Endangered & Protected Species

 

Tribal Officials Call For Federal Review Of Wisconsin Oil Pipeline Project They Say Could Kill Rare Species. According to Green Bay Press Gazette, “Researchers with the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission say their surveys have found that much more endangered species could be affected by a proposed pipeline in Wisconsin than an oil company found in its own surveys. ‘We’re concerned rare plants and animals will be disturbed or killed by this operation,’ said John Coleman, environmental section leader for the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission. The Canadian company Enbridge Energy has proposed an oil pipeline replacement project in northern Wisconsin called Line 5. About 12 miles of its active pipeline passed through the Bad River Indigenous Reservation near Ashland near the shore of Lake Superior. As easements for that section have started to expire, the tribe filed a lawsuit in 2019 to have the pipeline removed from the reservation. As a result, the company has proposed a new 41.2-mile section that would go around the reservation, but Bad River officials are calling for greater scrutiny of the project. ‘GLIFWC tries to stay in line with what our member tribes want,’ Coleman said. GLIFWC represents Ojibwe tribal interests in the Ceded Territories in northern Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan.” [Green Bay Press Gazette, 1/25/22 (=)]

 

Feds Reverse Course, Seek Protections For A New Mexico Butterfly. According to Politico, “An endangered species dispute that goes back more than two decades took a fresh turn today as the Fish and Wildlife Service proposed federal protections for the Sacramento Mountains checkerspot butterfly in New Mexico. The proposal to list the small butterfly as endangered reverses 2004 and 2009 determinations that Endangered Species Act protections were not warranted (, Dec. 22, 2004). ‘Since we published the not-warranted rule in 2009, drought from climate change has worsened in New Mexico, worsening habitat conditions for the Sacramento Mountains checkerspot butterfly,’ FWS said today. The agency noted that ‘during abnormally dry conditions, both feral horses and elk switch to browsing certain plants that are important for the butterfly’ and that recreation on the Lincoln National Forest has also increased in recent years. Citing ‘heightened concern about the impact of these stressors on the habitat,’ the agency had initiated a discretionary status review of the species in January 2021. In March 2021, the Center for Biological Diversity filed a petition to list the butterfly as endangered with critical habitat. While now agreeing that ESA listing is warranted, FWS is not yet proposing to designate critical habitat.” [Politico, 1/24/22 (=)]

 

AP | Protection Sought For Threatened Florida Ghost Orchid. According to Politico, “The rare ghost orchid faces mounting threats in Florida from poaching, loss of habitat and climate change and needs federal protection, environmental groups said today. A petition filed with the Fish and Wildlife Service asks that the orchid be placed under the Endangered Species Act and that its habitat in South Florida be officially designated as critical to its recovery. The petition was submitted by the Institute for Regional Conservation, Center for Biological Diversity and National Parks Conservation Association, according to a news release. The groups estimate there are about 1,500 ghost orchids in Florida, where they have declined by 30 percent to 50 percent. The flowers were made famous in the book ‘The Orchid Thief’ by Susan Orlean and the film ‘Adaptation.’ ‘The ghost orchid is emblematic of a wild, beautiful Florida, and this flower’s future depends on our ability to protect it from poaching and habitat loss,’ said Jaclyn Lopez, Florida director at the Center for Biological Diversity. Ghost orchids are found mainly in the Big Cypress National Preserve, the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park and Aubudon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. They are also found in Cuba.” [Politico, 1/24/22 (=)]

 

Wildlife

 

Are Ills Of The Arctic Hitting California? Hundreds Of Migratory Seabirds Wash Ashore. According to Los Angeles Times, “Sara Bogard halted her dog as the two began descending the cliff down to Manchester Beach, along the Mendocino coast. Below, scores of dead and dying birds littered the beach as far as she could see. ‘The smell hit me first,’ said Bogard, describing the musty, basement-like odor of northern fulmars scattered along the beach that mid-December morning. The smell, she recalled, was ‘kind of like a grandmother’s closet.’ What beached these offshore birds is still not known. Researchers and veterinarians who examined them — both the injured and dead — say they tended to be young and emaciated. Many had lesions on their feet, which veterinarians have identified as a papillomavirus — from the same viral family that gives humans warts but is unique to northern fulmars. ‘We don’t know if it’s the virus that is making these birds sick, or if it’s these birds’ poor condition that’s allowing the virus to bloom,’ said Rebecca Duerr, a veterinarian for the International Bird Rescue organization, which has rehab facilities in San Pedro and Fairfield. … Over the last half-decade, scientists have documented unprecedented die-offs of birds, marine mammals and other creatures in the northern waters where fulmars breed each year, as The Times reported in December. Researchers say the marine food web of the Arctic and sub-Arctic has been drastically altered, possibly because of climate change that has melted ice sheets and warmed the ecosystems of this vast region.” [Los Angeles Times, 1/24/22 (+)]

 

Wildlife Corridors

 

Editorial: Montana Should Make Wildlife Crossing Projects A Top Priority. According to Bozeman Daily Chronicle, “Who knew? Montana ranks second only to West Virginia for the probability of vehicle-wildlife collisions. It’s one of those cringeworthy rankings we prefer to ignore. But each of those collisions costs an average of $6,700 in property damage, medical bills and lost wildlife, according to an insurance company estimate. Added all up, those collisions cost more than $8 billion nationwide annually — and Montana tallies more than its fair share. Those are numbers we ignore at our peril. They have to be costing Montanans a bundle in auto insurance rates — not to mention the cost in human injuries and animal lives. A three-part series from the Montana Free Press and published recently in the Chronicle found that Montana policy has become ‘stagnant’ in pursuing wildlife-crossing measures, notably overpasses and underpasses that allow wildlife to cross highways safely. Ironically, Wyoming — not widely celebrated for its wildlife conservation measures — has been setting the standard, with a number of award-winning crossing projects that have substantially reduced vehicle collisions. Montana’s efforts have been largely confined to Highway 93 as it passes through the Flathead Indian Reservation. Tribal leaders there wisely insisted on the construction of 38 wildlife crossings as part of state highway improvement projects in the early 2000s. Those crossings, when optimally designed, cut collisions by 100%. Even less extensive measures were found to decrease incidents by 50%.” [Bozeman Daily Chronicle, 1/24/22 (+)]

 

 

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