Southeast Volusia Audubon Society, Inc. Summer Email Issue Vol. II - No.

1 May, 2007

The Southeast Volusia Audubon Society promotes the protection of birds, other wildlife and their habitat through education and activism.

Prez Sez Meetings

An Open Letter to Edgewater's Elected Officials
Meetings are held once monthly
It appears the city of Edgewater's council and mayor seem
Oct. thru March
to be encouraging the rapid growth of the city and urban sprawl
by allowing the Reflections and Restoration projects West of I-
Please watch this space for the time and location of
95. These developments alone will more than double the cur-
October's meeting.
rent population of the city even without considering any other
developments which will be allowed more internal to the city. Next meeting is October, 2007
It is hard to imagine that the city fathers want to destroy the
small town nature of Edgewater. Didn't you move here for its
small town charm? If you wanted to live in a city like Daytona,
why didn't you move there first instead of moving here to help Officers & Chairs
it "grow "into a Daytona Beach?
Are there plans in the works to be able to provide the President: Don Picard 321-206-4658 [email protected]
necessary services to these developments such as water and
waste water treatment and recycled water? Has the cost been VP: Roger Cutler 386-427-7282 [email protected]
established for constructing the infrastructure for these ser-
vices? Who will bear these costs? Will the current residents Secretary: Vacant
bear them or will the developers be required to pay for them in Treasurer: Richard Domroski 386-428-0447 [email protected]
advance? If growth is supposedly good for current residents,
we should not be forced to pay increased taxes in advance to Newsletter: Gil Miller 386-423-4124 [email protected]
support this growth. I noticed an article in last week's Daytona Programs: Ken Gunn 386-423-2334 [email protected]
Beach News-Journal that the city of New Smyrna Beach is
negotiating with developers to charge them in advance for Field Trips: Gail Domroski 386-428-0447 [email protected]
providing the infrastructure for the new developments far 'out Conservation: Kathy Booth 386-409--3091 [email protected]
of town'. Will Edgewater do this as well?
Membership: Richard Domroski 386-428-0447 [email protected]
Since the Reflections project is in the vicinity of the new
Edgewater well fields, has it been determined that the runoff Publicity: Vacant
from herbicides, pesticides and petroleum products from cars fill one
and roads will not damage the quality of the water supply? Ways & Means: Vacant
ed YOU to aces!
W e ne vacant sp
Looking at the trend of developments in the area, it is Education/Outreach: Vacant se
of the
obvious that the developers remove all of the ground cover
Hospitality: Vacant
before starting construction. There is nothing left that will
impede their earth moving vehicles. We decry the fact that the
developing countries are destroying rain forests but we seem to
allow the same thing to occur in our developments regardless of
size. The trees and plants that convert carbon dioxide and New Members
replenish oxygen to the air are totally removed and replaced by
Lois Boyd, Sandra Distretti, Richard Felone, Sandra L.
houses and pavements. Does it have to be that way? Can't you Fisher, John R. Franks, Bill Franz, Marjorie Matusick, Daniel
require the developers to leave trees in areas in which they are
Pohlar, Miriam Schifter, Katherine Shepard, Bernard Valsin,
going to build houses? I have to pay for a permit to take down Frances Webber, Peter Bonafide.
an oak tree in my yard. Shouldn't developers have to do the
same?
—Don Picard
The eSkimmer May, 2007

Conservation Notes Verses

Energy Efficiency Sometimes when I’m happy or discouraged about our
environment and what we are doing, my feelings come
According to Dave Johnson, EPA Administrator, out in verses. I wrote this in 1994. The horror at
the Bush Administration’s policy to reduce greenhouse Virginia Tech makes it timely.
gas emissions voluntarily is working. On April 16,
Johnson reported that US greenhouse gas emissions rose
only 0.8 percent in 2005, the latest figure available. Eye of the Watcher
Of course Johnson failed to mention that greenhouse Smartly fixing the Hubble was
emissions rose an average of 1.2 percent each year since 1990.
The slightly lower rise in 2005 occurred when gasoline prices reason enough to rejoice.
rose above $3.00 per gallon, and hurricanes disrupted supplies Now this cleared eye toward heaven
of both oil and natural gas.
peers beyond old limits, probing to see
This administration has repeated dogmatically that regu-
lating greenhouse gas emissions or energy efficiency would what began at the beginning, or even before then,
cripple the US economy. President Bush and his advisors filling some lives with wonder,
conveniently ignore the examples of California or Denmark .
posing answers to unformed questions
The average citizen of Denmark uses 6,600 kilowatt
hours (kWh) of electricity per year vs. 13,300 kWh used by the deep in our minds.
average American. Thousands of Danish homes are heated
Yet my child asks,
with waste heat from power plants, according to an April 16
Wall Street Journal report. Developers in chilly Denmark “Is there another eye, somewhere out there
construct buildings with thick walls and generous insulation.
Denmark has doubled its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) over looking at us?
the last 30 years without increasing energy consumption. Perhaps God or a strange mortal
Here in Florida , our 1916 square foot ranch house was watches
net metered (billed) for 5,346 kWh of electricity from the grid
in 2006 – well below the Danish average. We actually used as we blight the green lushness
7,953 kWh in our home, but a third of that power came from of a bountiful globe,
the sun. Thus our system supplied 2,607 kWh of zero emis-
sions electricity to the local grid last year. Our home has fairly riding thirty million species in a race
good insulation, double-pane windows and compact fluores- to oblivion.
cent bulbs. We try not to waste electricity.
Who counts?
I hope the Florida Legislature this year will strengthen
and extend solar power rebates and mandate net metering for Does that eye weep for our fate,
all utilities.
or dismiss us as another curiosity,
• The Cost of Nuclear Power Fuel
an oddly violent kind,
Nuclear power is costly and its cost is rising. The price of
in the cosmos?
yellowcake (uranium oxide), the stuff that got a CIA agent
“outed”, is rising steeply. According to UxC, the British firm —L.B.
that keeps track of nuclear fuel and processing costs, the price
of yellowcake was $7.10 in Nov.-Dec. 2000 and as of April 16,
2007 had zoomed to $113.00 per pound. Fuel constitutes
about 13 percent of a nuclear power plant’s operating costs. Links
That doesn’t include costs of handling used fuel rods that will
be lethal for at least 250,000 years. News on the internet
Nuclear plants are most dangerous when brand new or A big advantage of the eSkimmer is that we can link you
near the end of their life cycle when parts become too radioac- up instantly to sites of interest.
tive and brittle. We'll try to include those we feel are pertinent to our
Maybe rising fuel costs will discourage new nukes, which members and readers. Feel free to send us your suggestions.
require enormous taxpayer subsidies. We have enough dan- Birds as Barometers/Indicators
gerous old nukes and don’t need risky new ones.
http://www.birdlife.org/action/science/sowb/6.html
—Lee Bidgood, Conservation Chair, Emeritus Planet Ark
http://www.planetark.com/
Our email address is [email protected]

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 North American Migration Count Native & Nice
Spring 2007 In Florida Lonicera sempervirens
The North American Migration Count in Florida is spon- Most everyone is familiar
sored by Florida Ornithological Society, and is supported by with the common Japanese hon-
local Audubon Societies, local bird clubs, and other interested eysuckle (Lonicera japonica) that
organizations. grows freely in the wild, to the
point of invasion in some areas.
PURPOSE: The mission of the North American Mi-
gration Count (NAMC) is to: Like its non-native relative,
Florida native coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) is a
 Obtain a “snapshot”? of the progress and “shape” of
climbing, twining vine, but less invasive. Its flowers are showy
spring and fall Migration.
red to red-orange shaped like small tubular trumpets that appear
 Obtain information on the abundance & distribution of throughout spring and summer. Butterflies and hummingbirds
each species. find them irresistible. The coral honeysuckle also bears red
 Initiate more participation among birders within a berries in the fall, which attract birds and small animals.
state and between states. Coral honeysuckle grows well in most soils and sun expo-
 Create challenges and goals among birders while sures, although full sun usually produces more blooms. It will
collecting useful information. tolerate poor soil subject to drought, but has poor salt tolerance.
Occasional pruning will keep the vines in bounds.
 Aid in organization and centralization of date.
—Donnadine Miller
 HAVE FUN.
AREA OF COUNT: The area of a count is not a circle,
but the boundaries of a County. The idea is to have a contigu-
ous interlocking set of non-overlapping counts across North Wandering Members
America. It is desirable to get as much of each county surveyed Maza Brigade Army Base
as resources permit.
I had an interesting birding experience, by accident, ear-
TIMING OF THE COUNT: Each spring and fall an-
lier this year.
other picture will be acquired of the migration pattern. From
these we may discover the shape of migration particular to each I was in the city of Cucutá, Colombia on my way to the
species. The date of NAMC has been chosen to capture as production sites of a company that I consult for. While the field
many migrants as possible before they reach the final destina- itself is relatively secure, parts of the road to it are still regularly
tion. It will not be peak migration everywhere. The Southern patrolled by one or other of two guerilla groups. I do not drive
areas will have the lingerers and the northern areas will still over those sections.
await many of the breeding species when the spring count takes
On this occasion, we were hitching a helicopter ride with a
place.
Colonel to his base at La Gabarra, only a few miles south of our
COUNT DATES: The NAMC takes place across North field. We were to meet him at the helicopter pad in the Maza
America on the third Saturday of September and the second Brigade Army Base near the edge of town at 8:00 A.M.
Saturday of May each year. The near-term counts are May 12,
When we arrived at the camp, shortly before 8:00, we
2007, September 15, 2007, and May 10, 2008.
were advised that the Colonel would be a half hour late. We
were invited to the officer’s mess while we waited. At 8:30 we
walked over to the heli-pad and were told that the Colonel was
Help Wanted still in a meeting but would be along soon. “Soon” turned out to
be another hour.
And, May We Add, Needed
Waiting wasn’t all that bad however. The bird watching
Both the North American Migration Count and the was spectacular. It would have been even better but binoculars
Scrub Jay Habitat project are are areas of concern to are forbidden inside the base and I was traveling light so did not
birders and environmentalists—remember birds are ba- have my Colombian Guide. The large grassy approach area to
rometers of our planet's health, what affects them eventu- the pads and the scrub brush around it were alive with Cattle
ally affects us! Tyrants, Smooth-billed Ani, Tropical Mockingbirds, a few
If you'd like to help work on the Scrub Jay commit- Tropical or Gray Kingbirds, a couple of Lesser Kiskadees, one
tee, contact Kathy Booth 386-409-3091
e-mail very brightly colored Vermilion Flycatcher plus two or three
[email protected] for details. other species which I couldn’t identify.

To help with the Migration Bird Count May 12, The treat, however, was a fifty foot flowering tree which
contact Gail Domroski 386-428-0447
email attracted a multitude of hummingbirds. There were a least ten
[email protected] different species and maybe as many as twenty for all I could
tell. Viewing wasn’t easy as the tree was very leafy and very
Cont'd next page
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The eSkimmer May, 2007

WANDERING MEMBERS mechanical removal of tall trees, which was done (?), followed
with a prescribed burn expected before nesting began in 2000.
from page 3 When the Domroski’s and I met with Mr. Jack Corder, Direc-
tor of Parks and Leisure for the City of Edgewater and Mr.
tall and the birds were very fast. I tried to describe/sketch Young in September 2006, both parties conceded that the
several of the more numerous species but was only marginally management plan has not been followed. No burn has ever
successful in matching these with my guidebook when I got taken place. The Edgewater Fire Dept. says they are ready to
back to Bogotá. My sketches are never good but I found here do a burn as soon as the US Fish and Wildlife approves it.
that the quality diminished even further the higher in the tree According to Mr. Young, since 7+ years have past, the habitat
that the birds fed. The few larger (robin-sized) species that is in need of mechanical removal of tall trees again. He also
came into the top of the tree from time to time were a dead loss. said, and I quote, “This project will not be stalled again”.
I did identify a Collared Inca, which I had seen previously and I Ironically, the City has budgeted for the maintenance of this
was able to also confirm the Shining Green Hummingbird and property every year since 1998. Subsequent to the meeting
the White-chinned Saphire, both lifers for me. 9/06, chapter members have been monitoring the habitat al-
most weekly. We have found one lone banded female jay
I can see that I’m going to have to buy a set of small opera remaining of her family. Mr. Young was to have done another
glasses which I can use inconspicuously in such circumstances survey in October, but because Mr. Corder will not return our
in the future. calls or e-mail requests for a copy of the updated survey, we
—Ken Gunn remain ignorant of the City’s future plans for restoring and
maintaining the habitat. Without suitable habitat this bird has
Expect to see Ken Gunn reporting from almost no chance of being joined by other scrub jays and propagating.
anywhere this summer. The lack of communication and cooperation by the City im-
plies that the City may have no intention of maintaining the
habitat, hastening the demise of this last bird by neglect or
Special Project predation, and then the City can sell the property. Paula Sisson
of the US Fish and Wildlife is the enforcer of the contract, and
Scrub Jay Habitat in Edgewater although she has been aware of the breach of contract by the
City for over a year (see above), she has done nothing. She was
Based on my interest in the mitigated scrub jay habitat at reminded of her responsibility in a recent e-mail from me.
the YMCA, I have been asked to take over the Conservation
I’m guessing by your membership in the Audubon chap-
activities of our chapter.
ter, that you not only enjoy watching and identifying birds, but
Restoration of the scrub jay habitat will be my priority, you want to prevent the disappearance of those same beautiful
since it is a local opportunity for us. My thought is, if our creatures, especially our very own FL scrub jay. Right now, we
chapter can’t persuade the City of Edgewater to meet its con- need volunteers to help monitor the condition of the scrub jay
tractual obligations to maintain this habitat, how can we expect and its habitat at the YMCA, once a month for two hours. But
to have a positive impact on the overwhelming number of that is not all we are going to do. An action plan will follow. If
environmental issues facing us on the state and federal level? you have any ideas, I welcome them. Send right away! Please
So, let’s start by winning this one small battle. call me at 409-3091 or e-mail [email protected].
Following is the history so you can understand why im- —Kathy Booth
mediate action is necessary. November 2005, I went with
Katrina Locke, the scrub jay “specialist” from the County
Environmental Management Dept. to visit the mitigated scrub
jay habitat at the YMCA. Ms. Locke commented to me that the Field Trip
habitat was overgrown and the trails were too wide. In March
of 2006, another County Environmental officer, Casey Lyon, Monday, May 14 a Possibility
and Paula Sisson from the US Fish and Wildlife visited the
habitat. Ms. Lyon told me that Ms. Sisson said that the City of There has been some interest in a field trip to the Alliga-
Edgewater, who is the caretaker of the property and is respon- tor Farm in St. Augustine on Monday, May 14. So far this date
sible for monitoring and maintaining the habitat since 1998, is free of school trips to the Farm, which are many this time of
was not in compliance and she was going to investigate what year.
had been done and not done in regards to monitoring and Entrance fee is $13.97.
compliance with the mitigation contract. Ms. Sisson said the
habitat needed a controlled burn due to overgrowth, particu- Call or email Gail Domroski if you're interested in this
larly on the front side; the back side was in better shape. (as you trip.
will see below, there was no follow up by the US Fish and 386-428-0447
email [email protected]
Wildlife).
In the summer of 2006, Audubon obtained a copy of a
biological survey completed November 1999 by biologist Joe
Young of Biological Consulting Services from the City that
found a family of 3-4 scrub jays on the ~ 8 acres and advised Please forward this Skimmer to friends.
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