Hello birders,
After receiving lots of input, ideas, and resources from many of you, I put
together the letter below and sent it to the President and one of the Vice
Presidents at Cornell (as noted in the letter). Thanks to all who have
expressed their concern and who provided important input to this very first
step in developing a solution. Special shout out of thanks to Nancy
Cusumano for her initial contact with the President, and to Suan Yong, Josh
Snodgrass, and Ken Rosenberg for comments on an earlier draft of the
letter.
Martha E. Pollack
President, Cornell University
26 June 2021
Dear President Pollack,
I am writing as Chair of the Conservation Action Committee of
the Cayuga Bird Club to communicate and amplify public dismay about recent,
poorly-timed mowing for forage hay crops on Cornell lands during the peak
nesting period for grassland bird species listed as being of special
conservation concern by the New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. I have been contacted
by many local birders, including farmers and members of the Cornell
University community who are saddened and angry about the situation.
Recent research lead by Cornell scientists and published in the journal
*Science* (see Rosenberg, K. V., et al. 2019. Decline of the North American
avifauna. Science 365(6461)) found that nearly 3 billion birds have been
lost from the U.S. and Canada just since 1970. Populations of grassland
bird species like Bobolink, Eastern Meadowlark, Grasshopper Sparrow,
Savannah Sparrow, and others have declined the most, down 53% in aggregate,
accounting for more than 720 million grassland birds. Poorly timed mowing
of hay crops, especially throughout the Northeast, is a major contributing
factor in the decline in grassland bird populations.
Rather than contributing to the problem, Cornell can help
remedy population declines of grassland bird species by developing a plan
for sustainable management of the substantial acreage of hayfields and
other non-woody habitats under the University’s control. The Cayuga Bird
Club stands ready to collaborate with Cornell in developing a plan. We
already have accumulated relevant documents about research and practices
aimed at timing of mowing and other management actions that would be of
great use in developing a Cornell sustainable grassland management plan.
For example, mowing earlier in the season before establishment of nests and
when growing hay is of high forage quality can have nearly as much
conservation benefit as delaying mowing to a time when quality of the hay
forage is lower. We also have established contacts with federal and state
natural resource agencies who are knowledgeable of possible financial
reimbursement opportunities for which the University may qualify.
Cornell University has an opportunity to be a leader among all
Land Grant Universities by developing a model grassland management plan
that could be adopted by other institutions throughout the Northeast and
beyond. Such a management plan also could be consistent with Cornell’s
sustainability initiatives. While the current initiatives are laudable,
the focus on renewable energy, transportation and built environments, and
even economic sustainability miss an important need. All of these actions
are *means* to achieving the *fundamental end* of a full and functioning
ecosystem of which we humans are a part and are on which we are dependent
for our survival.
The modern concept of “sustainability” emerged fairly recently
in the famous 1987 Brundtland report, “Our Common Future”, prepared for the
U.N. In that report, sustainability was described in terms of conserving
the ecosystems and natural capital which are necessary for the basic needs
and well-being of humans. The fundamental end of sustaining ecosystems and
natural capital is noticeably missing from the *Sustainable Cornell *website.
Indeed, it was unclear what individual from *Sustainable Cornell* would be
the most important recipient of this letter. I am copying Vice President,
Rick Burgess, on this letter because he responded to Nancy Cusumano when
she expressed her concern about mowing. Also, I think it is somewhat
ironic that one of four Cornell Chronicle articles headlined on the website
of the Office of the President at Cornell, under the heading “Academic
Distinction”, is this headline about the *Science* article I referenced
earlier: “Nearly 30% of birds in the U.S. and Canada have vanished since
1970.” Knowledge about the plight of birds exists at Cornell, but does
the administration have the willingness and commitment to actively address
that plight?
Finally, it is worth noting that the Cayuga Bird Club has a
long history of collaborating and engaging with other institutions and
groups, most recently including the Cornell Botanic Gardens. We are
actively working with the Botanic Gardens, the City of Ithaca, and several
other partners to restore native plants to the regionally-rare, seasonally
flooded forests at the south end of Cayuga Lake. This work demonstrates how
much we value engagement and collaboration, just as Cornell University
does. We would like to help Cornell become a regional or national leader
in sustainable management of grassland habitats on university properties.
Members of the Cayuga Bird Club look forward to meeting with the most
appropriate group of administrators to discuss this pressing need.
Sincerely,
Jody Enck
Chair, Conservation
Action Committee
Cayuga Bird Club
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