Today Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar released a report titled:

The State of the Birds
United States of America
2009

In his statement, Secretary Salazar said:

?Just as they were when Rachel Carson published Silent Spring nearly 50 years
ago, birds today are a bellwether of the health of land, water and
ecosystems,? Salazar said. ?From shorebirds in New England to warblers in
Michigan to songbirds in Hawaii, we are seeing disturbing downward population
trends that should set off environmental alarm bells. We must work together
now to ensure we never hear the deafening silence in our forests, fields and
backyards that Rachel Carson warned us about.?

In the press release it states:

"The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service coordinated creation of the new report as
part of the U.S. North American Bird Conservation Initiative, which includes
partners from American Bird Conservancy, the Association of Fish and Wildlife
Agencies, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Klamath Bird Observatory, National
Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Geological Survey."

Work on the report begain in October, 2007. The report, a beautifully shot
video introducing the report (6:40 minuites long), and links to information
used in the report may be found at:

http://www.stateofthebirds.org/

--
Bruce McKenzie
bmsh.mckenzie at gte.net
Kenmore, WA USA