Once
people are aware of the escalating extinction crisis, "How
can I help?" becomes a frequent question asked of
conservation biologists. Fortunately individuals can do a
great deal to fend off the silent spring that will surely
come if degradation of North American habitats and the
tropical wintering grounds of many of our birds continues.
In fact, you can make substantial contributions to the
conservation of birds not only at local and national levels
but at the international level as well. In some ways working at the
local level is most personally rewarding. Results come more
quickly, and are more easily recognized. For example, if you
have a back yard you can make it a haven for birds by
planting native ground cover, shrubs, and trees. Your local
Audubon Society chapter as well as the excellent Audubon
Society Guide to Attracting Birds by Stephen Kress can
provide information on both the plants that are important
for birds in your area and on the diets of these birds. In
many areas, providing a source of fresh water may be as
important as supplemental feeding. You should also limit the
use of garden pesticides as much as possible -- something
that could benefit you as well. If you must tackle a pest
problem, start with conservative techniques; use powerful
jets of water from a hose to decimate insect infestations on
trees, or use pesticides based on the natural chemical
pyrethrum. If you must resort to synthetics, restrict the
area in which they are used. Paint the chemicals on plants
with a brush or use large-droplet sprays that drift less
readily than fine aerosols. To limit their spread, spray and
dust pesticides when the air is calm. Whether you become a lone
activist or join with your neighbors, the main focus of
political action at the local level should be preservation
of quality bird habitats. Wherever areas of natural
vegetation are destroyed, local bird populations are likely
to decline, but this does not mean that you have to resist
all development. The challenge is to encourage development
and conservation to go hand in hand. One way is to steer
development into areas that have already been seriously
disturbed -- to focus on redevelopment rather than the
destruction of relatively undisturbed habitat. The provision
of greenbelts, of course, should be encouraged wherever
possible. Strips of habitat along streams can make urban
areas much more hospitable to birds and other wildlife, as
well as to people. Turning waterways that run through cities
and towns into concrete canals should he resisted
politically wherever flood control is not a serious
consideration. Similarly, old railroad rights-of-way and
hedgerows can provide homes for a diversity of birds. Even
the edges of freeways can provide important patches of
habitat; they need not be manicured grasslands or vistas of
imported iceplant, offering neither perches nor cover. City
parks can be designed, within the limits of security
requirements, to host a maximum of species. Central Park is
the only haven for birds that some New York City bird
watchers can frequent. Even though it is in the middle of
the busiest city in North America, the park is visited by
hundreds of bird species annually. SEE: Helping
to Conserve Birds -- National
Level;
Feeding
Birds;
The
Decline of Eastern
Songbirds;
Island
Biogeography;
Birds
and the Law. Copyright
® 1988 by Paul R. Ehrlich, David S. Dobkin, and Darryl
Wheye.