Bird strikes up despite goose slaughter

From CBS New York:

Bird strikes affecting flights are on the rise in the Tri-State area.

As WCBS 880’s Sophia Hall reported, a new report suggests the problem keeps getting worse.

There were 175 bird strikes last year at LaGuardia Airport — the most since the FAA started tracking the incidents in 1990.

So the millions of dollars that taxpayers have spent to kill birds in NYC parks that the government deemed a threat to aircraft were actually thrown down the toilet? When is that waste of a program going to end as it has just been proven to be ineffective and unnecessary?

Goldfeder wants online food stamp purchases authorized

From The Forum:

Grocery shopping is very different for shoppers using food stamps in the Bronx.

There, a select number of zip codes have the option of ordering groceries online, which has served as a lifeline especially for senior citizens. State Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D-Rockaway Park) called out the United States Department of Agriculture this week, asking why the same did not apply to southern Queens.

“Buying groceries should not be a nightmare for seniors with limited mobility,” Goldfeder said. “No senior should have to rely on friends and family when technology allows for an easier option.”

The assemblyman fired off a letter to USDA head and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, calling on the agency to use its power administering food stamp benefits at the national level to provide online grocery delivery services to zip codes in southern Queens and Rockaway. The service has been part of a pilot program the USDA launched this year to allow for online purchases of groceries using Electronic Benefit Transfer cards, which shoppers use to make purchases with their SNAP benefits – or food stamps. Goldfeder’s letter said southern Queens and Rockaway were home to a large senior population, and allowing residents to use their EBT cards to order groceries online would be a great relief to seniors unable to make it to the supermarket.

Asian Longhorned Beetle appears to be gone from Queens

From the Queens Chronicle:

Although federal officials are not declaring complete victory yet, it looks like those pesky Asian long-horned beetles have been eradicated in Queens.

Joseph Gittleman, regional project manager of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Asian Longhorned Beetle Project, told the Queens Chronicle that the closest infestation was in 2010 in Brooklyn. Because of the lack of the destructive insects, his office is re-evaluating the 10-year quarantine that Queens remains in.

It is illegal to transport wood out of the borough during the quarantine. Fines can run up to $250,000. Queens homeowners can arrange removal of branches and trees through the Sanitation Department by calling 311 and setting up a pickup date.

The wood must be bundled. All tree material must be removed by the city, even if it does not come from one of the susceptible species such as maple or sycamore.

The beetles destroy trees and the federal government fears they will get upstate and damage New York’s hardwood and maple syrup industries.

“We still are inspecting trees in affected neighborhoods,” Gittleman said. “It’s an ongoing process.”

Two inspectors are now working from Douglaston to the Van Wyck Expressway.

Hundreds more birds killed at "wildlife refuge"

From the NY Observer:

With all the excitement of the summer and everyone making plans for the 4th, it's unlikely that you will have noticed that some of the city's other residents, our park's native Canada geese, are disappearing.

The continued round-up and slaughter of New York City's geese continued yesterday with the removal and destruction of around 500 geese in Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, which was caught on video by local geese activists Goosewatch NYC.

The cull is part of a larger bird removal program carried out by the United States Department of Agriculture, which has been ongoing since 2009. Another round-up was carried out two weeks ago at Inwood Hill Park, where all but one of the resident geese were taken.

David Karopkin, the head of GooseWatch, said in a statement today that: "I am more committed than ever to fighting these roundups in NYC, and everywhere. It is disgusting and cruel, it doesn't accomplish anything, and it needs to end. "

Mr. Karopkin told us this morning that he was present at the collection of the geese and was threatened with arrest while attempting to document the proceedings.

USDA officials say that the clearing of the geese is necessary in order to prevent air traffic accidents, such as the infamous Hudson Miracle plane crash in 2009.

Mr. Karopkin and associates however allege that the removal of geese is cruel and unnecessary, and that the USDA are guilty of public deception.

The government is apparently trying to nearly halve the Canada goose population in 17 Atlantic states, to 650,000 from 1.1 million.

The geese are loaded onto a truck and taken away:



Now, while I know some of you will say this program is necessary in order to reduce the goose population, the fact is that the program has no effect on the population of the birds nor has it prevented bird strikes. The most common birds to get sucked into planes are starlings and gulls, not geese. This is the government trying to make like it look like they took action when they did nothing of the sort. The geese they rounded up are likely year-round residents that don't fly very high and aren't a threat to aircraft. I guess someone needed a contract. Again.

The beetle patrol is back

The Woodhaven Residents' Block Association would like to inform residents that state and federal agencies have sent inspectors to Woodhaven to conduct searches for the Asian long-horned beetle.

The beetle is an invasive species that devastates trees. Official inspectors are going door-to-door, requesting access to the area around residences -- especially backyards -- to determine whether nearby vegetation is harboring any Asian long-horned beetles. Unfortunately, many residents have been unaware that the these surveys are taking place, leading them to be understandably suspicious of individuals seeking access to their property.

"These inspectors are doing important work to protect trees in Woodhaven and across Queens," said WRBA President Edward K. Wendell. "If someone claims they're from an official agency and asks for access to your property, request to see their identification and make sure they are dressed appropriately."

There are two kinds of inspectors conducting the surveys: state and federal, the latter being from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). New York State inspectors do not have a uniform but should always be wearing an official orange vest with lettering. Federal inspectors should be dressed in either green pants or blue jeans, and should have on a black coat with USDA lettering. In all cases, inspectors have official badges and/or official IDs and will produce them on request.

If, however, someone claiming to be an inspector does not produce identification, is not dressed properly, or does not properly identify themselves, do not grant them access to your property. Residents who feel uncomfortable or suspicious should call the police.

The WRBA has received calls from residents who were concerned about purported inspectors. Some of this confusion arose from those personnel identifying themselves incorrectly or not wearing the proper attire.

The WRBA has spoken with an inspection field manager and has expressed concern about some of the reports we have received. The Block Association hopes that the USDA takes steps to make sure that their inspectors properly identify themselves. The WRBA also hopes that improved openness and communication with residents will help inspectors keep Woodhaven free of this destructive pest.

If they experience any problems with inspectors, residents should feel free to notify the WRBA at info@woodhaven-nyc.org or (718) 296-3735.

Residents who suspect an Asian long-horned beetle infestation should collect an adult beetle in a jar, place the jar in a freezer, and immediately notify the USDA by calling (866) 265-0301.

Goose killings are just the beginning

"In 1960, an Eastern Airlines flight out of Boston crashed because the engines had sucked up a bunch of starlings. There was a huge public outcry to get rid of starlings. Lately, we have been hearing that the geese are a major threat to jet planes. Senator Gillibrand wants to round all of them up & kill them... well, kill them just for being what they are - geese. Last night on Channel 7, there was a big story on how the gulls in Jamaica Bay are a danger to planes:



The story included a guy named Steve Garber who was a "former wildlife manager for JFK". In the story, he says that having breeding colonies of gulls in the Bay is "the dumbest thing in the world" and that the gulls should be "relocated". Relocated where??? He added that when planes fly, "They suck in everything, so when they go through a flock like this every bird nearby will get sucked right in" . The story added that, "The bird colony on these islands is thriving, proof of the Port Authority's and the Federal Government's complete failure to eliminate a threat that they know has existed for at least 40 years." By the way, the "islands" that they are referring to are the marsh islands, the very places that all of us have been trying to protect, preserve & reconstruct, because THEY PROVIDE BIRD HABITAT!

DUH!!! Isn't Jamaica Bay supposed to be a WILDLIFE REFUGE???? After they get rid of the gulls, what species will be the next culprit? After all, those jet engines "suck in everything". The cormorants maybe? They are awfully big birds and there seem to be a lot of them around. And talking about big birds, how about getting rid of the Egrets & Herons? We all know the golden rule of ecosystems: If one species is removed, another species will take over. So if the gulls & the geese are gone, there will be more resources available for whatever species moves in to occupy their niche. And that species may be even more problematic.

NPS is getting away with murder here! They are setting the stage for further industrial expansion into the Bay by permitting the construction of the gas pipeline metering station in the hanger at Floyd Bennet. There hasn't been a peep out of them about the calls for killing the geese. They are DOING NOTHING TO PROTECT GATEWAY AND THE BAY. Plus, there hasn't been a peep out of Congressman Turner, who by the way, supports hydrofracking.

Right now, as we speak, a USDA truck is driving round and round the new parks created (at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars) on top of the old Pennsylvania & Fountain Avenue landfills. The USDA has been doing this every moment of every day, from before dawn till after dusk, for several years now. Their sole purpose is to monitor the bird populations that are attracted to the new parks & determine whether or not they will be a threat to JFK. Mind you, one of the primary reasons that these parks were so carefully planned was ...to provide bird habitat!

The handwriting is climbing higher & higher up the wall here folks & we are asleep at the wheel. Getting rid of large numbers of birds will accomplish two things 1) It will make the Bay "safer" for jets and 2) Once all of those damn birds are gone and the Bay is now "safe" the REAL objective behind all of this can move forward: Expansion of the airport by filling in parts of Jamaica Bay."

- Ida Sanoff

"Well, well, well. After I mentioned the possibility of other bird species being slaughtered, I got the following blurb in an email:

===========
USDA APHIS Notice:
OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC REVIEW FINAL SUPPLEMENT TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT BIRD HAZARD REDUCTION PROGRAM: JOHN F. KENNEDY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. "Proposed off-airport hazard management activities include Mute Swan, Double-crested Cormorant, blackbird, crow, Rock Pigeon and European Starling management within a 5-mile radius of JFK. Actions to address risks from resident Canada Geese have been proposed for a seven-mile radius around JFK." Written comments can be sent to: State Director, USDA APHIS Wildlife Services, 1930 Route 9, Castleton, NY 12033-9653, Phone: (518) 477-4837, Fax: (518) 477-4899. The review period closes on June 13, 2012. The Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) can be viewed here. We're going to submit a comment and encourage everyone to do the same.
===========

So they plan to go after every pigeon, starling, swan, cormorant & who knows what else in a FIVE MILE RADIUS. What's next? Sparrows? Mourning doves? Jamaica Bay is on one of the greatest migratory flyways in the world.

I went online to Google Earth. They have this tool where you can measure distance. So I started in roughly the center of JFK & drew a five mile radius circle: New parks at Penn Fountain? In the killing zone. Almost all of Jamaica Bay, including the newly restored marsh islands? In the killing zone. Marsh areas east of Rockaway near Atlantic Beach? In the killing zone.

Then I went to the link & started to flip through the EIS. It starts out with some of the more palatable options: Mowing grass, falconry, etc. Then it really gets going: Removing trees & shrubs & destruction of freshwater wetlands. PlaNYC is putting trees all over the place to absorb storm water. But the Port Authority is permitted to do as it pleases. In the Bay, where there is a huge problem with storm water run off already, the airport is REMOVING trees & shrubbery & filling freshwater wetlands!

Bugs are on the death list too. After all, birds eat bugs. So they are using copious quantities of insecticides which will of course, wash into the Bay. And if we learned anything when NYC started aerial spraying for mosquitoes some years ago, it was that crabs are vulnerable to bug spray. And that includes Horseshoe Crabs. Oh and many fish are really sensitive to insecticides. Which means that an entire ecosystem can just collapse.

Then it starts getting into the real objective: Trapping birds & euthanasia. Oh and shooting 'em too. In addition to the aforementioned starlings, etc. cowbirds & oystercatchers are on the death list too.

Bunnies are also on the death list. After all, hawks like to catch rabbits. So do owls.

Again folks, Jamaica Bay is supposed to be a WILDLIFE SANCTUARY, not a death camp for birds & mammals. And what happens when these great minds figure out that birds can actually FLY from one area to another?"

Port Authority kills anything that moves

From the NY Post:

Birds aren’t the only hazard to planes at JFK. The airport is teeming with bunnies which can hop out onto runways in front of a plane or simply draw birds of prey.

Ninety-nine wascally wabbits and hares were shotgunned at JFK last year by Elmer Fudd firing squads comprised of Port Authority and USDA workers.

“It’s open season at the airport to shoot rabbits,” said Steven Garber, a biologist and consultant for wildlife management at airports.

A new federal wildlife assessment of the airport recommends “regularly” killing Eastern cottontails and black-tailed jackrabbits “to decrease the prey base on the airfield.”

Rabbits have been cited in three minor US plane crashes in the last 30 years, National Transportation Safety Board records show.

Wildlife is a constant nuisance at the 4,930-acre Kennedy, which borders Jamaica Bay across from Gateway national park.

Nastier mosquitos around now

From the Wall Street Journal:

The Asian tiger mosquito, named for its distinctive black-and-white striped body, is a relatively new species to the U.S. that is more vicious, harder to kill and, unlike most native mosquitoes, bites during the daytime. It also prefers large cities over rural or marshy areas—thus earning the nickname among entomologists as "the urban mosquito."

"Part of the reason it is called 'tiger' is also because it is very aggressive," says Dina Fonseca, an associate professor of entomology at Rutgers University. "You can try and swat it all you want, but once it's on you, it doesn't let go. Even if it goes away, it will be back for a bite."

Dr. Fonseca is leading a U.S. Department of Agriculture effort to develop a cost-effective method to control the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) population. The university is currently focusing on using larvacides, which render larvae incapable of growing into adults.

Since urban areas tend to be warmer—often by 5 to 10 degrees—than rural areas, cities are seeing tiger mosquitoes earlier and sticking around longer, often into October.