A few weeks ago I wrote about the need for preservation of habitat for birds. I mentioned pheasant as a species that enjoys such efforts. A reader pointed out that pheasants are not native birds.
My response: Pheasants, native or not, aren't the issue. For me, it's about habitat creation and restoration. Pheasants benefit from efforts of Pheasants Forever. Most members, I assume, are hunters. I stopped hunting years ago. It is habitat that concerns me now, as it concerns PF members.
Pheasant habitat is good for dozens of bird species that are not hunted. Ditto wetland work by Ducks Unlimited and Delta Waterfowl and work in the woods by the Ruffed Grouse Society.
Members of those groups invest muscle and money to make certain there is the habitat required by their favored birds. I send membership dues to organizations because their habitat work also benefits dozens of my favorite birds.
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology recently compiled a report on the state of all wild birds in the U.S. The report included these comments:
"While a majority of bird species are declining, many waterbird populations remain healthy, thanks to decades of collaborative investments from hunters, landowners, state and federal agencies, and corporations," said Karen Waldrop, chief conservation officer for Ducks Unlimited.
"This is good news not only for birds, but for the thousands of other species that rely on wetlands, and the communities that benefit from groundwater recharge, carbon sequestration and flood protection."
There is no group that targets habitat preservation for particular songbirds, no White-throated Sparrows Forever for example.
