Laura et al. — just as an FYI, we are all for removing those names considered obstacles, as much as anyone else, but not the baby-with-bathwater approach that dishonors many good people and founders of ornithology.
Concerning changes in bird names, see what I wrote at the petition site under “Names change all the time”. Up until now, the change has been only on average 1 per year, not 80 in whatever short time span the new bird names committee choses. Concerning where we direct our energies, I couldn’t agree more, but keep in mind that the energy expenditure and emotion has come mainly from the anti-eponym side. Respectfully, Van Remsen > On Jan 25, 2024, at 7:08 PM, Laura Erickson <chickadee.erick...@gmail.com> > wrote: > > The AOS looked very carefully at this issue, and is proceeding slowly and > carefully. I've been delighted seeing how many young people and minorities > are welcoming this long-needed change. As a member of the AOU/AOS since the > 70s, I know this was an open process for which all of us members were > invited throughout to participate or ask questions. > > Perhaps it's because I AM so old and have been birding for so long that I > am taking this more in stride than some people reacting so emotionally to > simple changes in some birds' English names. When I started birding, my > brand new field guides were already obsolete as far as many names went, and > I simply got into the practice of writing the new names in as species were > lumped or split. I wish the people getting so emotional about this put as > much energy into actually protecting birds. > > Best, Laura Erickson > Duluth, MN > > On Thu, Jan 25, 2024 at 6:19 PM Van Remsen <vnrem...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> Minnesota Birders: I’m sure most of you have heard about the decision by >> the Am. Orn. Soc. leadership to remove all eponyms, starting first with 80 >> or so North American birds, roughly 25 of which are on the Kansas list. >> Lewis & Clark are among those scheduled to be purged (of Lewis’s Woodpecker >> and Clark’s Nutcracker). All 240+ eponymous bird names in the W. Hemisphere >> are on the eventual hit list. The North American Classification Committee >> (widely referred to in past as “AOU Checklist Committee”) voted 12-0 to >> reject a blanket purge and in favor of due process for the few names >> considered offensive or exclusionary; we were among the only people (on the >> condition of secrecy) among the 2,800 AOS members allowed to see and >> comment on the recommendation of the AOS ad hoc English Bird Names >> Committee before the decision was made by leadership. >> >> >> >> Why should you care? At this point all organizations that follow AOS >> classification, including eBird and MOU, will have to use the newly coined >> names even. If you oppose the blanket purge of all honorific bird names, or >> even if you are just upset by the way this was handled by AOS leadership, >> please hit the link below and “sign” the petition, which already has more >> than 4600 signatures, including many prominent birders and ornithologists. >> Your name will be hidden from public view unless you add comments (but I >> would encourage you to add your comments]: >> >> >> >> https://chng.it/VHyjZp5snr >> >> >> >> The petition contains links to several essays and publications on why >> purging all eponyms is a bad idea. The theme of the petition is that there >> are more productive and less divisive ways to address racism than >> dishonoring the many founders of American ornithology and that a >> case-by-case approach on the few names considered offensive is better. >> >> >> >> The AOS website links to the report and its arguments for a total purge, >> which has also been endorsed by Cornell Lab of Ornithology/eBird and the >> ABA leadership: >> >> https://americanornithology.org/ >> >> >> >> In contrast, those opposed to the total purge have no resources with which >> to protest other than with such a grass-roots petition. Attempts to post >> links to the petition to several state listservs and Facebook groups have >> been blocked. >> >> >> >> I hope that my post does not devolve into a divisive debate on this forum >> over the pros and cons of eponyms. At this point, I think almost every >> point of view, for or against a total purge of them, has been expressed in >> other forums, so a sequence of back-and-forth statements are unlikely to do >> anything but cause more friction. Those opposed to the purge can put their >> comments with their signature at the petition rather than here. I also >> emphasize this is NOT about whether you personally like or dislike eponyms >> but rather about tolerance of and respect for opposing views. Those who do >> like eponyms, or simply object to a major destabilization of names, many >> used for more than a century, simply would like to keep their tiny market >> share of less than 5% of our bird names rather than have their opinion >> dismissed. >> >> >> >> Van Remsen >> >> ---- >> General information and guidelines for posting: >> https://moumn.org/listservice.html >> Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html >> >> During the pandemic, the MOU encourages you to stay safe, practice social >> distancing, and continue to bird responsibly. >> > > > -- > Laura Erickson > Duluth, MN > she/her/hers > > For the love, understanding, and protection of birds > https://lauraerickson.substack.com/ > www.lauraerickson.com > <http://www.lauraerickson.com/> > > <http://www.lauraerickson.com/> > There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of birds. > There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of > nature--the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the > winter. > > --Rachel Carson > > To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on > the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of > compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in > this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it > destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and > places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, this > gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this > spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in > however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. > The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we > think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, > is itself a marvelous victory. > > --Howard Zinn > > Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail. > > ---- > General information and guidelines for posting: > https://moumn.org/listservice.html > Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html > > During the pandemic, the MOU encourages you to stay safe, practice social > distancing, and continue to bird responsibly. ---- General information and guidelines for posting: https://moumn.org/listservice.html Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html During the pandemic, the MOU encourages you to stay safe, practice social distancing, and continue to bird responsibly.
