Hundreds gather for Barry the barred owl’s vigil in Central Park

Barry the Central Park owl

BY VICTORIA MANNA MANHATTAN Spectrum News

David Lei is known for taking photos of Barry, a beloved barred owl who made her home in Central Park in October of 2020. On Friday, the owl died after a collision with a Central Park Conservancy maintenance vehicle. 

“For those of you who’ve not spent a lot of time with wildlife before, it’s a little bit like losing a loved one,” said Lei. “The owl isn’t something that we often get here.” 

Barry had quite the following. On Monday, hundreds showed up for a vigil by the barred owl’s favorite tree near the Boathouse in the Ramble to honor the wildlife that they said became their friend. 

“On a daily basis, people know this owl and she knows us,” said birder Wendy Jacobson. “It was a very special relationship that is sort of unique, maybe a once in a lifetime sort of relationship that you can have with a wild animal that pays attention to you.”

Related environmental news:
A Vigil For the Barred Owl
Vigil tonight in Central Park for a beloved owl
Famous Central Park owl killed in crash with truck 
Barry the Owl, Beloved by N.Y.C. Birders, Dies in Central Park 
Owls in New York City’s Parks

Birders we spoke with said they believed Barry loved the attention from its followers. They said she was able to teach people about a part of Central Park that is often overlooked. 

“I think a lot of people got to know nature in Central Park rather than someplace just to ride through in a taxi cab or someplace to just ride around in a loop — that there is a wildlife here and it’s very special,” said Jacobson.

But more importantly, those at the vigil said Barry was a community of people together, especially throughout these tough times.

“We really built a nice community here where we would help each other and support each other and looking for Barry because it wasn’t often easy,” said Lei. “She flies out at night and it’s very easy to lose her in the dark, so we built up a nice community to support each other and keep safe while we tried to observe Barry.”

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Oregon becomes the second state to pass packaging EPR law

Producers of packaging, paper products and food service ware will be required to share responsibility for supporting in-state recycling programs.

By Adam Redling Waste Today

Oregon became the second state to require producers of packaging, paper products and food service ware to share responsibility for supporting in-state recycling programs when Gov. Kate Brown signed SB 582, known as the Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act, into law Aug. 6. Sen. Michael Dembrow and Rep. Janeen Sollman were the chief sponsors of the bill. 

Maine Gov. Janet Mills signed a similar extended producer responsibility (EPR) law into effect July 12.

Under Oregon’s new law, brand owners selling packaging, paper products and food service ware into Oregon will join stewardship organizations and pay fees to support the improvement and expansion of recycling programs and infrastructure statewide. This new packaging EPR program is intended to reduce the impacts of waste on the environment and human health, keep plastics out of rivers and oceans and take steps toward addressing the inequitable impacts of the waste system on vulnerable communities, legislators say.

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“With this new law, Oregon ratepayers will be provided a much more accessible, responsible and stable recycling system,” says Scott Cassel, CEO and founder of the Product Stewardship Institute (PSI), which advocates for the promulgation of responsible recycling through EPR legislation. “It will also provide producers with the financial incentive to make their packaging more sustainable, and local communities with funding for reuse and waste prevention programs.”

Under the new system, consumer brand payments will cover roughly one-quarter of the costs of a modernized recycling system. In contrast to Maine’s law, which covers all recycling costs, producers under Oregon’s law will not cover the costs of collection, which will continue to be paid for by residential and commercial ratepayers. Local authorities will maintain operational control for collection services and public education programs, while producer funding will enable improvements such as recycling facility upgrades, broader collection services and more accessible educational resources.

Producers will finance their obligations through fees on covered products that they pay to stewardship organizations. These fees will be based on factors such as recyclability, use of post-consumer recycled content, and the life cycle impacts of the materials they use. The largest producers also will be required to perform lifecycle assessments on 1 percent of their products every two years. 

Read the full story here

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Tracking the recovery of America’s first endangered fish

News from the Hudson River Estuary Program
From Hudson RiverNet

Shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum) is the smallest of New York’s sturgeons, rarely exceeding 4 feet in length and 18 pounds in weight. Adult shortnose sturgeon migrate upriver from their mid-Hudson overwintering areas to freshwater spawning sites north of Coxsackie, but much of their spawning behavior and early life-stages are still not fully understood.

A net in the Hudson River full of shortnose sturgeon.
Shortnose sturgeon was the first fish listed as endangered with the enactment of the 1973 Endangered Species Act. Soon after, researchers conducted a population estimate for Hudson River shortnose sturgeon in order to develop recommendations for managing the recovery of this fish. 

A second population study in the 1990s indicated a substantial increase in the spawning population from the 1970s. The shortnose sturgeon population in the Hudson River may now be the largest in the world. However, this assessment is based on research that is several decades old, and new studies are needed to support management and recovery actions.

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Newer technologies now available, such as high-resolution side-scan sonar and acoustic telemetry, have been successfully used to provide enhanced population estimates for other sturgeons. Acoustic telemetry uses receivers to detect signals emitted from tagged marine species like sturgeon. The side-scan sonar uses sound to create an image of the river floor and objects in the water column and is one method for counting fish. Smaller objects in the river, such as shortnose sturgeon, are harder to distinguish.wooden model sturgeon going overboard

In 2018, staff from DEC’s Hudson and Delaware Fisheries Unit worked with scientists from the universities of Delaware and Delaware State to test whether side-scan sonar could be used to assess the river’s population of shortnose sturgeon. Fisheries staff built wooden sturgeon of different sizes and mounted them to cement blocks. The models were lowered to the bottom of the river in random order. The side-scan sonar was then pulled through the area imaging the models.

The sonar was able to detect these smaller-sized shortnose sturgeon models. This spring, academic, federal, and state research scientists embarked on a large-scale project that will provide an updated estimate for the Hudson’s shortnose sturgeon population using acoustic telemetry and side-scan sonar. In April and May, 50 adult shortnose sturgeon were netted on the spawning grounds north of  Coxsackie and surgically implanted with long-lived (10-year) acoustic transmitters. These transmitters will be detected on a river-wide array of acoustic receivers as the fish move throughout the Hudson River estuary. The receivers will store the unique tag number and the date and time that a fish swims past a receiver (like E-Z Pass for sturgeon).

Crew on a boat lifting shortnose sturgeon out of the water

In the winter, fisheries staff will use side-scan sonar to image and count individual shortnose sturgeon in overwintering areas.  These estimates will be mathematically merged with the river-wide telemetry data to estimate the proportion of individual fish in the overwintering areas, and by extension, in the overall Hudson River. This provides a robust and relatively low-cost means to track the recovery of America’s first endangered fish. Funding for this project comes from the Hudson River Foundation and the Hudson River Estuary Program. The shortnose sturgeon were collected and tagged under a National Marine Fisheries Service Endangered Species Act Research permit # 20340.

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Return of high winds could energize Dixie wildfire as 100 major blazes rage through 15 Western states


By John Bacon, USA Today

Scores of wildfires racing across much of the Northwest could be energized this week by a resurgence of high winds and heat, forecasters warned Monday. 

The historic Dixie Fire is threatening thousands of homes across four Northern California counties, but more than 100 major blazes are raging through 15 Western states, authorities say.

“An extremely challenging stretch is in store for area firefighters over the upcoming days as episodes of gusty winds will precede the building heat,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said.

Related environmental news:
**Updated with video** Environmental News: Dixie Fire mushrooms into second-largest wildfire in CA history

Thick smoke that held down winds and temperatures in many areas also brought havoc to air quality. Denver on Saturday had literally the worst air quality in the world, according to IQair.com. On Monday the city had yielded the top spot – to Krasnoyarsk, Russia – but still ranked seventh in the world, just behind Salt Lake City.

A classic Chevrolet El Camino was lost along with homes and buildings in Chicago Park, Calif.

Twenty-five major fires are burning in Montana, the most of any state. Idaho has 20, Oregon has 16, Washington 13 and California 11. Temperatures could climb 25 degrees above average in some areas this week, worsening the already intense drought across the region, AccuWeather said. 

How heat domes fuel fires:
Heat dome brings record-breaking high temperatures to the West

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Vigil tonight in Central Park for a beloved owl

A photo of a young barred owl believed to be Barry, a local celebrity, perched on a tree branch in Central Park.
A young barred owl believed to be Barry, a local celebrity, perched on a tree branch in Central Park. TERRI NEEDHAM / FLICKR

BY SOPHIA CHANG, Gothamist

A beloved barred owl who died after colliding with a park maintenance vehicle Friday will be remembered in a vigil Monday, which will be held under her favorite tree by the boathouse in Central Park.

The owl is believed to be Barry who became a local celebrity after she took up residence in the park last year and sat calmly through countless sightings and photos by birdwatchers.

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Around 2:30 a.m. Friday, a Central Park Conservancy maintenance vehicle was driving “slowly using lights and flashers on the West Drive (in low 60s) doing routine park maintenance when the accidental collision occurred,” said a spokesperson for the CPC, in an email.

While the spokesperson said the Conservancy cannot confirm that the owl is indeed Barry, the CPC had announced the news “with a heavy heart” on social media Friday, noting that the owl was “flying low, likely in search of a meal” when the vehicle collided with the bird.

“The barred owl’s presence in Central Park brought so much joy, reminding all of us that the Park is a vital greenspace for all New Yorkers, including the wildlife that call it home,” the Conservancy said.

Barry was just over a year old, according to the New York Times, based on the coloring of her feathers, and became a fan favorite for her expressive eyes and her unflappable demeanor, maintaining her presence even as birdwatchers approached mere feet away.

Related news stories:
Famous Central Park owl killed in crash with truck (BBC News)
Barry the Owl, Beloved by N.Y.C. Birders, Dies in Central Park (NYT)
Owls in New York City’s Parks

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**Updated with video** Environmental News: Dixie Fire mushrooms into second-largest wildfire in California history

By Hannah Knowles, Washington Post

The Dixie Fire that has forced thousands from their homes in Northern California and destroyed one historical town grew into the second-largest blaze in state history Sunday, officials said, as the wildfire mushroomed to more than 463,000 acres.

The fire consumed the historical town of Greenville late Wednesday and continues to threaten nearly 14,000 buildings, according to Cal Fire, the state firefighting agency, underscoring the danger of climate change-fueled disasters. Most of California’s biggest wildfires on record have erupted in the past year, as dry conditions and high temperatures lead to destruction, mass evacuations, and smoke disrupting life in the West.

On Sunday, officials said they were trying to keep Dixie’s flames from reaching homes in the tiny community of Crescent Mills, just a few miles south of Greenville. As evacuation orders expand, they have been warning of unusually fast-spreading flames and“historically” low moisture levels leaving land primed to burn.

“We’re seeing fire activity that even veteran firefighters haven’t seen in their career,” Cal Fire spokesman Edwin Zuniga told The Washington Post. “So we’re just in really uncharted territory.”

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Dixie’s destruction is still dwarfed by past blazes, including the 2018 Camp Fire that killed at least 85 people and torched well over 18,000 structures. Still, authorities say the Dixie Fire has ruined several hundred buildings and injured three firefighters. No fatalities have been reported.

In acreage burned, Dixie passed the massive 2018 Mendocino Complex Fire and now ranks behind only the August Complex Fire of 2020, which spread to more than 1 million acres. That blaze — the result of many smaller fires sparked by lightning — destroyed more than 900 structures and led to one death, according to Cal Fire.

Full containment of the Dixie Fire is not expected for at least two weeks, according to Cal Fire’s latest update.

In Greenville, Calif., a town of about 1,100 dating back to the Gold Rush era, Dixie left mostly rubble piles and charred building frames. The U.S. Forest Service said only about a quarter of the town’s structures survived.

Read the full story here

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