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From: William Kaufman <beaux at u.washington.edu>
Date: Thu, 03 May 2007 22:53:31 -0400
To: Scott Downes <downess at charter.net>
Subject: Re: [Tweeters] Re: Barred Owl "thinning" question


Re: Downes statement, ". . . . . I don't want to turn to a kid
birder in 40 years and say I remember the last time a NSPOW was seen in
WA.."
For what it's worth, early in the '30's my father said, "I want to
show you a prairie chicken. This is likely to be the last season we will
have."
This was in western Minnesota.
He was a country doctor and for several days we hunted on country
calls in the afternoon. The third or fourth day, a bird flew across the
road and landed about 100 feet out in the field. Father left the car with
his, even then, ancient Remington 12 ga. Automatic. He was an excellent
wingshot and when he flushed the bird he dropped it cleanly.
We sat on the shoulder of the gravel road and he spread the bird's
wings and showed me the feather patterns and discussed how plentiful the
birds had been twenty years earlier.
When I began to hunt in the late '30's there were no prairie chickens
in that region.
That was 75 years ago. It seems that farming methods had consumed
nearly all the "prairie."
Now with establishment of "prairie reserves" and planting of adult
farm raised birds it has been estimated that in the region there are
perhaps100 hundred breeding pairs.
75 years to reestablish "prairie", not "old growth forest", and
perhaps 100 breeding pairs.
For what it's worth, think about it.

Bill Kaufman
Woodinville, WA

on 5/4/07 12:08 AM, Scott Downes at downess at charter.net wrote:


. . . . . . . .
>
> My daughter is 18 months old. It is my hope that Spotties will be around for
> her to appreciate as an adult, that fact remains to be seen. Let's hope for
> the best and work to make responsible choices to make that happen. I really
> don't want to turn to a kid birder in 40 years and say I remember the last
SPOW in western WA.
>..
>
> Scott Downes
> downess at charter.net
> Yakima WA
>
>
>
>
>
>
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