I was struck by Chelsea Irene Harrington’s letter “Where have the birds gone”? Two years ago I posted on Facebook a similar question: “What has happened to all the song birds?” I found myself waking up at dawn, not to the beautiful symphony of bird calls heralding the new day, but to silence – or the occasional cawing of a few crows. The truth is the planet is warming at a dangerously rapid pace, and the decrease in bird life is just one sad result. It’s admirable that groups are working to save wildlife and habitat, but if we don’t reduce the amount of carbon in the air and the oceans, none of that is going to matter. As Chelsea says, we need to have honest discussions with each other, that in turn will motivate us to act. I have chosen to volunteer for I-732, a revenue neutral carbon tax (which the Audubon Society endorses) that will be on the ballot in November, but there are other things people can do. The first step is take our heads out of the sand and acknowledge what is happening. It may sound like science fiction, but believe me it’s not.

Mary K. Stevens

Seattle/Olga