Endangered Species

 

Maine’s Atlantic Salmon Likely To Be On ‘Endangered’ List For Another 75 Years. According to Bangor Daily News, “A decade after the Penobscot River was included in the expansion of Endangered Species Act protection for Atlantic salmon originating in Maine, federal officials have released the final recovery plan for those fish. The news isn’t good. Federal officials estimate that it will take 75 years — about 15 generations of fish — for Gulf of Maine Atlantic salmon to be delisted entirely. That news dims hopes that any angler who enjoyed fishing for salmon in Maine rivers in the past will live long enough to do so again. Additionally, the plan estimates that the annual cost of implementing recovery actions will be $24 million per year on top of recovery-based efforts covered by regular federal budgets. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on Tuesday released their plan for the recovery of Atlantic salmon within the Gulf of Maine distinct population segment. The document will serve as the foundation for conservation and recovery efforts moving forward. According to the plan, recovery efforts must focus on rivers and estuaries until threats salmon face at sea are better understood. In addition, the continued effort of fish hatcheries in the conservation is an essential piece of the recovery puzzle. Eastern Maine has two such hatcheries — Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery in Orland and Green Lake National Fish Hatchery in Ellsworth.” [Bangor Daily News, 2/12/19 (=)]

 

Fed Pay Hike, Butterfly Center Protection In Deal Due Today. According to E&E News, “Bipartisan border security and spending legislation due out later today would bar construction of barriers at five areas along the U.S.-Mexico border, including the National Butterfly Center, as well as give federal employees a modest pay raise. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said the legislation would be released after 4 p.m. today and would be on the House floor after 6:30 p.m. tomorrow. Congress needs to pass the deal and have it signed into law to avert another government shutdown by midnight Friday. ‘The overwhelming number of issues have been settled, but there are few issues still out there,’ Hoyer told reporters this morning, while discussing the legislation, which would contain seven annual appropriations bills including the Interior-EPA, Commerce-Justice-Science, State-Foreign Operations, Agriculture, and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development funding measures. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) confirmed that he had won a provision in the bill that would bar using past and new funding for building barriers at five locations along the border in South Texas. ‘I worked hard to include this language because I know we can secure the border in a much more effective way, and at a fraction of the cost, by utilizing advanced technology and increasing the agents and properly equipping them on the border,’ said Cuellar. The areas marked for protection are the National Butterfly Center, Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, La Lomita Historical Park, and a tract of land next to the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge that will be home to the proposed SpaceX commercial space port.” [E&E News, 2/13/19 (=)]

 

N.M. Urged To Ban Trapping After Mexican Wolves Caught. According to E&E News, “The death of a Mexican gray wolf and injuries to another prompted environmentalists yesterday to call on New Mexico lawmakers to ban trapping on public land. Defenders of Wildlife said four wolves have been caught in traps in New Mexico over the last two months. The wolf that died was a female member of the Prieto Pack, which roams northern portions of the Gila National Forest. Another member of the pack that was also trapped remains in captivity after having its leg amputated. The two other wolves that were caught were released into the wild. More than 40 wolves have been caught in traps in the Southwest since 2002, according to the group. ‘This is having a significant impact on the recovery of the species. Every wolf lost to trapping is unnecessary and unacceptable,’ said Bryan Bird, the group’s Southwest program director. The Fish and Wildlife Service did not immediately return a message seeking comment. The wolf management team this week is conducting an annual survey to determine how many of the predators are roaming parts of New Mexico and Arizona.” [E&E News, 2/13/19 (=)]

 

A Butterfly Sanctuary In Texas Is Going To War With Trump Over The Border Wall. According to Think Progress, “A treasured sanctuary for butterflies in Texas has found itself at the center of a revolt against President Donald Trump’s long-touted border wall, in a growing reflection of the sentiments shared by Texas border environmentalists and private property owners alike. ‘It’s going to be an eyesore for one,’ Marianna Treviño-Wright, the National Butterfly Center’s executive director, told ThinkProgress as she spoke about the border wall. ‘We’re an ecotourism destination. Who wants to go and enjoy nature in a place that looks like a prison yard?’ The border wall will cut through the center’s land and imperil the vulnerable creatures it cherishes. With options dwindling, the National Butterfly Center is taking desperate measures to stop the wall from being built on its property. On Monday, the Texas Observer reported that the center had asked a federal judge to stop the Trump administration’s ongoing border wall efforts on its property. The private nature preserve is seeking a restraining order against the federal government and specifically wants to stop the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from continuing with its wall construction pending a decision on a larger lawsuit filed in December 2017 by the center. Arguing that the National Butterfly Center’s constitutional rights are being violated through the seizure of its property, the organization moreover says that the border wall will cause ‘irreparable harm’ to the delicate wildlife and nature it seeks to safeguard.” [Think Progress, 2/13/19 (+)]

 

Wildlife & Conservation

 

Groups To Sue US Agency Over Loss Of Caribou Herd. According to Associated Press, “Environmental groups said Wednesday they plan to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for failing to prevent the recent loss of the last herd of mountain caribou in the Lower 48 states. The handful of remaining animals were relocated into Canada last November, ending decades of efforts to save the southern Selkirk Mountains herd, which were located in a remote part of northern Idaho and Washington state. The lawsuit would seek to blame the Fish and Wildlife Service for failing to designate protected habitat for the animals. ‘Fish and Wildlife Service officials sat on their hands for decades while the last wild caribou in the lower 48 states went extinct,’ said Andrea Santarsiere, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, which filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue along with Defenders of Wildlife and The Lands Council.” [Associated Press, 2/13/19 (=)]

 

Sea Turtles Nested In Fla. Despite Algae Blooms — Officials. According to E&E News, “Wildlife officials say sea turtles consistently nested on Florida beaches in 2018, despite lingering algae blooms that killed marine life and tropical storms that washed out habitat. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute posted the statewide nesting totals yesterday. More than 91,400 loggerhead nests were found, about 5,000 fewer than in the previous year. Researchers say it’s unclear why those turtles’ nesting totals can wildly fluctuate year to year. Green sea turtle nests spike every other year. Roughly 4,500 nests reported in 2018 followed 53,000 nests reported in 2017. Florida is the only continental U.S. state where leatherbacks regularly nest. This year’s total of 949 is up from 663 nests in 2017. Kemp’s ridley and hawksbill turtles nest in smaller numbers in Florida.” [E&E News, 2/13/19 (=)]

 

Unraveling The Mysteries Of Sharks In The Galápagos Thanks To An App. According to Forbes, “The mysteries of the sharks in Galápagos just got a little less mysterious thanks to a simple application you can download on your smartphone. Known as Sharkcount, the ‘super friendly’ and free app was designed in Ecuador and developed in the United States has already produced 600 reports. Sharkcount was created in the name of citizen science and encourages divers to report shark species they see including other information such as the location and how many were sighted, explains Eduardo Espinosa who is responsible for monitoring marine ecosystems of the Address of the Galápagos National Park. This, in turn, helps establish a baseline of information to mark long-term trends and helps define management measures. The first results from the app have already revealed the preferences of certain species towards specific islands during particular months of the year. What is revolutionary about citizen science is that it allows anyone with access to this app (or any resources like it) to be a scientist! Data that was previously limited to what marine scientists observed during scientific expeditions or through video cameras and the expert eye of scientists is now being registered by divers from all around the world who come visit the ‘Enchanted Islands’ of Ecuador. Yes, they were first called the ‘Enchanted Islands’ when they were discovered by accident in 1535! Located hundreds of miles off the Pacific Coast of Ecuador, the archipelago is made up of 13 major islands, five medium islands, and about 215 islets. Home to various endemic species of marine species and exotic birds, UNESCO declared them Natural Heritage of Humanity in 1978.” [Forbes, 2/13/19 (=)]

 

Appeals Court Denies Challenge To Bear Hunt. According to E&E News, “A state appeals court yesterday rejected a challenge to New Jersey’s bear hunt brought by animal protection organizations, ruling that New Jersey followed appropriate guidelines in expanding the hunt in 2015. The League of Humane Voters of New Jersey and the Animal Protection League of New Jersey, along with several individuals, had sued to stop the implementation of the 2015 amendments that added a second annual hunt in October to the existing hunt in December, increased the number of hunting permits, and allowed bow hunting. The hunt was reintroduced in New Jersey in 2003 to control the growing bear population, after a nearly three-decade hiatus. It has been held annually since 2010 and has faced ongoing legal challenges. In the latest, the plaintiffs argued that the 2015 guidelines didn’t comply with legal precedent and that the state inflated the number of complaints about bears to justify its actions. They also contended the state didn’t give enough consideration to nonlethal means of controlling the population such as fertility control and relocation. In a 26-page opinion, the three-judge panel rejected those arguments and wrote that the state relied on scientific research when it developed the guidelines.” [E&E News, 2/13/19 (=)]

 

A Wall Won't Stop These 'Foreign' Invaders. According to E&E News, “Invasive species threaten native wildlife, public health and crucial infrastructure, state officials warned lawmakers yesterday. The officials from Wyoming, Delaware and North Dakota were preaching to the choir, as members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee have heeded prior alarm bells and authored some solutions now nearing final congressional approval. ‘The problem of invasive species is rampant and requires action,’ said the committee’s chairman, Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.). A massive public lands package approved by the Senate on Tuesday by a 92-8 margin tackles at least part of the problem. The measure, for instance, would require federal agencies to develop a strategic plan designed to achieve ‘a substantive annual net reduction of invasive species populations or infested acreage’ (E&E Daily, Feb. 11). The bill also would establish a Management of Invasive Species Technology Advisory Board, which among other jobs would award a ‘Theodore Roosevelt Genius Prize for the management of invasive species.’ The 600-plus-page public lands bill includes other invasive species provisions, as well, and now needs only House approval and President Trump’s signature. Separate invasive species bills have also been floated.” [E&E News, 2/14/19 (=)]

 

 

 

Please do not respond to this email.

If you have questions or comments please contact mitch@beehivedc.com