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General Announcements
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Fracking Endangers Rare Bufferfly
In the sand barrens of Wisconsin lives an endangered blue butterfly. Its range overlaps almost perfectly with the sand that’s become a lucrative part of a boom in natural gas drilling. And to kill a Karner blue without a permit violates federal law.
But of the dozens of frac sand companies that have descended upon the area, just one, Unimin, has applied to the state Department of Natural Resources to be able to legally destroy Karner blues in its operations, according to David Lentz, who coordinates the agency’s Karner blue butterfly habitat conservation plan.
To read more...
January 12, 2012 -
The latest issue of
The Audubon Advisory is now available
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January 12, 2012 ... The Center for Biological Diversity has a number of
ACTION ALERTS posted. Take a moment to check out their current action campaigns.
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12/5/11 ...from Audubon Pennsylvania
Students Design Solutions for Temple Campus buildings fatal to birds
Check It Out
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11/11/11..... Temporary Victory
The Obama Administration decided today to delay a decision on the Keystone XL pipeline. This afternoon, the State Department confirmed that a decision on the proposed Keystone XL pipeline will be postponed so that it can "undertake an in-depth assessment of potential alternative routes in Nebraska."
For more information
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11/9/11 -Bird Kill at Wind Facility Triggers Better Lighting Practices
News of a recent bird kill of Blackpoll Warblers and other species at a wind facility in West Virginia spread quickly through birding lists and caught the attention of the birding community in the region. Audubon staff learned of this unfortunate event and contacted the facility owner, AES Wind Generation, to investigate the causes of the incident and to work toward developing solutions that will help ensure such an incident doesn’t happen again. From all indications, a combination of lighting and poor weather conditions were the primary causes of the bird kill.
AES representatives told Audubon they have taken immediate corrective actions to curtail excessive night lighting, replace equipment with preferable downward-shielded lighting fixtures, and will modify other site specifications. They will increase monitoring and take additional steps to reduce or eliminate lighting the facility during migration seasons to avert future bird kills of this type.
Now, actions need to be taken to minimize the likelihood of similar events in the future at other wind power facilities. Audubon is in discussions with AES and others about sharing the lessons from this event with the broader wind industry and emphasizing the importance of the lighting practices in the forthcoming federal wind guidelines. We hope that, as a result, new facilities will be written to specs that incorporate lighting practices that have been shown to minimize bird mortality during migration. This is a straightforward corrective action that will significantly lessen the negative consequences to birds, while delivering carbon-limited sources of renewable energy. We will be working to help make this a standard practice across the industry.
Read more about this incident and the actions taken:
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10/31/11 .... Marcellus Shale Activist Training Event - November 9th
Rod Lancaster is the Training Center Coordinator with PennEnvironment, a citizen based, non-profit, environmental advocacy group located in Philadelphia on Walnut Street. Marcellus Shale Gas Drilling is expanding rapidly throughout Pennsylvania. With this rapid expansion, each month we see more accidents at drilling sites that risk contaminating our drinking water. As members of an Audubon society, I am sure that these issues are of high concern to you all.
That's why he is organizing a Marcellus Shale Activist Training Event in this area! The event will take place on November 9th from 6-9 pm at the University of Pennsylvania Civic House. The event is aimed to educate the public about Marcellus Shale Drilling and provide them with the skills they need to voice their concerns to their representatives.
If you have any other questions about the details of the event, please give Rod a call at 215-732-5897 ext. 0 or
send Rod an e-mail.
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10/18/11 .... News & Announcements
It’s been a busy couple of months in Audubon’s world. Our National Board met at Jekeyll Island, Georgia over the weekend and approved our new strategic plan. Many of you have participated in calls about the plan and we’ll be sharing details with you soon. You are at the heart of it. Our grassroots network is what distinguishes us from other conservation organizations and we want to help you build your role in your community, your membership and your capabilities. Use link above to find out more.
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