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Shawangunk Grassland Important Bird Area
Below
is a copy of the letter that explains Audubon’s concerns on a proposal
before the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to allow model airplane flying
and competitive events at Shawangunk Grassland National Wildlife Refuge.
Audubon believes that model airplane flying is an incompatible use and
would impair the sensitive habitat at this Refuge. For further information,
please contact Jillian Butler
at (607) 254-2437.
11 January 2002
Steven Kahl, Refuge Manager
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge
1547 County Route 565
Sussex, NJ 07461-4013
Dear Mr. Kahl,
Audubon New York appreciates the opportunity to comment on the draft Compatibility Determination (CD) on model airplane flying and model airplane competitive events at Shawangunk Grassland National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge). Our interest in the Refuge stems from its recognition as one of 127 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in New York State. Audubon’s IBA program identifies sites essential for sustaining naturally occurring populations of birds species and promotes the protection or proper management of these sites for the long-term conservation of birds, other wildlife, and their habitats. Consequently, our comments on the draft CD pertain to the impacts that model airplane flying would have on the avian species and habitat found at the Refuge.
For reasons outlined below, Audubon supports the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s finding that model airplane flying is incompatible with the mission of the Refuge.
In 1997, Audubon New York identified the Shawangunk Grasslands as an IBA. A panel of ornithological experts making up our Technical Advisory Committee confirmed that the Shawangunk Grasslands met the criteria that would justify its recognition as an IBA. These criteria are based on global criteria established by BirdLife International and focus on assemblages of birds that are significant because of their size, diversity, representation of a unique habitat type, or composition of state-listed species. The Shawangunk Grasslands qualified as an IBA because it is one of the most important grassland bird breeding and wintering areas in the state, supporting state-listed grassland species such as Short-eared Owl, Northern Harrier, Upland Sandpiper, Henslow’s Sparrow, Horned Lark, Vesper Sparrow, and Grasshopper Sparrow.
Grassland bird species have been declining drastically in New York and throughout their ranges for the past thirty years; they are our greatest concern with regard to model airplane flying. Grassland birds nest, roost, and forage on the ground and are very susceptible to human disturbance. Model airplanes will greatly disturb the grassland birds found at the Refuge because of their size and shape, the altitude and pattern at which they are flown, and the noise they create. Opening the Refuge to model airplane flying activities will also lead to human disturbance of grassland birds when modelers walk through habitat to retrieve planes that have crashed or when large groups of people gather to view a competitive event.
We at Audubon New York urge the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to finalize and adopt its finding that model airplane flying and competitive events are incompatible with the Refuge’s primary management objective of providing large expanses of undisturbed grassland habitat. The Shawangunk Grassland Refuge is a truly remarkable natural area and deserves the highest protection.
Sincerely,
Jillian Butler
Program Coordinator
Important Bird Areas
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