Subject: [Tweeters] state bird - history, the bill, & thanks
Date: Feb 10 10:57:55 2011
From: Pterodroma at aol.com - Pterodroma at aol.com


Thanks all for the interesting and lively discussions topics this week. I
too felt the sense of "inundation". Indeed! Even I was amazed! I know
that feeling and that's even after years with my tweeters subscription set
to "no mail" (read online, copy/paste occasional items of current interest
and/or keepers and email to myself). A good online historical archive
easily key word searchable and accessable would be a good place for permanent
storage for all tweeters missives.

Thanks also for all the feedback, public and private in the state bird
discussion. Great perspectives and I am elated that there appears to
generally be so much enthusiasm for Varied Thrush should a change in fact seriously
come up for consideration one day.

I indulged myself in a bit of googlery (is that a new term? ...almost
sounds naughty doesn't it :-)) but be that as it may, found an interesting
summation beyond short one-liners in the local papers. Over the years, 1928,
1931, 1951, selecting a State bird wasn't all that easy.
See: _http://www.2020site.org/birds/statebirds/washington.html_
(http://www.2020site.org/birds/statebirds/washington.html) ...and...
_http://www.netstate.com/states/symb/birds/wa_willow_goldfinch.htm_
(http://www.netstate.com/states/symb/birds/wa_willow_goldfinch.htm) .

Most interesting and telling was that even back in 1928 when the idea was
first addressed, the State Legislature expressed hopes that a bird
representing the State be "distinctive" (key word: "distinctive") and one
preferrably not selected already by other states, e.g., Western Meadowlark and
'Willow' Goldfinch. Left in the hands of 1928 school children, noble as was,
Western Meadowlark was selected much to the disappointment of the State
Legislature. Not so noble then was the Legislatures actions: pretend the vote
didn't happen and leave it on the back burner. Revived in 1931, the matter
skipped the legislative route all together thru efforts by the Washington
Federation of Women's Clubs and was placed on public ballot. 'Willow'
Goldfinch won and for twenty years we technically had TWO state birds,
'Willow' Goldfinch AND Western Meadowlark. Simmering for twenty more years, it
wasn't until 1951, the matter was finally settled with run-off vote again
handed off to school kids. I don't know if this might have been a factor or
not, but recall that 1950 (Jan-Feb) was the harshest winter (snow & cold) in
all of Washington's history. Arguably, everything since pales in
comparison even if you were one of those who spent 12 hours stuck on a Seattle
freeway last November and begs to differ. Come 1951, perhaps folks of this
State were quite ready if not biased toward a bird that was bright, warm, and
sunny (yellow), and possessed with forever happy disposition. Waa-laa,
'Willow' Goldfinch.

Now, it's 2011. We're all a lot smarter now. Long long gone and gone
forever is the era of the pre-1960's birdwatcher stereotype. Today, we are
literally swamped to the point of overwhelmed with instantly gratifying
knowledge, field guides, specialty reference books, bird finding guides, top
notch state of the art optics, digital cameras, ipods, computers, Internet,
specialty book and seed stores, and on and on. The science of Ornithology
is a forever work in progress racing forward at an ever expanding pace
implementing new science and technology before unknown. Birding is not just
'birding'; it's an industry and just keeping up can be a full time job.

Also, this is not the same "Washington" as it was in 1928, 1931, or even
1951. Not even close. The landscape has changed enormously, in many areas
unrecognizably so, and the State remains a state divided as it always will
be, East and West. Not just politically (irrelevant here), but profoundly
divided by geography and climate, by it's people, lifestyles, and
livelihoods. However you cut it, the State unavoidably comes together by virtue of
definition, the Cascades. East meets West, West meets East; a bonding
experience if by no other. The Cascades are what really defines Washington
and therein resides in it's greatest abundance, the Varied Thrush. A bird
that remains year round loyal to it's home in all suitable forested areas
within the bounds of Washington and the Pacific Northwest, yet quite
accessible to all when it does disperse, retreat, and scatter to non-breeding areas
around the lowlands on both sides during the winter months. Even with
climate change, worse coming to worst, the Varied Thrush will likely weather it
out fine as may we all as we take some comfort in believing we in the PNW
will be among the last to go while so much of the rest of the world races
toward either drying up or washing away.

So, here's the bill, House Bill #1817 in case you haven't actually seen it:
_http://apps.leg.wa.gov/documents/billdocs/2011-12/Pdf/Bills/House%20Bills/1
817.pdf_
(http://apps.leg.wa.gov/documents/billdocs/2011-12/Pdf/Bills/House%20Bills/1817.pdf)

Is that it?!? Is that all?!? It reads "End" at the end, so must be so.
It reads like an escapest one-liner hammered out on a blackberry during a
bathroom break (a very short one) during more stressful legislative sessions
trying to come to grips with much more complicated issues. The willow
goldfinch *strike-thru* followed by "great blue heron" is a nice touch;
bathroom breaks need be short. My goodness! It's incredible how one itsy bitsy
teeny weenie, a virtual post-it note could have generated so much time and
ink all over the state, radio chatter, reader and listener comment, not to
mention discussion here.

So yeah, I say take it out of the hands of the Legislature (aka 1931) and
put it in the hands of the people. Honestly, our current Legislature
really does not have the luxury of time or resources for this dithering drivel
and most likely lack sufficient knowledge, expertise, or even compelling
interest anyway. For now, it's tabled and buried. To the Honorable Mr.
Hunter's credit (and others), bathroom break or not, the amending bill at the
least raises awareness and passion, lest we not be having this discussion at
all. This is a job for birders, WOS, Audubon groups, educators, and other
special interest groups. Education in schools and public at large.
Absolutely! Simple! As small and seemingly time and money wasting matter this
may appear to some, show and demonstrate to all Washingtonians at large
that special and "distinctive" treasure we have here, and if embraced, would
be unique to Washington (i.e., not represented among the other 49), that one
bird that truly does define and 'scream' Washington(!) and Evergreen
State(!) like no other. Sure, in the end, hand it off the Washington's school
children again if that's the will, but let's do so with everyone onboard and
properly educated. In 1928, 1931, and 1951, Varied Thrush, an obscure
bird to start with but certainly not uncommon, was likely more of an oversight
and lapse in careful thorough thought than anything else in the absence of
all we know, recognize, and perhaps even take for granted today, 60 years
later. I think it's time to correct that oversight and embrace the hopes
expressed by a surprisingly foresighted Washington Legislature so long ago
in 1928. Washington's State Bird should indeed be something "distinctive",
defining, and unique to Washington State, and that bird is the Varied
Thrush.

I conclude here by extracting an exact quote directly from House Bill
#1817, "---END---"

Richard Rowlett
Bellevue/Eastgate, WA