Al's Morning Meeting

'Tis the season for the 107th annual Christmas Bird Count, during which tens of thousands of volunteer birders scour more than 2,000 areas for the Audubon Society. The count continues through Friday. Find the count nearest you.

You can see what past counts have discovered in your community.

Here is some local news coverage of counts around the country so far.

I gave some historical context of the count in 2004.

Young Children and Pedal-Pusher Injuries

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report" posted an interesting study that shows how many children younger than 6 years old were injured in accidents involving trikes, bikes and other toys with pedals between 2002 and 2004 in Wisconsin. The problem is that while older kids often wear helmets, younger children don't, because parents believe the slow-moving, preschool-aged pedal toys are much safer than bigger bikes.

Consider this: There were about 2,000 visits to emergency rooms for injuries sustained while on pedal-powered toys in Wisconsin during the years studied.

The CDC and the Wisconsin Division of Public Health collected data from Jan. 1, 2002, through Dec. 31, 2004. They looked at pedal-cycle injuries for children younger than 6 in all nonfederal emergency departments and hospitals in Wisconsin.

Privacy in 2007

• As of Jan. 1, 2007, it will be illegal in Arkansas to publicly post or display an individual's Social Security number or to require an individual to transmit [his or her] Social Security number via the Internet unless the information is encrypted. (Arkansas 85th General Assembly, SB 335 [PDF])

• Employers in Maryland are no longer allowed to print an employee's Social Security number on [his or her] paycheck or any part of the pay stub. (Maryland General Assembly, 2006 Regular Session, HB 388 [PDF])

• Victims of identity theft in Hawaii, Kansas, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Wisconsin will be able to place a security freeze on their credit reports. The security freeze will prevent credit reporting agencies from releasing information to unauthorized parties without the consumer's authorization, preventing perpetrators of the identity theft from obtaining additional credit. (Hawaii 23rd Legislature 2006, HB 1871; Kansas Legislature, 2006 Session, SB 196 [PDF]; New Hampshire General Court, 159th Session, SB 334; Oklahoma Legislature, 2006 Regular Session, SB 1748 [PDF]; General Assembly of Pennsylvania, Session of 2005, SB 180; Rhode Island General Assembly, 2006 Session, H 7148Aaa; Wisconsin State Legislature, 2005–2006 Session, AB 912 [PDF])

New Boating Laws

I wonder what is behind the flood of new boating laws that are now in place. Look at this list from NCSL:

• Nonresident recreational fisherman in North Carolina will pay more for a fishing license in 2007 than they have in the past. Fisherman from other states will pay twice the amount of a North Carolina resident to fish the coastal waters of the state. However, the Fourth of July has been designated a "Free Fishing Day." As such, recreational anglers are not required to have a license to fish on the Fourth of July. (General Assembly of North Carolina, 2005 Session, SB 1126)

• New boating-safety regulations in Oklahoma will require minors 12 to 15 years old to successfully complete a boating-safety education course in order to operate motor- or sailboats. The minors must also be accompanied by an adult while operating a vessel. (Oklahoma Legislature, 2006 Regular Session, SB 1495 [PDF])

• New personal watercraft regulations in Maine require individuals who are 16 or 17 years old and wish to operate a personal watercraft to complete a boater-safety education course. The 16- or 17-year-old can only operate the personal watercraft if accompanied by someone over 18 years of age. (Maine 122nd Legislature, LD 307) [...]
  

• New Mexico residents born in 1989 or after must complete a safe-boating course prior to operating a vessel on the state's lakes and rivers. Additionally, children 12 years of age or younger are required to wear personal flotation devices at all times while a passenger on a recreational boat unless they are below deck. (New Mexico Legislature, 2006 Legislative Session, SB 118 [PDF])