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Centennial celebration

MARQUETTE – Migratory bird biologist Katie Koch gets emotional when she thinks of Marquette’s connection to the Migratory Bird Treaty, the centennial of which is being celebrated this year.

Koch, based in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office in Marquette Township, talked about migratory bird conservation Wednesday before the Laughing Whitefish Audubon Society at the Peter White Public Library. She showed vintage photos of ladies’ hats bearing bird plumes that were fashionable before hunting regulations were established as well as more recent pictures of species like the Kirtland’s warbler and indigo bunting.

However, she also mentioned the role George Shiras III, a noted wildlife photographer and congressman from Pennsylvania who regularly returned to Marquette, played in migratory bird conservation.

In 1900, Congress passed the Lacey Act that set bag limits for birds, for example, and made it illegal to sell or transport birds across state lines, she said.

However, the connection of the treaty to Marquette that gives her “goose bumps” happened in 1903. That’s when Shiras joined Congress as a representative from Pennsylvania.

Shiras, she noted, fell in love with the outdoors at the age of 11 when he first visited Marquette, and for the next seven decades, spent every summer in Marquette.

“So, if George Shiras, as you’ll see, had not come to Marquette and spent the next 70 years falling in love with this area, we wouldn’t be talking about this today,” Koch said.

In 1903, President Teddy Roosevelt established Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge in Florida. The next year, Shiras introduced a bill to protect migratory game birds in the United States.

“What the historians are saying is that he fired the first shot of what would eventually become a 14-year campaign,” Koch said. “George did it.”

In 1913, the Weeks-McLean Law, which allowed the federal government to set hunting seasons, was passed. A treaty agreement was reached in 1916 to protect migratory birds, setting the stage for the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, which prohibited the taking of any part, nest or egg of migratory birds by any means.

“This really eliminated the necessity of watching the legislation of every state,” Koch said. “It just brought everything together.”

Hunting seasons are regulated on specific birds, she pointed out, and are approved annually. Permits also can be obtained for various reasons, such as research and taxidermy.

What is the state of the Migratory Bird Treaty today?

“More than 1,000 bird species – and their nests and their eggs and their feathers – are protected,” Koch said. “Canada and the U.S. work together every year to establish migratory bird hunting relations, and the treaty really provides that framework to allow us to enjoy birds in the ways we do today.”

It’s nice to celebrate milestones, Koch said, but people need to be engaged to help birds. So, four goals have been established for the centennial.

“We want to measure and create awareness among adults and children about bird conservation, and that healthy habitats are healthy homes for people,” Koch said.

For example, Wisconsin has established Bird City Wisconsin, with communities signing on to adhere to certain standards and recognize the importance of birds, she said.

Another goal is to increase support for migratory bird conservation programs and initiatives, whether it’s through purchasing a duck stamp or backing Kirtland’s warbler conservation initiatives, in an environment where traditional funding streams are continually being cut, she said.

Increasing youth and adult opportunities in birding and hunting is yet another goal, with creating a young birders club for the Upper Peninsula a particular interest of hers.

Taking action, of course, is essential. On an individual level, Koch pointed out, people can buy a duck stamp and join a local conservation group.

Members of the audience came up with their own suggestions, such as keeping cats indoors to reduce predatory kills on birds, getting rid of lead shotgun shells, reducing the use of chemicals in the environment and creating wildlife-friendly backyard habitats.

Cats are a particular problem, she acknowledged.

“Predation by cats, conservatively, kills 2.4 billion birds in the United States a year,” Koch said.

The ever-changing climate and human landscape also pose threats to birds that although are adaptable are that way on a long-time scale, according to Koch.

The bird population on a particular downward trend in the Midwest, she pointed out, are grassland birds, which now are a special USFWS focus. Linking gaming – a popular pastime among today’s youth – with getting outdoors is another focus, with this idea being looked at by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

The Marquette area, Koch said, has some of the wildest land east of the Mississippi River, which is good news for area birders.

Because of that, the Marquette area, she noted, has “phenomenal bird populations.”

It’s a fair bet most area birders want to keep it that way too.

For more information, visit www.migratorybirdday.org.

Open house planned

Jerry Maynard, co-founder of the Harvey-based Chocolay Raptor Center, said on Aug. 16 – International Migratory Bird Treaty Day, which marks the date the treaty was signed – the center will hold an open house during the evening with its resident birds.

Those birds are a peregrine falcon, red-tailed hawk, great horned owl, American kestrel and saw-whet owl.

Christie Bleck can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 250.

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