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James Bay: Birds at Risk Announcingthe most ambitious publishingproject of the decade ... HANDBOOK OF THE BIRDS OF THE WORLD Complete chapter dedicated to each family, and individual accountsfor each specieswith a summaryof taxonomy,dis- tribution (including subspecies),habitat, feeding, breeding, movements,status, conservation, bibliography and distribution map. The whole work will comprise 10 large-format volumes of 310 x 240 mm. Volume 1, due out September1992, with a comprehensiveintroduction to ClassAves/the Birds andcover- ing the first 27 families, includes:660 pagesß 50 colour plates depictingall speciesand distinctive subspecies ß 14 anatomical colour platesß over 365 colourphotographs ß 565 distribution mapsß more than 6000 bibliographicalreferences. The first ever work to illustrate and cover in detail all the species of birds in the world %.. a milestonein natural historypublishing... We thoroughlyrecommend the book to all ICBP members,and to ornithologistsin general." ICBP HANDBOOK OF THE SPECIAL PRE-PUBLICAflON OFFER (more than 25% off!) BIRDS OF THE WORL D [] I wishto receive a free 4-page brochure about HBW [] I wishto order ............. copy/copies ofthe HBW Vol. 1 at the special "':"• Volume 1 priceof US $120.00(Normal price US $165.00): US $.................... + US $7.00 Postage& Packing= US $.................... ":%[- Ostrich [] Also,1 wishto take advantage of the special discount rate of US $25.00(Normal price US $35.00)for my firstyear's membership '-"•' to of ICBP's WORLD BIRD CLUB. This entitles me to receive the quarterlynewsletter World Birdwatch, giving regular updates on the Ducks world's rare birdss,and ICBP's Annual Report. TOTAL AMOUNT: US $ ................................... [] checkfor US $ .......................... payable toICBP, enclosed [] Visa[] Mastercard cardno: Expirydate: ........................ Name: .................................................................................................................... Address: ................................................................................................................ .............................................................................................................................. Country:................................................................................................................ Date:........................................... Signature: •'• ICBP ' Offer expires30 September1992. $ Editedby ]osepdel Hoyo Lynx Edicions ,•.ar•oElliott Send this form to: ]ordiSargatal ICBP, c/o WWF-US, 1250 Twenty-FourthStreet NW, WashingtonDC 20037, USA •'•,•%• b[og aworld Lifetoday thor cto •1).,. • movesvery fast. T•t • why • • • youshould never stand still for less • t•n trueautofocus binoculars. 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O1991 MinoltaCorpo*a,,on ' - "•OOlta,itõrto• MINOLTA AUTOFOCUS BINOCULARS ONLY FROM THEMIND OF MINOLTA MINOLTA International Council for Bird Preservation Birdsat Risk n unprecedentedecological experiment is tures,moderate tidal ranges, and brackish conditions have takingshape in thesubarctic wilderness of resultedin numerousshallow bays, wide coastal marshes, and northernQuebec -- anexperiment with- intertidalflats with highly productive vegetational and inver- out controls,whose consequences may tebratefood resources (Morrison and Gaston 1986). During affectbird populations on a continental, migrationthese habitats attract huge concentrations ofbirds, if nothemispheric, scale. Since 1971, whichfeed intensively and accumulate energy reserves that Hydro-Quebechas pursued a plan to arecrucial to manyspecies. damthe three major river drainages thatrun westward across vast expanses of borealforest to THE ENVIRONMENT JamesBay. This massive project, the first phase of which is JamesBay is an estuarine ecosystem, characterized bytwo nearlycomplete, will create three of theworld's largest reser- majortypes of coastline(Morrison and Gaston 1986). The voirsand generate peak hydroelec- eastern(Quebec) coast consists of a tric power of roughly 27,000 broken, indented shoreline with megawatts,equivalent to about13 rockyoutcrops and numerous small baysand hilly islands. Many of the mityof thisengineering exploit, its bayssupport significant populations long-term,NiagaraFalls.cumulative Yet,despiteecologicalthe enor- of eelgrass(Zostera marina), an impactsare poorly known. Much is extremelyimportant food source for atstake, both for the indigenous manywaterfowl (Curtis and Allen Creeand Inuit people of theregion 1976). The low-lying, poorly- andfor migratory birds that depend drainedwest (Ontario) coast is char- on habitats there. acterizedby a uniform,gentle slope The coastlinesof Jamesand andtidal ranges of upto 3 meters, Hudson baysconstitute an im- contributingto the development of mense,natural migratory funnel extensive(several kilometers wide) throughwhich millions ofsubarctic Harlequin Ducks may soon beflooded outof their intertidal fiats and salt or brackish andarctic breeding waterfowl, habitaL marshes.Exceptionally productive shorebirds,raptors, and passerine birds pass during spring plantand invertebrate communities compensate fora short andfall migrations. The James Bay coast has been identified growingseason. In additionto eelgrass,sedges and marsh asan area of criticalinternational importance for a number grassesprovide important food sources, particularly for water- of waterfowland shorebird species (e.g., Morrison and fowl.Bivalves and other molluscs may reach densities of sev- Harrington1979). The flat topog- eral thousandindividuals per raphy,relatively warm tempera- BY CHRISTOPHER C. RIMMER squaremeter, while mosquitoes 216 ßAmerican Birds, Summer 1992 andbiting flies have been estimated at five million per acre beenand will be lost, their wildlife inhabitants permanendy (Martiniet al. 1980). displaced.Fish spawning beds have been and will be destroyed.Methylmercury contamination in reservoirs of HYDI•)ELEC'rRIC PROI:N)SALS theLa Grandecomplex already has rendered many fish It isthe large and fast-flowing river systems running into unsafefor humanconsumption (e.g., Hazell 1991) and JamesBay from the east that Hydro-Quebec intends to har- posesa clearthreat to fish-eatingbirds like loons, Bald ness.The overall development isplanned in threephases, Eagles(Haliaeetus leucocephalus), andOspreys (Pandion hali- eachinvolving major diversions ofexisting rivers, the con- aetus).In general,however, the direct impacts on breeding structionof numeroushuge dams and dikes, and the instal- ormigrant bird populations in these flooded inland areas are lationof several power stations. At thescheduled completion unknown, because baseline data needed to evaluatethem do ofJames Bay I (theLa Grande complex, begun in 1971)in not exist. 1996, four riverswill havebeen diverted into a fifth, nine Of greateroverall concern than the direct, project-by- generatingstations with a 15,719megawatts capacity will projecteffects of hydroelectricdevelopment onJames Bay havebeen installed, and 11,505 square kilometers of land bird populationsare cumulative,long-term effects. willhave been flooded. James Bay II, theGreat Whale or La Freshwaterinput from rivers and streams appears to bethe GrandBaleine project, isnext on the construction schedule, single most influential physical variable on the ecology of butits future is uncertain, due mainly to concertedopposi- JamesBay. Freshwater runoff contributes substantially to the tionfrom Native peoples, conservationists, andhuman Baysdrculation patterns, ice formation and breakup, salini- rightsactivists. This phase ty gradients,nutrient and will divert three rivers, sedimentloads, and, ulti- flood1,786 square kilo- mately,regional climate metersof landin creating (e.g., Freemanet al. a 3,576square kilometers 1982). All of thesevari- reservoir,and be capable ablesdrive the biological of delivering3,168 mega- processesthat resultin wattsfrom its three power JamesBay's distinctive stations.James Bay III, plantand animal com- theNottaway-Broadback- munities. The cumulative Rupertcomplex, would • • LAGRANDE COMPLEX effectsof significantly diverttwo large rivers into alteredriver discharges a third,affecting a water- fromhydroelectric devel- shed of some 130,060 opmentscould produce squarekilometers. The physicalchanges that lead reservoirscreated will have to profoundecological a surface area of 6,500 i• 6 changes.Any widespread, squarekilometers, of adverseeffects on James which3,900 square kilo- • a 6 .... s6o Bay'splant and inverte- meterswould be newly • • ' HUDSON• a• •B•R brate food resourcescould flooded land. In this provedamaging to popu- scheme,eight generating lationsof migratory birds stationswould produce thatrely on them. 8,400megawatts (Hydro- Quebec,unpubl. data). • P • ATL•TIC EFFECTS ON BIRDS A number of water- ENVIRONMENTAL fowlspecies appear to be •n in 1971, and sch•ul• for complYionin 1996, the • Grande IMPACTS Complexwill havediv• f•r rive• into a fi•h. especiallyvulnerable to Ultimately,an ecosys- ecologicalchanges at temthe size of Californiawill be affected by the disruption JamesBay. The Bayis an extremely
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