A few things that have caught my eye:
- the USA is a long way ahead of us in getting rid of lead from game meat – for wildlife and people. Colorado is the next state looking to switch to non-toxic ammunition and there is interesting information on the impacts of lead in game on children’s lead levels in this article
- Voting for Bob is catching on with over 106,000 folk signed up so far – although I did notice that this week’s thunderclap attained a social reach of 600,000+ (compared with 2.3m for the Hen Harrier Day thunderclap). However, a very notable thing was that the National Trust was a major supporter of the Vote for Bob thunderclap. I like it when I see NGOs supporting each other and causes that I support.
- the e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting is close to 18,500 signatures and is free-wheeling along, gathering scores of signatures every day. Thank you to all who have signed and promoted it – more opportunities to support it in the months ahead (watch this space)
- we may be trashing the planet so extensively that scientists are thinking of giving the name ‘anthropocene’ to the geological epoch in which we are living.
- this is old news but I was amazed to see that Eric Pickles was going to pass the buck to another minister in his department to make the decision on Lodge Hill nightingales because he is a birdwatcher and RSPB member – and has a conflict of interest. We’ll soon see Ministers who own farms not taking part in discussions about the CAP will we? And Ministers who shoot not taking part in decisions about birds of prey, will we? Yeah, right!
- are you going to the RSPB AGM next Saturday? If so, do remember it is in Birmingham instead of London this year.
- Birders Against Wildlife Crime are organising a conference next spring – more of this next week.
- this is an interesting short video on the impacts of wolves on the ecology of Yellowstone National Park. Listen to it and then ponder on the impacts of predator control and species removal by grouse shooting in our own uplands…
- the RSPB’s Chief Executive, Mike Clarke, is speaking at the GWCT’s annual conference in London. I hope he is well-armed (with facts, of course).
I’d always believed that due to the thin stratum of undecayed shopping bags and lenses based on landfill sites full of packaging and old kids toys that this epoch would be known as the plasticene!
Funny, I was going to recommend that video clip of the wolves to you and make almost exactly the same comment… you got there first! It is a terrific clip, I would encourage everyone to watch it.
Predators are a vital part of every ecosystem and the concept of trophic cascade is fascinating to observe. Lessons need to be learned here!
“The shoe event horizon”, Douglas Adams.
EricPickles should hold his head in shame. Will the ex-bankers that liberally litter the Con/LibDem cabinet preclude themselves from matters that effect “the City” on the grounds of their obvious self interest. No…..thought not.
And every politician from a party that has made house building a major element of its strategy for the next election has a conflict of interest in this case. I despair.