Wildlife Roundup: The Good News

A little bit of August good news about wildlife conservation from around the world:

• A pair of Persian onagers (a type of wild horse) were born in Cumberland Ohio, as the result of artificial insemination.  There are only about 700 Persian onagers left in the wild, and less than 100 in captivity.  The births are being hailed as a major step forward both for wild equine breeding and, more importantly, the future prospects of this highly endangered species.  
• Myanmar (that’s Burma to you and me) has created the world’s largest tiger reserve by setting aside the entire Hukaung Valley, 8,000 square miles of habitat.  Scientists believe that over 100 tigers may live there.
• Wolves were put back on the list of endangered species after conservation groups (including NRDC) won a court case rejecting a decision to strip them of federal protections.  The court rejected an attempt to “delist” the wolf in Idaho and Montana until the entire northern Rocky Mountain population is secure.  Right now about 1,700 gray wolves roam the wilds of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, and wolves have also established small populations in Oregon and Washington.
• Cranes—the common crane, to be exact—are about to be reintroduced into England, after an absence of over 400 years.  According to The Telegraph, the last public record of cranes in England was in an Act of Parliament from 1583.  Twenty-one common cranes, after being hand reared in a facility at the Slimbridge Wetland Centre, are going to be placed in an enclosure in the Somerset Levels, before being released into the wild, in September.
• Cranes aren’t the only long-absent wildlife making a comeback in the UK.  Scotland's Kintyre Peninsula has seen the first beaver born in the wild in Britain, also in 400 years.  The animals were reintroduced to the Scottland last May. (h/t Yale 360)
• Kihansi spray toads have evolved to fill a narrow niche: their natural habitat is the mist of waterfalls (how cool is that?).  The toads were native to just five acres of land in Tanzania and were completely wiped out in the wild by development.  Luckily, they were bred in captivity by the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Toledo Zoo.  Now, scientists have reintroduced them to Tanzania.
• It’s also been a pretty good month for frogs.  The world’s smallest frog was just discovered in Borneo. The frog, which is only about the size of a pea, lives on pitcher plants. Closer to home, in Riverside County, California, scientists released 36 endangered mountain yellow-legged frog tadpoles into a stream near Idyllwild. In Arizona, scientists released 1,700 threatened Chiricahua leopard frogs into the Tonto National Forest.

Take Action to Protect Idaho's Wolves

Earlier this month, Wildlife Services, a misleadingly named agency in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (its primary “service” when it comes to wildlife is “lethal removal”), issued a Draft Environmental Assessment (“Draft EA”) regarding its involvement in the management of gray wolves in Idaho.

Ultimately, Wildlife Services is proposing to help the State of Idaho reduce its wolf population by roughly 40% -- from around 843 wolves to about 500.  This high level of killing is predicated upon, among other things, an alleged need to protect livestock, increase elk and deer numbers, protect human safety, and prevent the transmission of disease.

When you dig into the meat of the Draft EA, however, many of the bases for preemptively killing over 300 wolves melt away.

Wolf conflicts with livestock make up a miniscule percentage of livestock losses, and several nonlethal methods to prevent conflicts exist.  In the Draft EA, Wildlife Services fails to consider the full range of nonlethal practices available, draws hasty conclusions about the effectiveness of many techniques, and neglects to mention others altogether.

Regarding elk, the premier big-game species in the West, an Idaho Fish & Game Newsletter released just a few weeks ago discusses the effect of predators on elk in Idaho.  Contrary to the popular myth that wolves are singlehandedly devastating elk herds across the Northern Rockies, Idaho Fish & Game reports that only a minority of elk populations in Idaho are declining -- and wolves are only the primary cause of elk deaths in a few of them.  In fact, 23 of Idaho’s 29 elk zones are above or within management population objectives.  And the report explains that other factors -- habitat conditions, weather, and hunter harvest -- also play a huge role in elk numbers.

As for human safety, the Draft EA expressly states, “There are no verified instances of wolves having attacked and seriously injured people in the lower 48 United States.”  The threat posed to humans by wild wolves is basically nonexistent.  If, on the other hand, a wild wolf, in an extremely rare case, becomes habituated in some way and begins to exhibit threatening or unusual behavior, such an animal can be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.  Yellowstone National Park, for example, receives over 3 million visitors annually, many of them camping, backpacking, fishing, hiking, etc.  In May 2009, Yellowstone, for the first time since it reintroduced wolves in 1995, euthanized a wolf that had become habituated (likely food-conditioned) and was exhibiting abnormal behavior.  Removing the odd wolf in Idaho that becomes habituated, should it occur, makes sense; justifying reducing wolf numbers based on a threat to human health does not.

With disease transmission, reducing Idaho’s wolf population would do nothing to reduce the spread of disease to livestock, domestic dogs, other wildlife, or humans.  In fact, conspicuously absent from Wildlife Services’s discussion of disease transmission in the Draft EA is any mention of chronic wasting disease (“CWD”), a horrible wildlife disease moving west.  Had Wildlife Services analyzed the potential effect of wolves on CWD, it would have found that multiple wildlife experts think wolves will help stop the spread of CWD as it moves farther west.  According to Doug Smith, the legendary Yellowstone wolf biologist, “Wolves are probably the single best way to stop the spread of CWD.”

The Draft EA is flawed in other ways as well (see here for NRDC’s full comment letter), and because the widespread reduction of wolves in Idaho will have a significant effect on the environment, Wildlife Services, pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act, must withdraw the Draft EA and prepare a full Environmental Impact Statement.

Wildlife Services is seeking public comments on the Draft EA through today, August 31st.

Please stand up for Idaho’s wolves and send a message to Wildlife Services to go back to the drawing board and prepare a full Environmental Impact Statement.

(Gray wolf photo credit: Tracy Brooks / Mission Wolf / USFWS)

Wake up and smell the coffee - before it's too late

Here’s a story that will wake you up.  Over on e360, there is a report that much of the world’s coffee supply is becoming increasingly threatened by a tiny beetle thanks in part to warmer temperatures.  The coffee berry borer used to be confined to a few regions in central Africa, but within the past couple of decades it has become widespread from Colombia to Indonesia – affecting every coffee growing region around the world except Hawaii, Nepal and Papau New Guinea.  Scientists believe that part of the beetle’s success is due to warming temperatures that make conditions more favorable for them.

Studies have found the beetle requires minimum average temperatures of 68 F degrees to reproduce – and that for every 1.8 degree increase in temperature, the beetles become more infectious – laying more eggs in more coffee beans and causing greater physical damage to the crop.  Coffee growers are responding by moving their crops up in elevation, the article says, but researchers are finding that the beetles are often moving with them – lying dormant until temperatures are favorable.  On the bright side, shade grown coffee may have an advantage since the trees providing shade can reduce temperatures around the coffee plants by 3-7 degrees, however despite growing popularity in some markets, shade grown coffee – which is also good for wildlife - is apparently still the exception rather than the norm.

We write here regularly about another beetle/climate story involving whitebark pine.  But those trees are way up high on the mountain tops and the impact of their demise - while likely to be profound not only for the critters that feed on their seeds, but for everyone occupying the land below – can sometimes seem abstract and hard to grasp. Here’s a story that most of us can relate to.

When are we going to wake up to the fact that it’s time to do something about climate change? For everyone’s sake, let’s get to it before the coffee is gone. 

Go to NRDC's action center to tell congress not to abandon comprehensive climate and energy legislation.  

Image: Coffee Tao by The 4/30 murders shared via Flickr

The Shark Ate My Homework: NRDC Submarine Attacked by Shark

I couldn’t help but chuckle a bit when I read Ali’s recent post about “Waldo,” the autonomous submarine launched by NRDC, Oceana, and the Mote Marine Laboratory this past July to explore the waters off the Florida Keys for plumes of underwater oil. Waldo’s mission, it seemed, was cut a bit short (as was Waldo) by a shark. And during Shark Week, to boot.

In a way, it was a a bit of good news. As Lelia points out, all is not well with sharks, and populations of many shark species around the world have plummeted in response to overfishing, bycatch, and shark “finning,” a particularly brutal practice. So at least we know that one shark is alive and well off the Florida coast. 

Even better, despite its slightly abbreviated mission, Waldo did not detect any strong indicators of oil. That’s good for the Keys, because some studies indicate that as much as half of the oil spilled by BP still hovers under the Gulf’s surface (although others differ), and the gentle giants of the shark world, whale sharks, may already have suffered from the spill.

Solar-powered Salamander?

A colleague sent over this article detailing a mind-blowing nexus of my energy and wildlife work---the discovery of a fairly common salamander species that is literally powered by the sun, at least early on. New research finds that spotted salamander embryos and hatchlings somehow have little bits of algae inside their cells to create energy using photosynthesis. It is the first time this has been observed in any animal with vertebrae. More importantly, its yet another example of why keeping critters on this planet is so important---we clearly still have a lot to learn from the animal kingdom. Who knows if the humble salamander harbors secrets that will help fix our energy mess...

Young Spotted Salamander image by Anita363 via Flickr

The heart of the wolf recovery problem - Science

A federal judge recently ruled to return endangered species protections to wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains.  Given that NRDC was one of the plaintiff groups in the lawsuit, we are obviously pleased with the outcome.  The court ruled that the federal government cannot subdivide a population along state lines removing protections in some states (Idaho and Montana) while maintaining protection in another state (Wyoming) because that state is unwilling to develop a management plan that the federal government will approve. 

Now that this legal issue has been addressed, it’s time to get back to the heart of the problem – scientifically defensible recovery standards.  The US Fish and Wildlife Service developed a recovery goal for this region over 20 years ago and if you go back and read the recovery plan you won’t find a single scientific citation supporting their proposed goal of 10 breeding pairs (or approximately 100 wolves) in each of the three states of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.  The Service has since spent a lot of time and effort to defend those numbers – including ignoring any scientific opinions that did not agree with them – but the truth is that their recovery goals have never been supported by science – not 20 years ago and certainly not today.

In fact, a recent review article comprehensively surveyed the scientific literature on minimum population size requirements and concluded that “thousands (not hundreds) of individuals are required for a population to have an acceptable probability of riding-out environmental fluctuation and catastrophic events, and ensuring the continuation of evolutionary processes. The evidence is clear.”  The authors go on to point out that management plans calling for only a few hundred individuals are “managing inadvertantly or implicitly for extinction.” 

The descrepancy between the recovery goals (around 300 individuals) and the current population of wolves (around 1,700) is vast – almost as vast as the opinions on either side of the debate around wolves in the Rocky Mountains.  In fact, it’s a large part of what shapes that debate.   Proponents of removing protection from the wolves are constantly pointing out that the recovery goals have been far surpassed.  And opponents point out that (without endangered species protections), there is no enforceable way to prevent the states from reducing their current populations to the bare minimum.

The recovery goals form the basis of the disagreement over wolf recovery.  And the US Fish and Wildlife Service forms the basis of the recovery goals.  Its time for the Service to reclaim their leadership role in wolf recovery  by reassessing and reasserting not only a legally defensible, but a scientifically defensible recovery plan for wolves.  

Image: Sigmaeye shared via Flickr.

Asian Carp: "Oh crap, they hurt" on the Wabash River

Brendan Kearns can’t stop giggling. What he saw on a recent river tour with his pal Mark Kirby is indeed amazing, the water was alive with massive jumping fish that eventually pelt their boat. It is so amazing that his only reaction is to laugh in wonder.

I can’t blame him. It is hard to believe the video. But there is nothing funny about what they saw as they cruised down the Wabash River near Terre Haute, IN. His video shows the advancing invasion of Asian carp up the Wabash from the Ohio. As the Terre Haute Tribune Star notes:

On past river excursions, Kearns said it was not unusual to see a single Silver Carp jump in his boat’s wake every few minutes. But “on that Sunday [August 1], we saw more than usual,” Kearns said.

...

The Big Head and Silver carp were first discovered in Indiana waters in the mid-1990s in the southwest tip of Indiana near the Ohio River, Bloom said. The state has monitored their presence ever since and some of the fish have more recently been discovered in the northern part of the Wabash River. In Illinois, some have been found very close to Lake Michigan.

What this video makes clear is that Lake Michigan is not the only Great Lake at risk.

After initially discounting concerns from NRDC, Alliance for the Great Lakes, NWF and other groups, the Army Corps of Engineers and state wildlife regulators are scrambling to set up barriers in areas where a flood plain connects the Wabash with the Maumee River. It is a gateway for the invasive fish to swim into Lake Erie.

While the images are breathtaking, Brendan’s video is not much different from footage taken on the Illinois, Fox and Missouri Rivers where silver carp also swarm (although, from a production value perspective, this is vastly superior---most of the YouTube clips are so shaky…). In some areas, like Peoria, IL, the infestation has gotten so bad that people have had to stop recreating on the waterway. For them, there is no novelty to these images.

I’d bet that Brendan would like to avoid this becoming too commonplace---he shouts “oh crap, they hurt” after being nailed by one in the video. At least he kept his good humor about it...

The little brown bat and the big white problem

Last week a new study came out that predicts the regional extinction of the little brown bat from the eastern United States due to the emerging fungal pathogen called white-nose syndrome.  As we have detailed here in the past, white-nose syndrome is a mysterious disease that has caused the loss of well over a million bats in the northeastern US and is continuing to spread across the country being discovered this summer as far south as Tennessee and as far west as Oklahoma.  The little brown bat is one of the most common bat species whose range covers most of North America, but the new study estimates there is a 99% chance that the bat will be gone from the eastern US within 16 years.  Those are some pretty big odds.

These findings are striking because the fungus not only continues to colonize new geographic locations, but new host species as well – recently having been discovered on the 9th species of bat in the US.  While the new study only looked at the little brown bat, white-nose syndrome is likely to have similarly devastating effects on the other species that it infects.  Collectively, this loss of bats is almost certain to have a noticeable effect on the region’s insect populations – including agricultral and forestry pests.

Because these effects carry with them broad economic and environmental consequences, and because the scope of this problem is quickly becoming national rather than regional, we believe that the federal government should have a vested interest in addressing white-nose syndrome quickly and effectively.  While the study’s authors suggest erecting bat boxes may help somewhat, there is as yet no easy solution to the white-nose syndrome problem.   

The greatest need continues to be funding for research and monitoring which is why NRDC will continue its efforts to call on Congress to provide the necessary resources to address this crisis of national importance.  Because according to the little brown bat, there is no time to waste.

Photo credit: USFWS

Alaska Governor Parnell Doesn’t Want to Protect Polar Bears, For the Sake of Big Oil

Alaska Governor Sean Parnell had an op-ed in Friday’s Washington Post, “Habitat designation won’t help polar bears, but will kill Alaska’s jobs,” that can only be characterized as deeply confused.  The basic premise of Governor Parnell’s article is that the federal government shouldn’t designate critical habitat for the polar bear because it won’t help the bear and it will “set aside” parcels of land and sea ice, including “nearly half of Alaska’s oil-producing areas”.  He’s wrong on both counts.

First, the designation of critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act does not “set aside” habitat or prohibit that habitat’s use, including for oil development.  While designating an area as critical habitat does require additional protections before the federal government (and only the federal government) can take any action to destroy it, major developments can take place on designated critical habitat.  That last bit is important.  Governor Parnell asserts that everything from “hunting for food” to “construction a septic system” could be effected by the polar bear critical habitat designation, but unless these activities require a permit from the federal government, that’s just not true.

Second, designating critical habitat works.  Studies have repeatedly found a positive correlation between the status of a species (whether its population is listed as declining, stable, or growing) and the designation of critical habitat.  In short, species that have critical habitat designations are more likely to have stable or growing populations than species that don’t.  Polar bears deserve the benefits of these protections no less than any other species, Governor Parnell’s desire for offshore drilling in his state notwithstanding.

I also can’t help but noting that Governor Parnell leads an administration that is currently suing in federal court to strip polar bears of all federal endangered species protections.  One of the main arguments Alaska asserts in that case (NRDC is also a party) is, essentially, that climate change models that show polar bear’s sea ice habitat disappearing are bunk--and certainly not robust enough to justify protecting bears under the Endangered Species Act.  Yet in his op-ed, Governor Parnell admits that “it is likely that much of the [sea ice] area designated as critical habitat will soon be open water.”  That, of course, precisely the problem.  And it’s why polar bears, and their habitat, deserve all the help we can give them.

BREAKING NEWS: Northern Rockies Wolves Back on the Endangered Species List

In an exciting and hard-fought victory today, Judge Donald Molloy ruled that Northern Rockies wolves must be returned to the endangered species list. This ruling in our favor, the latest in a long saga of legal battles, restores critical Endangered Species Act protections for all wolves in the Northern Rockies.

NRDC and 13 other conservation groups, represented by Earthjustice, sued the federal government last June for removing wolves from the endangered species list before their population was fully recovered.

Judge Molloy’s opinion clearly states that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service acted illegally when it removed wolves from the endangered species list in Idaho and Montana but left them on the list in Wyoming, splitting the population along political, rather than biological, lines. Judge Molloy wrote, “The Endangered Species Act does not allow the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to list only part of a ‘species’ as endangered.”

The ruling sends a clear message that it is time to take a fresh look at the outdated wolf recovery goals, update the science and recovery standards, and come up with a plan that ensures the recovery of wolves in the Northern Rockies over the long term. 

After being eradicated from the region by the 1930s, wolves were absent from the Northern Rockies for most of the twentieth century; we want to see their remarkable recovery since the mid-1990s continue.

It’s time to develop a legitimate recovery plan for Northern Rockies wolves.