# New state Audubon director faces a challenge



## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

New state Audubon director faces a challenge

http://www.mlive.com/outdoors/grpress/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1200057913136790.xml&coll=6

01/11/08 By Howard Meyerson Press Outdoors Editor [email protected]

Tom Funke knows certain Michigan birds are in trouble. There are habitat-loss problems, construction of high towers and wind turbines among the many challenges. 

But the former director of conservation for Battle Creek's Binder Park Zoo said he's ready to hone in on those avian issues. The 39-year-old conservation biologist started this week as the new director of conservation for Michigan Audubon Society.

"It's exciting to be working with a statewide organization," said Funke, who will begin his new tenure focusing on the organization's 19 bird sanctuaries around the state, making sure they are operating in accord with their mission and developing clear management plans for each. 

Michigan Audubon, which has been around 104 years, is the state's oldest conservation organization. It was founded as a chapter of the National Audubon Society in 1904. Today it has 2,000 members statewide. 

Over the years, its focus spread from the preservation of wild birds, plants and animals to a number of environmental issues. Much of the work accomplished was carried on the backs of its member volunteers. 

But interim executive director Caroline de Mauriac said MAS has grown to the point where issues are now so complex that relying on volunteers is just not enough. 

"Our conservation work has been done by the incredible effort of a large number of volunteers," de Mauriac said. "But we've reached the point were we really need to have someone that can lead the effort on a daily basis." 

MAS, she added, will once again narrow its focus to concentrate on bird conservation, what it does best. The organization is already involved in the development of the Michigan Breeding Bird Atlas, the Michigan Bird Records search engine, Important Bird Area designations, Christmas bird counts, and operating its sanctuaries. 

"It has to be about the birds," de Mauriac said. We have gone the gamut from birds to everything (environmental) and now we trying to bring our focus back to birds." 

A 2007 National Audubon Society's study of bird census data derived from 40 years of Christmas Bird Counts and breeding bird surveys shows steep declines in bird populations around the country. 

"Since 1967 the average population for the common birds in steepest decline has fallen 68 percent, from 17.6 million to 5.35 million," the Audubon report states. "Some species have nose-dived as much as 80 percent." 

Twenty species included it its Common Birds in Decline report lost at least 50 percent of their population over the past four decades. And 32 of 176 species on its watch list live in Michigan. The list is a compilation of bird species in trouble. 

"We have issues with habitat loss, giant towers popping up all over the place, toxins in the environment," said Funke. "We have a new breeding bird atlas coming out in the next year or two, and I would not be surprised if a lot more birds show declines rather than increases." 

When not in Lansing or traveling to MAS sanctuaries around the state, Funke will be right at home at a sanctuary of his own. He is the resident manager of Michigan Audubon's Otis Sanctuary near Hastings. 

The 128-acre Barry County property on Glass Creek is magnet for a variety of birds and mammals. Funke regularly gives guided tours and programs on the property where he lives with his wife Susan Miller.


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## FlyFishingAttorney (Dec 26, 2007)

:rant:Man, these tree huggers can't make up their minds. They want to reduce oil consumption BUT they're opposed to wind energy cuz it will hurt their little birdies.

Gimme a ******* break! No good, liberal leaning, Birkenstock wearing hippie whiners that they are.


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## axisgear (Jan 24, 2007)

FlyFishingAttorney said:


> :rant:Man, these tree huggers can't make up their minds. They want to reduce oil consumption BUT they're opposed to wind energy cuz it will hurt their little birdies.
> 
> Gimme a ******* break! No good, liberal leaning, Birkenstock wearing hippie whiners that they are.


You don't have to be a "Liberal" or a "tree hugger" to enjoy nature and be concerned about the environment. One would think that a "Conservative" has more interest in things such as "conservation". 

Let's leave the politics in the sound off forums,please.


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## FlyFishingAttorney (Dec 26, 2007)

axisgear said:


> You don't have to be a "Liberal" or a "tree hugger" to enjoy nature and be concerned about the environment. One would think that a "Conservative" has more interest in things such as "conservation".
> 
> Let's leave the politics in the sound off forums,please.


AXISgear,

The post above says that the 1st thing that the new Audubon Director has to address is issues related to wind energy - namely the poor little precious birdies gettin beheaded by the windmills that are generating power for the USA! 

Them hippie LIBS don't want coal burning power plants because of what 
Al gWHORE is selling them. Then they don't want nuclear power and now they don't want wind power. 

I'll tell you why, it's because they're a buncha commie pinko Jane Fonda following IDIOTS. I'd rather have 1,000,000 windmills if it means getting our country INDEPENDENT and energy sufficient. There will not be coal forever. Let's harness the wind. If some damn birds get chopped up - too bad that they didn't have the Lib's beloved Darwinian "evolutionary" survival of the fittest trait to know not to fly into massive windmills. 

Audubon Society tree huggin Al gWHORE worshipping members of the communist party. They can go protect the precious birdies in Russia if they cares more about some idiotic birdy feather dusters than about American energy and American pride. 

And who are you to tell me I can't stand up in outrage over the Audubon Society's position(should be Autobahn seeing as how they are part of the European NEW WORLD ORDER in trying to stifle American energy independence). I am outraged that they'd oppose windmills and others enlightened enough to see them as the commie frauds they are should be outraged too! Groups like Audubon and the Humane Society are just bent on taking away American rights. Heck, in Arizona and Texas, the Audubon society was opposed to the border fence. They are more worried about migrating animals than they are about the fact that our country is willingly being sold out to Mexico and Latin America. Again, all part of the LEFT's NEW WORLD ORDER of "multiculturalism." More like Anti AMERICANISM to those of us willing to STAND UP against COMMIES selling out America.

Or would you rather be saying "Hail to the United Nations" instead of the pledge of allegiance? You watch. See how many AMERICAN building blocks like wind energy and our national border fence and our right to hunt (upon which the right to bear arms is vitally important) will be stolen away by THE LEFT's alleged environmentalists.

But I see your name starts with "AXIS". Maybe you are part of the AXIS of the NEW WORLD ORDER.


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## axisgear (Jan 24, 2007)

Let's leave the politics in the sound off forums,please. You have no idea where I stand on anything,but just like you and I are entitled to our own views,so is everyone else.

Nice play on words for my user name.I'm shocked that a humble automatic transmission part could be so evil!:lol:

For the record,I don't like "tree huggers",either.


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## FlyFishingAttorney (Dec 26, 2007)

axisgear said:


> Let's leave the politics in the sound off forums,please. You have no idea where I stand on anything,but just like you and I are entitled to our own views,so is everyone else.
> 
> Nice play on words for my user name.I'm shocked that a humble automatic transmission part could be so evil!:lol:
> 
> For the record,I don't like "tree huggers",either.


Axisgear,

I am humbled by your genteel response. I shouldn't have accused you of being a Liberal.

I rankle at what our country is coming to, though. Maybe this post belongs in the Politics or Sound Off section. But we as Sportsmen must be so vigilant as to what the LIBERALS are passing off as environmentalism. It makes my blood boil to think that Al gwhore is out telling America to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while CHINA does no such thing and positions itself to take over the world with its fake version of capitalism of state subsidized companies and prisoner labor factories that are taking food out of the mouths of the now laid off American workforce. And those Chinese don't have ANY environmental regs cuz they're smart enough to know that global warming and pollution are scams of the East Coast intelligencia that want the US to be part of the COMMUNIST New World Order. I bet that the LIBERALS and the Chinese leaders meet in untraceable videoconferences at least once a month to plan the further demise of the US of A! 

Every step we take towards environmental "compliance" is another shovel full of dirt those commie Chinese are filling in the grave that used to be a proud and free America. Reagan was smart enough to stand up to the Soviets but the Chinese are going unchecked and woe are our children if we don't refuse to capitulate to the LIBERALS who want us to all be citizens of the commie United Nations.

And ain't no damn birds that should stand in the way of American Wind Energy or American FREEDOM. William Wallace had it right - it's about FREEDOM, not having our toes stepped on allegedly to save some useless birdies. 

If the mods think this should be removed to sound off, so be it. But I am proud of my right to speak freely against the tyranny of "tree hugging" going on in our sacred nation.
That's my opinion which our forefathers gave their blood to allow me as an AMERICAN.


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## Brown duck (Dec 16, 2005)

I hate to let politics seep into a post on a non-political forum, so I'll try my best. 

I'm a self-proclaimed tree-hugger, and trained as a biologist, but I can't say that I always agree with the Audubon. Wind power is among my disagreements with them. I happen to think wind power is a good alternative (if it is in fact viable - I don't know how great that source really is). There is no peer-reviewed research that suggests windmills pose a serious threat to bird conservation. There have been few documentations of even modest kill-offs attributed to windmills. There, to my knowledge, has been no such research in areas where windmills would be placed in Michigan (i.e., along points where birds typically cross the lakes) - which could potentially refute this idea. The research I have seen suggests that the windmills do not contribute greatly to bird die-offs - birds seem to be bright enough to go up-and-over or around. In fact, many of these studies suggest that two greater problems facing birds are powerlines and windows - can't get rid of either of those, can we?

The greater threat has been the 'footprint' of these windmills - areas around windmills in the Great Plains have been documented to have fewer nesting birds than areas without windmills - that is birds don't want to nest around them, but they weren't dying directly because of them. 

So, it could be a good idea to have more wind power, but it could be that the Audubon is right afterall - but I doubt it will be for the reason they state. What would happen if we found that more than just 'little birdies' were being impacted by these windmills? What if game species were impacted? I think this will be an issue that is studied a great bit as the need for alternative energy advances.


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## 22 Chuck (Feb 2, 2006)

I heard a spreker on the radio last spring talking about bird mortality. Unfortunately I did not get his name and I would have liked a transcript of the speech.

He made one comment that I will always remember cause I have thought it for a long time. 

"Cats kill more birds than towers and tall buildings combined."

I wonder how many Audubon members turn tabbie out every eve and think he sets on the back porch all night? or where he caught the birds he brings home??


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## itchn2fish (Dec 15, 2005)

I grew up on a farm and once thought that barn cats were OK and even neccessary. I no longer feel that way. All cats that run loose or live outside deal with certain disease (worms, feline luke, etc), injury, and contribute to the feral cat population explosion.
The Audubon Society is comprised of members of varying beliefs but should still be viewed as an allie in conservation. John Audubon was a hunter and killed many birds.


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## johnhunter (Jun 17, 2000)

itchn2fish said:


> The Audubon Society is comprised of members of varying beliefs but should still be viewed as an allie in conservation. John Audubon was a hunter and killed many birds.


Correct you are. This org is tough to pigeon-hole.  Though Michigan Audubon was on the wrong side of the dove hunting issue, I would not color Audubon, at this point, as being a uniformly Lib organization, not by a longshot. Generally, they favor sustainable resource use (sustainable forestry, hunting) and biological diversity. PA Audubon funded an expensive, and first class, study on the impact of excess deer numbers on forest health in that state. There was a 300+ page report issued as a result of that study, which I highly recommend. Don't have a link, but if you do a search, you'll find it.

Do not confuse Audubon with true left-wing wackjob groups like the Sierra Club; near as I can tell, they're wrong on everything.


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## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

farmlegend's comments are much the same for my local nature club. They supported the anti-dove hunting, but members on the board are also QDM deer hunters. They do support controls on feral cats and actually more supportive of protecting wildlife habitats for hunting than some of our politicians.


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## axisgear (Jan 24, 2007)

I will come out and say that I am a conservative/moderate and have been a Michigan Audubon member for a long time[since I was in grade school!].I may not have agreed with their stance on the dove bill[or a few other things],but the good they do for wildlife environs is substantial to say the least.

I am not anti anything,so don't bark up this tree,but I plan to be an Audubon member for a long time. I still enjoy a musical backdrop for my fishing adventures!

BTW,I saw 18 individual bluebirds while steelhead fishing in Kent county last Tuesday! How cool is THAT![Remember how they were 25 years ago?]Amazing effort by the Michigan Audubon!


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