Dear tweeters, I've been thinking about Robert Cleland's recent post
describing Mt. Rainier rangers' disgust with people who trampled delicate
alpine plants in order to view ptarmigans.

While birders know, better than most, how important habitat preservation is
for the long-term survival of birds and hence our beloved hobby, sometimes
seeing a life bird or a rarity trumps our commitment to ecology. I
experienced this phenomenon once at the Fill, when a group of birders
spotted an American bittern and hounded the poor thing from one pond to
another until it finally left the area altogether. For years after that, I
never posted a sighting of a bittern, or any other people-sensitive bird,
for that matter.

So I know from personal experience that some birders throw good sense to the
winds when it comes to enhancing their own personal sightings and/or lists.
I also hope, however, that birders like that are in the minority.

However, while it saddens me deeply to hear stories like Mr. Cleland's, that
is not the chief lesson I learn (and re-learn) from incidents like this.
Rather, I see how crucial it is for all of us to speak to people whenever we
see them hurting the environment. The force of general public opinion is
very great when it comes to ethical behavior. People tend to want the good
opinion of other people; we seem to need this re-enforcement the most when
we don't think we'll get caught for doing wrong or when we perceive that the
costs of getting caught are small.

So I encourage all of us (myself included) to talk to people who break the
rules on the trails. I know this isn't an easy or a comfortable thing to do.
I've been cursed and reviled many times for asking dog people to keep their
dogs on a leash out at the Fill. It ain't fun. Over the years, I've tried to
come up with charming ways to tell people they're being asses. Well, you see
my problem. The best I've been able to come up with is to tell them that
having a dog off-leash could result in a heavy fine (which has the advantage
of being true), which I would hate to see them pay (an iffier statement).
Then I tell them that there is a university police officer in the area. This
usually results in a heartfelt "thank you" for the heads-up and, more to the
point, a quick leashing of the dog.

On a related issue, I visited the Mt. Rainier web page and searched for an
address to contact rangers. I couldn't find exactly what I wanted, but
perhaps the following URL might at least be willing to forward a message:
MORAinfo at nps.gov I am going to send the rangers a thank-you for their
efforts, along with support for their ideals and a commitment that this
birder, at least, will not step off-trail to see a ptarmigan. If you have a
moment yourself, I would encourage all of you to do something similar. -
Connie, Seattle

csidles at isomedia.com