Of interest, I think.

Peggi


>May 8, 1997 Patricia Fisher 202-208-5634
>
> INTENSIVE MULTI-NATIONAL EFFORT TO SAVE SWAINSON'S HAWK
> PRAISED BY U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE
>
>A wildlife puzzle involving a precipitous decline in the number of Swainson's
>hawks returning to
>the United States each spring was solved recently. Today, during special
>ceremonies held in
>Washington, DC, at the Embassy of Argentina, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service
>recognized the
>exemplary on-the-ground effort by Argentinean wildlife agencies in helping to
>save the hawks.
>
>In recent years, biologists knew the number of Swainson's hawks breeding in
some
>areas of
>North America was plummeting but they could not determine why because no one
>knew exactly
>where the birds wintered. During the past 3 years, wildlife biologists in the
>United States
>employed modern technology in the form of small satellite transmitters and
>fitted a number of
>birds with miniature radio equipment. They followed the hawks' flight and
>located the species'
>wintering grounds in the Pampas region of Argentina, an area in the middle of
>the country.
>
>Researchers discovered thousands of Swainson's hawks dying from the misuse of
>the pesticide
>monocrotophos to control grasshopper devastation in Argentinean alfalfa
fields.
>The birds were
>literally falling from the trees as they roosted during the night. During the
>winter of 1995-1996,
>wildlife biologists estimated 20,000 hawks were killed by ingesting
>grasshoppers, one of the
>birds' favorite foods.
>
>Recognizing that quick action was necessary to stem this loss, the Service
>facilitated a
>partnership made up of several Argentinean wildlife agencies, the academic
>community, the
>private sector, and other concerned organizations, including the prominent
>chemical
>manufacturer Ciba-Geigy, a producer of monocrotophos.
>
>The partners launched an intense effort to educate farmers and provide them
with
>alternatives to
>monocrotophos, which is not registered for use on either grasshoppers or
>alfalfa. As the result of
>this cooperation, only 24 hawk deaths were reported this winter.
>
>John Rogers, acting Service director, recognized the special partnership
between
>the United
>States and Argentina as he honored the Argentinean wildlife agencies whose
>grassroots work
>with the agricultural community was so crucial to the operation's success. He
>presented the
>Service's Special Commendation awards to the Instituto Nacional de Tecnologa
>Agropecuaria
>(INTA), Servicio Nacional de Sanidad y Calidad Agroalimentaria (SENASA),
and the
>Secretara
>de Recursos Naturales y Desarrollo Sustentable (SRNyDS).
>
>"This year marks the 35th anniversary of the publication of Rachel Carson's
>Silent Spring in
>which she warned that the continued use of pesticides would doom migratory
>birds," said
>Rogers, who presented the awards to Ambassador Ral Granillo Ocampo. "The
>episode of the
>Swainson's hawks puts us on notice that we must continue to be vigilant and
take
>quick action
>when birds are threatened by pesticides."
>
>Through its Office of International Affairs, the Service provided Argentinean
>counterparts nearly
>$150,000 to help fund activities such as the education campaign, the
monitoring
>of die-offs
>through surveys, and training in the detection of pesticides.
>
>"Migratory birds don't recognize borders," said Rogers. "This makes it
important
>to look beyond
>our own backyards and to be good neighbors saving wildlife."
>
>Also participating in today's event were children from the Belmont Elementary
>School in
>Woodbridge, Virginia, and the Escuela Argentina de Washington. Fourth-,
fifth-,
>and sixth-
>graders from each school took part in a Swainson's hawk poster contest to
>reflect the theme,
>"Good Neighbors Saving Wildlife." Rogers presented special certificates to
the
>top three
>winners from each school. The first-place artists exchanged their posters,
>which will be
>exhibited at the two schools.
>
>"The children said it all with their great designs," said Rogers. "They have
>learned that the
>survival of wildlife depends on international cooperation."
>
>The Service's Office of International Affairs implements the Western
Hemisphere
>Program, a
>regional initiative that develops and strengthens the capacity of Latin
American
>and Caribbean
>nations to manage and conserve biological diversity for the benefit of local
>communities. The
>program supports projects related to human resource development, information
>exchange, and
>environmental education.
>
>The Swainson's hawk is an impressive brown and tawny bird approximately 24
>inches long, with
>a wingspan of 54 inches. These birds of prey are long-distance migrants,
flying
>more than 6,000
>miles between their breeding grounds in the western North American prairies
and
>grasslands and
>their wintering grounds in Argentina's grasslands. They are voracious
eaters of
>insects and small
>mammals and are often found near agricultural fields.
>
> -FWS-
>
>
>
>============================================================
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>
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>.-
>
>
Ben & Peggi Rodgers
Aptos, CA (near Santa Cruz 122 W, 37 N)
USA
woodduck at cruzio.com


"A bird does not sing because it has an answer,
It sings because it has a song"