Date: 2/9/13 6:47 am
From: Rick Borchelt <rborchelt...>
Subject: Re: [MDBirding] The Soldiers Delight Problem


The larger picture is that powerline right-of-ways in Maryland represent a critical ecological asset, providing remnants of original habitat, new habitat where the rest of the surrounding landscape is developed, and -- perhaps most importantly -- offering wildlife corridors between larger habitat tracts for necessary genetic exchange. The latter is especially true for herps and for invertebrates like butterflies. The edge habitat they typically support also frequently is a source of larval food plants and adult nectar sources for butterflies, a number of which are officially threatened and many more of which are in decline.

What Maryland lacks is a comprehensive management plan for these critical areas, developed in concert with land managers, local communities, and wildlife biologists (of both the professional and recreational variety). Such a plan should start with an inventory of where particularly important stretches of rare or sensitive habitat currently exist within ROWs, and designation of these as Areas of Special Concern where ANY land management needs to be agreed to and notice given in advance. Second priority should be restoration of habitat where the underlying hydrology and other conditions support it, and where compatible with ROW maintenance.

MOS and other organizations -- including Washington Area Butterfly Club, Audubon Naturalist Society, local Sierra Club and Audubon chapters, and others -- should take the lead in conducting these inventories and setting up dialogue with DNR and local governments with ROW managers.


Rick Borchelt

http://www.leplog.com
College Park, MD

On Feb 9, 2013, at 8:54, <kmlathroum...> wrote:

> I can't comment on the hairstreak matter as I was not involved nor aware of it prior to this discussion. I can tell you that the DNR has held BGE accountable when they have gotten out of hand previosuly. You also need to take into consideration the fact that their crews are hired to cut and trim trees and in many cases that is the ony real work they know and their concern for that 8hours is getting their job done. In my professional opinion roping off that area would have only drawn undue attention to the site, because the first thing everyone does when you single out a certain area is to go see what is going on and try to figure out why just human nature I guess. It has nothing to do with the fact that the L E Owl isn't threatened.The intrusion by the tree trimming was in all likelihood a much more minimal one time disturbance, then the accumulated disturbances by all of the bird watchers and photographers. Fact of the matter is since the bird(s) have been there for quite some time now is a testament in my mind to their resilience as a species.and their ability to adapt to this new modern world which we are all a part of whether we like it or not.
>
>
> On 02/08/13, Tom Stock wrote:
>
> I guess you missed my post about BGE denuding the power line right of way at
> Soldiers Delight of critical habitat for at least one critically declining
> Maryland species, Edwards' Hairstreak, this despite the fact that an effort
> had been made by several people (myself included) to work with DNR to
> identify the critical habitat so that it could be managed in cooperation
> with the utility. All for naught.
>
> Nor would it have been that big a deal for DNR to rope off the area around
> the owls and alert the public AND the utility to steer clear of the roost.
> Should it matter that Long-eared Owls aren't threatened?
>
> Tom Stock
> Silver Spring, Md.
>
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: "Mark Johnson" <mj3151...>
> Sent: Friday, February 08, 2013 7:29 PM
> To: <altomomatic...>; "MDBirding" <mdbirding...>
> Subject: Re: [MDBirding] The Soldiers Delight Problem
>
>> I don't think peole have really thought this issue through very
>> thoroughly. Situations like this tend to shut down peoples' left brains
>> and the resultant by-products are a lot of hand wringing and finger
>> pointing. Have you considered that the owls probably wouldn't even have
>> selected that spot to roost if not for BGE? It's not by coincidence that
>> owls and raptors roost and build their nests along the edges of wood lots
>> that interface with open fields...it's where they make their living. They
>> like to set up shop in an area that will provide shelter, but be close to
>> their hunting grounds. Power line cuts that are created and maintained by
>> these utilities provide ideal habitat for these guys. If the open area
>> were allowed to return to dense woodland, the edge that's so attractive to
>> these birds wouln't exist and the birds would go elsewhere. Long-eared
>> Owls aren't an endanged species. There are lots of them and they have a
>> very broad range globally. They're just really good at hiding from people.
>> We call them a "sensitive species", but it's really a misnomer. They're
>> not as sensitive as the people who churn their intestines into knots
>> trying to protect them. The difference between us and the owls is that we
>> have a conscience and actually feel compassion for them, sometimes more
>> than is warranted, some would say. We worry about them more than they
>> worry about, say, a vole that they're in the process of skull-crushing for
>> breakfast. We focus on these situations when they present themselves,
>> because they so infrequently present themselves. Every year thousands of
>> these situations happen daily, out of our view, while utilities like BGE
>> go through their routine pruning activities. It's anybody's guess how many
>> owls are potentially or actually disturbed in the process, but they seem
>> to manage to get by in spite of the commotion.
>>
>> I love nature, and even a few of the people who are, undeniably, part of
>> it. In my perfect world, people would just take a deep breath and think
>> for a few moments before they organize a lynch mob for some hapless
>> photogropher or BGE-contracted tree trimmer.
>>
>> Mark Johnson
>> Aberdeen
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: <altomomatic...>
>> To: "MDBirding" <mdbirding...>
>> Sent: Friday, February 08, 2013 5:06 PM
>> Subject: [MDBirding] The Soldiers Delight Problem
>>
>>
>> I'm puzzled. Many subscribers to this list were full of sound and fury
>> over a report of an owl roost tree being disturbed -- presumably by a
>> photographer, but then fell silent when the actual culprit was identified.
>> That actual culprit being an ineffective DNR and an over-zealous utility.
>>
>> Of the two -- photographer versus a state agency and a utility -- isn't
>> the fact of the latters' actions far more disturbing? (I think so.) And
>> what should we do about it? Must the sound and fury elicited by the
>> original report of a disturbance signify nothing? I would hope that DNR
>> and BGE be held responsible for their lack of effective communication.
>>
>> This is a recurring problem and it's not going away.
>>
>> Tom Stock, frequent visitor to Soldiers Delight
>> Silver Spring, Md.
>>
>>
>> Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
>>
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