Letters to the Editor

Beauty in a Fallen Oak

Thanks to Liese Greensfelder for her beautifully written experience with the “Fallen Oak” (Summer 2001). Hers is an important reminder of the expansive community lost from clear-cutting.

Beth Fernandez
Pacifica, California

Baptista Tribute

The magnificent Fall 2001 issue of California Wild is such a fitting tribute to Luis Baptista, though words alone cannot fully describe his absolute charm, his gregarious, humble, and inspiring ways. Song, as he heard, understood, recorded and analyzed, remains in the listener’s ear far beyond his days on Planet Earth. Our memories hold dear so much of the song his life represented.

For me and my husband, a memorable “song” occurred on December 23, 1994, on an Academy trip to Costa Rica and Panama. Luis was our leader, eagerly leading our group on trails, along creeks and rivers, up jungle-clad hillsides as we looked and listened for birds. Of course, some of us were often more enthralled with the monkeys dropping nuts and fruits on our heads as Luis with his portable field amplifier bounced along listening to some unseen feathered creature!

The good ship Polaris had anchored off a deserted beach in Corcovado National Park and the crew and staff had magically prepared a fabulous BBQ on shore. Duly sated and as darkness dropped, we sat around a campfire blazing with dead palm fronds and started to sing Christmas carols. Some were a bit uncomfortable with this, so suddenly Luis, with his glorious voice soaring in the night sky, began some of the familiar folk songs or sea chanties, and soon the entire group joined in. And it was not long before we all lustily sang the beloved songs of Christmas! How lucky we were to have had those days with him.

Luis was so generous with his time and enthusiasm as he led groups through the bird skin showcases and myriad drawers of mammal bones. I remember one time when he slyly slipped before our eyes the two-foot-long bone of a male whale’s sexual identity, chuckling in his inimitable style. His slide show lectures before our Marin Audubon membership were always standing-room only. And he was always one of the first to welcome Academy members to the wonderful annual member and donor evenings.

Luis was a treasure. He is missed so very much but his “song” does indeed linger on!

Mimi Burton
Kentfield, California

I really enjoyed the article on Luis Felipe Baptista. Luis is a very knowledgeable man that vigorously pursues more knowledge. I’m glad he is focused on various species of birds. It’s amazing how someone’s life can be influenced in their early childhood, as with Luis who receives a pair of budgies at the age of eight and the rest becomes history. I would like to get up and personal with the white-crowned sparrow so I can see the qualities of this fine bird.

Lawrence Hodson
Walnut Creek, California

Plant Absorbers

At what level does airborne selenium cause health problems, in either humans or animals?

And is anyone working on developing a sterile plant with an increased metabolism to lower atmospheric carbon dioxide levels?

Carl Allamanno
San Leandro, California

The author responds: Neither the State of California nor the US EPA have established ambient air quality standards for selenium compounds. But acceptable ambient air selenium concentrations for other states that have standards range from 2,700 ng/m³ over 24 hours to 5,000 ng/m³ over eight hours.

In terms of phytovolatilization, the highest brief period air selenium concentration simulated at the Kesterson Reservoir (a most selenium-contaminated site) was about 700 ng/m³, and the highest 24-hour average air selenium concentration simulated was about 250 ng/m³. Therefore, no simulated air selenium concentrations exceeded those standards.

I’ve been unable to find anyone working on a plant that would fit the criteria of the second question, but given the concerns over releasing genetically modified organisms of any sort into the environment, even ones supposedly unable to reproduce or cross-breed with wild species, this would be a difficult proposal to put forward.

Funding Clarification

I would like to make one clarification to the article by Stephanie Greenman (“Rock Fish to Rig Fish,” Fall 2001). Most of my research around California oil platforms has been funded by the Biological Resources Division of the United States Geological Survey. In the past two years, both the Minerals Management Service and CARE have also contributed funding. Should individuals believe that my research is in any way tainted by my sources of funding, they are more than welcome to review all of my surveys (they are all on tape) and count the fishes for themselves.

Milton Love
Santa Barbara, California

This is Not Baseball

In the Fall 2001 version of Counterpoints in Science, astronomer Edwin P. Hubble was erroneously identified as Carl Hubble, a Hall of Fame baseball pitcher. We regret the error.