Davidson Woods

Pope to make climate action a moral obligation
Kara submitted on January 14, 1970
By James Macintyre Published: 22 September 2007 The Pope is expected to use his first address to the United Nations to deliver a powerful warning over climate change in a move to adopt protection of the environment as a "moral" cause for the Catholic Church and its billion-strong following. The New York speech is likely to contain an appeal for sustainable development, and it will follow an unprecedented Encyclical (a message to the wider church) on the subject, senior diplomatic sources have told The Independent.
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BLOG TITLEBLOG CONTENTBy James Macintyre Published: 22 September 2007 The Pope is expected to use his first address to the United Nations to deliver a powerful warning over climate change in a move to adopt protection of the environment as a "moral" cause for the Catholic Church and its billion-strong following. The New York speech is likely to contain an appeal for sustainable development, and it will follow an unprecedented Encyclical (a message to the wider church) on the subject, senior diplomatic sources have told The Independent. It will act as the centrepiece of a US visit scheduled for next April – the first by Benedict XVI, and the first Papal visit since 1999 – and round off an environmental blitz at the Vatican, in which the Pope has personally led moves to emphasise green issues based on the belief that climate change is affecting the poorest people on the planet, and the principle that believers have a duty to "protect creation". Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, head of the Catholic Church in the UK, said last night: "This is a crucial issue both today and for all future generations. We are the stewards of creation and we need to take that responsibility seriously and co-operate to care for the created world." A Papal tour of America will be particularly potent during election year in the US, where Catholics number around 73 million, and is being discussed in Rome after Pope Benedict accepted an invitation from the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon. For the Pope to take his climate-change message to the high-profile UN platform will be considered hugely influential to the fifth of the world's population who are Catholics, and will act as a rallying call for action in Africa and Asia, which have seen a rise in Catholics in recent years. News of the speech comes as Vatican City has become the first fully carbon-neutral state in the world, after announcing it is offsetting its carbon footprint by planting a forest in Hungary and installing solar panels on the roof of St Peter's Basilica in Rome. It also follows a series of interventions by the Pope on the environment. On 2 September he told a 300,000 youth audience: "Before it is too late, it is necessary to make courageous decisions that reflect knowing how to re-create a strong alliance between man and the earth." On 7 September, he said there was a "pressing need for science and religion to work together to safeguard the gifts of nature and to promote responsible stewardship". UK diplomats have held a number of behind-the-scenes meetings with Vatican officials on the environment. A Whitehall source said last night: "Benedict is the spiritual head of 19 per cent of the world's population and a highly respected figure. If the Pope's words are taken on board by his community that is one big constituency for change and could well turn the tide on climate change and environmental degradation." http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2987811.ece
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Global Warming's Toll on the Economy
Kara submitted on January 14, 1970
John D. Podesta speaks to National Association of State Treasures September 17, 2007 First off, I want to thank Oregon State Treasurer Randall Edwards and the conference organizers for helping make today’s event possible. I also want to acknowledge Tate Reeves of Mississippi, who is the President of NAST and Lynn Jenkins of Kansas, who is the senior vice president—thank you both for your hard work and leadership. And thank you all for inviting me—it is a pleasure to participate in this important and timely event.
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BLOG TITLEBLOG CONTENTJohn D. Podesta speaks to National Association of State Treasures September 17, 2007 First off, I want to thank Oregon State Treasurer Randall Edwards and the conference organizers for helping make today’s event possible. I also want to acknowledge Tate Reeves of Mississippi, who is the President of NAST and Lynn Jenkins of Kansas, who is the senior vice president—thank you both for your hard work and leadership. And thank you all for inviting me—it is a pleasure to participate in this important and timely event. You know, this summer has been a hectic one... over the past few months, we have seen floods, heat waves, tornadoes, wildfires, in the United States and abroad, and two category five hurricanes... Mother Nature seems to be the only one who did not take a summer vacation! But seriously, our conversation today is very timely. You have seen the overdue shift in the global warming debate: from whether climate change is real to a sense of urgency about how to address it. The science and the economics are conclusive: doing nothing about global warming presents a far greater cost than addressing it. Global warming, if not reversed, will consume our national resources and threaten the well-being of future generations, and volatile energy prices and more extreme weather will devastate our economy. The urgency of this issue demands a president and a Congress willing to make climate challenge a centerpiece not only of their energy policy but also of their economic program, to produce broad-based growth and sustain American economic leadership in the 21st century. Society faces mounting physical risks, and businesses face grave financial risks if they fail to adapt to a changing policy climate because of the rapidly changing physical climate. The challenge we face is nothing short of transforming our economy from a high-carbon model—which is putting both our economy and planet at risk—to a low-carbon model that can create new markets and a healthier environment. The scale of this undertaking is immense and its potential enormous, but time is working against us. We need to move quickly on this. Now, let me emphasize that global warming is emphatically not a partisan issue, and we must never let it become one. It is instead engaging people across the political spectrum, Republicans and Democrats, religious and secular, young and old—perhaps like no other issue we face today. Global warming cuts across old lines of division, and, if we are smart about it, can get us focused on investing in solutions. But although this issue has galvanized many and policies in response to this threat are increasingly inevitable, we still have a lot of work ahead of us. The United Nations’ International Panel on Climate Change brought together the largest collection of scientists ever assembled to study global warming, its impacts, and mitigation measures necessary to stop it. In its Fourth Assessment Report, the IPCC determined that if the world reduces emissions of heat trapping gases down to between 50 percent and 85 percent of 2000 levels by 2050, we have a good probability of limiting the temperature increase to about two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, meaning we would likely prevent the occurrence of the worst impacts of global warming. In other words, efforts to reduce global warming pollution must begin now so that we can meet the reduction goal in 2050. So if we continue to invest in technologies that do not reflect this reduction imperative, it will be nearly impossible to curb the effects of global warming in what could truly be called a global catastrophe. The environmental and social consequences of global warming will be many, but the most relevant to our discussion today are the major impacts it will have on our economy, on investment, and what we should expect from the regulatory climate. Those are the three issues I’d like to focus on today. In the United States, the potential economic impacts on regional economic development are many. Droughts and loss of soil moisture from a warming climate are predicted to cause a lowering of water tables, with potentially devastating economic impacts to agricultural communities throughout the Great Plains. Direct impacts from global warming on regional economies will also include a serious blow to the timber industry from increased prevalence of pests like the southern pine beetle, slower growth rates for trees, and more frequent wildfires. This would mean a decrease in revenue for producers of $1 billion to $2 billion per year. For resource-dependent states and industries, whether you are calculating expected agricultural yields or changes in hydroelectric energy production from melting snow pack, global warming has real consequences for businesses and investors. Additionally, states face substantial policy risk from the increasing regulation of carbon, particularly where dominant industries are tied to energy generation and use. Coal producing states and those with larger shares of coal-based electricity, for example, have a strong interest in ensuring a rapid shift to technologies capable of capturing and storing carbon, to ensure a place for coal in a carbon-constrained world. Across our industrial heartland, the regional economy will depend on the ability of manufacturing firms to successfully anticipate global market demands and regulatory mandates for automobiles that use less gas, or run on entirely new forms of energy. Companies that fail to respond to this changing policy landscape will face increasing liability for climate impacts, while those that embrace new technology can capture new and vibrant markets. Although there are no federal mandates to cap greenhouse gas emissions today, the wheels have been set in motion toward a low-carbon economy through private sector and city and state government action. The business community and state and local government officials are already seizing the opportunity for change and are making investments in clean technology that curb our dependence on fossil fuels. Capitalizing on renewable energy by investing in renewable energy technologies is no longer just about doing the right thing; it’s about making money, creating jobs, and remaining competitive in the world economy. And the potential to effect change is enormous with each year bringing an ever-higher plateau of success and growth for clean energy. According to the research and publishing firm Clean Edge, in 2006 we saw a tripling of venture investments in energy technology bringing that figure to $2.4 billion. We also saw the annual revenue for solar power, wind power, biofuels and fuel cells ramped up from $40 billion in 2005 to $55.4 billion in 2006—that’s a nearly 40 percent increase in one year. Projections are that the annual revenues for these four technologies will quadruple within a decade to more than $226.5 billion. Business has recognized that efficiency, sustainability and profits are all intertwined and we have seen their leadership on this issue. For example, more than two dozen CEOs of major companies like General Electric, Duke Energy, Alcoa, and DuPont together with a few environmental groups, under the umbrella of the United States Climate Action Partnership, issued a call for a far-reaching, mandatory program to cut greenhouse gas emissions 60 percent to 80 percent below current levels by 2050. States have also been on the front lines on this issue—recognizing the enormous potential of investing in clean energy; with even fossil fuel producing states such as Texas, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania investing in renewable energy. Currently: * 29 states have completed comprehensive Climate Action Plans, * Half of all states and the District of Columbia require that electric utilities generate specified amounts of electricity from renewable energy sources, * And 17 states have greenhouse gas emissions reductions targets. Next month, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will likely sue the Environmental Protection Agency for moving too slowly on a request to allow California to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles. Already fourteen states have lined up to adopt this standard once the EPA grants its federal preemption waiver request. And just last Wednesday, a federal judge ruled that the state of Vermont can require a 30 percent cut in greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles—dealing a huge blow to car manufacturers. When it comes to action on climate and clean energy, state leaders from both parties are already setting the national agenda. Nonetheless, I believe that in the fight against global warming our capacity to realize the full potential of a clean alternative future depends on smart and aggressive federal policy. For years there has been legitimate debate over how to manage carbon emissions, but a consensus has emerged that business needs the certainty of a coherent and binding national policy. The current policy framework, which has centered on voluntary emission reductions, is not giving the private sector the tools it needs and is leaving valuable energy savings on the table. Changes on Capitol Hill, however, have brought a new consensus that has leaders on both sides of the aisle calling for new, clearer rules. When Nancy Pelosi took the helm in Congress as Speaker of the House, one of her first actions was to create the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. And members of this Congress have introduced climate change-related legislation at a faster pace than any previous Congress. But this is not merely a difference stemming from a change in party last November. There is something deeper going on. The conversation has shifted and the public and the business community are looking for answers. This Congress has also responded to the looming threat of global warming by passing comprehensive energy legislation that includes policies to reduce global warming pollution from major sources, as well as to reduce oil use, increase energy efficiency, and spur clean alternative energy technologies. The current Senate energy bill includes a 35 mile per gallon fuel economy standard by 2020, which would remove 206 million metric tons of carbon dioxide by 2020 or the equivalent of removing 32 million cars off the road. The House energy bill includes a renewable electricity standard that requires utilities to provide 15 percent of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020 which would reduce carbon dioxide pollution by 180 million metric tons per year by 2030 or the equivalent to taking more than 29 million cars off the road. The Senate-House Conference to settle the differences between these bills will likely take place in the fall. If the final legislation contains the best provisions of both bills, it could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and put forth a major down payment on reductions necessary to slow and later halt global warming. Additionally, members of Congress have introduced 10 market-based climate change bills to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. This market-based approach has the potential to turn pollution reduction into marketable assets. The different bills have a varying allowance allocations and reduction targets but the message Congress is sending is clear: we need to take steps to sharply reduce our dependence on oil, cut our emissions, and enhance the competitiveness of our economy. This is a major shift: this year, for the first time ever, there will be serious federal debate on legislative proposals that could specifically address global warming pollution. This represents a change that it is not likely to be undone in future elections. It is safe to bet that despite whoever controls Congress or becomes the next president, we will have some sort of regulatory scheme within the next few years. Businesses, investors, and policymakers that fail to recognize this shifting dynamic face real risks as the energy market changes. If history is any guide, the transition to a low-carbon economy will create many new opportunities in the form of emerging markets and turn a problem into a profit-making opportunity. Take carbon trading for example. The supply of carbon credits comes largely from two regulatory frameworks—the European Emissions Trading Scheme and the Clean Development Mechanism set up under the Kyoto Protocol. Carbon emission markets around the globe have expanded rapidly, with $30.4 billion allowances traded last year and estimated to grow to $100 billion by 2010. With global warming emerging as the single most important financial risk of our time, we need policies to properly address it and in the current political climate the forecast seems promising. As a matter of financial prudence and sound policy, treasurers can play a powerful role by calling on the federal government to pass laws that effectively cap carbon emissions. This would reduce overall risk to investors, including to those funds and pensioners for which you have responsibility. Too often global warming is seen solely as a policy issue best left to energy secretaries, but in truth, cap and trade and other climate policies are about establishing markets. As Congress looks to create tradable emissions credits for CO2 and other greenhouse gases, they are really dealing with an issue of securities. The drivers behind the growth in renewable energy investment are many and are likely to be enduring even without regulatory support—so even though investment now is still in flux there are no signs of it slowing down. But to ensure that resources are managed efficiently, this market-making mechanism will need enforcement and regulatory oversight from the federal government to build trust in the market. On this front, treasurers can add tremendous value to our national debate, by advancing the execution of sound policies, and building working markets for carbon. I don’t have to tell you that investing in emerging markets entails risk—political and economic—but I believe your expertise can help shape what this market looks like, particularly at this moment when Congress enters a serious debate on this issue this fall. Continued leadership from state treasurers on global warming will be essential to ensure that we address the scale and urgency of climate risk—and capture the vast economic possibilities that lie ahead as the world transitions to a clean energy future. Climate change is a threat to the long-term value of the economy and failure to calculate its impacts or manage or reduce its harm mean that our assets are being over valued, and the risks we face are being under reported. We need to start looking at the long-term horizon of our investments and taking into account the detrimental effect of a warming climate on business. Experts estimate that dealing with global warming could cost major companies up to 15 percent of their total market capitalization, yet only a handful of firms are addressing or disclosing the risk and costs of climate change in their financial reports. Conventional financial reports typically disclose what has already happened—earnings and revenues—but in a changing landscape of regulation and natural resources we must make sure we are making sound investments based not only on where we have been, but on what is coming down the road, in order to build a solid financial infrastructure. The bottom line is that current business reporting is inadequate to judge economic progress and we need to address this. Take for instance the recent story on China’s “Green GDP” project—an effort by President Hu Jintao to evaluate the performance of China’s economic growth factoring in the yearly damage to environmental and human health. The results of this calculation were very sobering. In fact, when adjusting growth for environmental damage, to reflect the cost of pollution, the economic growth rate of some provinces was reduced to practically zero. So for all we’ve heard about China’s economic success, when we account for environmental degradation, its growth is reduced to nothing—this is simply not sustainable. With an increasingly interconnected global economy and an interdependent global environment, this should be a lesson for policymakers in the United States. China is not considering the health of its long-term economy, but once done, the damage its doing cannot be “recalled” so easily as China’s other exports to the world. Those entrusted with protecting the financial security of pensioners need to look at the long-term yield of any investment—considering environmental impacts and advancing solutions to climate change. As treasurers, you have long stood up for that long-term financial interest—attending to the economic consequences of global warming is now a natural addition to your portfolio of concerns. Your shared voice has the ability to help place this global threat into the context of prudent long-term management of the economy and the public good, where it belongs. And many of you are already offering shining examples of leadership investing in climate solutions. California’s Green Wave initiative, which directed Public Employee pension investments into technology like renewable energy and efficiency retrofits for real estate portfolio holdings, is but one example. I want to commend all of the state treasurers whom we’ve heard from today, who are acting on their fiduciary duties to address the risks and opportunities posed by climate change. The treasurers from Florida, Oregon, California, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Vermont are each providing tremendous leadership. I also want to acknowledge those treasurers that are members of the Investor Network on Climate Risk. INCR was founded by Ceres and six state treasurers in 2003 at the first Investor Summit on Climate Risk at the United Nations and has since played a critical role in helping treasurers address climate change. Today INCR has 60 members with a combined $4 trillion in assets. I was impressed by the impact of the most recent INCR call to action released in March 2007—signed by treasurers and other leaders in investing and business. This action called for the U.S. government to take three steps: 1. Enact a policy to reduce Green House Gas emissions 60-90% below 1990 levels by 2050, 2. Realign national energy and transportation policies to stimulate research, development, and deployment of new and existing clean technologies, and 3. That the Securities and Exchange Commission clarify what companies should disclose to investors on climate change in their regular financial reporting. This sort of work can form a shared voice for treasurers; one that rises above partisan rancor, and one that is sorely needed in shaping the national debate moving forward, to ensure that good policy is created. As we have heard today, there are many pathways for action—whether directing investment advisors to evaluate climate change risk in the companies you invest, or choosing to vote your proxies as major institutional shareholders to support climate change resolutions that reduce risk for funds under your care. All are critical. What we can take away from this conference is that energy independence and tackling climate change are not at odds with our economic and financial goals. But it will fall on treasurers, fiduciaries, and financial managers to shape and direct the markets created by those policies. So get in the game early and help steer the direction of those policies. You have a tremendous opportunity to effect change, I hope you seize it.
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New article about climate change
Kara submitted on January 14, 1970
This year, there has definitely been a lot more attention given to the issue of climate change: its realities, predictions, mitigation and potential solutions. There's a lot to say on the subject and I thought it would be interesting to start a discussion on the different facets of it. I would be happy to just post some interesting articles on the subject or we could have an ongoing discussion.
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BLOG TITLEBLOG CONTENTThis year, there has definitely been a lot more attention given to the issue of climate change: its realities, predictions, mitigation and potential solutions. There's a lot to say on the subject and I thought it would be interesting to start a discussion on the different facets of it. I would be happy to just post some interesting articles on the subject or we could have an ongoing discussion. To start us off, today I am posting an article I came across while doing research at work. I have a google alert set up for various environmental topics and this popped up. There was a lot of media earlier in the year when the first pieces of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report came out. This article discusses a new report which warns that the warming process is going faster than models predicted and that we need to prepare for certain consequences, particularly in Africa. I don't have any particular response to this article except that it affected me because it comes on the heels of the news that the polar bear population is going to decrease rapidly in the next decades. Anyhoo, here it is: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/sep/18/climatechange.internationalnews?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront
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Energy from water? Not so far fetched as you might think...
Mike submitted on January 14, 1970
http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2007/09/pennsylvania-ma.html Pennsylvania Man Claims He Made Fuel From Salt Water By Kristen Philipkoski September 10, 2007 | 5:54:34 PM This sounds a wee bit nutty, but an article in Sunday's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tells the story of an Erie, Pennsylvania man who created a 3,000-degree flame by exposing salt water to radio frequencies. The guy, according to the story, was trying to desalinate seawater with a generator "he developed to treat cancer," when he noticed a flash in the test tube.
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BLOG TITLEBLOG CONTENThttp://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2007/09/pennsylvania-ma.html Pennsylvania Man Claims He Made Fuel From Salt Water By Kristen Philipkoski September 10, 2007 | 5:54:34 PM This sounds a wee bit nutty, but an article in Sunday's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tells the story of an Erie, Pennsylvania man who created a 3,000-degree flame by exposing salt water to radio frequencies. The guy, according to the story, was trying to desalinate seawater with a generator "he developed to treat cancer," when he noticed a flash in the test tube. Within days, he had the salt water in the test tube burning like a candle, as long as it was exposed to radio frequencies. His discovery has spawned scientific interest in using the world's most abundant substance as clean fuel, among other uses. Rustum Roy, a Penn State University (my alma mater!) chemist and expert in water structure, tells the Post-Gazette the guy is not just a nut bar. He says he recreated the phenomenon last week at the university's Materials Research Laboratory in State College. "It's true, it works," Dr. Roy said. "Everyone told me, 'Rustum, don't be fooled. He put electrodes in there.' " But there are no electrodes and no gimmicks, he said. Roy called Kanzius' discovery "the most remarkable in water science in 100 years." I can't wait to see whether other researchers can replicate these results. If they could, it would blow away results cold fusion experiments have seen in terms of the amount of energy generated.
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August 17, 2007 – Mio, Michigan
Anne and Chuck submitted on January 14, 1970
Arrived we have at one of the great Mecca’s of American birding. Alas, we are more than a month late. The Kirtland’s warblers have already completed their breeding and are preparing to depart to Eluthera and Abaco Islands in the Bahamas. The males have stopped singing from perches in young jack pines, and the federal wildlife service has ended its tours that provide a chance to glimpse them. The bird’s unique habitat, many acre patches of five to fifteen foot tall jack pines, are created by federal and state agencies through regular clear cutting and planting of the pines.
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BLOG TITLEBLOG CONTENTArrived we have at one of the great Mecca’s of American birding. Alas, we are more than a month late. The Kirtland’s warblers have already completed their breeding and are preparing to depart to Eluthera and Abaco Islands in the Bahamas. The males have stopped singing from perches in young jack pines, and the federal wildlife service has ended its tours that provide a chance to glimpse them. The bird’s unique habitat, many acre patches of five to fifteen foot tall jack pines, are created by federal and state agencies through regular clear cutting and planting of the pines. Prior to civilization natural fires provided plenty of these patches. Now most of the northern lower peninsula is in hardwood forest or farmland. The birds follow the provided habitat as it moves within state and national forests lands. We have been told where the warbler nested this year, and we will be seeking them along a forest road at dawn tomorrow. The plots are still closed to the public, but we are unlikely to spot any birds. None-the-less, we feel obliged to make the effort. Some year we will make a pilgrimage here in late May or June to see one of the rarest birds of North America. Crossed the Mackinaw bridge this morning before the winds began to whistle. Good thing. The speed limit for motor homes was 20, but we did not start to shake until several hours later just before arriving here. The anticyclone is still shaking the trees, and we may need a little heat in the morning. The failure of our house air conditioner is no longer a problem. At least not until we move south and east some more. We have departed the Upper Peninsula and left a campsite for someone in Paradise where the blueberry festival is to be held this weekend. Such events can create a problem for us gypsy campers. Generally we avoid moving on Friday or Saturday. Usually no problem finding a site on Sunday. Our move today led us to a less popular camping area, but even so, there were only three sites available when we arrived in mid-afternoon. Out our window is a scarlet oak, the first oak we have noticed in a long time. Another sign of the East. So easy not to appreciate the treasures of one’s home region until you are away.
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August 15, 2007 – Paradise, Michigan
Anne and Chuck submitted on January 14, 1970
We are once again in the Eastern Time Zone. Almost shocking, our circle around the forty-nine States is coming to a close. I can’t say that brings particular pleasure or disappointment. We are still entering new territory. Anne is not sure she had ever been in Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota nor Wisconsin. Neither of us has ever been in the “UP” - Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We have yet to cross the Mackinac Bridge. We will make that crossing the day after tomorrow. We will reach familiar territory upon reaching Pennsylvania next week.
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BLOG TITLEBLOG CONTENTWe are once again in the Eastern Time Zone. Almost shocking, our circle around the forty-nine States is coming to a close. I can’t say that brings particular pleasure or disappointment. We are still entering new territory. Anne is not sure she had ever been in Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota nor Wisconsin. Neither of us has ever been in the “UP” - Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We have yet to cross the Mackinac Bridge. We will make that crossing the day after tomorrow. We will reach familiar territory upon reaching Pennsylvania next week. This year we will have visited most of the States. We missed Idaho (by a few miles) and several interior states - Wyoming, South Dakota, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, and Kentucky. We’ll also probably miss the New England States of Maine, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. This year we have enjoyed enough grand vistas, sights, and sounds of wildlife, and memorable human encounters for a lifetime. Though we will probably never again tour so far for so long again, we have no reason to simply stop moving. Forces may incline us to stay more in the East for a few years, but there is a great deal to explore between Newfoundland and south Florida. Lake Superior, a freshwater sea, remains at our side after three days of driving. We are now at Whitefish Bay, its eastern terminus. Whitefish Point resembles the Provincetown peninsula, but without the town. A major lighthouse there serves shipping. Superior is perhaps the only freshwater lake that requires such a device. More than one hundred seamen have perished there with their vessels. An historic society operates a shipwreck museum at the point, bringing to our attention the various ships that have perished. The most recent, of course, was the Edmond Fitzgerald, whose fate was tellingly recounted in a popular song. Whitefish Point is also an important bird area, a jumping off and landing place for migrants crossing the big water. We are here a few weeks too early to see significant fall migration, but we will be checking the Point in the morning to see if anything of interest takes advantage of an easy north breeze to jump across. Most of the adult birds have now completed their family duties, are joining flocks, and inclining southward. By the end of September, the “neotropical migrants” among them will have largely left the continent. The juveniles will follow a few weeks later. The interior northern tier states are suffering a rather severe drought this year after two dry years. It is so dry that some of the trees are already changing color. We last saw a drought this bad a couple of decades ago in New Jersey. This afternoon a few drops of rain fell and we prayed with the locals that the weather would become serious. Being here, we have avoided the severe heat of some regions of the East. We hope that the southlands cool off before we reach the south end of Lake Erie next week. August is a tough month to bird, but we have done well, harvesting some migrants and also Eastern summer birds that were in the tropics when we were last in the East – in January. We were disappointed not to find the mountain plover in Montana and the buff-bellied sandpiper in North Dakota. We have a small chance at the latter here. These would be life birds for us. Regardless of the birds, the sights and smells of the Eastern deciduous forests have been welcome to us. Here are pine and hardwood forests. These are relatively simple plant communities. The dominant hardwood community is of sugar maple, beech, and yellow birch. Groves of tall sugar maples are always wonderful to see. Sadly, here too there is a loss of trees to alien pests. These join overfishing and habitat destruction as perhaps the worst environmental problems of this era, likely much more significant than air and water pollution. Sad to see forests without elms, chestnuts, hemlocks, spruces, and pines. Very sad to see groves of dead trees in all regional forests. Life is change, but a bit of conservation is in order.
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August 12, 2007 – Munising, Michigan
Anne and Chuck submitted on January 14, 1970
We are east of the (tiny) Mississippi and in the Eastern Time Zone. After an extended visit to Montana we spent a few days on the prairie in North Dakota, and then drove quickly across northern Minnesota and Wisconsin. We are now camped in Hiawatha National Forest near Lake Superior.
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BLOG TITLEBLOG CONTENTWe are east of the (tiny) Mississippi and in the Eastern Time Zone. After an extended visit to Montana we spent a few days on the prairie in North Dakota, and then drove quickly across northern Minnesota and Wisconsin. We are now camped in Hiawatha National Forest near Lake Superior. We finally have started picking up some of our Eastern summer birds, scarlet tanager, chestnut-sided warbler, etc. that we have missed by being in the West since the beginning of February. It’s fun, and we hope to find more of them before they leave the country next month. It will be tough because most everybody has stopped singing, and many are no longer in their breeding areas. We have to bump into them. We plan to run up to Whitefish Point this week, a place where the bumping is more probable. By the end of the week we will be crossing the Mackinac Bridge and entering Michigan’s southern peninsula. After a few days there we will travel with some speed around Lake Erie and meet with Chuck’s sister Laurie at Binghamton. The Labor Day weekend will find us in Schenectady for a quick visit prior to our A.T. hike in Vermont.
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July 31, 2007 – Georgetown Lake, Montana
Anne and Chuck submitted on January 14, 1970
Our gamble paid off. We changed plans and detoured south to this campground at 6,000 feet elevation in the Flint Creek Range of the Rocky Mountains. The location is idyllic, a pine grove along a lakeshore. The weather has been much cooler, and the bird guide we joined helped us find four new life species including yes, the great gray owl. The only distraction here has been smoke from various forest fires that plague this mountain state in dry years.
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BLOG TITLEBLOG CONTENTOur gamble paid off. We changed plans and detoured south to this campground at 6,000 feet elevation in the Flint Creek Range of the Rocky Mountains. The location is idyllic, a pine grove along a lakeshore. The weather has been much cooler, and the bird guide we joined helped us find four new life species including yes, the great gray owl. The only distraction here has been smoke from various forest fires that plague this mountain state in dry years. The drive took us into a more arid land of green treed mountains and grassy valleys turning from green to straw. Fat cattle wander through the parkland. Flathead Lake stretches for almost fifty miles and mountain streams bring plenty of water for livestock and irrigation. Sweet cherries are ripening at the many orchards around the lake. We bought a bag and enjoyed this treasure. We didn’t stop at Missoula but paused to glance at a fire in the pass east of town. The mountainside burned with flame and smoke. Fire trucks hosed down the roofs of a few houses along side the interstate. Business as usual. Georgetown Lake is smaller and situate within the Deer Lodge National Forest. A few businesses, camps, and houses line a small part of the shore, but the area is largely undeveloped. The forest service operates a few campgrounds there. We settled here at Piney Camp. The lake water is clear and populated by red-necked grebes and a few kinds of ducks. All have broods now, and it is fun seeing mama grebe with chicks on her back and mommy duck with a trail of black and yellow ducklings. Two of our neighbors are flying model seaplanes, but they seem to have to spend more time on maintenance than on flying. Fun to talk about it with them. The cell phones were out on our arrival so we had to drive to a bar on the opposite side of the lake to call Gary Swant, our guide. We had communicated only by e-mail, and he asked us to call on our arrival. We exchanged greetings and agreed on a time and place to meet in the morning. The time was 6 a.m. The dawn was gray, largely with smoke, but we heard yellow warblers and willow flycatchers at our meeting place. Then we began an early morning drive through pasture and forest roads looking for our great gray nemesis bird. We hesitated to guess the odds of finding it, but after only fifteen minutes Anne cried out that she saw an owl. Gary stopped and Chuck confirmed that it was a great gray owl perched on a tree in a field. To the naked eye it looked like a jumble of sticks. Then it dropped off its perch and flew to about fifty yards from our car and landed on a fence post. We could not believe our luck. Exiting quietly we set up the scope and watched as the bird variously perched and flew about the rangeland. We followed it once up a lane but then let it be. It had blessed us with grand views of America’s largest owl. Our expedition continued and led to another three life birds. The second was the Cordilleran flycatcher, a small yellow bird of the western mountains. One perched on a treetop then flew into the woods. A brief play of a recording brought a second bird to alongside the road. We watched until it also retreated. A ride into a mountain range on a private ranch led to a grove where Gary knew of a colony of Williamson’s sapsuckers. They were there and we saw both males and females of this dimorphic species. Finally, we hiked along the edge of the woods on a south-facing rocky slope where swarms of grasshoppers rose at our feet. The morning was now late and it was warm. After twenty minutes, we were not sure of success, but we continued our trek spread out in a row side-by-side until a bird flushed. It was a female. Anne and Gary saw it, but Chuck to the left had to be signaled in for a view of the bird, now in a tree. Coming around he flushed a second bird. We had found a hen and brood. Returning, we found a cock and enjoyed views of him too before retreating to the car. We found other birds too making it a great birding day. There will not be too many more days when we find four life birds in the ABA “North America Area.” Chuck now has 612 species and Anne is at 599. There just are not that many birds left to find.
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A Few More Photos from Alaska and British Columbia
Anne and Chuck submitted on January 14, 1970
Anne trying her luck at the 49 Mile Gold Miners 4th of July Picnic. If you ask she can show you the 6 gold flakes that showed up.

The Bear Glacier can viewed along the road to Stewart, British Columbia.

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BLOG TITLEBLOG CONTENTAnne trying her luck at the 49 Mile Gold Miners 4th of July Picnic. If you ask she can show you the 6 gold flakes that showed up. The Bear Glacier can viewed along the road to Stewart, British Columbia. The tiny town of Hyder, Alaska is totally isolated from the rest of Alaska. It is only reachable by driving over the border from Stewart, British Columbia. It has a US Post Office, a couple of small motels and bars. We went there to bird and see the Salmon Glacier. This forest had a significant burn 2 years ago. Among the first plants to grow is the lovely rose colored fireweed. So why did Anne and Chuck go there? Was it another one of their weird birding spots? Of course. Burned areas are where one finds woodpeckers and some owls. We were rewarded that day with Northern Hawk Owl and Three Toed Woodpecker.
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July 24, 2007 – Kalispell, Montana
Anne and Chuck submitted on January 14, 1970
Back in the U.S., back in the U.S., back in the U.S.A. A! Pleasant to see the stars-n-stripes instead of the maple leaf. Happier to pay less than three dollars a gallon instead of four and fifty. British Columbia is a beautiful place, but everything is expensive. The tax on gasoline is some 40%. This seems to translate across the board to products, and a sales tax is added to every purchase. As punishing as this was to us, at least we can leave. The Canadians must live with it.
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BLOG TITLEBLOG CONTENTBack in the U.S., back in the U.S., back in the U.S.A. A! Pleasant to see the stars-n-stripes instead of the maple leaf. Happier to pay less than three dollars a gallon instead of four and fifty. British Columbia is a beautiful place, but everything is expensive. The tax on gasoline is some 40%. This seems to translate across the board to products, and a sales tax is added to every purchase. As punishing as this was to us, at least we can leave. The Canadians must live with it. We had toyed with traveling across Canada to New York, but the cost drove us across the border. There is plenty to see in the northern tier of states. Lots of good birds too. Visiting Canada is fine, but touring across it is too painful. Our return home was clouded only in that the border patrol confiscated Anne’s left over beef stew. A little lie would have saved it, but Anne refused the agent’s coaching. Who says the cows are mad; it is the governments that go crazy. Or is it simply the politicians who reap the rewards from blatant protectionism. In any case, we are protected. We will not eat that dangerous product, at least not now that we are back in the States. We’ll have to get our mad cow disease from good old-fashioned American beef. Our return to the northern continental climate (from Pacific maritime) took us into heat, our first really since leaving southern California so many months ago. We may finally stop needing the heater until this winter. We have a visit or two to make here in northern Montana and will then visit Glacier National Park. We will go for the birds and not for “just another glacier or two.” We also have two visits to make here. Both a former co-worker of Anne and the daughter of close friends have settled and are building families here. Our journey again provides an opportunity to renew ties. After our stay here, a change in plans will take us south a bit farther to Deer Lodge where a guide will show us some of his bird spots for a day. Perhaps he will find us to a great gray owl, a species that continues to elude us. In any case, we’ll stay in the Rockies for a few more days before moving into the Great Plains.
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