Fellow Tweeters,
I agree with much that has been written about birders and their lack of
political and economic clout. While it isn't true that all birders shun
political involvement or picking up their share of the costs of providing
habitat, access areas, parking lots, etc., many just want to go birdwatching,
in the narrowest sense. One incident, particularly, remains in my mind. A
Seattle Audubon group, some years ago, at the entrance to a wildlife refuge,
tried to figure out how if they all could get in free as a group on one
person's Golden Eagle Pass and what would happen if they were stopped by the
ranger. I was appalled. Lots of Leicas and Bausch and Lomb binos on people's
necks. Paying for licenses and parking fees are little enough to ask - for the
benefits of access and unlimited days of enjoyment of parks and refugees. And
I pay and sign in everywhere there's a box or a roster. Funding decisions
often depend on usage. With budgets being cut, it is worth 20 seconds to sign
in and be counted.
As to letter-writing, I don't think any of us would describe an hour of
letter-writing on a bird-related political issue as 'fun', but most things in
life that we really value take some 'grunt work'.
One other point - I know there are 'business' cards which some people leave in
motels, gas stations, etc. Having never had a job where I developed the proper
technique for 'leaving my card', I am more comfortable talking to people,
which I often do (to the embarrassment of people I'm with). I carry my
binoculars everywhere and I ask gas station attendants if there are good birds
in the area or whether the wildflowers are beginning to bloom yet. Of course,
I don't get a substantive answer, but I often have a pleasant exchange. And,
most important, the motel clerks and waitresses know why I'm there. I think
that, with relatively little effort, the birding community could make it's
presence felt more. Let's do it!
Brenda Senturia