April 30, 2025, Planning Board Special Meeting Transcript - WEHI

05/12/2025 02:23:28 PM Page 93 to 96 of 116 24 of 48 sheets 93 THE WITNESS: The core forest patches are1 much smaller.2 MR. AFRAN: That would be about three3 hectares?4 MS. MCGOVERN: How do you spell hectare?5 MR. AFRAN: H-E-C-T-A-R-E.6 So if 9 acres is around three hectares and7 what you're saying is left over of both edge and core8 after development is around 45 hectares?9 THE WITNESS: Yes.10 MR. AFRAN: Okay. I wanted that to be clear11 so we all understood.12 THE WITNESS: Yes. That's how I have --13 MR. PLOCKER: Thank you.14 MS. MCGOVERN: Thank you. Please continue.15 I mean, I think the take away from this is that's16 A. a very strong relationship, so, and it's a very straight17 relationship, so no matter where you are on that line18 you're going to have a drop in nesting success rate.19 This is just one aspect of one life history stage of20 this area.21 And then one other ecological process, ecological22 phenomenon that will occur the with proposed development23 is the increase occurrence of what's called,24 brown-headed cowbirds into much more of the forest at25 94 this site than probably are currently occurring. So1 brown-headed cowbirds have an interesting nuisance to2 humans, they are adaptive to following herds of wild,3 you know, wild underlance in the Midwest on the Great4 Plains, but as humans deforest the east coast they move5 to that open habitat and start parasitizing the nest of6 eastern deciduous forest birds which either dissipates7 that threat and their history or faced at a very low8 level. They're face at a very high level now and it's9 thought to be an important factor in the loss in the10 numbers of many bird species. And so cowbirds just love11 coming in on an edge, looking for nests that are near12 the edge of a patch of woods where woodland birds are13 nesting and the female scour around to find the nest of14 the host species and they sneak in eggs along with the15 host eggs, here's a couple of cowbird eggs here.16 They're specially adapted eggs, the shells are17 especially hard so they're hard to poke a hole in and18 throw out. The shells are also especially round,19 they're very difficult for the host to grasp and throw20 out and so what tends to happen is the host takes care21 of the young and it's often to the detriment of their22 own young. This is not a wood thrush, that's just for23 the record, it's a red-headed black bird.

what tends to happen is the host takes care21 of the young and it's often to the detriment of their22 own young. This is not a wood thrush, that's just for23 the record, it's a red-headed black bird. So good24 picture but cowbirds have a very big impact on song25 95 bird, in particular song bird reproductive system.1 When you take any kind of -- when you create edge2 you create a space for cowbirds. They're not a forest3 interior species, they are an edge and an open country4 species and if you cut a development right through that5 forest you're going to expose much more of that land to6 this change. Change in the ecology of the site.7 So just a quick summary. This is kind of for the8 record, the slides, just based on what I've seen and9 some of the basics of avian college in the eastern10 deciduous forest. The site appears to support migratory11 birds species that are very typical for the habit and12 the region. When I got there I didn't think there was13 any big surprises, but I do think it's a very healthy14 looking bird community, which matches the look of the15 site overall.16 And then in terms of the bird community will17 change with the proposed development. Area sensitive18 species, interior species are likely to be effected by19 the proposed development, the change in habitat and then20 the many well known edge effects on interior bird21 species are likely to increase. That will shift the22 bird community over time. It will take time, going back23 to what Dr. DeVito said about sort of the time scale24 which these events take place. You won't see it right25 96 away, but over time fewer of those species that are1 influenced here won't return to breed here and that will2 either be because they have low nest success or they3 face mortality and eventually that site will look like4 the bird community of all similar little patches of5 woods in this part of the state. That's what I have.6 MR. AFRAN: Thank you.7 Mr. Chairman, I have no -- I don't have any -- I8 don't have any additional questions for Dr. Butler.9 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: Mayor McCartney, do you10 have any questions?11 MAYOR McCARTNEY: I do not Chairman. Thank you.12 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: Mr. Klein, do you have any13 questions of Mr. Butler's testimony?14 MR. KLEIN: No.15 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: Mr. Wilkes, do you have16 any questions for Dr. Butler on his testimony?17 MR. WILKES: No questions.18 CHAIRMAN

you have any13 questions of Mr. Butler's testimony?14 MR. KLEIN: No.15 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: Mr. Wilkes, do you have16 any questions for Dr. Butler on his testimony?17 MR. WILKES: No questions.18 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: Mr. Alper, do you have any19 questions for Dr. Butler?20 MR. ALPER: Sure.21 The interior wetlands that are on the site, I22 take it you couldn't see in the edges, but we know there23 are wetlands obviously. Are you able to predict a sense24 of what sort of species would probably be in those25