-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bill Pulliam's first blog post of the week HERE.
It's reported HERE [see 1st comment below] that Cornell has been awarded (in conjunction with the National Park Service) a grant to place ARUs (autonomous recording units) in remote sections of the Congaree National Forest (S.C.) for possible detection of calls from Bachman's Warbler or the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. This is followup to extensive work that has already been done there.
Speaking of awards.... Yale ornithologist Richard Prum was one of the earliest skeptics of Cornell's announcement of an Arkansas Ivory-bill, only to reverse himself in whiplash manner upon hearing "kent" recordings Cornell had gathered from the Big Woods. He was quoted at the time as saying,
“We were very skeptical of the first published reports, and thought that the previous data were not sufficient to support this startling conclusion. But the thrilling new sound recordings provide clear and convincing evidence that the Ivory-billed woodpecker is not extinct.”
How any scientist could've been so dismissive of the main body of Cornell's evidence, and yet so easily swayed by a few imprecise forest recordings was always beyond my comprehension, quashing (for me) any credibility he could have brought to the Ivory-bill arena.
However, hopefully his credibility and prowess is a tad keener in his chosen specialty fields of bird evolution and feather structure, as he has been awarded a prestigious MacArthur Fellowship ($500,000 to pursue ongoing studies/work)... hey, always nice to see an ornithologist get one of these "genius" awards. All of this year's 2 dozen winners listed HERE.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 comment:
The body of the news release which is blocked by a 'request form' reads as follows:
"WASHINGTON, Sept. 5 -- The U.S. Interior Department's National Park Service has announced that it intends to award a cooperative agreement to Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., for deployment and analysis of autonomous recording units placed in remote locations within Congaree National Park.
The estimated total program funding available was cited as $32,737, although no specific amount for this award was indicated by the agency.
A funding notice from the National Park Service states: "The overall goal of this work is the deployment and analysis of autonomous recording units (ARUs) placed inremote locations within Congaree National Park in order to detect endangered avian specis including Bachman's Warbler (Vermivora bachmanii), the Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) and other species of management concern."
The funding opportunity number is A5430090055.
Full announcement
http://www.grants.gov
NewsFocusCode FedGrants federalgrants
TNSFG090903
For more information, contact Tonya Bradley, 402/661-1656, tonya_bradley@nps.gov. "
Post a Comment