The Bureau of Land Management, a division of the Department of the Interior, has changed an internal policy, which will lessen protections given to certain birds and other species, according to the Birder’s United newsletter just out this morning.

In the past, birds that were considered endangered by state governments, but were not on the federal list of endangered species, were still considered when the bureau made land-use decisions in their habitats.

But under the new policy, the Bush Bureau of Land Management will no longer make policy based on considerations for birds that are on state lists of endangered or threatened species. Nor will the agency make policy based on species that are on the Fish and Wildlife Service’s list of species that are candidates for federal protection.

The Bureau of Land Management oversees 258 million acres of lands owned by the federal government.

If you disagree with this policy, call your Senators and Congressmen today…

The Birder’s United bi-weekly online news letter touted LocustFork.Net as a “great Website for birders” on Tuesday, Feb. 27.

A Web site that may be of great interest to members of Birders United is LocustFork.net. The site covers a wide selection of issues of interest to birders including a news column and Weblog.

There is also a photography section. Note particularly the feature on the birds of Alabama. More than 71,000 people visit the site each month.

A Great Web Site for Birders

Thanks for the kudos…