Protected Species

 

AP | Backyard Poultry, Bald Eagles: Bird Flu Spreads. According to Politico, “New cases of bird flu continued to be recorded across the country last week as officials noted cases in poultry in Michigan and Idaho and attributed the deaths of three Georgia bald eagles to the disease. Avian influenza, which can be transmitted by migrating birds, has been spreading across the U.S. since February, putting poultry farms and zoos on high alert. Wyoming, Colorado and Montana were among the states that reported new cases this month, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s bird flu tracking website. The disease is often fatal to chickens and other domestic birds. The disease was confirmed in a backyard poultry flock in Livingston County, Mich., the state Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said Friday, bringing to four the number of southeastern Michigan counties where the virus has been detected. The location where the bird flu was found is under quarantine, and the birds have been destroyed to prevent further spread of the virus, the department said. The flock contained about 20 birds of multiple species, it said. The finding underscores the ‘ongoing high risk for the disease in Michigan,’ the department said in urging poultry owners ‘to implement every strategy necessary to protect their flocks.’” [Politico, 4/18/22 (=)]

 

US Wildlife Officials Aim To Address Illegal Wolf Killings. According to Associated Press, “Prompted by a court order, federal wildlife managers have issued a new draft plan for managing Mexican gray wolves in the Southwestern U.S. in an effort to address illegal killings of the endangered predators. The plan calls for millions of dollars to be spent over the coming decades on more education, outreach, increased law enforcement patrols and other projects to boost the wolf population across its historic range in Arizona, New Mexico and in Mexico. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently reported that Mexican wolves saw their numbers increase for another consecutive year but that overall growth of the population has been tempered in part by human-caused mortalities, which include illegal killings and being struck by vehicles. The draft made public last week is meant to address the longstanding concerns of environmentalists who claim the agency is not doing enough to ensure the recovery of the species. While encouraged by the proposed changes to address what they call conflict hot spots, some environmentalists say pressure on the wolves will continue until the recovery area is expanded and the predators are allowed to roam.” [Associated Press, 4/19/22 (=)]

 

Judges OK Jumping Mouse's Habitat. According to Politico, “A Republican appointee and two colleagues on a federal appeals court have upheld the Fish and Wildlife Service’s designation of nearly 14,000 acres as critical habitat for the New Mexico jumping mouse. In a blow to ranchers, the unanimous three-member panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday that FWS appropriately accounted for economic impact and ranchers’ water rights when setting the endangered mouse’s critical habitat. ‘The Service acknowledged that cattle guards and fencing may impede access to water and that the Forest Service may need to develop alternative water sources or shift cattle grazing patterns,’ Judge Timothy Tymkovich wrote. A George W. Bush appointee to the appeals court, Tymkovitch added that ‘rather than ignoring those costs, the Service expressly incorporated the costs into its economic impact analysis.’ The agency estimated that the costs associated with the critical habitat designation will be about $23 million. Most costs would arise from efforts to reduce the impact of livestock grazing on the jumping mouse’s habitat. ‘According to the Service, poorly managed grazing harms the Jumping Mouse by causing ‘trampling of streambanks, burrow collapse, loss of riparian cover, soil compaction, modification of riparian plant communities [and] lower water tables’ Tymkovich wrote.” [Politico, 4/18/22 (=)]

 

Officials: Florida Panther Struck And Killed By Vehicle. According to Associated Press, “An endangered Florida panther has died after being struck by a vehicle. It’s the 11th panther death attributed to fatal collisions, out of 11 total deaths this year, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The remains of the 2-year-old male panther were found Sunday near Lakeland in Polk County, wildlife officials said. Florida panthers once roamed the entire Southeast, but now their habitat mostly is confined to a small region of Florida along the Gulf of Mexico. Up to 230 Florida panthers remain in the wild.” [Associated Press, 4/19/22 (=)]

 

Editorial: Poaching Wolves Not Helping. According to Baker City Herald, “If anyone wanted to help out the animal rights crowd in its efforts to reinstate federal Endangered Species Act protection to all wolves, all he would have to do is randomly kill the predators. Since wolves were reintroduced into parts of the West, animal rights activists have been hollering that, unless wolves are fully protected under the ESA, they could be indiscriminately killed. In a few parts of Eastern Oregon, that appears to be happening. In the past two years, eight wolves were poisoned and seven were shot and killed. This was not someone protecting himself or his livestock. This was someone poaching and breaking the law. Animal rights and environmental groups are pushing right now trying to convince the federal government to reinstate ESA protections for wolves in the Northern Rockies. Just last week, we published a column by two members of the U.S. Senate making the case for state management of wolves in Idaho and Montana. The senators are 100% correct. Idaho, Montana and other states where wolves have been imposed on ranchers and others have done their best. Reinstating federal protections would take management decisions out of the states’ hands. If you think there are problems with wolves now, wait until management decisions are returned to the hands of federal bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.” [Baker City Herald, 4/18/22 (-)]

 

Endangered Species Act

 

Lawsuit Leads To Critical Habitats For Endangered Species In The Pacific. According to Honolulu Civil Beat, “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will designate critical habitats for 23 endangered species in the Pacific thanks to a legal settlement with the Center for Biological Diversity. The nonprofit environmental advocacy group filed the settlement Tuesday on Guam, concluding the lawsuit that if filed against the federal agency last year. Species that will benefit from the settlement include the Pacific sheath-tailed bat, the Guam tree snail and Bulbophyllum guamense, an orchid with greenish-yellow flowers. Maxx Phillips, director of the Center for Biological Diversity’s Honolulu office, said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated nearly two dozen species in the Micronesian region as endangered or threatened in 2015, but blew past a 2016 deadline to designate critical habitats for the animals and plants. ‘Unique Pacific island species like the Marianas eight-spot butterfly needed habitat protection years ago,’ she said, adding that federal agencies including the military have been responsible for habitat loss. ‘Our nation really has a duty to protect the natural heritage of special places and these species that are found nowhere else on this earth.’” [Honolulu Civil Beat, 4/18/22 (=)]

 

Wildlife

 

Wolf, Bear Hunting Limits In Alaska Wildlife Refuge Upheld . According to Bloomberg Law, “The federal government, and not Alaska, has the ultimate power over hunting on federal lands in the state, the Ninth Circuit affirmed Monday in a loss for the state and a hunting group. Alaska and Safari Club International separately sued after the Fish and Wildlife Service limited certain hunting practices approved by the state in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge near Anchorage. The rule banned brown bear baiting and closed a wildlife recreation area to coyote, wolf, and lynx hunts. Hunting within the refuge is subject to federal law and Interior Department regulation, according to the U.S. Court of Appeals ...” [Bloomberg Law, 4/19/22 (=)]

 

Wildlife Corridors

 

Editorial: Plan For More Wildlife Underpasses, Overpasses Needed. According to Rocky Mountain Outlook, “The groundbreaking ceremony for the new wildlife overpass near Lac Des Arcs came as welcome news to the Bow Valley. The overpass, which began under the NDP provincial government and continued by the UCP, is a much needed wildlife crossing that should significantly reduce vehicle-wildlife collisions. Although it is the first wildlife overpass in Alberta outside a national park, it needs to be the starting point rather than a finish line. Anyone who drives the Trans-Canada Highway knows the reality of animals attempting to dart across one of the busiest stretches of highway in the country. Each year there are countless incidents of vehicles slamming into animals, which can lead to the loss of both human and animal life. In Banff National Park, a network of 38 wildlife underpasses and six overpasses as well as wildlife fencing has been established along the 82-kilometre stretch of highway to help prevent such loss of life.” [Rocky Mountain Outlook, 4/18/22 (+)]

 

 

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