More good news from Conneaut... Representing OOS, I met with Conneaut Port Authority leadership in the field during the OOS field trip there to gather information and obtain insight about bird conservation challenges at Conneaut. I've made a commitment to return to meet with city leadership and others in the near future (they were unable to meet with me that day but invited return). Thanks to Craig Holt for meeting me there in advance to share his long experience birding at Conneaut. All of us owe a debt of gratitude to Craig and other birders who regularly post update information about birds seen there. Many of us schedule our trips to Conneaut based on their posted sightings. The good news: So far, all of the local leadership concerned that I've talked with have been excited to learn more about their bird-related resources and they have expressed their interest and their commitment to conserving these resources for the benefit of their community and for the birds. All have been fascinated to hear about the extraordinary migrations some of their visitors undertake (mainly the birds, but birders, too!), and of the importance of rest and refueling for their bird visitors' survival. They are very interested in supporting birding and birders! They must provide opportunities for other interest groups, too. We talked about recent bird sightings at Conneaut and about birds seen there the day of our meeting. Together, we observed minor bird disturbance events and we discussed others we did not observe, that they pointed out as potential issues they can address through management approaches. Recently, they have posted leash requirements and they are actively discouraging unfettered 'four-wheeling'. They expressed willingness to consider trail design and wildlife drive approaches that may reduce disturbance while increasing birding opportunities. They expressed the desire to install observation facilities, including an elevated observation deck--their idea! All of these possibilities are only considerations at this time. It's not clear whether or not any such development can occur due to possible regulatory limitations. Several powerful stakeholders are interested in development outcomes in the Conneaut harbor area. The regulatory issues are complex. If all stakeholders demonstrate interest and concern approaching that I found when talking with Port Authority leadership, we can expect bird conservation progress at Conneaut! The process may test our collective patience but I'm confident the birds will gain protections. Tom Bain OOS Bird Conservation Chair -----Original Message----- From: Ohio birds [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Craig Holt Sent: Monday, October 11, 2010 3:27 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: [Ohio-birds] Conneaut conservation news and some Mahoning Co. birds When I was in Conneaut Saturday I picked up a copy of Ashtabula's Star-Beacon newspaper. The front-page headline story was about the Conneaut Port Authority being "In trouble with the EPA" for bulldozing wetlands on the sandbar. This was the Ohio EPA, not federal yet but the US Army Corps of Engineers is also investigating the matter. Will some real conservation/protection finally come to the Conneaut sandspit? Stay tuned.....on a more mundane note, I checked a couple reliable spots in Coitsville Twp. (Mahoning Co.) this morning and found red-shouldered hawk, e. phoebe, e. bluebirds, and sparrows--chipping, song, swamp, white-throated, and white-crowneds. Craig Holt, Lowellville ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask] ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]