Martin roost at the OKC Memorial

[Sam Harris]

I just saw on the local news that the martins have moved their roost to the Oklahoma City Memorial site. They are calling them a nuisance and firemen are spraying water at them as they go to the trees. They normally roost down by the arena, but construction must have caused them to move. I am concerned.

[TX Rehabber]

Sam,

Immediately contact Ok City officials and educate them that if ANY of the birds are injured or killed they are in violation of State and Federal Laws and can be fined. Let them know that you WILL be contacting your State Game & Fish Warden for your area. Then contact Michelle Gallagher in Albuquerque, NM @ (505) 248-7882. Make sure you get the Fire Station Number that has been called out to spray. You might even start with them and have them contact Michelle to get the "official word".

If you personally witnessed the spraying, make sure you have video, pics, injured birds & bodies. Call a local rehabber to help with the injured and keep the bodies stored in your freezer. Don't turn them over to anyone except when told by The State or USFW. The rehabber might be able to help with this.

GOOD LUCK!

[Sam Harris]

Can someone around here help me with this. I work a lot and don't have a lot of time to do this.

[Louise Chambers]

What station aired the report?

found it - http://kfor.com/2012/07/12/39042/

[Trishy]

Thanks Louise, for posting the station link. I sent them a message telling them I do not agree with the tactics that are being used to deal with this matter. From the newscast, I am guessing they don't even know what kind of birds they are.

[Louise Chambers]

thanks Trishy - if anyone is on facebook, there are pages for OKC city and for the Memorial, too. Just remember, everyone, be courteous even though it's upsetting that martins are being treated this way. Some public education will help.

[trisha]

I called and left a voicemail for Kari Watkins, the Executive Director of the Memorial. I'm sorry they are having to clean up the mess everyday, but I don't want them hurting the martins either.

[Louise Chambers]

thank you so much, Trisha - landlords' voices are the advocates for the martins. The PMCA has or will contacted them and other offices in OKC too, but OK landlords especially should speak up.

Tell them you care about purple martins, put up homes for them, and that the hoses have to stop, they will injure martins.

[TX Rehabber]

UPDATE:

I’ve contacted USFW in Albuquerque, NM. They could/would not tell me if Depredation Permits were issued to the OK Memorial. I tried to contact USFW OK offices with no phones answered. I did reach the office of Kari Watkins and passed on information regarding the birds were protected by State and Federal Law and a Depredation Permit was required to disperse the birds and they should cease and desist until they contacted USFW. She asked for my contact # and left it with her. This information has also been passed on to Louise and Dick Sherry (Tulsa). Will let you know if I get a return call or if I contact USFW in Oklahoma. I have also been able to reach Tulsa's rehabber and she will contact her friends at Channel 4 to follow up and pass on the info about the Federal Laws, so that they are aware of the legal situation. If the spraying continues tonight, Rondi will try to have people posted at the site to help with any injured or dead birds. Will post any information when I can.

[Louise Chambers]

Thank you so much, Penny. On PMCA's side, we contacted the same office, asked TX/OK bander Jim Ray to contact some OK agencies and he's working on that. Also going to contact OKC Audubon chapter - see if they can send observers. If the OKC Memorial would use the hoses to clean up in the mornings instead, and do a bit of roost PR, they could turn the roost into a wildlife watching opportunity, and that's what we suggested.

Note: People can comment on the news page under the video with fb, twitter, or other media accounts. Please leave courteously worded comments, tell them you are a martin landlord, and ask that the roost be tolerated and appreciated as a wildlife watching event.

http://kfor.com/2012/07/12/39042/

[TX Rehabber]

Want to share a letter with you from Rondi Large, the Director of Wildcare in Oklahoma that she wrote to Kari Watkins at the OKC Memorial and Channel 4 and the response she received. The response Rondi received is also the same "blanket" e-mail that I received as well.

You state that the "Memorial is a place of quiet reflection...this Memorial honors the victims, survivors, rescuers, and all who were changed forever." Now the natural visitors of this hollowed ground are being attacked again. This time by the very people who teach our children that acts of violence will not be tolerated, not in this country, NOT in Oklahoma. But you are using the resources of our fire department to attach a federally protected species because they are bringing their families, their babies of this year to rest in the solitude of the memorial. I remember the bombing like many others but my memories were a little different. We were called at WildCare because the first responders were finding wildlife that were injured in the blast. Even though there was so much devastation people were stopping to pick up a small bird that was injured and wanted to save it. What a testament to the caring spirit of Oklahomans! Now that the dust has settled and a sacred area is there for all to enjoy we are blasting families that just need a place to land and rest for the night because they leave bird poop on the walkways. Really! These purple martins have been housed in nest boxes all around the central part of the state put up by people who encourage purple martins because they are incredibly beneficial to people. They eat massive numbers of fling insects daily. This little birds are teaching their young the ways of the world as they build their endurance up so that they can fly to south America in the next few weeks. These birds are resting in the trees at night when the evening temperatures are lower and the babies are not fully water proof. The combination of wet and cold is enough to cause hypothermia to their small bodies let alone the power of the water could break fragile wing bones. What are you thinking? You are a National Memorial, the purple martins are a protected species by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act which makes it a felony to "harm, harass, hurt, or kill any migratory bird, their nest, or eggs." More importantly what are you teaching children? Is it OK to attack one species but not another? Please rethink you actions against the purple martins. Wouldn't it be a better use of resources to have the fire department wash off the sidewalks early in the morning when the birds have flown off to eat insects? They will only use this stop for a week of two and they one day they will all leave for their winter. It is uncommon for them to use the same gathering stop each year so all they need is a little compassion and quiet reflection for a week or two. Thank you for your time.
Rondi
Director, WildCare Foundation
Thank you for your time.
Rondi
Director, WildCare Foundation
www.WildCareOklahoma.org
www.facebook.com/WildCareOklahoma

RESPONSE:

From: Kari Watkins <[email protected]>
To: Rondi Large
Sent: Thursday, July 12, 2012 1:13 PM
Subject: RE: Bombing at the memorial

Thank you for email. We are actually dealing with three different species of birds and they are destroying our site. What they are doing to the Field of Empty Chairs, the Gates of time and the acid and odor they are leaving at the site has our visitors very concerned. We are having to pay for extra help, pay overtime, supplies and while this may only be temporary, it is very costly to a non-profit foundation. We receive no federal, state or city funding and we survive on what we raise through Museum admission and private fundraising. This has been a very costly experience for us.

I appreciate that we should make the most of this and we have tried for a week. But when you see visitors running from the site (3.3 acres) so they don’t get droppings from the birds or walking around with a brochure on their head, we have to protect our assets of this site, the sanctity of it and our visitors. The noise these birds bring with them destroys that as well.

What we are doing is simply encouraging them to move to other places. We have both the USDA and the State Agriculture, Food and Forestry Department involved. We have done everything according to all federal, state and local laws. Per the USDA, federal permits are only required when you physically collect and relocate migratory birds using notes, cages and things like that. No permits are required when you do what we have been doing. This is a non-lethal solution to address the public health concerns of the massing of so many birds in a place of high public use.
Many thanks for your interest. I so appreciate your love for these birds, but my job is to protect this site and I have to do my job to protect this important place as well.

The above letter and response were post by Penny Halstead

[ron20m]

Rondi also told me the dept of Agriculture rep has OK'd it.
Phone numbers
Memorial number: 405-235-3313
Channel 4 who ran the story 405-424-4444

[ron20m]

memorial Toll Free 888-542-4673

[DornCounty]

sounds like the state ag department needs contacted.

[Laverne]

Sounds like we need to go over her (Kari Watkins) head ...

What's next?

[trisha]

I just faxed a letter to the Gov of Okla. Here is her contact info if others would like to join in and fax her too. I faxed to both offices.

The Office of Governor Mary Fallin

Oklahoma State Capitol
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Room 212
Oklahoma City, OK 73105

Local: (405) 521-2342
Fax: (405) 521-3353


Tulsa Office of Governor Mary Fallin
440 S. Houston Ave., Suite 304
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74127

Phone (918) 581-2801
Fax (918) 581-2835

[Mike in NC]

I can understand the issues for those running the memorial. Do they understand that these are migratory birds and that the roost is temporary? Perhaps they would not be so quick to disperse the birds if they knew that they will eventually leave on their own and that the roosting only occurs over a matter of weeks each year.

[DornCounty]

I can understand the issues for those running the memorial. Do they understand that these are migratory birds and that the roost is temporary? Perhaps they would not be so quick to disperse the birds if they knew that they will eventually leave on their own and that the roosting only occurs over a matter of weeks each year.

I think her reply made her position pretty clear.

[Mike in NC]

Dorn,

I guess you're right. I re-read the post and she does acknowledge the birds as migratory. I read it too fast the first time.

[Sam Harris]

Wow, I didn't know how big this was going to get. I appreciate all that has helped with this crisis. The birds now have a voice of all of us concerned landlords. I hope the Memorial will do the right thing. I talked with a memorial worker and she said they were only going to scare the birds for only 3 days. She said the birds will relocate after the third day. I have never heard of this. Where will they go? The original roosting area is under construction. I just hope the water hoses haven't hurt or killed any of them.