[mou] Owl Avenue: R.I.P.
Sharon Stiteler
birdchick@gmail.com
Fri, 9 Mar 2007 07:50:33 -0600
--Apple-Mail-2--279978649
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Content-Type: text/plain;
charset=WINDOWS-1252;
delsp=yes;
format=flowed
I was at those same meetings and I never got the impression that they =20=
were not going to log Owl Avenue. The message that I got from those =20
meetings was that the logging would happen throughout the bog for =20
pest control or for money and that there would be other areas for =20
watching the birds, the location would shift from year to year.
While I agree there was a lot of enthusiasm by businesses to invite =20
birders up, there's no way the businesses are going to get the same =20
traffic that they did during that monumental irruption of 2004 - =20
2005. Birders love Sax Zim Bog, but let's face it, we go where the =20
birds are. Much of the owl activity being reported this winter came =20
from Hedbom Road.
Sharon Stiteler
www.birdchick.com
Minneapolis, MN
On Mar 9, 2007, at 6:34 AM, sparky stensaas wrote:
> As Mike Hendrickson had warned, Owl Avenue has been logged. =20
> Essentially ruined for birding. A 100 foot swath of mature black =20
> spruce has been clearcut on the west side of the road and in some =20
> places, on both sides of the road. This will certainly NOT be the =20
> place to look for Boreal Chickadees. [I recommend the two-mile =20
> stretch of mature black spruce along CR52 immediately east of Owl =20
> Avenue...Boreals can be found here.]
>
> What is especially upsetting about this logging is that St. Louis =20
> County and state Foresters KNEW THIS WAS AN IMPORTANT BIRDING AREA. =20=
> After the Owl Invasion of 2004-2005 there were meetings in Cotton =20
> to brainstorm on how Sax-Zim could cater to birders and bring in =20
> tourism dollars to the local communities. The foresters were at =20
> several meetings alongside the MN DNR Nongame, local business =20
> owners and birders. They heard the excitement of the locals, of the =20=
> birders, of the Non game DNR...But the foresters attitude from the =20
> start was on of "You can tell us the value of this area but we are =20
> going to log where we want." Their solution was always to send =20
> birders to other areas where these birds could be found. The =20
> arrogance was obvious and unproductive to the goals of the meeting.
>
> I'm also upset with myself and the birding community for not seeing =20=
> the handwriting on the wall and doing something about it.
>
> So scratch Owl Avenue out of the Sax-Zim section of your copy of =20
> Kim Eckert's Birders Guide to MN.
>
>
> Sparky Stensaas
> 2515 Garthus Road
> Wrenshall, MN 55797
> 218.341.3350 cell
> sparkystensaas@hotmail.com
> www.stoneridgepress.com
>
> Find what you need at prices you=92ll love. Compare products and save =20=
> at MSN=AE Shopping. _______________________________________________ =20=
> mou-net mailing list mou-net@cbs.umn.edu http://cbs.umn.edu/mailman/=20=
> listinfo/mou-net
--Apple-Mail-2--279978649
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Content-Type: text/html;
charset=WINDOWS-1252
<HTML><BODY style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; =
-khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><SPAN class=3D"Apple-style-span" =
style=3D"border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: =
rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: =
normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: =
normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; =
-khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; =
-apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; =
white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"border-collapse: separate; =
border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; =
font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: =
normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; =
-khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; =
-apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; =
white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"border-collapse: separate; =
border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; =
font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: =
normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; =
-khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; =
-apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; =
white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; ">I was at those same =
meetings and I never got the impression that they were not going to log =
Owl Avenue.=A0 The message that I got from those meetings was that the =
logging would happen throughout the bog for pest control or for money =
and that there would be other areas for watching the birds, the location =
would shift from year to year.<BR =
class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN> <DIV><BR =
class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>While I agree there was a =
lot of enthusiasm by businesses to invite birders up, there's no way the =
businesses are going to get the same traffic that they did during that =
monumental irruption of 2004 - 2005.=A0 Birders love Sax Zim Bog, but =
let's face it, we go where the birds are.=A0 Much of the owl activity =
being reported this winter came from Hedbom Road.=A0=A0</DIV><DIV><BR =
class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR =
class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><BR><DIV> <SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"border-collapse: separate; =
border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; =
font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: =
normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; =
-khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; =
-apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; =
white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><DIV>Sharon =
Stiteler</DIV><DIV>www.birdchick.com</DIV><DIV>Minneapolis, =
MN</DIV><DIV><BR class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR =
class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><BR =
class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"></SPAN> </DIV><BR><DIV><DIV>On Mar =
9, 2007, at 6:34 AM, sparky stensaas wrote:</DIV><BR =
class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type=3D"cite"><DIV =
style=3D"background-color:"><P>As Mike Hendrickson had warned, Owl =
Avenue has been logged. Essentially ruined for birding. A 100 foot swath =
of mature black spruce has been clearcut on the west side of the road =
and in some places, on both sides of the road. This will certainly NOT =
be the place to look for Boreal Chickadees. [I recommend the two-mile =
stretch of mature black spruce along CR52 immediately east of Owl =
Avenue...Boreals can be found here.]</P><P>What is especially upsetting =
about this logging is that St. Louis County and state Foresters KNEW =
THIS WAS AN IMPORTANT BIRDING AREA. After the Owl Invasion of 2004-2005 =
there were meetings in Cotton to brainstorm on how Sax-Zim could cater =
to birders and bring in tourism dollars to the local communities. The =
foresters=A0were at several meetings alongside the MN DNR Nongame, local =
business owners and birders. They heard the excitement of the locals, of =
the birders, of the Non game DNR...But the foresters attitude from the =
start was on of "You can tell us the value of this area but we are going =
to log where we want." Their solution was always to send birders to =
other areas where these birds could be found. The arrogance was obvious =
and unproductive to the goals of the meeting.<BR><BR>I'm also upset with =
myself and the birding community for not seeing the handwriting on the =
wall and doing something about it.</P>So scratch Owl Avenue out of the =
Sax-Zim section of your copy of Kim Eckert's Birders Guide to =
MN.<BR><BR><BR>Sparky Stensaas <BR>2515 Garthus Road <BR>Wrenshall, MN =
55797=A0 <BR>218.341.3350 cell <BR><A =
href=3D"mailto:sparkystensaas@hotmail.com">sparkystensaas@hotmail.com</A> =
<BR><A =
href=3D"http://www.stoneridgepress.com">www.stoneridgepress.com</A><BR></D=
IV><BR clear=3D"all"><HR> <A =
href=3D"http://g.msn.com/8HMBENUS/2728??PS=3D47575" target=3D"_top">Find =
what you need at prices you=92ll love. Compare products and save at MSN=AE=
Shopping.</A> _______________________________________________ mou-net =
mailing list mou-net@cbs.umn.edu <A =
href=3D"http://cbs.umn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mou-net">http://cbs.umn.edu/ma=
ilman/listinfo/mou-net</A></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR></BODY></HTML>=
--Apple-Mail-2--279978649--