1993_09 Insight September 1993

              Page 4
Insight/California State University, Fresno
Local raptors threatened by development
September 29,1993
7^
Winter migrating eagles
and hawks draw bird-
watchingenthusiastsfrom
October to April.
By Michele D'Ambrosio
Staff Writer
As thebrighicolors of autumn slowly
paint the Valley's trees, late October
will mark the return of local migrating
birds of prey.
The San Joaquin Valley is home to
one of the largest concentrations of
raptors—Owls, falcons, eagles and
hawks—in al I ofNorth America David
Chesemore, CSUF professor of biology, said during the winter months
thcrcarcas many as fivchawksightings
per mile.
Red-tailed hawks and Coopers
hawks are the most common to the
area, said Chesemore. Pairsof Coopers
hawks are currently nesting near ihe
Woodward Park area overlooking the
bluffs. In November, more rare raptors
Karen TothlNSIGHT
The habitat for raptors, such as these hawks, is decreasing as more open land is developed.
and citrus groves.
The changing landscape may be
beneficial for some birds, but it displaces others," Chesemore said.
return to the Valley, like the bald eagles    example, the black-shouldered kite rest inperch trees around Millerton    quiresopenpasiurc.whercasrcd-iailed
Lake.
But the ever-changing countryside
anddcvelopmentnormofFresnoelimi-
natc raptor habitat, which concerns
Chesemore. In the last 15 years, he
said, about 10 to 15 percent of grazing
pasturelands have shifted to pistachio
hawks prefer citrus groves.
"Some habitats, like parking lots,
aren't good for any raptors."
Loss of habitat can displace the raptors, but diminishing food sources may
also influence the population.
Dana Jones, a Millerton State Park
ranger, recognizes the local decline in
bald eagles. Eight years ago there were
over 40 bald eagles at Millerton. Lasi
year there were 16.
Jones said there is a correlation between the number of eagles and the
declining numbers of American coots,
the bald eagle's main food source. Ex-
pens ha ve yet to determ inc the cause of
ihc Millerton coot's decline.
Mike Smith, a dolccnt at Millenon
State Park, provides guided eagle lours
on Millerton Lake during the winter
months. He said ihecootsdcclinecould
be related io the recent drought or simply pan of cyclical effect of nature.
Smith knows of the eagles' sensi-
uvity to diminishing food sources and
human disturbance from direct con-
The 48-ycar-old bird watcher was a
volunteer at an Alaskan bald eagle rehabilitation center for injured birds.
There, he grew more fond of birds of
prey.
"If you have an opportunity to hold
an eagle in your arms, it's not an experience you soon forget," Smith said.
Smith cared for the eagles, like a
mother nutures a skk child. He described becoming attached to one bald
eagle.
"This parti cular eagle was very pow -
erful," he said. "You could just feel the
power when you held her.
"I got to release her when she was
well. I watched as she flew back to the
home where she belonged."
Both Smith and Chesemore remain
skepdeal of man's ability maintain that
home, the eagle's habitat
"All I see is continued loss of food
and cover for these creatures," he said.
"Many people have an unnatural fear
of wild animals. It's hard to convince
these people that animals can enrich
your life.
Chesemore believes the future of
eagles lies in the hands of land owners.
"If wc can convince people to keep
an odd comer of vegetation to suppport
a bud, it can make a difference," he
said.
"When people refuse to leave the
slightest little place for wildlife, then
there's no hope."
Jones said red-tailed hawks and a
golden eagle are currently habitating
Millerton State Park. She said there are
rumored sightings of peregrine falcon
nesting on Tabletop Mountain.
Bargctoursof the baldcaglc nesting
areas around Millerton Lake arc expected to resume in November when
the birds return.
///
University Theatre
Closer Than Ever
October 8-17, 1993
Ihe Learned Ladies
Ofsrvimbtr 5-14,1993
Dancing at
Lughnasa
December 3-12,
1993
The HuuSts of
Blue Leaves
March 11-20,
1994
Portable Dance
Troupe
April 22-May 1,1994
Students dig fossil-hunting adventure
By Alison J. McGowan
Staff Writer
Anybody who ever wanted to search
for buried treasure or past life forms
only has to go as far as Madera.
The excitement over the Madera
County Fairmead Landfill began May
10.1993, when workers unearthed what
appeared to be the remains of a mammoth. Since then, more than a dozen
species, includingone that has yet to be
identified, have been discovered.
Besides mammoths, the remains of
horses, turtles, horses, wolvcs.abcar, a
camel and other prehistoric animals
have been found. The fossils are at least
500.000 years old.
Workers perform salvage archaeology seven days a week, racing against
a clock that threatens to shut them
down before all the fossils arc removed.
Unless an extension from the state
comes ihrough, the project will end in
ihe next two months.
Although the excavation is being
supervised by the University of
California's Museum of Paleontology
at Berkeley, CSUF plays an important
role in the project
Students and faculty members from
various departments volunteered their
expertise, desire to leam and time to ihe
project Diane Blades, the project's
volunteer supervisor, estimated more
than 200 people have participated.
"I can't really say how many were
CSUF students, but Ihey have come to
us from all different deparmtents, and
with all different levelsof experience,"
she said. Volunteers don't need any
"I absolutely love it" she said "I
work on weekends, vacation time or
whenever else I can. I even took my
son, my brother and my sister and got
Ihem involved."
Champion, who is thinking about
changing her major to anthropology,
would find a spot where bone was
training or experience to get involved,    exposed and go from there. She de-
"All you have to do is show up at the    scribed the experience as fascinating
Madera disposal system office and tell    and tough, but not hard labor,
them you're a volunteer," Blades said.        "I don't think people realize mis is a
Randy Smith, a lecturer in the Geol- once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work
ogy Department has been involved in on something like this," she said. "They
the project since the beginning. He was found an animal that may be a brand
invited by the Anthropology Depart- new <
ment to lend his knowledge of geology
to the area to the original assessment of
the site.
"It's a significant
fossil site," Smith said.
"We need to understand the geologic
context of the sediments."
He is concerned about figuring out
the age of the site by comparing the
sequence of layers al the landfill to the
layers in the rest of the valley. He didn't
possible3ecauscoflusexperiencewith
archaeology, Nichols was made
a crew leader. His job was to
supervise volunteers when S
there were too many/      K,
people to work with on/
one to one basis. Also/
among his duties/
follow the equip-/
cavate the re-/ \^- / mains and
I casts to the
I avoiddamage
being shipped
I Berkely to be
i u d i ed.
Nichols
mmm
apply plaster / n^
She also donated time to work
Madera Fair at an educational exhibit
about the dig.
For Wally Nichols, excavating prehistoric sites
is nothing new,
thougrN
he   stilfN. i
considers itan^^V   V\. V
invaluable experi-
r
stop with merely interpreting geologic ence. Nichols, who will graduate this
evidence. He also volunteered as a December with an anthropology de-
laborer digging fossils on weekends gree. began working on the site full- j
because it was interesting, it pertaincd__jirne immediately after the discovery. I
shin. Though he Jbok another archaclogical
lo his expertise and it was
Student Glenda Champion got
volvcd for many of the same rcaso
job several months ago. he continues
to work at the landfill site when V
^Produced a
videotape of
/ thcexcavationbegin-
/ning with the original
( assessment of the land-
A fill done by CSUF and
I highlighting discover-
I ics and removal of the
/ fossils.
"What is interesting
f about the work is people
bring to the project., their
different backgrounds and
) also their curiosity. It's a
very positive experience."
Concerts
Trimus
Tresno State Ampithea ter
October 2/ 7:30 p.m.
GA tickets 516 /Viscount
tickets at CSV?
Gates Open a t 7p.m.
Matthew Sweet
Cadiuac Club
October 4/'9p.m. /tickets $$
Prayer Changes Things
'Warnor's'Thea tre
October 2/7p.m.
Tickets $16
Tresno
MetropoCitan
Museum
folk Art of Taxaca
Sept. 11- Oct 24
folk art from Mexico
Outside tht (DreanvChifd
Poverty in America
Sept. 17-tfov. 27
'Photos of child poverty
A 'Day In My Life: Child
Visions ofthe Valley
Sept. 17-^ov. 27
<B & 'WTho tos taken
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