William Atkins
Sunday, 22 March 2009 20:12
Science -
Climate
Page 1 of 3
According to a review of bird populations in the United States by the Interior Department nearly one-third of the 800 bird species in the country are endangered, threatened, or in significant decline. Please read this article even if you don't live in the U.S. because bird health is directly related to human health all over the Earth.
The U.S. State of the Birds is a report, which was released by the
Department of the Interior on Thursday, March 19, 2009, that organized and analyzed about forty years of studies from a wide range of groups such as U.S. government agencies and citizen groups like the National Audubon Society.
According to the website
StateOfTheBirds.org, the first-ever comprehensive report on U.S. bird populations shows that
“… nearly a third of the nation’s 800 bird species are endangered, threatened or in significant decline due to habitat loss, invasive species, and other threats.” [StateOfTheBirds.org: “
Secretary Salazar Releases Study Showing Widespread Declines in Bird Populations, Highlights Role of Partnerships in Conservation”]
The complete pdf report “The U.S. State of the Birds” can be downloaed from this same website (as mentioned in the earlier paragraph):
http://www.stateofthebirds.org/news-release.
Ken Salazar, the Secretary of the Interior Department, declares that all government bodies and all the citizens of the United States should be called to action in order to counter this decline in U.S. bird populations.
Salazar states,
“This report is a call to action — but the action is within our reach…. We can move forward to restore the bird populations of this country and the world.” [Science News: “
U.S. Bird Population in Decline, Report Says”]
The Interior Secretary also stated,
“Just as they were when Rachel Carson published Silent Spring nearly 50 years ago, birds today are a bellwether of the health of land, water and ecosystems…. From shorebirds in New England to warblers in Michigan to songbirds in Hawaii, we are seeing disturbing downward population trends that should set off environmental alarm bells."
"We must work together now to ensure we never hear the deafening silence in our forests, fields and backyards that Rachel Carson warned us about.” [StateOfTheBirds.org]
Page two continues with comments made by Mr. Salazar of the health of our planet's bird populations.
