Greetings All,



Elizabeth J. Rosenthal, author of Birdwatcher:
The Life of Roger Tory Peterson (2008), has written a fine piece about
the plight of the Atlantic population of Red Knots and the
corresponding issues related to the over-harvest of horseshoe crabs in
Delaware Bay. Though the issues surrounding the declining knot
population and the crab harvest have been well-covered in various news
media and birding publications, we hope that the publication of this
article in the BirdFellow.com online journal will further raise
awareness and inspire even more birders to contribute to this vital
conservation effort. Our focal point in publishing this piece (find it
at www.BirdFellow.com) is to help promote the upcoming Delmarva
Ornithological Society Bird-a-thon, which is endeavoring to raise funds
that can be used to purchase prime horseshoe crab spawning beaches on
Delaware Bay. The purchased habitats will offer full protection from
harvest for the spawning crabs, effectively enhancing the food supply
for knots and other shorebirds that are so utterly dependent on this
unique food source.



We invite you to check out Elizabeth's
article and other pieces that have been published since we launched our
online journal in late Dec. 2008.. Most importantly, we invite you to
make a contribution to this important effort. We'd like to publicly
thank Chris Bennett from the Delaware Div.. of Parks and Recreation, and
Dr. Jean Woods, Curator of Birds, Delaware Museum of Natural History,
for providing the wonderful photos that illustrate this piece. We also
thank Bill Stewart, Conservation Chair of the Delmarva Ornithological
Society, for sending us the news release about the DOS Bird-a-thon,
which got the ball rolling as far as our interest in helping to promote
this fundraising effort.



While this post may not have a specific local angle for subscribers to
this list, we hope that you share our concerns about the threats to the
Atlantic population of Red Knots and shorebirds in general.?



Thanks,



Dave Irons

Content Editor

BirdFellow.com