----- Original Message -----
From: Ruth Sullivan
To: garybletsch at yahoo.com
Sent: Wednesday, December 24, 2003 11:03 PM
Subject: Re: Birding Stamp


Hello Birders & Tweeters.,
I also like to ad something to the messages from Steve Doug and Gary.I so agree what all there said.I must think first of all that using all this beautiful places free is unheard of.I can remember when I played Golf how much it cost alone for Green fees and Golf lesson than there is Skiing how expensive was this.Bird watching is about the cheapest hobby there is but the most satisfying and the most relaxing.You all must agree on this.What ever it is or call we all enjoying looking for birds.So I don't think a fife dollar fee is to much to pay to enter our parks and state Wildlife area and USFS lands to keep them clean and keep them up.In Eastern Washington some of the parks are managed privately to keep them open so the $50.00 fee on you car is not excepted.It would be good if we had to pay for a Birding License every year,I am all for that this would give us more acceptance to Fisherman and Hunters.
I wish you all a happy Holiday and good birding for the next year.


Cheers Ruth Sullivan
----- Original Message -----
From: Gary Bletsch
To: Tweeters at u.washington.edu
Sent: Wednesday, December 24, 2003 9:25 PM
Subject: Re: Birding Stamp


Dear Tweeters,

I cannot decide whether I agree or disagree with the notion of fee-paying to watch birds. However, assuming that birders must pay, I do wish that they could pay a single fee, say a hundred bucks a year or so, and get access to state wildlife areas, state parks, and national parks and forests.

Most birders make a lot of short visits to these places. Many of us tend to ignore things like giant stone carvings of presidents, gift shoppes, picnic areas, interpretive signs, and the like. We tend to search for the Blue-wattled Sparrowlet, make a note about whatever other birds (and other animals and plants) are present, and then move on. I suspect that this sort of activity is different from that of most other users--most non-birders would not make a ten-minute stop at a state park.

Right now I have a ten-dollar yellow sticker for game department lands, a fifty-dollar green plastic windshield sticker for state parks, and a seldom-used cardboard mirror-dangler (the price of which I cannot remember) for certain USFS lands. I'd rather have just one sticker (or dangler) --a "birding license!" The monies could be divvied up among the various agencies that recognize it. Plus, some artist could be commissioned each year to design it.

Good birding and Happy Holidays!







Yours truly,

Gary Bletsch

near Lyman (Skagit County), Washington

garybletsch at yahoo.com



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