Hope is the thing with feathers

White Crowned Sparrow

I give a little money to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and they send their excellent magazine "Living Bird."  They also have a phone app called Merlin Bird ID. It uses the GPS location to help identify local birds, and hasn't failed me yet.

The Audubon Society is more famous, but the hallmark of the Cornell Lab is collecting observations of everyday people. About 200,000 birders of all skill levels help gather the data needed for the University of Cornell ornithologists to put together the big picture about distribution of birds. 

The latest issue of "Living Bird" had a sobering article about the recent "reinterpretation" of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act by the Department of Interior, the very organization charged with regulating the forces that threaten birds.  The historic law, based on a pledge between President Wilson and King George V of England, was one of the first international environmental agreements, following a ruthless 19th century of nature exploitation when many species became extinct.  For 100 years, government leaders of every political persuasion have respected the sanctity of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

On a Friday before a holiday weekend in December, the Department of Interior issued an opinion that under a new and narrow interpretation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, industries like mining, chemical and energy are suddenly freed from legal liability, even if their actions result in avoidable, massive killings of birds. Shortly after that, the department received a letter from 17 former Interior Department officials who had served under every president since Nixon, denouncing this giant loophole in the law.  

While we're numbed by the salacious and trivial stories now passing as "news," profoundly disturbing political actions are occurring just under the radar that will have consequences far into the future.

What a difference a day makes. Cloudy today and 20 degrees cooler.  But we're going to Twisp this weekend and looking forward to seeing the family.  Nova is performing in the Community Theater production of "Annie." She's one of the singing, dancing orphans! We'll try to get some pictures of the little actress.