CDP: Wildlife Clips: February 17, 2023
Departments
Feds Plan Experimental Population Rules For Colo.'S Wolves. According to Politico, “The Fish and Wildlife Service this week proposed to designate a “nonessential experimental population” of gray wolves in Colorado to fit with the state’s politically fraught plans to reintroduce the animal later this year. Citing the November 2020 ballot measure in which Coloradans voted to bring back the wolf, the federal agency said it wants to designate the population as experimental under an Endangered Species Act provision that would allow for some “flexibility” in its management.” [Politico, 2/16/23 (=)]
Service Proposes to Overhaul ESA Permitting Regulations. According to JD Supra, “On February 9, 2023, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) published proposed revisions to its regulations governing incidental take and enhancement of survival permitting under Endangered Species Act (ESA) section 10. If finalized, the regulations would do away with the distinction between candidate conservation agreements with assurances and safe harbor agreements, clarify that incidental take permits no longer need to have a federally listed species as the “lead” species, codify aspects of the agency’s five-point policy that provide detail on the necessary components of habitat conservation plans, and make a number of other significant, as well as administrative and ministerial, changes.” [JD Supra, 2/16/23 (=)]
Alaska Sues NMFS For Over Designating Critical Habitat For Ice Seals. According to KINY Radio, “Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy sees the science giving way to politics. “Washington D.C. continues to see our state as the nation’s sole wildlife preserve, to the detriment of the opportunities we were promised at statehood to be able to build a robust economy,” Governor Dunleavy said. “Nearly the entire Alaska coastline and vast offshore areas are designated as ‘critical’ for one species or another, ranging from whales to sea ducks to seals and sea lions. No other state is burdened by the same level of federal overreach created by unnecessarily large critical habitat designations. If other states had the same level of federal designations, the law would be rewritten.” The area designated for the two seal species is much larger than the state of Texas and includes approximately 324,105 square miles of coastal waters along the North Slope and the adjacent Outer Continental Shelf.” [KINY Radio, 2/16/23 (=)]
Petition Seeks Oregon Endangered Species Protection For Southern Resident Orcas. According to The Center For Biological Diversity. “The Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, and Whale and Dolphin Conservation filed a petition today to protect Southern Resident orcas under the Oregon Endangered Species Act. As of the most recent census, just 73 Southern Resident orcas remain, divided among three family groups. “Southern Resident orcas are icons of the Pacific Northwest, yet Oregon has lingered on the sidelines of recovery efforts,” said Quinn Read, Oregon policy director at the Center. “It’s time for Oregon to step up and acknowledge its critical role in saving these incredible orcas and the Chinook salmon they depend on for survival.” In recent years, births have failed to outpace deaths among the population. The primary threats to the remaining Southern Resident orcas are steep declines in prey quality and quantity, high levels of marine contaminants, noise and disturbance from vessels and other human activity, and the risk of oil spill. Chinook salmon make up about 80% of the Southern Residents’ diet. The decline of the Southern Residents’ population is tightly correlated with the decline of Chinook salmon throughout the Pacific Northwest.” [The Center for Biological Diversity, 2/16/23 (=)]
State And Federal Funds Fuel More Wildlife Crossings. According to Politico, “Wildlife crossings are getting more go signs, on Capitol Hill and beyond. State and federal lawmakers are steering money toward projects. National highway officials are preparing to roll out a new grant program. Companies are pitching in, governors are initiating executive orders, and a major nonprofit group that’s been honking the horn for years is drawing more attention.” [Politico, 2/16/23 (=)]
Make a Positive Environmental Impact for Invasive Species Awareness Week! According to Mountain Lake PBS, “Each year, this week-long environmentalist initiative helps raise awareness about invasive species, the impacts they have on our ecosystems and environments, and ways scientists, governments, and citizens across the world can help prevent their spread. Invasive species can be non-native plants, animals or insects that have been introduced to an environment, ultimately causing ecological damage to habitats and other species. They can also be native species that become harmful to their own environment due to human impacts on their food web or habitat. Locally, invasive species can be found in the mountains, lakes, rivers, forests and even residential communities of the Adirondacks. These invaders include aquatic animals like the Round Goby fish, insects such as Emerald Ash Borers and Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, and plants like Hydrilla.” [Mountain Lake PBS, 2/16/23 (=)]
Kill Order For New Mexico Feral Cows Issued By US Officials. According to the AP, “A helicopter with a shooter will fly over a portion of the vast Gila Wilderness in southwestern New Mexico next week, searching for feral cows to kill. U.S. Forest Service managers approved the plan Thursday to protect sensitive spots in the nation’s first designated wilderness area. The move sets the stage for legal challenges over how to handle unbranded livestock and other stray cows as drought deepens in the West. The Gila National Forest issued the decision amid pressure from environmental groups who raised concerns about nearly 150 cattle whose hooves and mouths are damaging streams and rivers. Ranchers, meanwhile, have criticized the plan to shoot cows from a helicopter as animal cruelty. They said the action violates federal regulations and will be problematic when carcasses are left to rot.” [AP, 2/17/23 (=)]
Scientists Grow Sea Stars In Lab To Understand Mass Die-Off Along Pacific Coast. According to Reuters, “A few hours from Seattle at a location that can only be reached by boat, marine scientists at University of Washington's Friday Harbor lab are breeding and studying endangered sunflower sea stars following a massive die-off over the past decade. These creatures, once plentiful along the Pacific coastline from Mexico's Baja California peninsula to Alaska have been decimated. Approximately 90% of them have disappeared since 2013 due to a mysterious sea star wasting syndrome that may have been caused by climate change and the warming ocean temperatures.” [Reuters, 2/16/23 (=)]
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