[mnbird] Re: [mou] paying to use state wildlife land

[Laura Erickson]

As cool as it is that less than 2% of the Duck Stamp money goes to
administrative costs, that's because it's administrated by federal
agencies that get other funding, in the form of our taxes, to cover their
administrative costs.  How could Audubon, ABC, National Wildlife
Federation, and other private organizations survive and develop a
consistent, strong voice in environmental issues if they had no one to
cover their administrative costs?  I agree that some large organizations
are too "top heavy," and some top executives of them are probably too
well-compensated, but heavens!  Right now people with a lot of
administrative skills in our litigious society can go to the private
sector and get paid a lot more.  And most of the people who work for these
organizations are not at all well-paid, do not get great benefits, and
don't get much respect even from those of us who benefit most obviously
from their hard work.

I think it's important for us all to allocate our donations for bird
conservation where we each believe our money will best be used.  I
strongly support the Duck Stamp program.  I also strongly support several
environmental and bird organizations that work very hard and accomplish
things that are very important for bird conservation.  For me, it's not an
either/or situation--I figure out how much I can afford, and divide that
out as well as I can.  The greatest successes are when individuals and
organizations work together to achieve a goal, not when we compete with
those who should be our teammates.


Laura Erickson
Duluth, MN

Staff Ornithologist
Binoculars.com
www.birderblog.com

There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of birds. 
There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of
nature--the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the
winter.

			--Rachel Carson


>> Audubon, Nature Conservancy, National resources Defense Council,
>> Wilderness Society, American Rivers,etc., etc.
>
>
> I appreciate some of those organizations and even belong to at least
> one, but I wonder if any of those organizations are as efficient with
> their money as the duck stamp program.  Less than 2% of the money
> from duck stamps goes to administrative costs, the rest goes to
> buying up habitat--that's over 98%.
>
> I really am surprised at the notion that because birders aren't
> "harvesting" ducks they shouldn't have to help buy up habitat so they
> can have the right to watch birds for free.  You can watch birds
> anywhere, great birds are in backyards, but we need those breeding
> grounds in place to keep seeing them.  Duck stamps help support other
> birds like warblers, rails, herons, egrets, raptors, owls, etc.
> Right now, duck hunters have to buy a stamp, but their numbers are
> going down.  If those numbers continue to decline, so will money for
> buying up habitat and all the birders who feel that they can use the
> resource for free won't have much resource left to look at, let alone
> the birds that benefit from that habitat.
>
> Sharon Stiteler
> Minneapolis, MN
> www.birdchick.com
> Bird/Wildlife Observation Specialist for www.eagleoptics.com
>
>
>
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