A SEASIDE VIEW / For whom the bell tolls
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Chris Drum Berkaya
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Şubat 03, 2009 00:00
It was not by a mosque’s call to prayer, but by e-mail, that we heard the news that a man, who had worked so long and hard for natural heritage in Bodrum and Gülluk, Brian Stoneman, had died in England in January.
Brian was one of the unsung heroes of the area, as Birdlife International described its network of volunteers, on its Web site. He was part of a dedicated group of volunteer birdwatchers who compiled their observations and bird counts over the years, rigorous data that is absolutely crucial to the international organizations’ monitoring status of species and threats to their habitats, populations and sites.
The burly, jovial Brian was a regular sight around the Tuzla wetlands and its hinterland as he drove his jeep around the area. His mission was to count the birds and identify their species in comprehensive years-long surveys. He did not limit his mission to Tuzla, but traveled around the Bodrum Peninsula, particularly to the valley of Dereköy where villagers had asked for help documenting the biological wealth of the area. He went on regular observation trips further afield to Bafa Lake, the Menderes Delta, Cennet and Karagöl lakes, and Dilek National Park. He meticulously kept bird count spreadsheets noting the weather and other observations and in the last few years e-mailed these to his ever expanding group of volunteers and friends who were invited, wheedled and cajoled into early morning starts to go bird counting. He also took many interested visitors and like-minded birdwatchers on trips too. He was competitive enough to be intensely proud of turning in some of the highest number of observations to the national Turkish bird observation databank, Kuşbank.
In one of the tributes sent to the bodrumobserver Web site, a friend said: "He also did his best (sometimes with other conservationists but often alone) to stem the tide of habitat destruction, particularly around Tuzla. He could not understand how development could be allowed in a protected area and sometimes got frustrated, angry and disillusioned." But he rejoiced when his work helped raise the official status of Tuzla to Important Bird Area, or IBA, rating.
Brian and his work for birds and wetlands will be remembered at a private gathering, a memorial birdwatch, at Tuzla on Feb. 1 and at a seminar in Bodrum on World Wetlands Day, Feb. 2. It seems appropriate that his funeral in Essex, England will also be held on the same day.
The winter flocks of flamingos, pelicans and other migratory birds are now in residence in the Tuzla lake area, although no one has counted them regularly since Brian left, so watchers cannot be reassured their numbers are an indication of a healthy environment.
The long battle against golf course developments started by Brian and others over 10 years ago, has been lost. A golf course now flanks the mudflats and waters of the Tuzla wetlands and on the far side, there is an underway. Sad, illegal shanties still cluster the edges of the mudflats. After recent rain, farmlands briefly reverted to wetlands on the other side of the highway, the first invader of the wetlands in the late 1970s. It is a sight that reminds locals that these wetlands have been shrinking for many decades as human settlement encroaches. This newspaper in September featured the headline: "Birds bid farewell to Turkey as wetlands dry," but migratory birds still come to the area and are forced in greater numbers into the smaller remaining pockets of wetlands. Brian wrote in an educational leaflet for children, "Imagine if you had to walk to Ankara from Bodrum carrying all your food and water, as the wayside cafes were shut.." The new neighbors of Tuzla, the owners of holiday homes and golf courses, who boast about their view of the flamingos, need to ask themselves how they can work to keep this unique place alive and well. We must all work to keep these wetlands healthy, otherwise the birds’ loss will also be our loss. Remember the phrase of John Donne: "No man is an island entire of itselfÉ.never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."
The burly, jovial Brian was a regular sight around the Tuzla wetlands and its hinterland as he drove his jeep around the area. His mission was to count the birds and identify their species in comprehensive years-long surveys. He did not limit his mission to Tuzla, but traveled around the Bodrum Peninsula, particularly to the valley of Dereköy where villagers had asked for help documenting the biological wealth of the area. He went on regular observation trips further afield to Bafa Lake, the Menderes Delta, Cennet and Karagöl lakes, and Dilek National Park. He meticulously kept bird count spreadsheets noting the weather and other observations and in the last few years e-mailed these to his ever expanding group of volunteers and friends who were invited, wheedled and cajoled into early morning starts to go bird counting. He also took many interested visitors and like-minded birdwatchers on trips too. He was competitive enough to be intensely proud of turning in some of the highest number of observations to the national Turkish bird observation databank, Kuşbank.
In one of the tributes sent to the bodrumobserver Web site, a friend said: "He also did his best (sometimes with other conservationists but often alone) to stem the tide of habitat destruction, particularly around Tuzla. He could not understand how development could be allowed in a protected area and sometimes got frustrated, angry and disillusioned." But he rejoiced when his work helped raise the official status of Tuzla to Important Bird Area, or IBA, rating.
Brian and his work for birds and wetlands will be remembered at a private gathering, a memorial birdwatch, at Tuzla on Feb. 1 and at a seminar in Bodrum on World Wetlands Day, Feb. 2. It seems appropriate that his funeral in Essex, England will also be held on the same day.
The winter flocks of flamingos, pelicans and other migratory birds are now in residence in the Tuzla lake area, although no one has counted them regularly since Brian left, so watchers cannot be reassured their numbers are an indication of a healthy environment.
The long battle against golf course developments started by Brian and others over 10 years ago, has been lost. A golf course now flanks the mudflats and waters of the Tuzla wetlands and on the far side, there is an underway. Sad, illegal shanties still cluster the edges of the mudflats. After recent rain, farmlands briefly reverted to wetlands on the other side of the highway, the first invader of the wetlands in the late 1970s. It is a sight that reminds locals that these wetlands have been shrinking for many decades as human settlement encroaches. This newspaper in September featured the headline: "Birds bid farewell to Turkey as wetlands dry," but migratory birds still come to the area and are forced in greater numbers into the smaller remaining pockets of wetlands. Brian wrote in an educational leaflet for children, "Imagine if you had to walk to Ankara from Bodrum carrying all your food and water, as the wayside cafes were shut.." The new neighbors of Tuzla, the owners of holiday homes and golf courses, who boast about their view of the flamingos, need to ask themselves how they can work to keep this unique place alive and well. We must all work to keep these wetlands healthy, otherwise the birds’ loss will also be our loss. Remember the phrase of John Donne: "No man is an island entire of itselfÉ.never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."