[TN-Bird] Marcia Davis' In the Knoxvville News Sentinel--Make your voice heard to those managing Tennessee's wildlife
- From: viclcsw@xxxxxxx
- To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 28 Jul 2013 19:16:06 -0400 (EDT)
Enclosed is a link to the article written by Marcia Davis on Tennessee's
proposed sandhill crane season in today's Knoxville News Sentinel.
The article is also pasted into the email in case the link does not work at a
future date.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/jul/28/marcia-davis-make-your-voice-heard-to-those/
Vickie Henderson
Knoxville, Tennessee
Knox County
Marcia Davis: Make your voice heard to those managing Tennessee's wildlife
By Marcia Davis
Posted July 28, 2013 at 11:49 a.m.
Sandhill cranes' reprieve from hunting may end.
Will hunters be allowed to shoot Sandhill cranes in Tennessee this fall?
The possibility of a 60-day crane hunting season with permits issued to 775
hunters (each could shoot three Sandhill cranes for a potential but unlikely
total of 2,325 cranes) has many area birdwatchers up in arms.
A more than two year delay in approval of Sandhill crane hunting may end when
Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commissioners vote on this controversial issue at
their Aug. 22 and 23 meeting in Knoxville. The commissioners, appointed by the
governor to represent different regions of the state, will decide if one of
Tennessee’s most watchable, most spectacular, and most loved birds will become
a game species.
In January 2011 commissioners and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
(TWRA) agreed more time was needed to learn about the rebounding Sandhill
population in the eastern U. S. and to consider the best management choices for
a species that was nearly wiped out in the 1930s.
The delay was a victory for Tennessee Ornithological Society (TOS) members and
others who expressed concerns about the accuracy of size estimates of the
eastern breeding population and the fact that cranes are slow to reproduce. A
pair seldom produces over one offspring a year and they don’t start breeding
until about four years old. Hunting regulations could allow killing of up to
ten percent of the Sandhill population a year.
The wintering and migratory Sandhill population visiting Tennessee may now be
as high as 87,000 birds and increasing yearly. That could be about a quarter of
all Sandhills in the eastern flyway. The well-being of the crane population
comes first for both hunters and wildlife watchers. The controversy is about
choosing the best ways to manage and protect cranes.
Knoxville TOS member Vicki Henderson states “There is no other species of bird
in Tennessee that creates this kind of spectacle, offers this type of
visibility, has a compelling conservation story, and affords us a viewing
opportunity that we use to both celebrate and educate the public about wildlife
and wildlife conservation in Tennessee. This is not just about the “impact” to
the eastern population of Sandhill cranes and whether the population can
sustain a hunt. This is also about the impact on people who have celebrated and
revered Sandhill cranes in Tennessee for more than 22 years.”
Some people think the public’s perception of crane hunting could be an
embarrassment for Tennessee and TWRA if the state turns its number one high
profile watchable non-game species into a huntable game species. The very
presence of Sandhills tells an important conservation success story. Thousands
of people travel to southeast Tennessee every year, especially during the
annual crane festival, to view the awesome spectacle of thousands of Sandhill
cranes and a few endangered whooping cranes at Meigs County’s Hiwassee Wildlife
Refuge managed by TWRA.
When it comes to tourism, shooting cranes could be like killing the goose that
lays the golden egg. When people travel to Tennessee to see Sandhill and
endangered whooping cranes they do not want to hear nearby gunshots or see a
crippled crane. “As a resource, large numbers of Sandhill cranes in southeast
Tennessee may have more value to Tennesseans as a watchable wildlife species
and tourist attraction than as a game species. The cranes are symbolic of a
conservation success story and an important part of Tennessee’s natural
heritage,” states Melinda Welton, Chairwoman of the TOS Conservation Policy
Committee.
“Many wildlife watchers, who have contributed money to help this happen, don’t
want to see cranes killed. Endangered immature whooping cranes that migrate
through and winter in Tennessee, easily mistaken for Sandhills, could be shot
by hunters.”
TWRA and its commissioners are responsible for managing Tennessee’s wildlife.
Let them know what you think about crane hunting. The proposed hunt would take
place in the region south of Interstate 40 and east of State Highway 56. TWRA
is accepting public comments until Aug. 10. Send emails to TWRA.Comment@xxxxxx
and mail to Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Att: Waterfowl Regulations, P.
O. Box 40747, Nashville, TN, 37204. Contact information for commissioners is
available from TWRA atwww.tn.gov/twra/comnames and 1-800-332-0900.
© 2013, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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