Tucson Audubon Society | tucsonaudubon.org VERMILION F L YCAT CHE R March–April 2010 | Volume 55,54, Number 25 Navigating toward a Sustainable Future 3 Changing Our Consumer Culture 13 Political Hurdles for Our Desert Ecosystem 14 Ferruginous Pygmy-Owls in the Sonoran Desert 16 Power Lines Threaten Lower San Pedro Valley 11 What’s in a Name? Western Tanager 12 Visible Migration Along Our Avian Highways Tucson Audubon’s bi-monTHLY NEWS MAGAZINE Features Tucson Audubon Society | tucsonaudubon.org 11 What’s in a Name? Western Tanager VERMILION 12 Visible Migration Along Our Avian F L YCATCHER March–April 2010 | Volume 54,55, Number 52 Highways Navigating toward a 13 Political Hurdles for Our Desert Sustainable Future Ecosystem Tucson Audubon Society is dedicated to improving the quality of the environment by providing 14 Research and Recovery of education, conservation, and recreation programs, Ferruginous Pygmy-Owls in the environmental leadership, and information. Tucson Sonoran Desert Audubon is a non-profit volunteer organization of people with a common interest in birding and natural 16 Power Lines Threaten Lower San history. Tucson Audubon maintains offices, a library, Pedro Valley 3 Changing Our Consumer Culture and nature shops in Tucson, the proceeds of which 13 Political Hurdles for benefit all of its programs. Our Desert Ecosystem Departments 14 Ferruginous Pygmy-Owls Tucson Audubon Society in the Sonoran Desert 3 Commentary 16 Power Lines Threaten 300 E. University Blvd. #120, Tucson, AZ 85705 Lower San Pedro Valley 629-0510 (voice) or 623-3476 (fax) 4 News Roundup 11 What’s in a Name? Western Tanager All phone numbers are area code 520 unless otherwise stated. 8 Events and Classes 12 Visible Migration Along Our Avian Highways www.tucsonaudubon.org TUCSON AUDUBON’S BI-MONT HLY N EWS MAG A ZINE 10 Living With Nature Board Officers & Directors Messages 622-5622 10 Events Calendar President Herb Trossman 18 Conservation and Education News FRONT COVER: Cactus Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl by Vice President Mich Coker 20 Field Trips Sky Jacobs. Sky is a southwest native who loves birds, Secretary Robert Merideth photography, and the Sky Island and Sonoran Desert Treasurer Lindsey Quesinberry 23 Birding Travel from our Business Partners region. See his photography and more at wildsonora.com Directors at Large Mary Kay Eiermann, Richard Fray, 24 Classified Ads Sandy Elers, Julie Gordon, Linda Greene, Craig Marken, Neil or skyjacobs.com. Markowitz, Liz Payne, Cynthia Pruett, Adrian Quijada, Bill 25 Birds & Business Alliance Roe, Jessie Shinn, Linda Stitzer 25 Sustainability Corner To have your photographs considered for use in the Board Committees Conservation Chris McVie, Vermilion Flycatcher, please contact Matt Griffiths at Development Sandy Elers, Education Cynthia Pruett, 26 Nature Shops Membership Jessie Shinn, Finance Lindsey Quesinberry, 27 Bookends [email protected]. Personnel Mich Coker, Nominating Robert Merideth Programs & Activities Field Trips Darlene Smyth 297-2315 Library David West 629-0510 Membership Meetings Jean Barchman 622-5622 Remember: Elected Officials Represent You Rare Bird Alert John Yerger | Report Rare Birds 798-1005 A guest opinion by Steve Arnquist, executive director of the Arizona League of Conservation Staff Executive Director Paul Green 777-9525 Voters and the Arizona League of Conservation Voters Education Fund. Steve is proud to Finance and Operations Brad Paxton 629-0757 call Tucson home and his work takes him all over Arizona. Accountant Michelle Bourgeois 629-0757 Membership Coordinator Jean Barchman 622-5622 As our state struggles with its budget crisis, and do not, our representatives will Special Projects Erin Olmstead 622-5622 Education & Outreach Specialist Matt Brooks 622-2230 our national economy grows less quickly, it is more continue to treat our natural IBA Conservation Biologist Scott Wilbor 628-1730 important than ever to watch our state and federal world as a disposable luxury. IBA Program Assistant Samantha Barnett 628-1730 government to ensure that they continue to invest The Arizona League of Restoration Program Manager Kendall Kroesen 206-9900 in cleaning up our environment, and to ensure Conservation Voters produces Field Supervisor Rodd Lancaster 256-6909 Restoration/Communications Specialist that they do not remove or waive environmental a scorecard each for each of our Matthew Griffiths 206-9900 protections for which we all have worked so hard. legislators. AZLCV scores legislators based on Restoration Specialist Chris Harrison 206-9900 When our legislators, people we put in office, their proconservation votes over the course of the Restoration Specialist Andy Bennett 206-9900 Mason Outreach Coordinator Lia Sansom 971-6238 ought to be minding the budget or funding our session. This gives us an easy way to assess our University Shop Manager Sara Pike 622-2230 parks or other vital state services, they are legislators, and an opportunity for us to tell them Volunteer Coordinator/Agua Caliente attempting to “reclaim” jurisdiction of Arizona’s what we think of their performance. Shop Manager Becky Aparicio 760-7881 rivers to exempt them from Clean Water Act We must advocate to protect the Arizona that Tucson Audubon Nature Shops 300 E University Blvd #120 629-0510 protections. When they should be thinking about we all love for ourselves, for our children, and for 623-3476 fax / 622-2230 Shop Manager Arizona’s future water and energy needs, they our grandchildren, and we must make sure that our Hours: Mon–Sat 10 AM –4 PM (5 PM Mon & Thu) are pulling out of the Western Climate Initiative representatives know it! I challenge every person Agua Caliente Park, 12325 E Roger Rd 760-7881 or frittering away time on social issues as our who reads this to commit to two (or two more) Hours: 9 AM –3:30 PM Thu, Fri, Sat state continues to bleed. Without a reversal in phone calls to one of their elected officials this year Vermilion Flycatcher is published bi-monthly. For address the political tide in Arizona we can expect more on a piece of environmental legislation and to vote changes or subscription problems call 622-5622, or write bad news. This is our responsibility (see quote on for environmental candidates this November. to Membership Coordinator, Tucson Audubon, 300 E. University Blvd, #120, Tucson, AZ 85705. Submissions are page 3). Arizona is too important and too precious to do due the 1st of the month, two months before the date of the We live in a democracy. Arizonans do not want otherwise. issue. Please send submissions as Microsoft Word or RTF to see parks closed, we do not want our air and The non-partisan Arizona League of documents, or plain text files, to Matt Griffiths at mgriffiths@ water soiled or a relaxation of regulations that help Conservation Voters works with members of both tucsonaudubon.org. Coordinator Matt Griffiths 206-9900 to beautify our state and protect its residents. What political parties to turn environmental values into Proofreaders Jane & Warren Tisdale 749-2139 and Arizona needs is for all concerned Arizonans to Arizona priorities. For more information on AZLCV Tucson Audubon staff and board members increase pressure on our elected officials all year visit www.azlcv.org. VF Design/Layout Eng-Li Green long and to vote “green” at the ballot box. If we 2 Tucson Audubon Vermilion Flycatcher MARCH –APRIL 2010 COMMENtaRY PAUL GREEN | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Changing Our Consumer Culture The eyes of the future are looking back sustainability where our choices restore Perhaps the main impediment to at us and they are praying for us to see some of our ecological systems to health. change is that many have a stake in beyond our own time. Changing culture when many of our the status quo. Listen carefully, and Terry Tempest Williams. leaders do not see either the crisis we every day you will hear a variant on the face, or the opportunity to change in a following message: “We must do nothing In the 2009 documentary The Age of planned manner, is one of our challenges. whatsoever on climate change because Stupid, Peter Postlethwaite plays a man Bill Gates’ announcement, on February it threatens our economy and jobs.” Not living alone in the devastated world of 12, that climate change is the most addressing climate change (itself just a 2055, looking back at old footage from important challenge on the planet offers symptom of the problem) threatens our 2008 and asks: why didn’t we stop climate a glimmer of hope. At the 10th John H. economy, jobs, and a great deal more—it change when we had the chance? Erik Chafee Memorial Lecture on Science and threatens our survival! Assadourian, writing on The Rise and the Environment, Gus Speth, who for the Each of us must stand up to the Fall of Consumer Cultures in The State of last decade served as Dean of the Yale madness represented by those with a the World 2010 opines that it has nothing School of Forestry and Environmental shortsighted stake in the status quo, to do with stupidity, and everything to Studies, called for “A New American and focus our efforts on building a new, do with changing our culture, since it is Environmentalism and a New Economy.” sustaining economy centered on the culture that determines what we think of Speth argued that, “America is now health and safety of people and planet. as “natural,” that shapes and constrains faced with several linked and worsening Terry Tempest Williams also said, “I our actions. crises—economic, environmental, do not think we can look for leadership We think it is natural to drive cars, social and political—that require deep, beyond ourselves. I do not think we can fly planes, have large homes, use air transformative changes if they are to be wait for someone or something to save conditioning: we don’t think of these met, and, that to drive systemic change, us from our global predicaments and as being unnatural choices.