FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Febuary 4, 2009

CONTACT:
Kelly Brockman, 615-259-4000

Tennessee Song Birds Threatened By Global Warming

New Campaign to Highlight the Impacts of Global Warming to Tennessee

Crystal Shawanda, Nashville musician, performing at the Coalition's launch.

NASHVILLE – Today a group of health, conservation and environmental organizations launched the Keep Tennessee Singing Campaign to raise awareness about the impacts global warming could have on Tennessee, especially the state's song bird population.

"The beauty of Mother Nature has always been an inspiration to me," said country music singer Crystal Shawanda. "Many of my songs celebrate the natural wonder of our world. I am eager to work with others to raise awareness of these issues, and will do all that I can to keep Tennessee singing."

According to the National Wildlife Federation and American Bird Conservatory, global warming could affect birds in many ways, shifting their distributions, altering their migration behavior and habitat, and even diminishing their survival ability. If global warming continues at the current rate, Tennesseans could see a reduction of songbirds, including Tennessee's state bird, the mockingbird, in the coming years.

As part of an effort to highlight local and state impacts, the coalition has placed outdoor billboards along 1-40, 1-24, and 1-65 interstates surrounding downtown Nashville that read: "Keep Tennessee Singing: Don't Let Global Warming Silence Our Songbirds" and a website www.keeptnsinging.org. The coalition will continue education and outreach initiatives throughout the year.

"From country music to our songbirds, Tennessee is filled with music. But if global warming continues unabated, we could lose the music of our beloved songbirds," said Greg Adkins of the Tennessee Public Transportation Association. "We must recognize that global warming threatens our own backyards, and we must begin to confront it. The economic well-being and the quality of life of all Tennesseans could suffer from the impacts of global warming and using public transportation is a step in the right direction to reducing carbon use."

Throughout the campaign, supporters will be calling on Senator Alexander, Senator Corker and the members of the Tennessee congressional delegation to support legislation mandating an 80 percent reduction in global warming pollution by 2050. Their support for such legislation will make Tennessee a leader in the international struggle to combat global warming.

"Tennessee could be the center of the political debate on global warming," said Phyllis Cuttino who directs the Pew Environment Group's U.S. Global Warming Campaign. "The state stands to suffer real consequences of global warming; losing the songbird is just one example. The longer we wait to act, the more costly dealing with global warming will be and the greater risk we face of suffering irreversible damages."

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