against the threats of physical violence that are becoming more commonplace.

Tracy Burrows