The Migratory Bird Treaty, adopted on this day 100 years ago, set a standard for international cooperation that we still follow today.
Most especially NORTH AMERICAN BIRD TUMBLR
Today is the 100th birthday of the Migratory Bird Treaty!
“Boring,” you think, and start to scroll down.
NOT SO FAST, YOU BEAUTIFUL BIRD LOVING CONSUMER OF SOCIAL MEDIA
The Migratory Bird Treaty is important, way important!
Look at this sweet face, this elegant beauty.
That’s a passenger pigeon, and it’s extinct because humans are assholes and didn’t understand or care about conservation, and there was no regulation on just going out and wiping out as many animals (birds, in this case) as you very well pleased, and destroy as much habitat as you wanted. Observant individuals saw the population crashing, but except for a few passionate conservationists (which were often viewed as eccentric), no one even did a thing to help save these birds. They went from 3 billion (scientists think that an average historic population was probably 330,000) to none. There were reports of people killing 50,000 per day at nesting sites. The last known passenger pigeon died in 1914.
This sweet bird child is a Carolina Parakeet, and it too is now extinct. The only parrot native to the eastern USA, this bird once was very numerous, but, as with the passenger pigeon, extreme deforestation and wanton killing of this species wiped it out. Tragically, due to the social and intelligent nature of parrots, these birds were known to circle around to the sites where their flock mates had been killed, allowing entire flocks to be shot wholesale. It’s sad but, these birds were generally considered a pest and of no value other than for decor, and so no studies or surveys were done. Because of this we don’t know much about this species beyond anecdotal information and the DNA tests we can do on their remains today.
BUT WAIT… this post is not all doom, gloom, and sadness.
There is good news. People saw what was happening, and people cared. People cared enough to get the government to make changes. People cared enough to get a cross-boundary treaty formed and signed. That’s incredible, given the times!
ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO, TODAY, AUGUST 16 2016, THE MIGRATORY BIRD TREATY WAS SIGNED INTO LAW! THIS IS GOOD.
Have you heard of these two badass ladies, Harriet Hemenway and Minna Hall*? We have them to thank for many of the birds we enjoy today, which may well have gone extinct if not for this famous treaty. Harriet and Minna’s push to keep birds and other species from going extinct due to the sheer over-harvest of species pushed congress to pass the Lacey Act, which banned the illegal sale of wild animals. Unfortunately, the Lacey Act, while helpful, was unable to stop interstate trade nor international trade, as as many of our bird species in North America are Migratory, these birds know no political borders.
Something unprecedented happened then, in August of 1916. At a time when people were only starting to care about environmental issues, the Migratory Bird Treaty was signed by the US and Canada. Later, Mexico would be added to the treaty, and Japan and Russia also have similar agreements now to protect globally migratory birds.
The treaty makes it illegal for anyone to take, possess, import, export, transport, sell, purchase, barter, or offer for sale, purchase, or barter, any migratory bird, or the parts, nests, or eggs of such a bird except under the terms of a valid permit issued pursuant to Federal regulations. That’s pretty good protection!
The protection that this treaty offered allowed many species that were, at the time, on the brink of extinction, to rebound. The treaty allowed for more conservation efforts to be made in the future, which had the good cascading effect of protecting species from extinction. Many iconic species of the south, such as snowy egrets, roseate spoonbills, and other birds with beautiful plumage, were nearly wiped out. We can thank the fact that we still enjoy these species to the treaty and the ones that pushed for it to exist.
Emily Jo Williams, ABC’s Vice President for North American Birds and Habitats, is quoted: “The recognition that birds are international resources or treasures established the basis for all of us to work together across international boundaries. It set the stage for that shared responsibility.“
Some birds that we even consider populous to the point of being pests were dwindling. People look at me as if I were crazy when I mention that Canada Goose numbers weren’t good for a while. Now they are considered a “pest”. You may not have a lot of love for them, but don’t forget… not that long ago, Carolina Parakeets were also considered “pests” too.
Wood duck populations were crashed. Can you imagine how sad it would be if there were no wood ducks?
Trumpeter swans were nearly extinct. There were less than 70 known individuals living in the lower US in the 1930s. Protections such as the Migratory Bird Treaty, Trumpeter Swan Society, and Federal Duck Stamp (by way of conserving National Wildlife Refuges) saved them and their population is now stable.
Hey, coincidentally, the new duck stamp features a trumpeter swan. That’s pretty awesome.
Oh snap, nice painting, Joe Hautman!
Anyhow, THERE ARE THINGS YOU CAN DO TODAY TO CELEBRATE! You can do them every day, honestly, but if you .. you know… want to party with the cool bird nerds, you can do them this week.
FILL THE INTERNET WITH BIRDS THIS WEEK. PEOPLE’S FACES NEED TO BE FULL OF BIRDS.
Here are a number of ways (most are free) to celebrate:
https://www.fws.gov/birds/MBTreaty100/index.php
You can also pledge to help wild birds! Many of the things on this list don’t cost anything, and every bit helps.
https://www.fws.gov/birds/MBTreaty100/pledge.php
SO! PLEASE POST BIRDS. Take a photo, a video, do a doodle, share a story, tell some bird facts. It can be anything! Tell people that the Migratory Bird Treaty exists, so that they can help protect it. Use the tag #birdyear to show your support! Feel free to reblorb this. Tell your friends. Tell your boss. Tell your grandma. Anything you do is awesome. Remember, some kickass women got pissed off about birds being killed for hats and started a conservation movement out of their homes. I bet the least you can do is slap some birdy stuff up on your tumblr.
Does.. does the treaty need protecting? SADLY, YES.
In 2015, our own House of Representatives passed an appropriations amendment that would have kept the Department of Justice from enforcing the laws under the Migratory Bird Treaty. The amendment ultimately failed, but, um, excuse me? Does this REPRESENT your wants?
If not, make sure your representatives in our government know how you feel! Write those folks a letter! You can do it from your computer, it’s pretty easy!
*- a subtle reminder that conservation and big changes and movements usually start very, very small. These two powerful woman changed history for conservation, and may well have indirectly saved unknowable numbers of species from extinction. STAY INSPIRED, and PASSIONATE… What will you be remembered for?
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