Where Shrub's fence/wall will go: Through remnants of birding/enviro

[UTUSN]

Not that this will matter to the TANCREDOs, "TEX" SENSENBRENNERs (heir to KOTEX fortune), O'LOOFAHs, MALKINs, Minutemen -- who care more about abstractions than about people, much less for environmental habitats.

The first item is not online, no link. The 2nd item fleshes out what he was saying.

And, in fairness, the human population of this geographical area have not done much to protect it or themselves, either. The Rio Grande is one of the ten most polluted rivers in the (world?). Plus development has run rampant, all for dollars, soon to make (the map below) into SOLID population, even now with less than 5% of the original habitat. And it's nothing if not ironic that the last quote attributes EVEN MORE wildlife moving north DUE TO GLOBAL WARMING!!1

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DHS plans to destroy top Valley birding sites
Keith Hackland

.... ...DHS (the Department of Homeland Security) distributed maps indicating they have plans that will have to include bulldozing and clearing the Texas banks of the Rio Grande to install river patrol roads and river fencing. DHS is a protected part of the federal government that can operate without being sued and without consulting residents. The Secretary of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, has the power to wave (sic) any and all federal laws in the name of homeland security. He can authorize the construction of river fences and any other structure on federal and private lands without the landowner's consent. (Section 102 of the 2005 REAL ID Act)....

The Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge includes property along 80 miles of the (river's) last 240 miles .... and it protects a significant part of what little river forest remains (less than five percent ... ) . DHS plans could clear-cut much of our remaining river forest. DHS river fences could cut us off from access to our drinking water, and leave it and the adjoining land under the control of Mexico. DHS plans could cut ranchers and farmers and their livestock off from water. DHS river fences could prevent birding and fishing the river. DHS plans could destroy our rarest and most valuable birds and butterflies, amphibians and plants. ....

The milion people living in the Valley do not support the river fence plan. There are workable alternatives to a river wall, river fence or river road. A virtual (electronic) fence could be deployed to track people. Control mechanisms, whether virtual or physical, could follow the extensive existing infrastructure, building them alongside the existing levee road system and next to Military Highway, thereby minimizing the effect on river forest. ....

Keith Hackland was raised on a farm in South Africa in a rich birding area. He now lives in the Rio Grande Valley with his wife Audrey, where he runs an inn and a shop for birders, is active with several nature conservation and nature tourism groups, and enjoys watching, photographing and writing about wildlife.

The mission of the Rio Grande Valley Nature Coalition is to preserve the Valley's native habitat and its inhabitans through education and promotion of the value of our natural resources. For more information, go to http://www.rgvnaturecoalition.org ....

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http://www.nwf.org/nationalwildlife/article.cfm?issueID=113&articleID=1441

Birding in the Texas Tropics
By Laura Tangley
What’s the best place in the United States to see unusual birds during the cold months? It’s hard to beat the Lower Rio Grande Valley

Welcome to the “Texas Tropics,” more commonly known as the Lower Rio Grande Valley, a 140-mile-long ribbon of land running along the Mexican border from Boca Chica at the mouth of the Rio Grande to Falcon Dam just beyond Roma. In this single, four-county region, 512 of the continent’s 900 bird species have been spotted to date—more species than any area of equal size north of the border, including such avian meccas as the Sonoran Desert and Florida Everglades. ....

The valley’s diverse habitats range from deserts, brushlands, grassy plains and riparian forests to freshwater rivers and lakes, brackish lagoons and ocean. In all, scientists have identified 11 biotic communities—distinct combinations of plants and animals—within the region. In addition, two of North America’s major flyways, the Eastern and Central, converge in the valley as millions of songbirds, hummingbirds, raptors, shorebirds and waterfowl head across the Gulf of Mexico each spring and fall. Says Keith Hackland, an Alamo, Texas-based naturalist, nature writer and bird tour leader, “The valley’s location has made it the richest, most biologically diverse area within the continental United States or Canada.” ....

Support from local leaders is critical to saving what is left of the region’s habitat. Despite the presence of three national wildlife refuges, as well as dozens of private parks and reserves, more than 95 percent of the valley’s original ecosystems have been disturbed or completely destroyed. Some habitats have been particularly hard hit. Just 3 percent of the area’s thorn-scrub forests remain intact, for example, and only 1 percent of its riparian forests. Sabal palm forests, which once blanketed 40,000 acres (prompting Spanish explorers to call the Rio Grande Rio de las Palmas, or “river of palms”), have been reduced to fewer than 100 acres, virtually all of them in a single protected area.

Meanwhile, the valley continues to be one of the fastest growing regions in the country. Each year, tens of thousands of people are added to the area’s population, increasing demand for new homes, schools and shopping malls. In addition, one of the valley’s four counties, Starr, is among the poorest in the United States. Clearly, conservation cannot compete with economic development—and that’s where birding comes in. “Nature tourism provides income and jobs,” says Hackland. “It also pays for conservation.” ....

Senior Editor Laura Tangley visited the Lower Rio Grande Valley last winter and, without missing a meal or getting up before sunrise, saw 61 bird species in three days.

Rare Sightings on the Rise

Many ornithologists believe the number of rare bird sightings in the Lower Rio Grande Valley is increasing. One reason may be tropical species’ range shifts due to global warming. (list follows here: ) ....

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[janx]

1. I'm in New Mexico...

The Rio Grande is a major flyway for migrating birds. Why would they have to clear-cut a bosque in order to put up a fence?

[UTUSN]

2. I'm not the one with answers, but the area cited here is not a fly-over. It's a destination.

This HACKMAN fellow goes on to say (in the unlinkable item) : (Notice his own being AGHAST about "abandoning" parts of the refuges TO (gasp!!1) MEXICO!!1) Plus, this geographical area, described as "forest" by the writer (and "bosque" by you) is not what we generally think of as "wooded". It is riverbank terrain, thicket along a CURVING, curley-cued river.

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....DHS river fence plans could close down our top birding sites and destroy our thriving birding tourism industry. Look at a detailed map of the Lower Rio Grande. Our three top river forest refuges -- Sabal Palm Sanctuary, Santa Ana NWR and Betsen RGV State Park -- all occupy bends in the Rio Grande, peninsulas pointing into Mexico. A straight fence could cut off the peninsula refuges from Texas and birders, abandoning that land and our river to Mexico. That would devastate our Texas birding industry because Santa Ana NWR is number one, our most visited refuge, and Sabal Palm and Bentsens RGV State Park are in the top 10 refuges. ....

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[Cleita]

3. Also, I remember reading about a rare fresh water dolphin that

inhabits those wetlands that is becoming extinct because of the dams. I guess this will finish them off.
Sad.