"AUDUBON'S AMERICA": A COOPERATIVE LANDSCAPE CONSERVATION PROJECT

REMARKS PRESENTED BY J. GLENN EUGSTER, U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY, TO THE NATIONAL AUDUBON WEST CENTRAL STATES ANNUAL RIVER CONSERVATION CONFERENCE, KEARNEY, NEBRASKA
MARCH 20, 1993

"AUDUBON'S AMERICA": A COOPERATIVE LANDSCAPE CONSERVATION PROJECT

America has a proud and long standing tradition of natural area protection and management by public agencies, private landowners and private groups such as the National Audubon Society. Since the late 1800's public and private organizations have worked hard and successfully to protect natural areas, rivers, habitat and wildlife. Despite achievements that are both remarkable and significant, America continues to lose more of our natural heritage than we protect each year.

Specifically, today duck populations are still at their lowest levels in history and we continue to lose 250,000 acres of wetlands a year. Over 200 of our inland and marine native fish species are listed as threatened, endangered or sensitive. The endangered species list, which includes 1,258 species, is growing at the rate of 100 plus species annually. Our song birds and neotropical migratory birds are declinging as well. In the eastern United States and in the prarie states over 70% of the species monitored have declined and a number of individual species such as the bobolink, wood thrush, and oriole are falling at rates of 3-5% per year.

As I think about these facts, and the current condition of our landscape, I recall one of John James Audubon's journals which describes a trip he took in the early 1800's down the Ohio River to his residence in Kentucky. Audubon and his family were floating down the Ohio and he reflectedon what he was seeing and said, "This portion of our Union instead of being in a state of nature, is now more or less covered with villages, farms and towns. The woods are fast disappearing under the axe by day and the fire by night".

Audubon was one of the first nature writers to call for Americans to refocus their vision outward from their individual and corporate self toward the preservation of the species. He, and others, claimed that nature was important not only for it's value to mankind but also for it's value for other living plants and animals.



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Natural area protection began in the U.S. with the naturalist/ nature writers movement. Concern grew from the destruction of natural areas as the Nation expanded. Nature writers such as Audubon, John Muir, John Burroughs, Susan Fenimore Cooper, Henry Thoreau and others were the first to speak out against the destruction of nature. These men and women encouraged people to become acquainted with nature in order to see the values and functions of these places and their benefits to mankind and larger ecosystems.

The nature writers emphasized how important it was for people to make personal connections with nature. These connections would help to change the way people looked at these areas and would eventually influence decisions about there future use.

Over the last three years EPA's Wetlands Protection Program, and Chesapeake Bay Program, has been working to go beyond traditional regulatory approaches to protect wetlands, watersheds, natural areas and riparian habitat values. EPA's work recognizes the need to work cooperatively with others to increase the public's recognition of the importance of these areas and values. Cooperatively, with the help of groups like the National Audubon Society, EPA has been working to encourage positive relationships between natural areas and people in order to help encourage better decision-making.

Several examples of how EPA has done this include:

* A national recognition of wetland values and functions called "American Wetlands Month" which is celebrated in May each year.

* An effort to try to use environmental and nature writers to assist in the protection of specific natural areas and ecosystems.

* Assistance to State and local governments and private groups in the protection of natural heritage areas such as the Pocomoke River watershed on the Delmarva Penninsula, the Potomac River watershed near and including Washington, D.C. and the Catskill Mountains of New York where John Burrough's lived and wrote about nature.

* Assistance to States. local governments and private interests in the establishment of "Audubon's America".

"Audubon's America" is a cooperative effort between the National Audubon Society , EPA and others to develop a partnership to protect and restore natural areas, values and functions in a 37 State area. The area identified includes places where Audubon lived, traveled, wrote about and painted.




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The theme of commemorating Audubon's work, experiences---and more importantly Audubon's value toward nature---is being used to organize, recognize and coordinate a series of federal, state and local government and private sector projects in such a way to raise the public's awareness of the need for the protection of wetlands and other natural areas.

The project is similar to other thematic natural and cultural resource protection proposals such as, the Pocomoke River and Sound Heritage Greenway, the Lackawanna River Heritage Valley and Thoreau's Woods, which use the natural heritage of a particular landscape as the focus of a protection effort.

"Audubon's America" will be a spatially defined and connected system of natural areas which are publically and privatley owned and protected. The connected natural areas will serve as an environmental corridor with diverse values and providing for functions such as species migration, plant and animal habitat, flood-loss reduction, stormwater management, non-point source pollution control, recreation, ecological tourism, nature study, research and quality of life.

The project is proposed to be a long term coordinated federal, state, and local government effort. Initially the protection and restoration effort will focus on areas where Audubon travel, painted, wrote of and lived in. However, other areas of similar natural values can be added if local support exists to do so.

Places found along "Audubon's America include:

* The Lehigh River Valley in Pennsylvania. Local interests recently designated the Lehigh Valley above Jim Thorpe as Audubon's Lehigh as part of the management planning process for the Delaware and Lehigh Navigation Canal National Heritage Corridor.

* The Delaware River area, the Schuylkill River greenway and Mill Grove in Pennsylvania. Mill Grove, on the banks of the Perkiomen
River near Valley Forge, was where Audubon lived when he first arrived in America. Local interests are working to establish an Audubon museum at Mill Grove.

* In New Jersey, Audubon's America includes the Nation's newest National Scenic and Recreational River, the Great Egg Harbor River and the McNamara Wildlife Management Area.

* The natural heritage corridor crosses the Piedmont of the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern States before reaching the Atlantic Ocean at Charleston, South Carolina and the Charleston Art Museum where Audubon's paintings are on display.



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* Audubon's America includes the barrier islands and estuaries of Florida near Jacksonville including the St. Mary's River---a long time favorite of naturalists such as Bartram and Mary Treat. The corridor winds along the Florida coastline eventually leading to the Florida Keys and Key West the location of the Audubon House.

* Louisiana is an important part of Audubon's America including the Delta-Breton National Wildlife Refuge, the Audubon Zoological Garden in New Orleans, the Audubon State Commemorative Area in St. Francisville and the Mississippi River corridor.

* The Gulf of Mexico coastal region is part of Audubon's America with the corridor extending into Texas including the Galveston Bay National Estuary.
* The Mississippi River and its tributaries in Arkansas and Missouri, and the Missouri River from its confluence with the Mississippi to North Dakota---including tributaries such as the Platte and Niobraro---are important parts of Audubon's America.

* The Ohio River, including river towns such as Henderson, Kentucky and the Audubon State Park and Parkway also in Kentucky, Wheeling , West Virginia and sites in the Pittsburg, Pennsylvania region are also included in this project.

* In New York State the corridor includes the_____________in New York City, the Hudson River Valley, the Mohawk River area and Niagara Falls.

* Audubon's America also includes New England, it's diverse coastline, and the vast forests, crystal clear lakes and sparkling rivers of Maine.

The natural areas and values of Audubon's America, especially what is found in the West Central Region, are some of the most important in the United States. They are certainly worthy of our time and protection efforts and warrant a partnership of this type.

Private organizations, individuals and government agencies interested in being a part of Audubon's America can:

* Call EPA's Wetlands Protection Hotline for more information. The Hotline is a toll free telephone information service provided by EPA to assist the public in gaining information about wetlands laws, programs and experts. The telephone number is 1-800-832-7828.








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* Agree to co-sponsor the project. Cosponsors agree to assist with various tasks to help make Audubon's America a reality and are eligible for technical and financial assistance from other cooperators. Organizations cosponsoring the project include:

---Pennsylvania's Department of Community Affairs
---New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection and Energy, Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife
---National Audubon Society
---U.S. National Park Service, Mid-Atlantic Regional Office
---U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Audubon National Wildlife Refuge
---Student Conservation Association, Inc.
---Lackawanna River Valley Heritage Authority
---U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

* Help to develop strategies for States included in Audubon's America. Efforts are underway to prepare state strategies for recognizing and implementing a system of natural areas within specific states. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was selected to be the first state where this type of strategy will be prepared. Other statewide opportunities are being investigated as well.

* Help to design and carry out an action/ demonstration project for specific areas within the Audubon's America natural heritage corridor. Demonstration projects can be designed to take important actions for public and private watershed, wetlands and river corridor protection and restoration, public and public official education, recreation and ecological tourism.

In the Lehigh River Valley of Pennsylvania public and private interests are working with the Commonwealth, the National Park Service and the Student Conservation Association to develop a nature trail which follows the pathways that Audubon traveled during his visit to the Lehigh River Gorge and the Great Pine Swamp.

* Join or become more involved with a local Audubon Society Chapter to help Audubon's America through their "High Priority Wetlands Champaign".

* Consider supporting proposals which are likely to be introduced in the future to Nationally recognize Audubon's America. Such proposals are expected to provide technical and financial assistance to states, local governments, private groups and landowners to help them take conservation actions on a voluntary basis.






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The benefits of participating in Audubon's America are many. The challenge to protect the remaining natural areas has never been greater. Much work needs to be done and our time is limited if we expect to save areas and species. A partnership of this type can help the National Audubon Society, the EPA and others to protect, preserve, conserve, restore and enjoy important natural areas.


Audubon's America recognizes that our work must be focused at ecosystems rather than only at specific sites. The areas that are identified include watersheds and river corridors along some of the major waterfowl flyways in North America. These and other ecological corridors are critically important for species migration as well as for the habitat requirements of these animals. Audubon's America attempts to recognize the importance of the connection between existing public and private protected lands and the need to maintain or to re-establish this connectivity.

The project is a way to increase state and National recognition of these natural areas, Audubon the man and the inspiration he left us, the good work of the National Audubon Society and the need to take action to protect these special places and species.

Such recognition can help to stimulate long term partnerships, leverage funds from existing programs and influence public and private decisions which have the potential to impact natural areas, values and functions.


What are the next steps??? A day at the beach you say? No! The vision of Audubon's America requires hard work and persistence. Start the process by reviewing the proposal and sending a letter or resolution agreeing to co-sponsor the effort.

Next, you can participate in American Wetlands Month this May. American Wetlands Month is a National celebration to recognize and enjoy the values and functions of wetlands. A ceremony will be held to commemorate American Wetlands Month on May 6 in Washington, D.C.. For more information call the Wetlands Protection Hotline at 1-800-832-7828.

You can also help to celebrate John James Audubon's birthday, which is April 26, on Saturday April 24 at the Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary in Mill Grove, Pennsylvania. The event is an opportunity to hear about local plans to build an Audubon visitor and interpretive center and enjoy the site where Audubon lived when he first came to America.






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Another way to become involved in Audubon's America is to participate in the 150th Anniversary Celebration of Audubon's Missouri River Expedition. The event, sponsored by the Friends of the Libraries, University of Nebraska at Lincoln, is scheduled for May 13-16 in Lincoln, Nebraska. The program includes the great, great, great, grand-daughter of Audubon, art historians, naturalists, writers and ornithologists,

In the east, you can participate in the Pennsylvania Audubon's America Workshop on May 14-15 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Public and private natural area protection interests will meet to develo an action strategy for advancing Audubon's America in the Lehigh, Schuylkil, Lackawanna and Delaware River watersheds of eastern Pennsylvania. The plan will identify important natural areas to be protected or restored, examine alternatives for ecological tourism, assess public and private actions and set priorities for future funding.

If you are interested in helping with a hands on protection project either contact Ron Klataske of the Western States Chapter of the National Audubon Society about the Missouri River Education Project or develop an idea of your own. The Missouri River Education Project is an effort to educate the public and public officials about the importance of riverine habitats along the Missouri River from its confluence with the Mississippi to northwest North Dakota. The effort is an excellent example of the type of innitiative Audubon's America is trying to support or assist. How inspiring it is to see a local protection and restoration effort on the Missouri River on the 150th Anniversary of Audubon's 1843 Missouri River Expedition.

Finally, and most importantly, take time to get reacquainted with nature.

Audubon's travels led him to Louisville, Kentucky where he lived for some time and worked as a merchant. Although evaluations of Audubon's business skills have received mixed reviews, his journals contend that when he concentrated on his business it was successful. He readily admits, however, that he did have considerable difficulty concentrating on business for his first love was nature. He said, "Birds were birds then as now, and my thoughts were ever and on turning toward them as objects of my greatest delight.......I looked on nature only, my days were happy beyond human conception, and beyond this I really cared not".

I hope that you will join us in the work of Audubon so that we may continue to enjoy and celebrate nature. May you have continued success in your work!!!