Someone is picking on bird research? There is nothing like a moron to find humor where there is none.

Birds of any kind  are indicator species. They tell the tale of our climate in ways the average moron can only imagine. The earliest signs of our stressed planet showed up in altered seasonal patterns in birds in the United Kingdom. So, when anyone wants to denigrate wildlife research of any kind they are only showing how ignorant they actually are. Any wildlife research, including the genitalia of ducks, supports companies that support sportsman and land conservation adding up to profits for companies and employment of individuals. Research of duck genitalia is important and it is someone's livelihood. All those involved with stupid mongering need to apologize.

If NSF grants were cut to such research the country suffers and Senator Coburn's hubris and abuse of power is among the most egregious. 

The recipients of the 2013 Gary T. Meyers Bird Conservation Award (click here) have been announced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in collaboration with the North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI) and the Association of Joint Venture Management Boards (AJVMB). The recipients of the awards are Kenneth Babcock, Senior Director of Conservation for Ducks Unlimited, and the North Carolina Sandhills Conservation Partnership.

“Birds today face more challenges than ever before, but these conservation champions give us cause for hope,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe. “Their efforts show us that when we have the vision, the knowledge and the dedication, we can succeed and ensure that healthy bird populations endure for future generations of Americans.”

Kenneth Babcock has been an active member of the professional conservation community for over five decades, serving in leadership roles for the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Missouri Department of Conservation, and numerous Joint Venture management boards. Throughout his career, he has been a key player in many conservation partnerships, but perhaps most significantly in the development and implementation of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. This seminal enterprise helped catalyze the recovery of the continent’s waterfowl populations from record lows in the 1980s, and profoundly influenced all subsequent bird conservation initiatives. Ken was also instrumental in expanding the use of science in setting hunting regulations, developed the first long-range management plan for the eastern prairie population of Canada geese, and spearheaded the foundational “Design for Conservation” for the Missouri Department of Conservation. Since 1996, Ken has worked at Ducks Unlimited, where he secured the greatest number of conservation easement acres in the organization’s history...

And the National Science Foundation should not support this industry because it is not what exactly, a national security demand? Jerk! The GOP and Right Wing media getting their jollies on the backs of decent, hard working Americans, AGAIN? Or is it STILL !

MSU Ducks Unlimited chapter earns Sweet 16 (click here)

Apr. 3, 2013

...Mississippi Ducks Unlimited Regional Director Billie Ray Fann of Greenwood said the waterfowl conservation organization is focused on improving duck habitats. “Only Ducks Unlimited performs habitat conservation both in our state and on the breeding grounds where our annual migration originates. In Mississippi, Ducks Unlimited projects have improved waterfowl habitat on more than 289,000 acres and spent more than $37 million to date.”

In the past five years, Ducks Unlimited has averaged spending of $2.5 million annually in Mississippi to improve waterfowl habitat and hunting opportunities....