Subject: Taneum/Robinson/Ainsley Canyons
Date: Jul 3 14:23:25 1998
From: Joseph Mackie - jmackie at cc.wwu.edu


Hi tweets,

I wanted to drop in here and make a couple of additions to the post from
Jerry and Sandy Converse re: "Andy's Oldgrowth" or Overpass Unit #3. First
of all, for any of you who doubt the existence of angels, I'm here to tell
you that they are here. I met a couple of mine at the entrance to Robinson
Canyon last Saturday afternoon. Having enjoyed their remarkable progress
as birders on Tweets over the last few months, meeting Jerry and Sandy was
a bit like hooking up with old friends. Their willingness to "babysit" me
as I coasted several miles out of Ainsley, then Robinson Canyons, with
hardly any brakes, steering, and no power, was a blessing. As I told them,
it reaffirmed my experience that birdin' types are remarkable people.
Their bag phone save me miles of footin' it, no doubt.

But back to the birds. Before I met Jerry and Sandy, I checked out Taneum
Creek just off I-90 and had Dusky and Hammond's Flycatchers, Yellow-rumped
and Nashville Warblers.

The thing I'm impressed with about these sites is that for those of us on
the "wet" side who have a hankering for dry side birds, these habitats are
extremely accessible from I-90. Ainsley Canyon and the Ponderosa
old-growth up above are really special in terms of diversity. The grove
was crackling with what appeared to be recently fledged and parent House
Wrens. It's one of those places that has a sacred aspect to it, and to
imagine that each tree with blue paint on it is destined for the mill, is
terribly disheartening. So, I will echo Andy's suggestion that we do what
we can to conserve what is clearly a shared treasure. Here's the address
he provided:

Gary Berndt
Department of Natural Resources
713 E. Bowers Road
Ellensburg WA 98926
Reference the Overpass Timber Sale Unit # 3 FPA 2700364

Once again, a public thanks to the Converse dynamic duo for their
assistance.

Good luck and good birding!

Joe Mackie
Bellingham
jmackie at cc.wwu.edu