bosque del apache changes

[steve_ralser]

There is one change of note happening at the Bosque. The current

director Phil Norton (who is responsible for much of what we see now,

and makes the bosque such a wonderful place to visit) is leaving. He

will be heading to the Klamath NWR in nth Calif. Hopefully his

replacement will be of equal or greater caliber and that there will

only be improvements to the bosque experience. This move was reported

in last weeks Socorro paper.

 

Steve

[don_baccus]

Congratulate the man. The Klamath/Tule complex is one of the most important refuges in the country, and poses some very thorny management problems due to its history and special legislation which makes agricultural production on a nearly even footing with wildlife there.

 

He'll be very busy!

 

Klamath/Tule is also very photographer-friendly, with blinds available that were originally placed by Frans Lanting and then-manager Bob Fields, himself a fine photographer. I know Bob well, and so does Phil Norton, I'm sure, as Bob was head of all CA/NV refuges before he retired a few years ago. Phil will get to know Bob well if he doesn't already, as Bob's on the board of Portland Audubon and is our primary watchdog regarding Tule/Klamath refuge management issues.

 

Klamath/Tule's a great refuge for winter bird photography.

[george_hartzell]

Can someone share contact information for the Klamath/Tule

area?

 

g.

[arthur_morris_birds_as_art]

In addition to being a skilled, wonderfully creative, efficient, and much-loved administrator, Phil Norton was the most photographer friendly refuge manager in the system. Here's just one example. When the lower road by the farm fields along the northeast side of the refuge was closed, there were utility wires in front of the new decks that totally ruined potentially fantastic flight shooting opportunites. Phil developed a plan for putting the wires underground (soley to improve PHOTOGRAPHY at the refuge--OK, the place would look a little bit better without the wires). Phil purchased cable-laying trucks with refuge funds and had several refuge volunteers (Phil created a volunteer program at Bosque that became a model for the whole NWR system) trained to dig the trenches and lay the cable. The utility company actually saved money since they only had to pay for the cable itself. And who benefited the most?? Visiting photographers. Contrast this with the many refuge managers who view anyone with a long lens as a criminal, no questions asked...... I, for one, will miss him greatly. Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART