CDP: Wildlife Clips: March 31, 2023
New Mexico Creates First-Ever $100m Conservation Fund. According to Public News Service, “New Mexico is using some of its surplus budget funds, primarily from oil and gas revenues, to establish the state's first-ever source of recurring funding for conservation efforts. Known as the Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund, it consists of two $50 million reserves - one to fund existing state programs and another permanent fund managed by the State Investment Council. Jonathan Hayden, senior policy analyst with Western Resource Advocates, said the funds with allow better stewardship as the state grapples with what's ahead from changing weather patterns ‘through things like watershed protection, forest restoration, thinning projects, community-resilience projects - all of which will help insulate communities from the worst effects of a dryer and hotter climate.’” [Public New Service, 3/30/23 (=)]
Critical Habitat Proposed For 12 Endangered Species, All On Hawai’i Island. According to Maui Now, “The US Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing critical habitat for 12 species, all found only on Hawaiʻi island. The Service has also determined that critical habitat was not prudent for two additional species. All 14 species are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Approximately 122,277 acres of federal, state, private, and public lands are being proposed as critical habitat for 12 species, meaning these areas have been identified as essential for the conservation of one or more of the species for which critical habitat is being proposed. Designating critical habitat for the loulu palm (Pritchardia lanigera) and ʻopāe pond shrimp (Vetericaris chaceorum) is considered not prudent due to concerns of potential overharvesting in the wild. The Service will hold a virtual public informational meeting and hearing on the proposal in March 2023.” [Maui Now, 3/30/23 (=)]
Endangered Species Act: U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service Proposes Two Southern Freshwater Mussels For Listing. According to JD Supra, “The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (“Service”) has proposed to list two southern freshwater mussels under the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”). See Docket No. FWS-R2-ES-2022-0026. The Service’s listing decision include: Texas heelsplitter as an endangered species, Louisiana pigtoe as a threatened species. The Service also proposes under Section 4(d) of the ESA critical habitat for both species. Portions of three counties in Arkansas are designated for the Louisiana pigtoe. The mussels are stated to occur in the Cossatot, Saline, Rolling Fork, and Little rivers in Arkansas.” [JD Supra, 3/30/23 (=)]
Here Are Florida’s Nasty Invasive Species. Why Do We Have So Many? According to Tampa Bay Times, “You probably already know Florida’s climate allows all kinds of nasty creatures to survive here. Snakes. Spiders. Politicians. This place is unique. The Everglades is the only ecosystem on Earth where crocodiles and American alligators coexist. It’s like Mother Nature asked God: Should we give Florida a toothy, sofa-sized reptile capable of swallowing a Labradoodle? And God said: Let’s make it a double. I mention this because anyone who follows creepy-crawly news may have seen that we’re in the midst of an invasion on three new fronts.” [Tampa Bay Times, 3/30/23 (=)]
Florida Sees Fewer Manatee Starvation Deaths As Feeding Ends. According to Politico, “The effort to feed thousands of pounds of lettuce to starving manatees in Florida officially ended for the winter season Wednesday, as deaths of the marine mammals appear to be slowing despite the long-term threat of pollution to their main food source, seagrass. State and federal wildlife officials said during an online news conference that just under 400,000 pounds of lettuce was provided to hundreds of manatees at a warm-water power plant site along the state's east coast where they typically gather for the winter. It was the second year of the experimental feeding program that was launched because of the deaths of at least 1,100 manatees in 2021, by far the most ever recorded. All told, more than 2,000 manatees have died mostly of starvation from January 2021 through March 10 of this year, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.” [Politico, 3/30/23 (=)]
Trout-Stocking Programs Could Aid Fish Populations As The Climate Warms. According to Yale Climate Connections, “In spring, many anglers head to northern streams to fish for trout. They often find plenty to catch because state agencies stock popular fishing locations. This means they supplement the natural trout population with fish that were raised in captivity. ‘We want to make sure that there’s enough out there to both support the environment as well as the take that’s going to happen of fish being harvested,’ says Amy Teffer, a researcher from the University of Massachusetts. She says existing stocking programs could provide an opportunity to help fish populations become more resilient to climate change.” [Yale Climate Connections, 3/30/23 (=)]
52 Years After Capture, Orca Lolita May Return To Pacific. According to the AP, “More than 50 years after the orca known as Lolita was captured for public display, plans are in place to return her from the Miami Seaquarium to her home waters in the Pacific Northwest, where a nearly century-old, endangered killer whale believed to be her mother still swims. An unlikely coalition involving the theme park’s owner, an animal rights group and an NFL owner-philanthropist announced the agreement during a news conference Thursday.” [AP, 3/30/23 (=)]
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