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Mike Peterson would have given a VERY different take on cormorants. He will talk at length about his reasons for non-intervention. A couple of his points: the bellies of DCCOs are filled with trash fish, when they are "harassed" by egg-oilers they only move to another spot. Date: Fri, 1 Jul 2005 10:29:12 -0700 From: Matthew Medler <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Cormorant Article on NYTimes.com There is currently an article on the New York Times web site about Double-crested Cormornants on Lake Champlain: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/01/nyregion/ 01cormorant.html?pagewanted=1&8hpib (a free subscription is required). I was rather disappointed by this article, which I found to be unbalanced. Although the focus of the article is on the colony on the Four Brothers, there is no mention of the fact that colonial waterbird species diversity has *increased* on these islands since cormorants started nesting there. Instead, we are told that the species can ruin habitat for other species, and that species diversity on Vermont's Young Island has decreased to "only gulls and cormorants." And, while there is the requisite quote from a charter boat captain about the cormorants, I find it odd that the reporter apparently did not make the effort to interview the man who served as the manager of the islands for many years--Mike Peterson. I would think that he would be able to provide more meaningful insight about cormorants and the entire bird community on the Four Brothers. Matt Medler Charlotte, VT