Yesterday was a great day for plovers and dogs. Above Carly Platt frolics in Great Pond. Dogs were out walking their masters, enjoying what felt like the beginning of spring. Yesterday the National Seashore announced it intends to pursue its plan for poisoning crows. This is not good news. What I don't understand is why the plover nests are clustered beside Duck Harbor and Bound Brook beaches and how poisoning 10 to 12 crows at these two locations will help plovers across the Outer Cape to rebound .... Anyone out there who can explain?
We have been enjoying a string of amazing days and the woods are full of hikers. Sven and I met several strangers with dogs on the path to Dyer Pond.
We also ran into two women who were desperately consulting hand-held gadgets. The Provincetown residents were grateful to be pointed in the right direction to Dyer Pond, their destination. A delegation from Green Cape, with a group of concerned citizens tagging along, made it to the Statehouse but were unsuccessful in meeting DAR Commissioner Scott Soares because no appointment had been made ahead of time ... Apparently, the press did not respond to the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition press release, entitled, "Health Concerns Lead Residents to Petition Against Toxic Herbicide Spraying by NSTAR on Cape Cod," either. It was fortunate I was not able to join the group because, as Sven said, I would have gone as ballistic as Helen Mirren, playing Tolstoy's wife Sophia after she discovered the plan to change her husband's will. Thanks go out to Rep. Sarah Peake who helped the delegation get inside the Statehouse. Rep. Peake has been such a staunch ally on this issue. (If you did not get a chance to hear Ira Wood's Outer Cape Debate Wednesday on WOMR, featuring Rep. Peake and Jared Collins, do listen to the show here.)
With the return of good weather came an increased risk of tick attack. Sven was actually bitten by a tick two days ago. Rep. Peake told me legislators are moving forward with a proposal for the creation of a research institute on Lyme disease, here in Massachusetts, after two other Lyme-related bills were defeated ...
6 comments:
I'll risk taking the unpopular position here. The piping plovers need our help for their species survival. I'm not a fan of poison. I've heard that this very species-specific avicide is also very short-lived. Crows are great, too, but they are not threatened with extinction, and these particular few crows are extremely destructive. Give the piping plovers a fighting chance.
Cape citizens are really standing up and voicing their opinions with the poisoning of crows issue and the poisoning of humans issue on NStar spraying herbicides. Why is it not connecting to the source then? They listen to us but don't budge, does our voice even matter? We are really working hard to prevent both issues as Cape residents, expelling much energy, time and efforts. Will they just do them anyway? Sure feels like it.
When will the system of 'power in numbers' work? and why is there no time allowed to continue research before introducing toxins onto our sandy soil? I mean what if we don't apply chemicals & skip a year on both topics, will more harm come to us then? Will the crow population take over and run the humans scared like the old movie?
Will vegetation reach our electric lines and knock them over? NO WAY!
Lets be more cautions when it comes to the health of our environment please. We are connected to nature and need to start respecting it better. It's too bad we have to fight in order to be healthy. But let's not stop Cape citizens! For future generations, lets not stop the fight.
The pictures were beautiful- what lovely weather!! Sorry to hear there was no conclusive meeting in regards to the important issues.
I would like to hear more on the Lyme disease front.
Beautiful photos. My husband has already had 2 ticks. It's that time of year.
Anjuli, all I know is that the research institute may be based in Lowell. The legislators proposed two previous bills, both defeated, so they decided to answer the cry of "insufficient research" by creating an institute to do research.
If you Google my blog and Lyme disease, you will find past posts on the subject.
Thanks for alerting me to the story behind the water fetch with stick photo. Nothing happier that a pup doing what the pup loves best ... playing.
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