; Ae ene ROL BOD BER ery mquanEniengEennpeRRArETEae rte te etree Bearer Taking the wind out of drunk drivers’ sails By Siavash Emamzadeh hat would you think if after your first drinking and driving conviction a police officer met up with you every time before you went to drive, just to see if you're up to no good? Well, a similar requirement is going to apply from now on. Just having come into effect, it is known as the Ignition Interlock Program and requires people charged with intoxicated driving to install a breath-sampling machine in their vehicle, for one year. The part that really stings for these drivers is that if they fail the test, their car won’t start. Did I mention they’ll be forking over the $1500 for the device? The requirement does not apply to if you have less than two 90 day prohibitions or three 24-hour roadside suspensions. Excessive? I think not. Do I need to remind you who are being targeted by this campaign? Drunk drivers. They are horrible people that are a detriment to any society; they don’t care about themselves and they sure as heck don’t care about others. They’d rather risk others lives and subject their loved ones to endless anxiety than give up their awful habit. These are weak people that seem unable to exercise any discipline or sympathy whatsoever. Like bad-tempered kids, their sole purpose in life is to resist order. Instead of stopping and reasoning for a mere moment, they choose to challenge authority. Not for a second do they think to themselves, “Why is this behaviour being so vehemently discouraged?” No, they just continue down their fatal path. I say good on the authorities for putting this law in effect. This program will teach these criminals the true value of freedom—the same freedom they habitually take for granted. Every time they drink, they have a choice to take transit, call a taxi or hitch a ride after drinking, but time and time again, they make the wrong choice. And just like a child who insists on fishing for cookies until the jar is hidden, intoxicated drivers have proven they need strict rules. So, while these drunken clowns exhale, the rest of us will be breathing a nice, long, overdue sigh of relief. Why do birds suddenly not appear? By Rin Kim Loggerhead Shrike “Why do birds suddenly appear? Every time you are near, Just like me, they long to be, close to you.” his well-known classic by The Carpenters may bring you back to memories of a simpler time, carefree and unregulated. Unfortunately, memories of sunny days and birds everywhere may now only survive in our memories due to our irresponsible actions and lack of maintenance in our ecosystem. In reality, the birds that The Carpenters poetically describe do not suddenly appear anymore as our unconstrained habits of neglect have finally caught up to us. This has resulted in a dramatic population decline of many bird species, most notably, North America’s own Loggerhead Shrikes. So where do we point fingers to when it comes to determining the culprit of this phenomenon? We have been abusing Mother Nature for our 10 own benefit without thinking about the consequences for far too long. As the world’s population increases, so does the need for more liveable space. In response, we are urbanizing lands at an alarming rate every year. This puts many species at risk as huge acres are being clear-cut, drastically altering entire landscapes. Loggerhead Shrikes (Lanius ludovicianus), known as “butcher birds” to some, are famous for their characteristic predatory behaviour of piercing their prey with thorns and sharp objects. The name “Loggerhead” also refers to their large head size relative to their bodies. Over the past few years their numbers have been rapidly declining and no one can pin point the exact cause for this mysterious occurrence. So why do we care about these bloodthirsty creatures? Loggerhead Shrikes are the only members of the shrike family that are indigenous to North America. It is currently listed as endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) and is also listed under the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA). The Loggerhead Shrike looks very similar to songbirds SUCH aS ite MOcKingoird; however they are slightly smaller than mockingbirds and have a sharp-hooked bill that accounts for its predatory behaviour. The bird has a prominent white breast and a distinct “black mask” around its eyes, as well as a grey head and back. There are also contrasting white patches on their black tails and wings. They are mostly found in North America and their distribution ranges from Southern Canada to the United States and Mexico. Most importantly, portions of this unique bird population are also found in British Columbia. Biologists have not been successful in providing any concrete evidence explaining the Loggerhead Shrike’s population decline, but they do agree that it was caused by human activity. They have proposed several possible causes, one being that their major habitat, which are grasslands, are threatened due to farming and natural succession resulting in loss and fragmentation. Another possibility for the Loggerhead Shrike’s steep decline is due to frequent collisions with automobiles. There are many reported cases of birds flying into oncoming traffic, where the results are usually fatal. These cases are often preventable if the drivers exercised more caution when driving in areas where the birds are found in high concentration. As a result, the Loggerhead Shrike Recovery Team has installed warning signs to advise drivers to slow down in these areas. Another cause for the population decline could be due to their predatory behavior combined with the high concentrations of pesticides and harmful chemicals found in the area. The birds often unknowingly ingest these toxic substances along with their prey, and the consequences can be lethal. The news is not all bad for the bird. A Loggerhead Shrike Recovery Team (LSRT) was created in response to this devastating trend. The team has conducted annual surveys on the number of sightings of the shrikes, and their captive breeding program was created in order to protect genetic diversity and to learn more about the predatory birds. As a result of their tremendous efforts, the team has begun to observe an increase in the bird population. So what can we do about this serious problem? The major cause for this decline is habitat change. You can contact the County’s office of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) or Farm Service Agency (FSA) to learn more about how to expand the habitats of the Loggerhead Shrikes. Hopefully, together we can help save the remaining grasslands and preserve the natural habitats of the shrikes so they can breed and survive without any disturbance. You can also volunteer _. for the Important Bird Areas Program (IBA), which is an international conservation organization that designates essential areas for certain species as “important bird areas.” The outlook for the Loggerhead Shrikes is still uncertain, as researchers are still unable to locate the exact cause for the bird’s population decline. However, there is some hope thanks to many dedicated conservationists who devote their time trying to help preserve this unique bird’s population. It is all of our responsibility to take care of this endangered species. We cannot continue to abuse Mother Nature as we will soon reach her limits, and a precious avian will be lost forever. Since millions of tax payers’ ‘doliars are spent by federai aid provincials governments annually on the environment, there should be a better way to allocate more money for specific cases of environmental conservation, such as the Loggerhead Shrike. We as citizens of Canada hold the power to save this hawk-like yet helpless bird. It is our responsibility to take action now, and maybe someday, for future generations, the birds will again “suddenly appear.”