Danger of pipes to Birds!

Compliments of E. Wind Consulting, this review came across my desk in relation to PVC pipes from our cohorts to the south. It is shocking to learn that so many species of birds have been found dead inside pipes of all sizes...from fence posts to pilings to markers.

Take a minute to think about anything like this at your house or work and plug them up ASAP!

“The Kern River Preserve and the Southern Sierra Research Station have been looking at this problem in the Kern River Valley, California after discovering a 8" vent tube with hundreds of dead bird skulls and carcasses inside.  We found that it is a problem with all pipes rather than just PVC pipes.  Sean Rowe of Audubon California's Kern River Preserve suggests the following:

"I think pipes of all sizes are a problem.  We have found dead birds in pipes from 1 1/2” to 10” in diameter.  A very high percentage of pipes I’ve looked into contain at least one dead bird.  And pipes don’t have to be in place very long.  Twice I have leaned a 3” steel pipe against a building, expecting to use it within a few days, only to find dead birds inside.  2 House Finches in one and a Rock Wren in another.

In our area 8-10” steel pipe (often old well casing) is used to make gate posts.  This is common on ranches.  I believe I’ve also seen this on some BLM and/or USFS gates.  We’ve documented dead American Kestrels, Northern Flickers, Ash-throated Flycatchers, and western fence lizards.

"3” steel pipe – used for fence corner posts – house finches & rock wren

"1 1/2 - 2” plastic pipe – tree swallow

"2-3” outhouse vent pipe – common yellowthroat

I believe so far 45 species have been documented – mostly from claim markers – but folks aren’t looking elsewhere.

  

Solutions:

• Remove pipes that can be removed

• Plug pipes with sand/gravel or a heavy well fitted rock.  Even a few sticks if absolutely nothing else around.

• Pipes that can’t be capped – eg. Plumbing vent pipes (on your rooftop) – cover with1/4” mesh hardware cloth held in place by a stainless steel hose clamp

• Large gate posts – fill with sand, concrete or gravel.  Weld on steel caps – some ranches do this, or we have capped with a concrete plug.

• Small steel pipes – used for signs or chain link fence posts – cap with metal cap or crimp top together."

In addition, I was just on the roof of my house and found three uncapped plumbing vent pipes on it, I'll be covering them this weekend. You can use Sean's suggested solution (above) or order vent pipe covers from the following company:  http://savepipey.net/    

Attached is a pdf file of a one page information sheet that the Kern River Preserve put together to let people know about this problem.  The Kern River Preserve is currently working to get an article on this topic in the National Audubon Magazine. However, I think we need to make sure that more land managers/land agencies know about the problem with uncapped pipes.”

Mary Whitfield [wifl1989@gmail.com]

Elke Wind

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E. Wind Consulting

Suite A - 114 Fifth Street

Nanaimo, BC

V9R 1N2

250-716-1119

ewind@telus.net

http://www3.telus.net/public/ewind/

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Art Work: http://picasaweb.google.com/ElkesArt

Eat local, eat delicious!

This delicious winter salad recipe uses local in-season goodies. Its loaded with vitamins and cancer-fighting agents and is great for your figure (and cheap too)!

Salad:
1 small head red cabbage (or half a large head), sliced thin
1 bunch chopped kale
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds

- Place the seeds in a skillet and roast over medium heat until golden brown. When still hot, add a dash of tamari or soy sauce to sear in flavor. If your lazy like me, you toss in roasted salted nuts.

Dressing: 5 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup braggs liquid seasoning, 1 cup olive oil, flax oil or hemp oil, 1 tsp oregano, dash of black pepper. Whisk and combine with the salad. Refrigerate for 2 hrs before serving (pigging out).





Kelowna Radio - Tune OUT!

I should just start a blog.."you know what really grinds my gears" lol 

Worst radio EVER here! You got The Juice that plays 80's/90's rock that never had a home, mixed with pop hits and the odd good 90's tune (and nickelback.."shudder"); Power 104...again with the 70's-90's rock that no one has ever heard of except for the dorks that work at the radio station..and 1 out of 100, a good rock song (not including nickelback, which they play); 99.9 sunfm with A.D.D. insipired pop and hip-hop melting into one long song that makes you wish for death (oh and don't forget their abosultely terrible 90's lunch), then Q 103.1 that is trying to be like Sunfm (but actually does it a little better) but then they throw in some crap that never made it to the top 50 in 1994 and it just sours you for days... and then country...good ol' 107.7 the giant. Radio announcers that work there are quite irritating but at least they are true to the genre! and no Nickelback!!..I think I'll just tune into am 1150 and cut my losses.

Missing the Mark on the "Occupy" Movement

I have read so many posts about the protesting and "Occupy" movement that I just had to throw my 2 cents in.

• Occupy Wallstreet (and Vancouver and Toronto, etc., etc.) started in one place: wanting more jobs, and better jobs, more equality, a more equal and transparent distribution of wealth, end to corruption and limiting the influence corporations have on the government. These things are real, and it is plainly obvious to me that they are huge issues our generation is facing. Real hardworking Canadians and Americans started this movement. Don't fool yourself into thinking that a bunch of uneducated hippies and homeless people found a free computer at the public library and started the movement....
• But it continues into another place: Young free-living pot smokers (and yes, some homeless people) have jumped into the "occupy" camps. Hipsters, and street musicians, free-lovin people that have had life beat them down..AND, yes, rich kids with iPhones, hypocrites even some would say... rebels without a cause joing a huge movement...that is quickly losing focus..because there are so many issues at hand here. BUT don't let that discourage you from the movement itself because it is IMPORTANT.
• I'll weigh-in on one major mis-conception (in my mind).... Yes oil and gas made pretty much all the crap that you use every day. Fuel is just one part of it...plastics, vinyl, rubber, manufacturing, computers, etc. etc. all stem from petrochemicals. But wait a minute...why are they are so cheap?! WHy are they EVERYwhere? And why are even the people protesting massive corporations (like the oil and gas sector) using items directly produced from petro-chemicals? Because oil and gas are great! They are versatile, are a reservoir of energy in a state easily accesible to exploit, and give us the best bang for our buck as far as effort and return (on energy)... or they USED to be. But the industry is subsidized by government!; or to not go out on a limb, "this is my understanding"...but ya...no...they are. Oil and gas industry (backed by our government) has every intention of holding the monopoly on fuel and consumer goods until every last drop is gone...even if the costs ($, fuel, environment) to produce the stuff, outweighs that which you (the 99% of you!) get out of it. 
• Sooooo what choice does your 99% of the population have but to use the daily items produced by the petrochemical industry (I haven't seen a cheap permanent marker made of hemp from wind energy...have you???) Not because the technology doesn't exist, because it does, but because we have no intention of diversifying and taking some of the money from oil and gas and investing it elsewhere. Not yet anyways. Its not about doing away with oil and gas (or pharmaceuticals or fast food), or disregarding the hard working people that work in that industry, its about wanting more jobs, and better jobs, more equality, a more equal and transparent distribution of wealth, end to corruption and limiting the influence corporations have on the government (see paragraph 1).