Letters: September 17

Posted 9/17/14

Lets do it for the birds

I love birds, so I was happy to read two stories in the Local (Sept. 4), one about the bald eagles nesting in the Wissahickon, and the other about Dorian Anderson’s …

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Letters: September 17

Posted

Lets do it for the birds

I love birds, so I was happy to read two stories in the Local (Sept. 4), one about the bald eagles nesting in the Wissahickon, and the other about Dorian Anderson’s bike ride across the country to raise awareness around the numerous environmental threats to birds. Both stories were inspiring.

The Audubon Society also made news last week, releasing a report that is certainly not good news for the birds: A seven-year study of 588 species of U.S. birds found that 314 species – more than half – are at risk of extinction this century due to climate change.

Pennsylvania birds at risk include Ruffed Grouse (our state bird), Scarlet Tanagers, Wood Thrush, and Baltimore Orioles.

Phil Wallis, Audubon’s executive director for Pennsylvania, said, “We are pushing dozens of bird species out of Pennsylvania and possibly off of the planet. Birds that survived the clearing of Penn’s Woods in the early 1900s and DDT poisoning in the 1950s and ‘60s may finally succumb to food and habitat changes due to global warming.”

And although our bald eagles in the Wissahickon are doing ok, the Audubon report states that nationally, bald eagles are projected to lose 73 percent of their current breeding range by 2080.

It’s well past time that we act on climate change. That’s why I support President Obama’s Clean Power Plan. Let’s adopt these common-sense measures quickly.

For the birds. And all the rest of us, in fact.

Joy Bergey

Flourtown

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