Help Save the Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill

It's not unusual for those who see the acclaimed documentary "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill: A Love Story…With Wings" to feel that they know the film's fine feathered stars intimately. The film documents the life, loves and complex relationships the parrots share with one another and their friendship with adoring caretaker Mark Bittner, whose life was ultimately transformed by their presence.

Sadly, the birds' fame did not prevent John Cowen, an absentee North Beach landowner who lives in Capitola, from cutting down on Halloween the third of five cypress trees that comprise a key part of the parrots' habitat. These are the same trees where the birds are often seen in the movie preening their feathers and hiding from preying hawks. Cowen was about to fell the two remaining trees, despite pleas from many neighbors and City officials, but Bittner temporarily saved them by running out of his cottage and standing between the cypresses and chainsaws, refusing to move until the engines were silenced and negotiations begun.

Despite the fact that Bittner has observed the flock of over 200 birds for more than a decade, Cowen still wants to remove the remaining two trees. If this happens, the birds will no longer have a secure perch from which to watch for hawks before swooping down to feed from Bittner's hand, endangering their safety and closing off an important connection with their caretaker. However, it's not too late for animal advocates to make a stand for the wild parrots by supporting San Francisco's efforts to legally protect the trees as landmarks.

What You Can Do:

1) Click http://ga0.org/ct/wp17J1p1yzoM/ to urge Mayor Gavin Newsom and members of the City Operations & Neighborhood Services Committee Meeting to strengthen the proposed landmark tree legislation so that the City can effectively preserve the two remaining cypress trees on Telegraph Hill. To maximize the influence of your opinion, also contact these City officials by postal mail, phone, fax or personal email. Read the sample hyperlinked letter for talking points.

Mayor Gavin Newsom
City Hall, Room 200
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA 94102
Tel: (415) 554-6141
Fax: (415) 554-6160
Email: gavin.newsom [at] sfgov.org

Supervisor Jake McGoldrick
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 244
San Francisco, CA 94102-4689
Tel: (415) 554-7410
Fax: (415) 554-5163
Email: Jake.McGoldrick [at] sfgov.org

Supervisor Bevan Dufty
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 244
San Francisco, CA 94102-4689
Tel: (415) 554-6968
Fax: (415) 554-5163
Email: bevan.dufty [at] sfgov.org

Supervisor Fiona Ma
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 244
San Francisco, CA 94102-4689
Tel: (415) 554-7460
Fax: (415) 554-5163
Email: fiona.ma [at] sfgov.org

2) Attend a public hearing about the landmark tree legislation and urge committee members to strengthen Supervisor McGoldrick's proposal so that it can be used to protect the wild parrots' habitat.
What: City Operations & Neighborhood Services Committee Meeting
When: Monday, December 5th, 4:00 p.m.
Where: San Francisco City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place (between Grove and McAllister), Room 263 (click http://www.sfgov.org/site/cityhall_index.asp?id=5244 for directions)

3) See "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill: A Love Story…With Wings" at two film screenings next week. The film's Emmy and Sundance award-winning director, Judy Irving, will hold Q&A sessions following the 7:15 screenings on both days, and also present a very special guest: a slightly injured wild cherry headed parrot that she and Mark Bittner are caring for inside their Telegraph Hill cottage.
What: "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill: A Love Story…With Wings"
When: Tuesday, December 6th (7:15 & 9:40 p.m.) and Wednesday, December 7th (2:00, 7:15 & 9:40 p.m.)
Where: Red Vic Movie House (click http://www.redvicmoviehouse.com/directions.php for directions)

4) Visit http://www.pelicanmedia.org/wildparrots.html to learn more about the wild parrots of Telegraph Hill. Click http://www.pelicanmedia.org/store.htm to purchase the film on DVD or VHS, and to buy Mark Bittner's New York Times best-selling book of the same name.