[Tweeters] Birding and Hunting at Wiley Slough

[Robert O'Brien via Tweeters]

I have to tell this story but will leave out the actual parties involved.
This was long ago.
Some elements at  Portland Audubon (its name at the time) were in a
long-going battle about leased grazing on Sauvie Island State Lands just
across the river from Ridgefield, originally created ;for waterfowl to keep
them off farmland.  Naturally, hunting was allowed. ODFW was using cows to
control vegetation during the summer..  Cows have a bad rep. Still do.
 Eventually cows were removed from this area.  ODFW gave in politically I
guess; but just a guess.
I had frequent contact with an ODFW employee from the Sauvie State Lands.
He told me that, after the cows were removed.  (naturally the vegetation
went wild, especially HImalayan Blackberries) the anti-cows folks made a
request.  *Please mow channels through the vegetation for access by the
public.  *ODFW's Response?*  We'd rather leave it natural.    *
This area had some great seasonal shorebird habitat in low lying areas that
flooded shallowly in the fall, specifically for Yellowlegs and the like..
Maybe they were still foraging under the blackberries? Who knows?
Disclaimer - This was long ago and I don't know the status of these areas
today.

Bob OBrien  Portland

P.S. One thing that has always baffled me is how resistant 'birders' are to
contributing to the maintenance of state & federal lands, many of which
allow hunting although I'm not sure how big a role that plays in general..
I believe this resistance is widespread.  (Remember the proposed Bird Seed
Tax?)
Some years ago when this subject came up on OBOL I made a feeble attempt to
create some sort of reconciliation.  I responded to complaints that
several people down here had about ODFW, birding-wise. I pointed out that
although this agency pretty much was concerned with hunting but that
hunting fees pay for virtually all of state lands.  Birders pay now for
annual parking passes.  That's all.  They didn't even pay that back then.
I did some calculations that if  every member of OBOL contributed a fixed
amount (I forget the number) to ODFW that might, over time, get more
interest in birders by ODFW.  There was virtually zero response.  My
proposal died a quick death.  The only significant response I got was from
a birder who worked for ODFW, describing the strange position he was in.






On Mon, Jan 20, 2025 at 8:13 PM Rob Faucett via Tweeters <
tweeters at u.washington.edu> wrote:


> Thank you Kim!  Great stuff.  I so appreciate your hard work!

>

> Rob

> —

> Rob Faucett

> +1(206) 619-5569

> robfaucett at mac.com

> Seattle, WA  98105

>

> On Jan 20, 2025, at 7:51 PM, Kim Thorburn via Tweeters <

> tweeters at u.washington.edu> wrote:

>

> 

> As a former fish and wildlife commissioner, I appreciate Doug's

> recognition of the hard work by WDFW staff to mitigate and minimize

> wildlife user conflict and restore critical habitat. (I've never seen a

> wetlands restoration that was pretty in its early phases.)

>

> Many may not like hunting but over my years as a commissioner, I watched

> our tendency to translate our dislike of certain social and cultural

> practices to dislike of the practitioners and to express our disdain with

> charges of bad or illegal behavior to characterize the group. I don't like

> it when others characterize us birders by our bad behaviors like

> trespassing, disrespecting privacy, or ignorant intrusion on tribal

> sovereignty. To be licensed, hunters must pass hunter education, including

> major focus on fair chase ethics and safety. As a group, I find hunters

> take both issues seriously. Hunters also contribute mightily to wildlife

> conservation. During volunteer habitat restoration efforts, I'm more often

> rubbing shoulders with bird hunters than birders.

>

> Thank you, Kris, for your question and initiation of the thread. When I

> bird in game units during firearm hunting seasons, I use an extra

> precaution and wear hunter pink or orange. A cap does the trick. Such

> clothing is required of hunters during big game modern firearm seasons but

> not seasons without overlap. While perhaps not the best birding garb, I

> choose it as a good safety practice.

>

> Good birding,

>

> Kim

>

>

>

> Kim Marie Thorburn, MD, MPH

>

> Spokane, WA

>

> (509) 465-3025

>

>

>

>

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