A Final Goodbye

This Colored Owl Drawing is by John Pusateri. I stumbled
upon it and thought it was beautiful and perfect for my final
post.

The end of this senior research project has come and I have learned a great deal. I would like to thank my school advisor Mr. Nishan, my school counselor Mrs. McConaghy, the people and resources I have consulted, and finally and most importantly the staff at Liberty Wildlife for being so gracious in letting me take pictures, ask questions, and simply taking a chance on me two years ago, when I first sent in my volunteer application, underage with no experience. I have met nothing, but wonderful and kind people through this organization that completely runs on the goodness of peoples’ hearts. While this blog may finish today, I will continue to keep my shifts until I go to University in the fall. And of course, I will come back for peak summer seasons each year! It has been a joy to share my experiences in medical services to anyone willing to read this little blog. Thank you again and goodbye.

CG

You can find more of John Pusateri's work at:

http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2012/11/colored-owl-drawings-by-john-pusateri/

Presenting my Project: PowerPoint Presentation and Abstract

The final steps of this project include writing a short abstract summarizing what my project was about, its purpose and its findings for a school program and presenting a PowerPoint presentation to the BASIS community. My presentation was yesterday and I feel that I performed to the best of my abilities and all went well. For those who could not be present, here are the conclusions I drew from my experience over these past months.

I set out to answer a few questions. Namely, what meaning feathers had to Native Americans today, if Native Americans and Native wildlife needs were met by current laws and finally, my main question was whether or not repositories could improve.

I found that as spiritual revivals of old customs and ceremonies grew in popularity, the demand for feathers dramatically rose. High demands resulted in longer waiting list times for repositories, leaving Native Americans without necessary feathers for months or even years. My research into ceremonies that use feathers has shown that home blessing ceremonies, coming of age celebrations, marriage ceremonies and graduation ceremonies all require feathers at a fixed point in time. Couple this with successful pesticide bans like DDT, many bird populations are currently flourishing. This results in anger directed at repositories.

Solutions to this problem are simple. Open more repositories in different geographical areas to lessen waiting lists and develop more lenient laws regarding found feathers. Also, start a very limited hunting permit program for Native American tribesmen. Finally, be patient. As bird populations increase, more feathers will come available.

CG  

Inside the Repository

Most repository feathers come from rehab, foster and education birds, that live at the wildlife sanctuary, when they naturally molt once a year in the summer. There are containers in the front of each cage where volunteers can place feathers for the repository. Other sources are ICU birds that come to Liberty deceased or die despite treatment. Liberty Wildlife's participation in the feather repository program is ultimately to save birds lives. If Native Americans have the necessary feathers, they have no need to hunt healthy birds.

Why are you in our enclosure taking our feathers?

The feathers are then organized and their exact location is documented.

Whole birds are kept frozen until their feathers can be taken or if someone requests a whole bird.

The repository workbench

Labeled feathers

CG 

This Week in the ICU part 2

We also had a Canadian goose egg hatch (this picture is of the baby weeks after he hatched)

A ladderback woodpecker came in with conjuntivitis 

A tiny says phoebe hatched

We have three types of baby squirrels in our care right now

Rock squirrel

Round tailed ground squirrel

Antelope squirrel

Here’s a flicker getting his daily medication

And a baby love bird about to be tube fed

Finally this is a baby jack rabbit (yes, jack rabbit eyes should look bug eyed J)

   

CG

This Week in the ICU part 1

This week in the ICU on my shift, we had plenty of interesting furry and feathery friends come in.

We had a baby great horned owl (top) and three baby barn owls (bottom).

A baby sparrow with a mite problem (probably why he looks so grumpy)

And two juvenile finches that just need to grow some bigger flight muscles

A black crowned night heron that broke his leg

A harris hawk that had his leg surgically pinned back together

And a baby anna’s hummingbird

CG

Highlights of Liberty Wildlife’s Annual Report

One source I have used throughout this project has been Liberty Wildlife’s Annual Report. Here are some highlights!

Liberty Wildlife’s Annual Budget

2011 Operating Income

2011 Operating Expense

In 2011, Liberty Wildlife assisted 3,709 native animals. That’s 131 different species! 1,378 of those animals were babies. Who did this? Well the 237 volunteers that are part of Liberty that work 3,122 volunteer hours every month!

CG

The Non-Eagle Repository Perspective

I was lucky enough to interview those involved in the Liberty feather repository operation and gain more insight on what problems these young pilot repositories face.

The first topic discussed was waiting periods and lists at Liberty. Online research can give estimates for Bald and Golden eagles but not any migratory birds. At Liberty, the longest waiting list is for the red tailed hawk which averages eleven months. The second most requested bird is the anhinga. Rarely any one put on this waiting list gets off simply due to the fact that anhingas do not live in Arizona and Liberty has none in its care. Therefore, the only way to get those particular feathers is through networking and asking other sanctuaries to donate and send them. Liberty has cormorant feathers which are very similar, but participants rarely accept substitutes.

When asked about relations with the Native American community, the head of the repository quickly directed me to a wall of thank you notes, letters and other gifts, handmade or bought, from happy participants. Many are grateful for this free service. However, with the good there is always the bad. The Scottsdale repository gets 20 to 30 new requests each day. Some of these requests can be filled, but pickiness can prevent it. Some participants refuse to take feathers with any blood or debris on them or refuse to take feathers unless they are part of a full tail set. Additionally, Liberty has a surplus of owl feathers, yet very few request them because to Navajo tribe members an owl is an omen of death. Liberty never brings any owls to educational presentations on reservations because it can offend and anger tribes.

I also learned that the government requires Liberty to document the exact location the feather was found before it can enter the repository.

Liberty has a good relationship with SRP in Arizona, so they call whenever they find nests or birds with exact locations for the repository and when alive for the med services.

Interestingly, the repository is often contacting and coordinating with prison wardens on whether or not Native American prisoners are entitled to any more feathers when they request them. Many requests come from prisoners reconnecting with their religion and culture.

Finally, when asked what could make this system better, I heard again and again the same thing. More repositories in different geographical regions so requests like the anhinga can be met and more grants and money to help pay for the shipping and handling of the feathers themselves.

CG

Working with Tribes

On the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website, there is an intriguing program working to involve tribes in conservation efforts. Grants are now available for federally recognized tribes in the United States of up to $200,000 if a tribe wishes to start a program that works for the benefit of the native wildlife and their habitats. This may include but is not limited to “planning for wildlife and habitat conservation, fish and wildlife conservation and management actions, fish and wildlife related laboratory and field research, natural history studies, habitat mapping, public education” and much more!

While proposals to receive grant money run up against stiff competition, this looks like a wonderful step forward by the U.S. F.W.S in actively seeking programs to educate, protect and conserve from within reservations themselves. Only through dual cooperation can both the Native people of Arizona and the Native wildlife of Arizona be protected. This program also addresses a question I posed towards the beginning of this project regarding money being sent towards conservation education programs on reservations.

One further step I would encourage would be grant systems for those who are not members of a federally registered tribe, yet still wish to impact the relationship between people and wildlife.

If you wish to apply for this grant, here is a link to the 2013 proposal tool:

http://www.fws.gov/nativeamerican/graphics/TWG_APPLICATION_KIT.pdf

Source: http://www.fws.gov/southwest/NAL/grants.html

CG

Populations on the Rise

The bald eagle population in Arizona is on an all-time high. Last reports in 2010 show that 104 adult breeding pairs live in Arizona. This profound success is at large as a result from the governmental ban of DDT on December 31, 1972. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed the bald eagle from the list of threatened and endangered species after 40 years of protection in 2007. The lowest amount of nesting pairs in the whole of the United States was 417 in 1963. By 2007, there were an estimated 9,789 breeding pairs.

Now that bald eagles are no longer considered endangered or threatened, new hunting permits are being cautiously being given out despite much criticism amongst conservationist groups. In Arizona specifically, conservationist groups sued to allow bald eagles more protection with no avail.

In March 2012, the North Arapaho Tribe received a permit to hunt for two bald eagles for religious purposes after filing a federal lawsuit for denied permits. This is a pivotal step for conservationist and repositories. New permits for religious purposes could decrease the demand and pressure off of the National Eagle Repository, yet conversely new permits could hurt the blossoming populations of bald eagles. It is all a give and take situation.

Sources: 

http://www.fws.gov/midwest/eagle/recovery/qandas.html

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/03/14/wyoming-native-american-tribe-gets-rare-permit-to-kill-bald-eagles/

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2010/09/28/20100928arizona-bald-eagle-population-gain.html

CG  

The Navajo House Blessing Ceremony

Today, I thought I would describe one of the many ceremonies I continue to read about, The Navajo House Blessing Ceremony. In the Navajo faith, the first man and first woman came from the underworld to the fifth world (our world, on the surface of the earth). They created the first human man and woman. This couple was told by First Man that while the first man and woman were the source of life they would never return to the fifth world. The First Man put the fifth world woman and man in his medicine bundle and created the first Hogan (the traditional Navajo dwelling). The First Man taught the fifth world first man and woman that each new Hogan must be blessed.

The Navajo House Blessing Ceremony was given to the surface people by the underworld or holy people to prevent misfortune, evil from manifesting and any property damage. Ceremonies can privately be conducted for a home or publicly be conducted for schools and hospitals. They can last anywhere from one to four days. The ceremony involves marking the house, praying, and the public ceremony can employ the use of dance, sand painting, and formal ceremonial dress (feathers included).

The purpose of a ritual like this comes from the belief that a Navajo house is a living entity that needs to be loved and taken care.

Source Paper: http://www.jammed.com/~mlb/hogan.html

CG

Is the Wait Fair?

As I continue to do research, it has become apparent that the one of the reasons people raise questions about the sufficiency of repositories is because of the long wait. With 6000 applicants on a waiting list and only so many birds, the wait can be arduous and rub those forced to wait the wrong way.

While I sympathize with American Indian forced to wait three years to perform a sacred ceremony, the fact remains. While Bald Eagle populations have risen in recent years, at one time they faced the great possibility of extinction. Without the repository program, there could be that 6000 person waitlist and zero birds due to extinction.

Lee Plenty Wolf, a member of the Oglala Sioux tribe in Fort Collins, Colo, waited three years to receive a bald eagle. He had this to say, “More and more of our young people are going back to our spiritual way of life and we can’t do our ceremonies without the eagles”

Mr. Wolf explains it perfectly. A revival of Native American ceremonial traditions creates an enormous demand and there just is not enough eagles to go around.

If we allowed anyone with a gun to obtain eagle permits or even just gave any Native American registered tribe member permit access, Bald eagles and Golden eagles would no doubt face extinction again.

Adjustments to current laws could help. Current federal laws forbid anyone who finds a dead eagle from taking them. Perhaps creating a channel where those that find dead birds can then apply for a permit to keep it; however, that could just open the doors for killing birds and claiming you found them dead.

Ms. Atencio who operates the National Feather Repository warehouse simply said “It’s a double-edged sword. To fill all the requests in a timely manner means we need more dead birds.”

Source Article for Quotes:http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/05/us/a-repository-for-eagles-finds-itself-in-demand.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0


CG

So You Want a Migratory Bird...

SO YOU WANT A MIGRATORY BIRD…

Step 1: 

Obtain a permit application from either repository (Comanche Nation Ethno-Ornithological initiative (SIA) or Liberty Wildlife Rehabilitation Foundation), your regional Migratory Bird Permit Office, or from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southwest Region Native American Liaison.

Step 2: 

In this application, make sure to include a certification of tribal enrollment from the Bureau of Indian Affairs of Tribal Enrollment Office.

Step 3:

 Indicate on your application what species of bird you are requesting and what parts, feathers or carcasses you desire.

Step 4: 

Now like with the National Eagle Repository, you are placed on a waiting list until the right bird can delivered to the address provided on your application.

According to the non-eagle repository websites, the list is on a first come first serve basis and they do not give an approximate wait time assuming because it greatly varies from what is available and what is being asked for. Seasons also tend to affect what is available (they are migratory birds, of course).

Link to Application:  http://www.non-eaglefeathers.net/pdf/NEF_form_3.6.pdf

CG

So You Want an Eagle...

In the 1970’s the National Eagle Repository was located in Pocatello, Idaho and in the 80’s it was operated out of a forensic lab in Ashland, Oregon. The National Eagle Repository of today in Denver, Colorado came about President Clinton signed an executive memorandum in 1994 after meeting with 300 tribal leaders reforming the repository and moving it to Denver. The National Eagle Repository remains the only source for feathers and parts of eagles. In a pilot program starting in 2010, two non-eagle feather repositories were created: one in Scottsdale at Liberty Wildlife and one in Cyril, Oklahoma at the Comanche Nation Ethno-Ornithological initiative (SIA). These provide feathers and parts of birds that are protected under the Migratory Bird Act, but are not eagles, relieving pressure off of the Denver operation.

SO YOU WANT AN EAGLE...  

Step 1:

Submit a Permit Application and First Order request and a certificate of Enrollment in a Federally Recognized Tribe (Form 3-200-15A) to the Regional Migratory Bird Permit Office of the State you live in.

In order to fill those out, you will need a tribal enrollment number and an official of you tribe certifying that you are who you say you are.

Step 2:

The Permit office of your State will approve or deny your claim.

Step 3:

You will be issued a permit to “possess for religious purposes eagle carcasses or parts (including feathers) provided by the Repository.”

Step 4:

Your application will be sent to the National Feather Repository and you will be placed on a waiting list.

Step 5:

Now for the waiting game. Depending on what you order, you may have to wait years. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, below is the approximate waiting time.

Whole immature golden eagles--- Approximately 5 years

Whole adult golden eagles--- Approximately 4½ years

Whole adult and immature bald eagles--- Approximately 2½ years

Whole tail only – golden eagle--- Approximately 4 ½ - 5

Whole tail only – bald eagle--- Approximately 2 – 2 ½ years

Pair of eagle wings--- Approximately 1 year

10 loose quality feathers--- Approximately 6 months

20 miscellaneous feathers--- Approximately 3 months

Trunks only--- On receipt of request

Head only--- On receipt of request

Talons only--- On receipt of request

Link to Application: http://www.fws.gov/forms/3-200-15a.pdf

CG

The Court and Repositories

The difficultly with feather repositories and their resulting laws comes into play when someone gets arrested for obtaining or possessing migratory or eagle feathers and cries religious rights to their defense.

Some court cases are relatively straight forward like in the case of United States vs. Moon Lake Electric Association Incorporated. On June 9, 1998, the United States charged Moon Lake for the electrocution death of 12 golden eagles, 4 ferruginous hawks and 1 great horned owl. Moon Lake violated the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection act seven times and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act six times. Moon Lake claimed that both acts do not apply to involuntary killings of protected species and that the acts only refer to the physical taking of birds through hunting. The government claimed that if Moon Lake had installed inexpensive extra equipment on to the power poles then 38 birds of prey would not have been injured in a 29 month period. Moon Lake was found guilty and charged a $100,000 fine and entered a Memorandum of Understanding (a promise to try to prevent future bird deaths) with the US Fish and Wildlife Services.

Other defendants rely on the religious argument despite not having Native American heritage causing problems for the courts. In March 2011, the US Court of Appeals 10^th Circuit heard Samuel Ray Wilgus who was arrested for possessing 141 feathers of bald and golden eagle feathers. Wilgus was not Native American but had lived with members of the Southern Paiute Nation and had received training in spiritual practices. The court ruled that while Wilgus, who appeared to genuinely have been converted from baptism in youth to Native American spiritualism in adulthood, only those who are legal members of registered tribes can possess feathers with the appropriate permits. Even if some of his feather were given to him as gifts from Native Americans.

Draper from The Denver Post writes“The Appeals Court said that Congress, as a consequence of the forcible seizure of Indian lands by the U.S., could give special treatment to sovereign tribal entities, not as a function of their race or of Native American spritual (sic) traditions, but because of their tribal or political identity.”

Read more: Court overturns case that allowed non-Indians to possess eagle feathers - The Denver Posthttp://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_17728167#ixzz2N9qNSYfA

Thus it appears that to the courts because of the limited number of available feathers and the overwhelming need to protect these species religious rights may not entirely be the reason for repositories at all.

CG

Classifying Different Types of Feathers

Believe it or not, each feather on a bird has a specific number and name. This is particularly useful for feather repositories, so that they can sort what feathers each tribe has requested. When looking at a bird wing, primaries and secondaries are the most visible and recognizable of the bird feathers. The primaries and secondaries are called remiges (feathers that aid in flight).

picture courtesy The Feather Atlas from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife  Service

There are usually ten primaries (sometimes nine in certain songbirds) and nine to twenty five secondaries depending on the length of the wing. Primaries are attached to the bones of the “hand” which consists of the metacarpals and digits fused together. Secondaries are attached to the ulna bone. All birds have a small group of stiff feathers attached to the pollex (the thumb bone) called the alula. The alula aids the bird in lift and maneuverability during flight.

picture courtesy J. Arthur Thomson in Outlines of Zoology

As I said before, each feather has its own number. The inner most primary feather is called primary 1 and onward to the 10^th primary at the tip of the wing. Secondary 1 is the outermost secondary and the rest of the secondaries are numbered from the outermost inwards. I suggest you look at the diagram J

picture courtesy AZParrots.com

Coverts are the feathers that cover the base of the flight feathers. Tertials or tertiary feathers are the innermost flight feathers of the wing and attach to the humerus bone of the bird. There are usually three or four tertials.

Now my challenge to you is to identify the feathers from the pictures of the flicker wing in my last post!

CG

P.S. After a long day of pricking scary, but beautiful birds of prey with needles, its rather nice to feed some harmless baby bunnies (We have six at Liberty now) XOXO

A Peek into Daily life at Liberty Part 2

Medical Service volunteers other jobs include giving the daily medication of all animals in the ICU. This curve billed thrasher was pretty mad about the oral injection of antibiotics he received. We also monitor the weights of emaciated animals. This thrasher is weighed every day and if he is not gaining weight we force feed him. This sounds harsh, but once he starts gaining weight, his appetite will pick up, giving him the best chance for survival. If you are wondering how we possibly weigh this feisty little guy...well a burrito wrap of course! ↓

Bigger birds like the osprey below require a partner and gloves or a well-placed towel. One volunteer holds the legs of the bird firmly and stays vigilant so that no person goes to close to 1.) the talons and 2.) the beak. This osprey was particularly difficult because of his enormous wingspan, so my hand was unable to keep the wings folded, thus I used my arm (not necessarily recommended). The other volunteer performs the assessment, gives the medicine, force feeds or wraps a wing or foot. Whatever needs to be done.

Or in the case of this California condor, three volunteers were required: 1.) Talon duty 2.) Beak duty 3.) Medical procedures.

In the unfortunate event that a bird for whatever reason does not survive, the feather repository steps in. This flicker wing with beautiful orange feather will go to a tribe that has requested them. Flicker feathers are prized by medicine men used in healing ceremonies.

CG

A Peek into Daily life at Liberty Part 1

As I said earlier, I have been volunteering at Liberty Wildlife for several years now, first in the orphan care department (only open during baby season April to September) and then in Medical Services. In Medical Services, we receive the new patients and write an assessment of their condition and what medications they will need to be on and how long. Treatments can be as simple as WDQ, a warm dark quiet area to recuperate, and as difficult as removing fishing hooks or recommending surgery and/or x-rays.

This week, we have plenty of cottontails that simply need to grow up! This little guy had to be fed bunny formula three times a day supplemented with lettuce, hay and pellets.

Also located in the ICU are old friends and some new ones. Frodo, the burrowing owl on the left, was at one point an education animal. Education animals are trained to sit on the gloves of educators and attend programs to teach the public about Liberty and Arizona wildlife in general. Frodo, however, is retired. She has lost her eyesight and is at the end of her long life, but you will always hear her chirping happily away, safe inside her hut. She is hand fed as much as she will take throughout the day. Other birds are in the ICU because they must grow more accustom to people as they will in future become education animals. They are taken out every day by handlers to eat on a glove, in order to associate being on the glove as a good thing. 

To Be Continued…

CG

Nations, Reservations, and Tribes, Oh My!

A Native American tribe is any existing or historical community of Indigenous people of the Americas. Under United States law, the term is only given to tribes federally recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and does not include tribes only recognized at the state level. The benefit of being federally recognized includes eligibility for programs and services by the United States. In order to become a federally recognized tribe, a certification process must be completed. Tribes possess something called tribal sovereignty, allowing tribes to make laws different from surrounding areas. However, these laws are limited because the tribe must answer to the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

A reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Over a quarter of the area of Arizona is reservation land. There are three hundred ten reservations in the United States. This means that some reservations are shared by multiple tribes and some tribes do not have reservations at all. Some parts of reservations were sold to non-American Indians and as a result many reservations are seriously fragmented.

A Nation is a larger group of people such as several tribes who are organized formally under one leader. For example, the Navajo nation is located in parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It contains 300,048 members who all have Navajo bloodline, but are from many tribes. The Navajo Nation manages the Navajo Indian reservation as an independent governmental body. 

CG