ILLINOIS AUDUBON BULLETIN 
Published Quarterly by the 
ILLINOIS AUDUBON SOCIETY 
Number 168 Spring 1974 
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Pi he Wo yesident's Message 
Although the Christmas Bird Censuses have recently been held, 
and often are a subject which is very seasonal, I would like to 
comment on them. By the time this message (written in late 
January) appears, it probably will be late spring, and the careful 
planners will be contemplating the 1974 censuses. We may all face 
a serious problem for 1974 if gasoline is rationed by that time. I 
hope this type of activity will not be curtailed by such problems, 
since whatever scientific merit it has is certainly enhanced by being 
repeated each year with as nearly the same coverage as possible. 
Christmas Censuses are becoming increasingly important as 
a measure of bird populations. Their use in this respect has draw- 
backs, but often they provide the only source available to re- 
searchers covering the past. 
An example of their value is the census begun in 1969 in the 
area of the nuclear power plant north of Cordova, IIl., on the 
Mississippi River. Members who attended our fall campout at Sa- 
vanna in 1971 will perhaps recall the evening program which con- 
sisted of a panel discussion on the environmental impact of this 
project. It was contended that the plant would have a damaging 
effect on the tiny forms of organic life in the river due to thermal 
pollution from the heated-water discharge. A diffuser pipe was 
being installed to reduce the temperature variation between the 
discharge and intake to avoid this problem. 
Many conservationists were convinced this was not enough 
and the company was forced to build a cooling canal to further 
lower the water discharge temperature. [he cost will ultimately 
be borne by the consumer—all of us. The plant is being allowed to 
operate at almost full capacity using the discharge pipe until the 
FRONT COVER: ‘Wood Duck’ by Olive Glasgow, Crandon, Wis., a 
specialist in nature and wildlife photography, whose work has ap- 
peared in many publications, including Life and National Wildlife. 
