(I'm a) Road Runner interview and video

Welcome to our August newsletter which includes two bonus videos!!

It's been a busy summer. The "Band of Legends" 43-concert tour is now complete and James has just flown back from the Democratic National Convention where he appeared with Tony Bennett and John Legend at an event honoring Nancy Pelosi; he also taped an appearance on NPR’s “etown” with David Crosby, Graham Nash and Ani DiFranco. Coming up, James and the band will be making a number of promotional appearances (TV, radio, etc) to support the release of his new "Covers" CD. On the subject of promotion, we’ll let James speak for himself. In his words:

"Release of a new recording project like 'Covers' means an inevitable round of promotion. It is, I'll admit, the one area of my work that I feel slightly uneasy about. But when you have a new batch of songs that you feel particularly good about, you need to take it by it's tiny hand and lead it into the market place. Then you can let go..." James

This month James would like to share information with you about a cause that is important to him and his family--the preservation of the migratory songbirds’ habitat on the Southern Tip of Virginia’s Eastern Shore.

Scarlet tanager

For almost 20 years, the Southern Tip Partnership** has been working to acquire and protect land on the Eastern Shore in an attempt to save the neotropical migratory songbird. In an effort to protect this crucial habitat, James and Kim, have donated funds for the acquisition and protection of 285 acres of land containing 71 acres of wetlands, 82 acres of forest and 143 acres of crop land on the Eastern Shore. The recent “Band of Legends” tour began with a benefit concert in Virginia Beach which raised another $200,000 toward the Partnership’s continued efforts.

Tell us a little about the Southern Tip of Virginia’s lower Eastern Shore and why it is important to the songbirds.

Basically, the New Jersey shore gives way into Delaware which in turn gives way into Maryland, for a second, and then in Virginia the shoreline becomes a peninsula that separates the Chesapeake Bay from the Atlantic Ocean.

Prothonotary warbler

It's known worldwide as a habitat of crucial importance. Ornithologists – academics, professionals and amateurs–are focused on this as a crucial habitat and a "stopover" for the songbirds' and other species in their fall migration from Canada to the tropical rain forests of Central and South America. Many are traveling all the way from Quebec to South America and they get funneled down, because of the topography of their route, to this spot seeking refuge, rest and food. A loss of shrubs and trees due to a rise in housing development along this area have decreased the availability of resources needed for them to survive their seasonal journey.

Tell us about these special birds.

A lot of these species, particularly the songbirds, are very much at risk because as they migrate, they are preyed upon by certain predatory birds and therefore need the shelter and protection of the trees and shrubs where they can hide. Most of these birds are insect and berry eaters and they won't be able to survive their journey if their food source is bulldozed for streets and roads. It's absolutely essential that this eastern shore be protected for the birds.

James & family tour Virginia National Wildlife Refuge

What is being done to protect the land? What part have you played in this effort?

This land on the Southern Tip of Virginia’s Eastern Shore has traditionally been rural and farmlands and a lot of woodlots. Over the years, the Southern Tip Partnership has been able to protect more and more of this by raising funds to buy the land that the birds need. Most of the land is bought with federal funds but groups like the Nature Conservancy will step in and buy a piece of the property--but only if they’re guaranteed that they will get their funding back from the state. In some cases, the state in turn buys the property from the Conservancy so that the organization may use funds to protect additional habitat. The value of the property can change due to various restrictions resulting in a difference in what the Nature Conservancy paid and what they're getting back.

The first show on our summer tour this year was in Virginia Beach and we made it a benefit concert for the Southern Tip Partnership, raising $200,000. The benefit will go toward an additional tract of farm land on the southern tip that will be converted to songbird habitat. That farmer needs to sell some land and prefers to sell it for a conservation purpose rather than housing development. We are continuing to support the efforts to get more and more of this farmland protected. It's only a matter of time before other people buy up these farms and woodlots and develop them. Our hope is that we have been able to raise funds and increase public awareness. Public support for federal grant funds is extremely important to ensure the protection of migratory bird habitats. People need to know that they can make a difference by telling their Congressmen that more funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the US Fish and Wildlife Service is needed. They can also help by planting native trees and shrubs in their own backyards that will provide songbirds with cover from predators and berries for food.

**The Southern Tip Partnership is comprised of the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program (CZM), the Virginia Department of Conservation & Recreation (DCR), the Virginia Eastern Shore Land Trust, the Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries (DGIF), the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and The Nature Conservancy.

Editor's Note: Many people wrote in last month with questions about the featured photo of James wrangling a snake. We decided to reprint it here. The full photo is used with the kind permission of Jane Fonda on whose ranch, in New Mexico, the photo was taken. Ms. Fonda swears that James knew the snake was a "friendly bull"--and not a rattler-- before he picked it up.