Editors' Page

Conserving habitats across the landscape—that's what our partnerships are all about. They work on farmlands and ranch lands and public lands. They ask communities to join their habitat conservation partnerships. But what about megacities, like Montreal, Toronto, Los Angeles, Chicago, Mexico City, or Sao Paolo? They're part of the landscape, too, and they now sprawl over what was once habitat, some of it critical habitat. Is conservation work possible within hugely populated metropolitan areas?

The simple answer is "Yes." The San Francisco Bay Joint Venture, for example, is protecting and restoring wetlands that surround the bay that is at the heart of San Francisco's metropolitan area. In this issue of Birdscapes, you'll read about changes effected by a militant red-winged blackbird at Chicago's Navy Pier. The article's author, Stephen Packard, works for Chicago Wilderness. This non-profit organization of more than 130 public and private entities is dedicated to the protection, restoration, and stewardship of the natural communities of the Chicago region. It is here you will find some of the best remnants of Midwest wilderness: eastern tallgrass prairie and open oak woodlands or savannas, which support nearly 200 species listed as endangered or threatened in Illinois. Since 1996, Chicago Wilderness has funded 150 projects, including evaluation and monitoring, restoration, and planning. What megacity are you living in, or near, that could adopt and adapt the same model?

But, what about habitat creation in the middle of the city? What do megacities have in common? Tall buildings, lots of them, with roofs. Picture this: habitat in the sky. Read the "GreenRoof Los Angeles" story on page 27 by Greg Wright if you want to get excited about the possibilities in habitat creation. His company, SUN Utility Network, Inc., is designing and promoting the construction of "bioclimatic skyscrapers" and adapting old skyscrapers to enhance the ecological, economic, aesthetic, and practical use of an untapped piece of real estate: rooftops.

You can make a personal contribution to conservation if you live in a large metropolitan area, or even a small town, by enhancing your backyard habitat. The Bookshop department has a review of A Complete Backyard Birdwatcher's Home Companion. This book has more answers than you have questions regarding the creation of backyard habitat.

Unrelated to city landscapes, we have some good news to share. Unbeknownst to us, Affiliated Graphics, the printer of this magazine, entered Birdscapes in a contest. Your magazine won the Printing Industries of America's The Premier Print Awards 2001 Certificate of Merit. The certificate reads: "The Premier Print Award goes to those firms who demonstrate a unique ability to create visual masterpieces. Chosen from thousands of entries, each represents the unique partnership between designer and printer, need and creativity, technology and craft." It goes on to say: "To: Lloyd Greenberg Design, And: Affiliated Graphics, For: Birdscapes Magazine, Category: Magazine Series." Congratulations to our partners at Affiliated Graphics and Lloyd Greenberg Design for their achievement!