Bedford Audubon Society

I am Barlow Humphreys of 4 Annarock Drive. I am a member of and speak on behalf of the Bedford Audubon Society which is a regional Audubon Society that has many Somers residents as its members. This regional Society is over 91 years old and has as its mission to promote environmental education, grass-roots activism, public and private conservation efforts, preservation and protection of open space.

The topic under discussion is the Eagle River DEIS. This document states quite clearly that to carry out its purposes it will need to fragment the 620 acre plus wildlife habitat in central Somers. The destruction of this habitat on this large scale is clearly injurious to both humans and wildlife alike.

The extinction of the American Passenger Pigeon is well documented as being due primarily to the fragmentation and destruction of its wildlife habitat. What this DEIS seeks to do will clearly result in the fragmentation and destruction of the wildlife habitat in the designated area.

The financiers behind the Eagle River real estate scheme claim in their DEIS that their scheme will present no problem with traffic or with the providing of services such as schools, nor any problem with our water. Yet, all Somers residents well know that Somers already clearly has problems with congested traffic, providing of school and library services, as well as providing of clean water. To suggest that this investment scheme will not further exacerbate the Town's current set of problems is simply a denial of reality.

It is also a clear denial of reality to suggest that the cutting down of some 14,500 trees will not impact wildlife and therefore needs no remediation. Facts show otherwise. It is important to maintain necessary habitats in order to maintain individual species, ecosystems, and biodiversity. In the past century, we have seen a decline in the amount and quality of bird and wildlife habitat. This Eagle River financial scheme will clearly limit the area available to support populations of multiple species.

Habitat loss is the sum total of the environmental factors of food, cover, and water that a given species needs to survive and reproduce in a given area. This habitat loss is the main cause of species loss and endangerment not just globally but locally here in Somers. Fragmentation of habitat or the loss of habitat thru carving up increasingly smaller and more disjointed habitats for animals to feed in and to use in a migratory journey incrementally reduces our biodiversity and quality of life for our Town residents.

The U.S. Federal Government's Smithsonian National Zoological Park has a website that has scientific papers addressing the topics of migration and fragmentation. It can be found at:

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/MigratoryBirds/Fact_Sheets/default.cfm?fxsht=6
(this link is no longer working)

From fact sheets by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center we learn the following…

“A one-way trip for most migratory birds is at least over one thousand miles. Although birds accumulate fat reserves of up to 50% of their body weight in preparation for departure, the rigors of long distance flight require most birds to rest and refuel several times before they reach their final destination. Without places along the way that provide an adequate food supply for the quick repleshment of fat reserves, shelter from predators, and water for rehydration-places referred to as stopover sites-these travelers are doomed.”

“(Bird)…migration naturally entails risks and has its costs…death during migration takes a heavy toll. It is estimated that half of all migrants heading south for the winter will not return to breed in the spring. Predation and bad weather are two natural causes of mortality during migration. Collisions with tall buildings, window, and other structures; being shot or trapped by hunter; and getting struck by automobiles are a few of the numerous human-made dangers. The continued loss and degradation of stopover habitat, however, is potentially the greatest threat of all.”

And what of the pesticide killing that will accompany the homes planned in this Eagle River scheme…“What does massive chemical dousing of the earth mean for the health of the environment? Birds provide some of the answers. "Population declines and extensive mortality of birds strongly indicate that the health of the environment suffers…”

“Far from declining since the publication of Rachel Carson’s seminal book Silent Spring in 1962, annual pesticide use continues to increase in terms of pounds applied and number of registered primary, or “active" ingredients.”

“Birds exposed to sub-lethal doses of pesticides are afflicted with chronic symptoms that affect their behavior, reproduction, and nervous system. Weight loss, increased susceptibility to predation, decreased disease resistance, lack of interest in mating and defending territory, and abandonment of nestlings have all been observed as side-effects of pesticide exposures.”

Bird predation plays a critical role in reducing and/or maintaining low populations of insect prey during non-outbreak years and in significantly increasing the time between outbreaks. Studies have shown that birds can eat up to 98% of budworms and as much as 40% of non-outbreak species in eastern forests and can alter the population cycles and lower the population peaks when an outbreak does occur.

Increased numbers of birds in patches of forest with high insect pest density during a non-outbreak year may result in the elimination of those insects, and can alter the location and spread of a subsequent outbreak.

Orchards near woodlots tend to have a higher number of birds which result in a higher predation rate of agricultural insect-pests. In some orchards, birds eat up to 98% of the over-wintering Codling Moths, and can successfully control the pest population.

There is much that we can do to promote the effectiveness of birds as predators of harmful insects, thereby helping ourselves financially and environmentally. For example, we can encourage birds to take up residence in an area.

When bird populations decrease, we can expect the effects to reverberate throughout the wildlife community. With fewer birds, insect populations increase, and the insects do more damage to the trees.

Residents of Somers have a serious problem with Lyme Disease, which we all know is carried by small ticks. Birds eat ticks and other insects harmful to humans and the agricultural crops, such as apples, which we grow. By protecting birds and their habitats we are protecting our own habitat and health.

In closing, I ask the members of the Somers Planning Board to remember the cause for the extinction of the American Passenger Pigeon thru habitat fragmentation. Real estate schemes such as this one under consideration continue to fragment and destroy both wildlife habitat and human habitat. The proposed destruction of this over 620-acre wildlife habit is clearly part of a process of death by a thousand cuts for wildlife in Somers. With each cut our Town, its people, and wildlife suffer.

Thank you for your time and attention.

Barlow Humphreys