Teenagers have been observed shooting birds on the easement by the railroad
tracks. This is in violation of the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act (unless
they are pigeons, house sparrows, or European starlings), enforced by the
Department of Interior's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with action ranging
from fines based on the number of birds killed or maimed to action by the
U.S. Attorney. It is also inhumane and an assault on our declining songbird
population.

Will all neighbors who use or abut the easement please make an effort to
describe the teens, track where they live, and retrieve the dead birds for
identification and evidence (store them in ziplocks in your freezer)? If you
can immediately reach Page Williams, our HPD delegate, at 713-622-8533, she
will happily come to be an eyewitness. Then call USFWS enforcement at
281-876-1520, and HPD dispatch at 713-222-3131 and/or the SPCA at
713-869-7722.


By Page Williams