Ten adult black-crowned night-herons were at the traditional Columbus
spot, across the river from the Drake Union on the OSU campus. I could
see one from a distance on the 10th; this is pretty much on schedule for
this unusual winter roost.

        It is way too easy to attribute a local decline in some arctic species,
like the snowy owl, or seemingly delayed migrations of certain others,
like waterfowl, to climate change.  Generalizations such as these, if
they are to be taken seriously, require at least research undertaken
over long periods.  One example of such is a thirty-year study in Europe
that seems to show waterfowl are delaying migration by as much as a month.

        Folks in Missouri are celebrating 75 years of wildlife conservation in
the state.  Many know that in 1975 the voters of the state approved a
1/8 of 1% sales tax (i.e. a penny on $8 of taxable purchases) to fund
conservation in the state through land purchases, habitat restoration,
an enviable series of publications, etc.  This tax has been regularly
reapproved since by healthy numbers of voters, and last year raised $95
million dollars for the Conservation Department. Tax plans similar to
this one have been approved in several other states. A short look at the
history of conservation in Missouri is at
http://mdc.mo.gov/conmag/2011/11/missouris-unique-conservation-legacy
--the story of the conservation tax begins on page 4.
Bill Whan
Columbus

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