Migration Update – June 3, 2010 The 2010 Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat (BPOP) Survey is complete in a number of areas. Thanks to real-time reports and flight logs at Flyways.us, waterfowl hunters across the nation can look to the coming season with a hopeful eye. In summary, the good news appears to be outpacing the bad, and conditions in the Eastern Dakotas are, again this year, simply outstanding. Hello folks, and, as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com. For those who have taken the time to visit Flyways.us and browse the flight logs and reports from ground survey teams, we applaud your efforts to remain a well-informed waterfowl hunter and advocate of the sport. For those who have yet to visit this wonderful resource, we can only say you are missing out on some of the best off-season motivation a duck hunter can find. Waterfowler.com offers it’s extended gratitude to the aerial and ground crews participating in the survey and sharing their real-time reports. The reports have been informative, entertaining filled with imagery that can fuel the passion for the coming waterfowl season. Without a doubt, digital technology has played a significant role in unveiling the mysteries of the survey process and we applaud the efforts of the website development team that makes it all possible. While technology can also bring good news to the waterfowl hunting community, it can also deliver tragic news. As our staff follows the real-time webcam and reports that monitor the flow of oil spewing from the BP well in the Gulf of Mexico, the damage from this eco-disaster increases by the hour. What began as a “threat” to coastal wetlands has escalated to a tragic impact on fragile waterfowl habitat. Oil has reached the shore and coastal wetlands that host upwards of 10 million wintering birds are under attack by this manmade disaster. When a disaster of this magnitude occurs, chaos, conflicting priorities and finger pointing quickly follow by default. While we truly believe there is an enormous portion of those concerned for the protection and restoration of the environment; at the end of the day, there will be those that prey on this event with greed and an opportunity for profit. As always, it will be up to the waterfowl community to ensure our voice is heard and that our concerns for the protection and restoration are heard, funded and completed. From individual letters to governmental officials to the unified voice of state, and national waterfowl organizations, we must pursue an aggressive agenda toward recovery. Waterfowler.com encourages our members to make a commitment to have their voice heard. Time and trends have shown us that the squeaky wheel always gets oiled and our battle cry is simple and to the point; “We want oil-free coastal wetlands. Period.” Until our next report, visit Flyway.us today and make your voice heard in Washington on the BP Oil Disaster. Photo Credit: US FWS, Pilot biologist Phil Thorpe (R) and observer Patrick Devers (L) prepare for survey. Supportive research on this topic is available at the following links: http://flyways.us/status-of-waterfowl/pilot-reports http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com

Posted: 2010-06-03 0:00