Ohio
IBA Book
Our anxiously awaited first and limited edition of The
Important Bird Areas of Ohio will be available soon. This
book catalogues birdlife at dozens of sites throughout Ohio
and has been touted as the premier guide for Ohio birders,
wildlife scientists and environmental educators.
Available for $19.95 plus shipping & handling, each reserved
copy will be signed by author John Ritzenthaler, a 20-year
Audubon scientist and active birder. Reserve your signed copy
now by e-mail.
Please list IBA Book in the subject line and include your
name, area code and phone number as well as your e-mail address.
Happy birding!
Ohio Ratifies Great Lakes Compact -
What's Next?
On July 7, Ohio Governor Ted Strickland will do something
that, until recently, many feared he would not have the opportunity
to do - sign legislation confirming Ohio's ratification of
the Great Lakes Basin Water Resources Compact.
A two-year struggle with Compact opponents, led by State
Sen. Tim Grendell, ended earlier this month when Grendell
dropped his opposition to ratification in exchange for an
agreement to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot
that would merely confirm the present state of private water
rights in Ohio. Ratification of the Compact was not tied to
passage of the amendment by the voters, so the Compact will
be ratified regardless of the outcome of the vote on the constitutional
amendment.
Audubon Ohio was an active participant in a coalition effort
to win ratification. Among our contributions to this effort:
- We collected over 1,600 postcards to state legislative
leaders urging strong action to protect the Great Lakes.
This led to a joint press release in which House Speaker
Jon Husted and Senate President Bill Harris committed to
ratification of the Compact - a promise both eventually
kept.
- We were the only conservation group to recruit and train
two citizen activists, Robin Mullet and Kathy Hanratty,
to testify in the General Assembly in support of ratification.
Our Executive Director, Jerry Tinianow, also testified twice
on the ratification bill.
- We were the only conservation group to call publicly on
Governor Strickland to elevate the importance of the issue
by having his Lieutenant Governor, Lee Fisher, testify in
favor of the Compact. Fisher also serves as Director of
the Ohio Department of Development, and his highly-effective
testimony in April may well have been the turning point
in the ratification effort.
- We generated over 20 published letters to the editor in
Ohio newspapers urging ratification.
Pennsylvania is now the only Great Lakes state that has not
yet ratified the Compact, and it is expected to ratify the
Compact later this year. The Compact will then go to Congress
for approval. So, expect to hear from Audubon Ohio soon as
we launch our effort to win congressional approval.
Hold That Date: Audubon Ohio State
Assembly, October 18-19, 2008
Audubon Ohio's next State Assembly will be the weekend of
October 18 and 19 in the heart of Mohican Country. We will
be offering a day of workshops and outings in Bellville, Ohio
on Saturday, October 18, and a number of exciting outings
on Sunday, October 19.
The Assembly, offered in partnership with the Black Swamp
Bird Observatory, the Ohio Ornithological Society and the
Greater Mohican Audubon Society, will feature keynote addresses
by Dr. Lonnie Thompson of the Byrd Polar Research Institute
and Ted Eubanks of Fermata, Inc. Thompson, the 2007 winner
of the National Medal of Science, will discuss the latest
scientific data on global warming, while Eubanks, a national
expert on engaging the public through ecotourism, will discuss
how Ohio's birding hotspots can provide fertile ground for
growing new activists.
These keynotes will be supplemented by a series of workshops
designed to appeal to attendees of all ages. One workshop
will feature Sharon Stiteler, "the Bird Chick,"
who will teach how to use journaling and blogging to engage
teens and their families with nature. Sharon's high-energy
presentations have been featured on YouTube and in regular
radio programs in her native Minnesota.
Registration packets will be available in August. Watch our
web site for more information on the Assembly. |
