For those of you interested in helping the red knot (and other shorebirds as
well), see the link below for the latest update.  One of the things being
explored is a birding competition with the money being donated to preserve
habitat for shorebird migration.  How about OOS coordinating?  Do I hear any
interest?

Vicci  Weeks



  _____

From: Bill Stewart [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Saturday, March 01, 2008 8:49 PM
To: Gary Weeks
Subject: Fwd: [PABIRDS] OT: red knot and crabs update







Begin forwarded message:



From: Scott Weidensaul <[log in to unmask]>

Date: March 1, 2008 7:40:32 AM EST

To: [log in to unmask]

Subject: [PABIRDS] OT: red knot and crabs update

Reply-To: Scott Weidensaul <[log in to unmask]>



There continue to be positive developments regarding a bill to legislate a
horseshoe crab moratorium in New Jersey.



Below is the latest update from NJ Audubon
(http://www.njaudubon.org/Conservation/HSCrabAlert.html#updates), urging its
members to contact key state senators to move the bill out of committee.
Supportive emails from Pennsylvania can't hurt.



When sending your email, it would make sense to stress the fact that you
voice your appreciation for the Assembly's quick action thus far, and note
whether you spend a significant amount of time birding in New Jersey, as
many of us do. Obviously, these senators are going to listen most closely to
their constituents, but it's valuable for them to realize the world is
watching, and we contribute to the $42 million a year that birding mean to
the New Jersey economy.



Scott Weidensaul

Schuylkill Haven, PA













2008 UPDATES

February 29, 2008 -- Great news! Just yesterday, the Assembly Agriculture
and Natural Resources Committee by a vote of 5-0 forwarded the Horseshoe
Crab harvest moratorium for vote by the full Assembly. The Committee members
include Assemblymen Doug Fisher, Nelson Albano, John Amadeo, Marcia Karrow,
and L. Harvey Smith. Special thanks to Assemblymen John McKeon and Doug
Fisher are merited!

We urgently need your help moving this legislation through the Senate
Environment Committee. Please take the time to call Senate committee members
and ask them for them to move the legislation out of committee on March 10.
Please send an email to [log in to unmask] to report any
conversations that you had including commitments and results. Senator Jeff
Van Drew (609)-465-0700 or [log in to unmask]

Senator John Adler (856)-489-3442 [log in to unmask]

Senator Christopher Bateman (908)-526-3600 [log in to unmask]

Senator Bob Gordon (201)-703-9779 [log in to unmask] (thank him for being
leader on this!!)

Senator Bob Smith (732)-752-0770 [log in to unmask]

Senator Andrew Ciesla (732)-840-9028 [log in to unmask]

Talking Points:

1) Legislators must move the the horseshoe crab moratorium legislation
(S1331) out of the Senate Environment Committee on March 1. They should also
commit to co-sponsoring the legislation and voting for the bill when it
comes before the full Senate. 2) The moratorium needs to last until the
Delaware Bay shorebird populations and spawning horseshoe crabs have fully
recovered.

3) Due to the overharvest of horseshoe crabs, the Red Knot, a robin-sized
shorebird, is facing extinction and two other shorebirds, Semipalmated
Sandpipers and Ruddy Turnstones, are facing significant declines. 4) This
legislation is needed since the NJ Marine Fisheries Council vetoed NJDEP
horseshoe crab moratorium regulations. The NJ Marine Fisheries Council
decision runs counter to the science and sets the Red Knot on a course
towards extinction.

5) The Delaware Bay, our Serengeti, is one of the top four most important
shorebird stopover sites in the world. We must be responsible stewards for
this gem! Wildlife watchers visiting the Delaware Bay to view shorebirds and
horseshoe crabs contribute up to $42 million per year to the local NJ
economy.

Thanks for your help to save the shorebirds on the Delaware Bay!




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