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Show Page Al2 — THE DAILY HERALD,Provo, Utah, Wednesday, May 22, 1996 Groups are teaming up to stop air Hundreds of gulls killed by poison By MICHAEL TIGHE Associated Press Writer BOSTON — Hundredsof dead ills were found earlier this week fter federal agents poisoned more n 2,800 nests at an offshore ind to protect a tiny, threatened shorebird. Many ofthose birds were found or near freshwater because the induces kidney failure, nakingthe birds thirsty. But federofficials said the carcasses preted no dangers to humans or ver animals. About 100 dead gulls were und on the mainlandand another 300 on the northern tip of South Monomoy Island, where the nests were poisoned as part of an avian zement plan for the moy National Wildlife Workers were burying the car es on the island. while the nland carcasses were bagged indstored for shipping to a federal searchlab in Madison, Wis At the same time, U.S. Departof Agriculture workers con { planting poisoned margurine-on-white-bread sandwiches n the nests of great black backed 1 herring gulls to eliminate any iving mates. The program is proceeding without any problems,” U.S. Fish nd Wildlife Service spokesvoman Diana Weaver said Mon- day. She added that the poisoniag and pickup wili continue for the rest of the week The wildlife service started the poisoning Saturday because gulls were wiping out the piping plover, a threatened species, by crowding their habitat and eating their chicks Animal activists say the program is misguided, considering that people are allowed to walk and vehicles to drive through piping plover habitats at the same time gulls are being killed to protect that habitat Jack Clarke, advocacy director for the Massachusetts Audubon Society, said federal officials estimatedup to 33 piping plovers will die because of these “‘ploversquashing permits.” Federal officials said permits allowing accidental kills of piping plovers were granted by the state andcontainedtight restrictions that prevented people from behaving “willy-nilly The piping plover is protected under the federal Endangered Species Act and has been the subject of a federal recovery plan since 1988. A record28 piping plovers were recorded at the refuge last year, up from 14 the year before. Federal officials estimated the great black backed gull population at 14,700 andthe herring gull population at 10,400. bag deaths WASHINGTON (AP) — A week after a deploying air bag killed a 7-year-old boy, automak ers, insurers and safety equipment manufacturers are teaming up to spend about $10 million to prevent A gull lies dead on Morris isiand on the tip of the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge Monday after poisoned sandwiches were put out for the gulls to Nogulls existed on the island before 1961, but biologists said open landfills and fish waste caused a population explosion. But critics said the gulls already were declining because landfills are being closed and federal authorities were responding to political pressures. Federal figures show the herring gull peaked at 30,600 in 1980 and the great black AP Photo eat. Workers will continue planting poisoned sandwiches in the nests of gulls to eliminate any living mates. backed gull peaked at 16,360 in 1990. John Grandy, a vice president of the HumaneSociety ofthe United States, said a service official told him the poisoning stemmed from criticisms for restricting public use of beaches on Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard to protect piping plovers An affidavit with that claim was prepared for an unsuccessful law suit to stop the poisoning Weaver conceded some of Grandy's argument e have management respon sibilities under the Endangered Species Act to be working to improvehabitat for this species,” she said. “If we can’t do this on our ownland then how can weask othersto doit on their land?” Twain’s famous jumping frogs now ‘threatened’ By H. JOSEF HEBERT Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON — Whiten into Amerin folklore by Mark Twain for its leaping »wess. the California red-legged frog is nowofficially protected by Uncle Sam The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ended earlong drought of action 10. protect species by listing as “threatened” the frogs Twain said could et over more ground at one straddle than any animal of hist us breed1 The Monday decision under the Endan: ered Species Act brought guarded praise om environmentalists and criticism from ne farm groups. It also prompted assur ym the Clinton dministration he potenti portant state out a politically tha it would & ikeall teps possible to minimize the economic impact. vice proposed listing the frog as endangered. Actionto safeguard the frog andits. habi- But on Mondayit declared it “threatened” tat primarily along coastal areas of central — affording it less protection and making it California had beenheld up for more than a easier to control economic impact Theagency said recent surveys sug sted year as Congress imposed a moratoriumin early 1995 that the frogs against any furwere more ther endangered numerous species listings. habitat primarily along coastal areas than previ The listing ban ously was lifted last believed and month warranted The law less concern designed to protect plants and animals that Mollie Beattie. director of the Fish and are in danger of disappearmg has been under Wildlife Service, said the “threatened” desintenseattack from conservative Republican ignation “offers a great deal of flexibility” members of Congress, who argueit is over- and she hoped to “balance conservation ly intrusive on property owners with economic activities.” Two years ago, the Fish and Wildlife SerThere has been concer that the listing | OlNerySlo to $26 for adults, $2.50 to Action to safeguard the frog andits of central California had been held up for more than a year. deaths of children caused by air bags. : The coalition will lobby for strongerstate seat belt laws and to educate motorists about the dangers of children riding without seat belts in the 15 million vehi cles with passenger-side air bags. Coalition members, also including the government and auto safety groups, outlined their coordinated plan at a press conference Tuesday with Transportation Secretary Federico Pena “Air bags save lives, many lives. But for small children not properly buckled up in cars, they can be deadly,” he said Last week, piece of an air bag systemsliced into the throat of a 7-year-old boy in New York during a low-speed crash. His death brought to 19 the number of chil dren and infants killed by air bags since they were introduced about nine years ago, National Highw Traffic Safety Administration officials said Five ofthe 19 were infants in rear-facing child seats that were slammed into the car's seat when the air bag deployed. The govern ment has warnedagainst putting rear-facing infant seats in the front seat of a car with air bags. Pena said the groups agreed to work t er because they faced an unprecedented challenge. “We don’t save lives at the expense of children,” he said. Most of the children killed were not wearing seat belis or not using them properly mightinterfere with the construction of the Los Vaqueros Reservoir project Despite Beattie’s assurances, Bob | Vice. president of the California Farm Bureau Federation, called the listing “another nail in the coffin of farmers property rights.” Hesaid it will hurt farm ers’ ability to graze livestock, clear brush andcultivate their land. riding to NHTSAofficials. Califomia red-legged frogs numbered in Companies using or making air the hundreds of thousands in the 1860s. are under pressure becauseit Twain wrote a yarn in 1865 about one such + children who are at nsk and the — somesay ima; frog named Smi ley in “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of numberof vehicles with air bags is growing rapidly the govern. Calaveras County.” ent is requiring all new cars to “Whenit comes to fair and square jumping on a deadlevel. he could get over more have front-seat air bags by model year 1998, and light trucks by groundat one straddle than any anim of 1999 his breed you ever see,” Twain wrote ~ great quality shoes at great low prices for the whole family. Just $2.50 $14.50 for kids. Plenty of styles, too, from sandals to sneakers to thongs. pe)take GDoff any shoe purchase of 9 or more. ‘Giles gued Grech bee B 1888. ‘ese ctyles net evetintets & afl women, Family Center, Sait Lake City * Park Center, Midvale © Lake Point Shoppi ng Center, Orem EELS |