permaculture

[Steve Diver <steved@ncatark.uark.edu>]

I doubt very seriously you have an epidemic loss of songbirds.

Over time, through loss of habitat and disturbance of breeding
grounds, slowly creeping, year after year...  your songbird
population decreased.  Environmental toxins probably play a
role in decreased bird populations, as well.

So what else is new, man?  The whole world is suffering these
same characteristics.

Fyi, you have only so many options in front of you as a citizen.
It is unlikely you can stop spraying, but you may be able to get
collective buy-in to habitat and have a significant impact.   The
other option is to find non-toxic alternatives such as biorational
pesticides.  BIRC is one of your best options along those lines.

Agro-ecology, agroforestry, hedgerow agriculture, riparian buffer
strips and corridors, permaculture... they all have something in
common with ecological design, species selection, and habitat
management.


Songbird Hedges—An Antidote to the Stockade Fence
Plants & Gardens News Volume 16, Number 3 | Fall 2001
by Janet Marinelli
http://www.bbg.org/gar2/topics/wildlife/2001fa_songbird.html

Attracting and Feeding Songbirds
Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service
http://cufan.clemson.edu/hgic/factsheets/hgic1700.htm

Understanding the Science Behind Riparian Forest Buffers:
Effects on Plant and Animal Communities
Virginia Cooperative Extension
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/forestry/420-152/420-152.html

Design Recommendations for Riparian Corridors and Vegetated
Buffer Strips
US Army Engineer Research and Development Center
http://www.wes.army.mil/el/emrrp/pdf/sr24.pdf
        17-page PDF; addressing zones, ecological design, species

"Habitat, habitat, gots to have a habitat"

Steve Diver



Claude Genest wrote:

> Thanks Steve,
>
> This option is quite popular around here, but I'm afraid it plays into the
> "best and ONLY the best " mentality that seeks to "solve" the problem
> without recognizing that the apparent "problem" is in fact only a
> symptom....
> Don't get me wrong, I'm all for bats, but not instead of a healthy
> population of songbirds. And best as I can tell ( hence the need for
> corroborating evidence) this Spring is as Silent as they've all been for the
> last fifty years, and if it hadn't been for Miss Carson's book, I doubt I'd
> ever have noticed that this is NOT NORMAL !
>
> Regards,
>
> Claude