CARING for and about cows is priority number one for milk producers everywhere. Helping conservation groups protect other animals is not, especially if they are sometimes regarded as a nuisance. Yet because four dairies in central California recentlydid just that, there is now a "good guy" public relations story that enhances the image of the entire industry. The species involved was Tricolored Blackbirds. Once common in California, their numbers have shrunk to about 300,000 worldwide. They are protected under the state's Fish and Game Code and are a "Species of Special Concern," a designation used to identify species that are rare, threatened or endangered under the California Environmental Quality Act.
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