Environmental Conservation News - 2004

Since Eco-Photo Explorers (EPE) was formed to help promote public interest in protecting the underwater environment through knowledge and awareness, this section will be used to provide information on special environmental conservation efforts that you should know about.

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VICTORY FOR PALE MALE!
Evicted Hawks Get their New York City Perch Back...
Thanks to the thousands upon thousands of concerned citizens who came together as one voice to help restore the ripped out nest of Pale Male. By Wednesday, 12/15/2004, the out cry of this shameful deed was so heart-felt that over 10,000 people signed a petition and almost 5,000 letters were sent, according to the Audubon Society!!

New York, NY -  The Audubon Society and the 927 Fifth Avenue co-op board have reached an agreement to restore the pigeon spikes that held in place the nest of red-tailed hawk Pale Male and his mate Lola. The building intends to erect a guardrail around the 12th-floor window cornice, the original location of the nest, in order to stabilize the area and make it more secure.

Full media story of the victory

ORIGINAL ALERT
Hawks Evicted From New York City Perch...
New York (AP) -- Pale Male the city hawk was evicted from his nest, and the flap has already begun. So said aggrieved bird-watchers and neighbors after workmen raised a scaffold to the top of a Manhattan apartment Tuesday and ripped out the famous red-tailed hawk's nest.

The act appeared to end an urban drama that has fascinated bird-watchers over the past nine years, as Pale Male and a succession of mates raised 25 chicks - the last trio of fledglings last June - on the narrow 12th floor ledge over Fifth Avenue. The hawks also achieved a measure of world fame, through television specials and a book, "Red-Tails in Love." On summer weekends, crowds have gathered at the Central Park boat pond to observe them.

"I am outraged," said a teary-eyed Jane Corin, who lives across the street. "That building has been very good about this until now. It's heartbreaking."

Pale Male - so named for his whitish plumage - and his mate, Lola, were nowhere to be seen as the nest was removed, nor were any of their latest offspring.

"The hawks will come back and find the nest is gone," said bird hobbyist Lincoln Karim, an engineer at Associated Press Television News who in summer often lets people view the birds through his giant telephoto camera. "How could these people do this?"

City Parks Commissioner Adrian Benape said he was consulting with state officials to determine who removed the nest and whether any law or regulation had been broken. Red-tailed hawks are not legally protected, he said but the loss of the birds would hurt because "they limit the rodent population in an area where natural predators were absent for a long time."

A doorman at the building said it was managed by Brown Harris Stevens, a prominent Manhattan real estate firm. At the company office, an employee declined to comment. Posted: Wednesday, December 08, 2004 06:29 AM CST

• Pale Male: Red-tailed hawk who manages to thrive in New York City
• NYC Audubon Society
• Palemale.com
• Other Links:  1 2
  
  Pale Male Image (above) - Courtesy PBS.ORG

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Efforts under way to contain Alaska oil spill... ( Full Stories: 1 2 )
(CNN) -- Authorities struggled Saturday against adverse weather conditions to determine the extent of an oil spill from a Malaysia-flagged cargo vessel that foundered in frigid waters off Alaska's Aleutian Islands.

"We're still hoping to get wildlife people out there," said Jill Owesny, spokeswoman for the Unified Command, which includes the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and the U.S. Coast Guard.  Booms have been laid in an effort to protect salmon streams, and helicopters were headed to the site to assess the extent of the spill, she said. Posted: CNN, Saturday, December 11, 2004 Posted: 7:12 PM EST (0012 GMT)

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Beached whale faces slim odds of survival...
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) -- Rescuers failed to free a humpback whale that washed up on a beach over the weekend, and biologists said Tuesday its chances of survival were slim. Posted: CNN, Tuesday, August 10, 2004 Posted: 10:35 AM EDT (1435 GMT)

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Whaling conference OKs proposal on killing methods... ( Full Story )
SORRENTO, Italy (AP) -- The International Whaling Commission approved a proposal Wednesday calling for a more humane method of killing whales than the grenade-tipped harpoons favored by hunters of the giant mammals. Posted: CNN, Wednesday, July 21, 2004 Posted: 2:05 PM EDT (1805 GMT)

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See the world, protect the earth... ( Full Story )
(CNN) -- References to eco-tours are popping up in magazines, guidebooks and ads for everything from rainforest tours in Bangladesh to birding trips through Oaxaca, Mexico. Posted: CNN, Monday, July 19, 2004 Posted: 8:35 AM EDT (1235 GMT)

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Fisheries Service Ignores Science... ( Full Story )
Will Allow Continued Harm to Sea Turtles in the Atlantic - The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has announced its plans not to require the use of fishing gear proven to protect threatened and endangered sea turtles. Posted: The Ocean Conservancy Action Alert, June 23, 2004

Important Update:
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has announced its plans not to require the use of fishing gear proven to protect threatened and endangered sea turtles. Instead the agency will allow the use of gear that may well continue the unnecessary capture, injury and death of these animals. Posted: The Ocean Conservancy

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