CDP: Wildlife Clips: March 16, 2023
Departments
Haaland Tells Alaskans Izembek Road Still Possible. According to Politico, “Interior Secretary Deb Haaland's decision to revoke a Trump-era land exchange for a road through Alaska's Izembek National Wildlife Refuge pleased conservation groups but startled local leaders who for decades have championed the need for a road. Haaland and the Interior Department informed residents of the decision to begin a new environmental analysis of a land exchange during a conference call Tuesday that included King Cove Administrator Gary Hennigh; representatives of the Aleutians East Borough that includes King Cove; and Etta Kuzakin, president of the Agdaagux Tribe of King Cove.” [Politico, 3/15/23 (=)]
US Tribes Get Bison As They Seek To Restore Bond With Animal. According to the AP, “Dozens of bison from a mountain park outside Denver were transferred Wednesday to several tribes from across the Great Plains, in the latest example of Native Americans reclaiming stewardship over animals their ancestors lived alongside for millennia. Following ceremonial drumming and singing and an acknowledgement of the tribes that once occupied the surrounding landscape, the bison were loaded onto trucks for relocation to tribal lands. About a half-dozen of the animals from Colorado will form the nucleus of a new herd for the Yuchi people south of Tulsa, Oklahoma, said Richard Grounds with the Yuchi Language Project.” [AP, 3/15/23 (=)]
Judge Wants Plan To Protect Humpback Whales From Fishery. According to the AP, “A U.S. judge this week ruled that the National Marine Fisheries Service violated the law when it failed to develop a plan to prevent West Coast commercial sablefish fishermen from harming humpback whales. The Endangered Species Act requires the fisheries service to develop a plan to reduce the number of whales accidentally injured or killed by the fishery, but the agency neither crafted such a plan nor started to create one, the ruling said. About 150 commercial fishing vessels use traps to capture sablefish in waters off California, Oregon and Washington.” [AP, 3/15/23 (=)]
A 24-Armed Hunter, Threatened With Extinction, Is Set to Get Protection. According to the New York Times, “Sunflower sea stars, huge starfish that until recently thrived in waters up and down the west coast of North America, are threatened with extinction and should be protected under the Endangered Species Act, federal officials said Wednesday. The starfish have been devastated by a wasting syndrome that has been linked to the effects of climate change. It killed more than 90 percent of sunflower sea stars from 2013 to 2017, in what officials described as the largest marine wildlife disease outbreak on record. The sickness starts with lethargy and lesions followed by tissue decay. Starfish’s limbs drop off and they die within days, leaving a gooey pile.” [New York Times, 3/15/23 (=)]
Researchers discover wildlife disease attributed to plastic. According to Politico, “Seabirds on an Australian island ingest enough plastic to develop harmful digestive complications. The fledglings examined in a study recently published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials had significant scarring in their digestive tracts that prompted researchers to name a novel plastic-caused fibrotic disease "plasticosis." One of the study’s authors, Hayley Charlton-Howard, said the team opted to study Australia’s flesh-footed shearwaters, a coastal species characterized by its rich brown color and a pink, dark-tipped bill, that is affected particularly strongly by plastic pollution.” [Politico, 3/15/23 (=)]
Greens Petition NOAA To Create 'Whale Safety Zones'. According to Politico, “Environmental advocates, incensed by recent reports of ships speeding through slow zones meant to protect whales, are calling on NOAA to establish year-round navigation standards for all coastal waters. The Ocean Foundation and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) on Wednesday filed a rulemaking petition with NOAA, urging the agency to create "whale safety zones” for all large ships, with mandatory speed limits and other preventive measures. The petition, the first to propose a nationwide minimum standard to reduce vessel collisions with whales, comes as whale species — particularly the endangered North Atlantic right whale — face increased risks from larger, noisier and faster ships.” [Politico, 3/15/23 (=)]
Audubon Keeps Name Tied To Enslaver, Roils Staff. “The National Audubon Society announced Wednesday that it’s keeping its name, following a lengthy internal debate and pressure from staff to sever ties to its namesake, bird artist and enslaver John James Audubon. The renaming debate has loomed as a contentious topic within the group for months as some Audubon affiliates have changed their own names, the organization’s employee union dropped Audubon from its title and staff accuse the National Audubon Society’s leadership of paying lip service to diversity efforts without taking sufficient action.” [Politico, 3/15/23 (=)]
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