[mou] Owl Avenue: R.I.P.
Mike Hendrickson
smithville4@charter.net
Fri, 9 Mar 2007 10:10:50 -0600
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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. =
Birders love Sax Zim Bog, but let's face it, we go where the birds are. =
Much of the owl activity being reported this winter came from Hedbom =
Road.
I guided a lot birders from all over and it wasn't even a owl irruption =
year. The Hedbom Road was hot in mid December thru early January for =
viewing Great Gray Owls but after early January Great Gray Owls =
sightings nose dived to the point the only reason to go to the HedBom =
Road was to view woodpeckers and redpolls. The most consistent spot to =
see both species of crossbills were along the Blue Spruce Road in Sax =
Zim and of course the best spot to view Boreal Chickadees were along Owl =
Avenue, Arkola Rd and Blue Spruce Rd in Sax Zim Bog. Yes we go where =
the birds are but that doesn't limited us to just bird the Hedbom =
Logging Trail Rd as Sax Zim Bog had numerous sightings of both species =
of woodpeckers, Sharp-tailed Grouse and winter finches.=20
Also just because birders were birding the Hedbom Rd doesn't mean the =
businesses in Meadowlands didn't miss us birders! I and Kim Eckert each =
received a email from a community leader in Meadowlands asking where are =
the birders? =20
was at those same meetings and I never got the impression that they =
were not going to log Owl Avenue. 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.
Other birding areas and where would that be? The birding location would =
shift from year to year? What? So lets open the bog along Owl Avenue =
for logging and push birders to some other spot to view birds. Then =
after the birders get to see their birds in the other location lets open =
that area up for logging and push birders to some other location! Wow =
that makes sense to me! Eventually birders will have no other place to =
bird because there are only a few pockets of bog in the Sax Zim Bog =
area!!!!!!!! I suppose at these meeting the people who were there =
accepted that idiotic logic! If I was at these meetings I would of been =
asked to leave after hearing that BS!=20
That is why I am personally getting more involve with the people in Sax =
Zim Bog area to get some things done rather than just talk about things! =
Michael Hendrickson
Duluth, Minnesota
Lake Superior Boat Trips
http://webpages.charter.net/mmhendrickson/
----- Original Message -----=20
From: Sharon Stiteler=20
To: Minnesota Bird Net=20
Sent: Friday, March 09, 2007 7:50 AM
Subject: Re: [mou] Owl Avenue: R.I.P.
I was at those same meetings and I never got the impression that they =
were not going to log Owl Avenue. 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.
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. =
Birders love Sax Zim Bog, but let's face it, we go where the birds are. =
Much of the owl activity being reported this winter came from Hedbom =
Road. =20
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. =
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.]
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 were 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.
I'm also upset with myself and the birding community for not seeing =
the handwriting on the wall and doing something about it.
So scratch Owl Avenue out of the Sax-Zim section of your copy of Kim =
Eckert's Birders Guide to MN.
Sparky Stensaas=20
2515 Garthus Road=20
Wrenshall, MN 55797 =20
218.341.3350 cell=20
sparkystensaas@hotmail.com=20
www.stoneridgepress.com
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<DIV>While I agree there was a lot of enthusiasm by businesses to invite =
birders=20
up, there's no way the businesses are going to get the same traffic that =
they=20
did during that monumental irruption of 2004 - 2005. Birders love =
Sax Zim=20
Bog, but let's face it, we go where the birds are. Much of the owl =
activity being reported this winter came from Hedbom Road.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Lucida Sans" color=3D#808000 size=3D4>I guided a lot =
birders from=20
all over and it wasn't even a owl irruption year. The Hedbom Road =
was hot=20
in mid December thru early January for viewing Great Gray Owls but after =
early=20
January Great Gray Owls sightings nose dived to the point the only =
reason=20
to go to the HedBom Road was to view woodpeckers and redpolls. The =
most=20
consistent spot to see both species of crossbills were along the Blue =
Spruce=20
Road in Sax Zim and of course the best spot to view Boreal Chickadees =
were along=20
Owl Avenue, Arkola Rd and Blue Spruce Rd in Sax Zim Bog. Yes we go =
where=20
the birds are but that doesn't limited us to just bird the Hedbom =
Logging Trail=20
Rd as Sax Zim Bog had numerous sightings of both species of woodpeckers, =
Sharp-tailed Grouse and winter finches. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Lucida Sans" color=3D#808000 =
size=3D4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Lucida Sans" color=3D#808000 size=3D4>Also just=20
because birders were birding the Hedbom Rd doesn't mean the =
businesses in=20
Meadowlands didn't miss us birders! I and Kim Eckert each received =
a email=20
from a community leader in Meadowlands asking where are the=20
birders? </FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Lucida Sans" color=3D#808000 =
size=3D4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Lucida Sans" color=3D#808000 size=3D4><FONT =
face=3DHelvetica=20
color=3D#000000 size=3D2> was at those same meetings and I never =
got the=20
impression that they were not going to log Owl Avenue. The message =
that I=20
got from those 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 =
watching the=20
birds, the location would shift from year to year.</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Lucida Sans" color=3D#808000 size=3D4><FONT =
face=3DHelvetica=20
color=3D#000000 size=3D2></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Lucida Sans" color=3D#808000 size=3D4><FONT =
face=3DHelvetica=20
color=3D#000000 size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>Other birding areas and where would that be? The birding =
location=20
would shift from year to year? What? So lets open the bog along =
Owl Avenue=20
for logging and push birders to some other spot to view birds. Then =
after the=20
birders get to see their birds in the other location lets open that area =
up for=20
logging and push birders to some other location! Wow that =
makes sense=20
to me! Eventually birders will have no other place to bird because there =
are=20
only a few pockets of bog in the Sax Zim Bog area!!!!!!!! I =
suppose at=20
these meeting the people who were there accepted that idiotic =
logic! If I=20
was at these meetings I would of been asked to leave after hearing that =
BS!=20
</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>That is why I am personally getting more involve with the people in =
Sax Zim=20
Bog area to get some things done rather than just talk about things! =
</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR class=3Dkhtml-block-placeholder></DIV></FONT>
<DIV>Michael Hendrickson<BR>Duluth, Minnesota<BR>Lake Superior Boat =
Trips<BR><A=20
href=3D"http://webpages.charter.net/mmhendrickson/">http://webpages.chart=
er.net/mmhendrickson/</A></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #808000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV=20
style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>=20
<A title=3Dbirdchick@gmail.com =
href=3D"mailto:birdchick@gmail.com">Sharon=20
Stiteler</A> </DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A =
title=3Dmou-net@cbs.umn.edu=20
href=3D"mailto:mou-net@cbs.umn.edu">Minnesota Bird Net</A> </DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, March 09, 2007 =
7:50=20
AM</DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [mou] Owl Avenue:=20
R.I.P.</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><SPAN class=3DApple-style-span=20
style=3D"WORD-SPACING: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica; TEXT-TRANSFORM: =
none; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-INDENT: 0px; WHITE-SPACE: normal; =
LETTER-SPACING: normal; BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate; border-spacing: 0px =
0px; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -apple-text-size-adjust: =
auto; orphans: 2; widows: 2"><SPAN=20
class=3DApple-style-span=20
style=3D"WORD-SPACING: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica; TEXT-TRANSFORM: =
none; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-INDENT: 0px; WHITE-SPACE: normal; =
LETTER-SPACING: normal; BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate; border-spacing: 0px =
0px; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -apple-text-size-adjust: =
auto; orphans: 2; widows: 2"><SPAN=20
class=3DApple-style-span=20
style=3D"WORD-SPACING: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica; TEXT-TRANSFORM: =
none; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-INDENT: 0px; WHITE-SPACE: normal; =
LETTER-SPACING: normal; BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate; border-spacing: 0px =
0px; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -apple-text-size-adjust: =
auto; orphans: 2; widows: 2">I=20
was at those same meetings and I never got the impression that they =
were not=20
going to log Owl Avenue. The message that I got from those =
meetings was=20
that the logging would happen throughout the bog for pest control or =
for money=20
and that there would be other areas for watching the birds, the =
location would=20
shift from year to year.<BR=20
class=3DApple-interchange-newline></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN>
<DIV><BR class=3Dkhtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV>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 =
traffic=20
that they did during that monumental irruption of 2004 - 2005. =
Birders=20
love Sax Zim Bog, but let's face it, we go where the birds are. =
Much of=20
the owl activity being reported this winter came from Hedbom=20
Road. </DIV>
<DIV><BR class=3Dkhtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV><BR class=3Dkhtml-block-placeholder></DIV><BR>
<DIV><SPAN class=3DApple-style-span=20
style=3D"WORD-SPACING: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica; TEXT-TRANSFORM: =
none; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-INDENT: 0px; WHITE-SPACE: normal; =
LETTER-SPACING: normal; BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate; border-spacing: 0px =
0px; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -apple-text-size-adjust: =
auto; orphans: 2; widows: 2">
<DIV>Sharon Stiteler</DIV>
<DIV>www.birdchick.com</DIV>
<DIV>Minneapolis, MN</DIV>
<DIV><BR class=3Dkhtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV><BR class=3Dkhtml-block-placeholder></DIV><BR=20
class=3DApple-interchange-newline></SPAN></DIV><BR>
<DIV>
<DIV>On Mar 9, 2007, at 6:34 AM, sparky stensaas wrote:</DIV><BR=20
class=3DApple-interchange-newline>
<BLOCKQUOTE type=3D"cite">
<DIV>
<P>As Mike Hendrickson had warned, Owl Avenue has been logged. =
Essentially=20
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=20
the road. This will certainly NOT be the place to look for Boreal=20
Chickadees. [I recommend the two-mile stretch of mature black spruce =
along=20
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=20
and state Foresters KNEW THIS WAS AN IMPORTANT BIRDING AREA. After =
the Owl=20
Invasion of 2004-2005 there were meetings in Cotton to brainstorm on =
how=20
Sax-Zim could cater to birders and bring in tourism dollars to the =
local=20
communities. The foresters were at several meetings alongside =
the MN=20
DNR Nongame, local business owners and birders. They heard the =
excitement of=20
the locals, of the birders, of the Non game DNR...But the foresters =
attitude=20
from the 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 =
birders to=20
other areas where these birds could be found. The arrogance was =
obvious and=20
unproductive to the goals of the meeting.<BR><BR>I'm also upset with =
myself=20
and the birding community for not seeing the handwriting on the wall =
and=20
doing something about it.</P>So scratch Owl Avenue out of the =
Sax-Zim=20
section of your copy of Kim Eckert's Birders Guide to =
MN.<BR><BR><BR>Sparky=20
Stensaas <BR>2515 Garthus Road <BR>Wrenshall, MN 55797 =20
<BR>218.341.3350 cell <BR><A=20
=
href=3D"mailto:sparkystensaas@hotmail.com">sparkystensaas@hotmail.com</A>=
=20
<BR><A=20
=
href=3D"http://www.stoneridgepress.com">www.stoneridgepress.com</A><BR></=
DIV><BR=20
clear=3Dall>
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