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The local birds ranged from the rare Rufous-winged Sparrows and 
popular Roadrunners in the desert to Mountain Blue Birds and Pigmy Nut- 
hatches at Grand Canyon; from Golden Eagles in the brilliant Arizona sun 
to “hooting in” Long-eared Owls in the San Rita mountains on a starry night. 
Practical advice for local societies was “stop talking birds and begin to talk 
enviroment for humans;” selling the public not on esthetics and sentiment 
but on preserving the human psychological balance — not leaving solid 
asphalt for our children. 
Debated were the pros and cons of the Southwest Water Project. Ottis 
Peterson of the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation favored the Bridge Canyon Dam 
on the Colorado River, backing water up 13 miles into the Grand Canyon 
Park for hydraulic power and recreation. David Brower of the Sierra Club 
insisted that the surface evaporation of standing water and ‘re-usage factors’ 
would increase the already high mineral content of the water for down- 
stream California consumers. ‘“‘The bureau just can’t stand the appearance 
of running water.” . 
California Condors: Total population was established at 40 birds — (one 
third less than 20 years ago) in a detailed study by Dr. Alden H. Miller. 
A higher proportion of young, implying an increased mortality, was shown 
to be due not to lack of food, or poor recuperative powers of the species, 
but shooting. Roland C. Clement gave the ‘‘Last Call for Birds of Prey,” 
decrying falconry and persistent poisons. He threatened that if the expanding 
army of hunters could not be educated any better, the National Society 
would have to support a move to withdraw all hunting. 
A fine example of international cooperation with Mexico was the 
establishment of Isla Raza Sanctuary. On this flat breeding island in the 
Gulf of California, thousands of eggs of the Heermann Gull and Elegant Tern 
were commercially harvested until May of this year. 
Forty-eight new western species were added to our life list on this 
off-season trip, with 107 total. It was fun to find six wrens: the large Cactus, 
Canyon, Rock, Winter, Bewick and House; or four jays: Mexican, Stellers, 
Pinyon, Scrub; three towhees: Rufous-sided, Brown and the rare Green 
tailed; three juncoes: Grey-headed, Oregon and Slate-colored; three flickers: 
Redshafted, Yellow-shafted, and Gilded; three thrashers: the melodious Curved- 
bill, Crissal, and Bendires; two longspurs: McCown’s and Smith’s; and two 
rare sparrows: Rufous-sided and Clay-colored. On beautiful film, with per- 
fectly timed commentary by Olin Pettingill, were the two albatrosses of 
Midway. 
Iield trips by local leaders included a three-day Grand Canyon tour 
with Dr. John Schaefer of the University of Arizona — young president 
of the Tucson Audubon Society. Finally, we weathered the 16 climate zone 
changes with altitude and the variation of SUN in Patagonia, unexpected 
RAIN in Tucson and a BLIZZARD in the Grand Canyon. Our trip back was 
highlighted by a collision with a 200-lb. mule deer in Arizona, snow-blocked 
roads in New Mexico, and floods in the Texas panhandle. We were fully 
convinced that our civilization cannot remain adjusted without groups like 
The National Audubon Society, Sierra Club, Wilderness Society and our 
own Illinois Audubon Society. 
715 Lake Street, Oak Park, Illinois 
ft ft fi es 
