BIRD SANCTUARY FOUNDER URGES CONSERVATION

In polls, more than 90 percent of people claim they are interested in the environment.

"Being interested in environmental issues and doing something about it are two different things," ornithologist Walter C. Crawford Jr. told an overflow crowd of 100 students and community members Monday night on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University.

What the Southeast graduate did in 1977 was found the World Bird Sanctuary, a St. Louis-based organization that returns injured birds to the wild, propagates threatened species and educates the public.

An avuncular man who allows his lack of dates might be connected to his lack of indoor plumbing, Crawford's message Monday night was that everyone can do something -- recycling, using less energy and alternatives to poisons are a few examples -- to improve the environment.

"Conservation is not a philosophy," Crawford said. "Conservation is how you live."

Pointing out that birds long have been known as indicators of environmental dangers that eventually can affect humans, he noted that the U.S. ban on DDT in 1972 did not guarantee a safe environment.

"We sell more DDT now to South America than we ever sprayed here," he said. "And where do our song birds go in the winter? To South America."

Crawford brought along some friends to help make his points:

-- Adam, a Harris hawk, a desert species that almost became extinct. When desert environments are degraded, Crawford said, they are like the tundra -- "They take a long time to heal."

-- Meramec, a red-shouldered hawk whose life is dependent on clean water.

-- A black vulture found in southern Missouri. Vultures can eat anything as long as it's dead, Crawford said. "You're looking at the ultimate party animal right there -- even White Castles."

-- Daniel, a peregrine falcon. The falcons, which can reach speeds of 200 mph in a dive, eat only other birds and is vulnerable if its prey eats poisoned insects.

-- A Eurasian eagle owl, a screech owl and a barn owl. Screech owls and barn owls lose their habitats when dead trees and barns are taken down, Crawford said. "When you cut a dead tree down, you remove homes for over 200 species."

-- And Kuma, a magnificent 31-year-old golden eagle.

Some of the birds were allowed to fly across the lecture hall to the glee of most everyone.

All the birds were created through artificial insemination at the sanctuary.

Crawford grew up in the Venezuelan jungle and still lives a rustic life. He thinks some of the problems in society can be linked to the distance human beings have put between themselves and wildlife.

"Those people who have a very strong respect for the animals that inhabit this Earth will also respect people," he said.