Declining bird populations sobering sign

Letter to the Editor:

Wow. Loosely quoting from an article in the Globe written by Ryan Brady of the Wisconsin DNR, more than 400 species of birds have been recorded in Wisconsin, and one in three Wisconsin adults say they watch and identify birds at home and away, the second highest rate in the nation. Impressive.

For me, whether on a birding jaunt or enjoying them as seen or heard during the day, they are one of the pure joys in life.

But then, the DNR writer gave the bad news. “Many (species) have low and/or declining populations, including 11 formally listed as threatened species.” That’s pretty sobering.

And our own species is the cause. Do you want to be the cause of the extinction of these wonderful creatures?

It will take a lot of heavy lifting on the part of those who work to save the birds in addressing our unfettered population growth and con-commitant use of the land and other natural resources.

If some of you are like me, negotiating the day with some difficulty, you can still pick up pen and paper and the telephone. Aren’t these creatures as much entitled to their lives as we consider we are to ours?

Elizabeth Igou,

Ironwood