Subject: airports and birds
Date: Apr 14 11:12:46 2000
From: Kelly Mcallister - mcallkrm at dfw.wa.gov


> Now the fact that they built the airport on a major migration stopping
> point or 500 yards from a federal conservation area is irrelevant.

Airports frequently are the last strongholds for grassland associated birds.
In the east, the majority of Upland Sandpipers are breeding on airports.
Here, in Thurston County, the Olympia airport supports a wide variety of
grassland associated species including streaked horned larks and western
pocket gophers. There are a variety of potential and realized conflicts
between wildlife and operations of airports but, when you look at how
airports have been among the only land users to conserve grassland habitat
critical to the survival of some species, pause a moment before heaping
a great big load of criticism on them.

Kelly McAllister
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife