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Victory for Wolves in Wyoming
Victory: Federal judge reinstates federal protections statewide
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There were once up to 2 million gray wolves living in North America, but the animals were driven to near-extinction in the lower 48 states by the early 1900s.
September 23, 2014
Washington, D.C. — Federal protections for gray wolves in Wyoming were reinstated today after a judge invalidated the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2012 statewide Endangered Species Act delisting of the species. The ruling from the U.S. District Court halts the management of wolves by Wyoming, a state with a history of hostile and extreme anti-wolf policies.
“The court has ruled and Wyoming’s kill-on-sight approach to wolf management throughout much of the state must stop,” said Earthjustice attorney Tim Preso. “Today’s ruling restores much-needed federal protection to wolves throughout Wyoming, which allowed killing along the borders of Yellowstone National Park and throughout national forest lands south of Jackson Hole where wolves were treated as vermin under state management. If Wyoming wants to resume management of wolves, it must develop a legitimate conservation plan that ensures a vibrant wolf population in the Northern Rockies.”
Earthjustice represented Defenders of Wildlife, Natural Resources Defense Council, the Sierra Club and the Center for Biological Diversity in challenging the Fish and Wildlife Service’s September 2012 decision to strip Endangered Species Act protections from gray wolves in Wyoming. The conservation groups challenged the 2012 decision on grounds that Wyoming law authorized unlimited wolf killing in a “predator” zone that extended throughout most of the state, and provided inadequate protection for wolves even where killing was regulated.
“Today the court affirmed that delisting gray wolves in Wyoming by the Obama administration was premature and a violation of federal law,” said Defenders of Wildlife President and CEO Jamie Rappaport Clark. “Any state that has a wolf management plan that allows for unlimited wolf killing throughout most of the state should not be allowed to manage wolves. Wolves need to remain protected under the Endangered Species Act until the species is fully recovered. State laws and policies that treat wolves like vermin are as outdated and discredited today as they were a century ago.”
“The decision makes clear that ‘shoot-on-sight’ is not an acceptable management plan for wolves across the majority of the state,” said Dr. Sylvia Fallon, senior scientist and wildlife conservation director at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “It’s time for Wyoming to step back and develop a more science-based approach to managing wolves.”
“The court has rightly recognized the deep flaws in Wyoming's wolf management plan. Wolves in Wyoming must have federal protection until the state gets it right. That means developing a science-based management plan that recognizes the many benefits wolves bring to the region instead of vermin that can be shot on sight in the majority of the state,” said Bonnie Rice of the Sierra Club's Greater Yellowstone Our Wild America Campaign.
“We’re thrilled that protections for Wyoming’s fragile population of wolves have been restored,” said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director with the Center for Biological Diversity. “With Wyoming allowing wolves to be shot on sight >:( across more than 80 percent of the state, there is no way protections for wolves should have ever been removed.”
The 2012 delisting of wolves in Wyoming turned wolf management over to the state, which opened up over 80 percent of its land to unlimited wolf killing and provided weak protections for wolves in the remainder. Since the delisting, 219 wolves have been killed under Wyoming’s management >:(. Prior to the 2012 reversal of its position, the Fish and Wildlife Service denied Wyoming the authority to manage wolves in the state due to its extremely hostile anti-wolf laws and policies.
Background
There were once up to 2 million gray wolves living in North America, but the animals were driven to near-extinction in the lower 48 states by the early 1900s. After passage of the federal Endangered Species Act in 1973 and protection of the wolf as endangered, federal recovery programs resulted in the rebound of wolf populations in limited parts of the country. Roughly 5,500 wolves currently live in the continental United States—a fraction of the species’ historic numbers. :(
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is currently proposing to remove Endangered Species Act protection for most gray wolves across the United States >:(, a proposal that the groups strongly oppose; a final decision could be made later this year.
http://earthjustice.org/news/press/2014/victory-for-wolves-in-wyoming
"If the new flameless fire is used properly (i.e. investing the profit into nature in order to achieve and sustain a Viable Biosphere instead of using the technofix greedily and stupidly to expand the economy and the population), we can make it do our work without it working our undoing." Amory Lovins
Natural Capitalism is the only type of capitalism that won't destroy our biosphere. The Industrial Capitalism we have had since the industrial revolution is stupid.
Amory Lovins is a scientist that thinks, correctly, that making money and providing a viable biosphere are not mutually exclusive. It's time to deep six GREED BASED Social Darwinist 😈 Capitalism and adopt 🎍 NATURAL Capitalism.
NATURAL Capitalism Video here:
Amory Lovins: Part 4 - Natural Capitalism and Biomimicry
Cambridge University
http://vimeo.com/21352196
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Do We Really Need to Keep Killing One Species to Save Another? (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.desismileys.com%2Fsmileys%2Fdesismileys_2932.gif&hash=0eaec4791a5825821998245e7fcd7744b56557fe)
by Alicia Graef
November 11, 2014
SNIPPET:
The bigger problem is that even if the proposed experiment appears to help northern spotted owls, there’s no end for it in sight. Cornwall writes:
Even if we manage to negotiate the moral thicket of killing one owl to save another―and emerge at the other end with gun at the ready―we run headlong into a practical question: What’s the exit strategy? Can we kill 10,000 barred owls every year forever?
He notes that’s the number some experts believe it will take to help spotted owls. Some believe as the forests continue to recover, the killing may eventually stop, but others worry that recovery will bring more barred owls and end up “creating a never-ending killing operation.”
Earlier this year, Friends of Animals and Predator Defense, refiled a lawsuit in Oregon to save the barred owls, arguing the plan violates the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.
While that plays out, other species still continue to be targeted and killed as a result of our shoot-first mentality. Fortunately, going forward, the emerging field of “compassionate conservation” is continuing to gain traction. Marc Bekoff, a University of Colorado professor emeritus and animal behavior expert, explains the guiding principle of this field is ‘First do no harm’ and that every individual animal matters.
As more and more species become imperiled, conservationists and wildlife advocates fear the problem is just going to get worse. While there aren’t any easy answers, hopefully we can take a more reasonable approach than simply looking at numbers and continuing to murder our way out of problems that are mostly a result of our own actions.
Separately, Bekoff says:
What animals feel matters to them and it must matter to us. The lives of individual animals must be taken very seriously and researchers must make this a priority (see also). We are responsible for who lives and who dies. We can do anything we want but this power does not give us the license to ruin a spectacularly beautiful planet, its wondrous webs of nature, and its magnificent nonhuman residents. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.desismileys.com%2Fsmileys%2Fdesismileys_0293.gif&hash=b1af4868ed8f18c30e637f8cbcb79002f6f71039)
Compassionate conservation is a wonderful “meeting place” — a much-needed paradigm shift and social movement — for everyone concerned with protecting all animals. When we ignore nature we not only harm other animals but we do so at our own peril. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2F129fs238648.gif&hash=bbf8ad9cbaff9e7d3097c40c21a931e6649a237f)
http://www.care2.com/causes/do-we-really-need-to-keep-killing-one-species-to-save-another.html#ixzz3J0KzD0js
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Success! (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2Fballoons.gif&hash=a64bb5ff3e76c3e11999996c460fa02de1ee10f7)
Feds Cancel Idaho’s Disgraceful Wildlife Killing Contest (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2Freading.gif&hash=63e3e644b39258d4c4eedbcdaf322315b1856723) (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.websmileys.com%2Fsm%2Fviolent%2Fsterb029.gif&hash=7a43a0c106eab798f7ba6133dc5cc550647a03d2)
by Alicia Graef
November 28, 2014
In a victory for wildlife, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has withdrawn the permit it issued that would have allowed a multi-year wildlife killing contest to take place on more than three million acres of public lands in Idaho.
The controversy started last year when a hunters’ rights group ignited outrage after it decided to hold the first predator killing contest targeting coyotes and wolves in decades >:(. Despite the trouble it caused, the group, Idaho for Wildlife, came back this year seeking a Special Recreation Permit from the BLM that would allow it to hold more of these contests on public lands annually for the next five years, with the first one scheduled for the beginning of this January.
The “hunt” would have allowed up to 500 participants, including children, to compete in a three-day event with the goal of killing the most wolves, coyotes and a number of other species for cash and prizes.
Wildlife advocates raised concerns about how killing in the name of fun and recreation harms wildlife, threatens public safety, conflicts with public land uses and supports the same mentality that led to the eradication of species like wolves in the first place, in addition to pointing out the vital role predators play in maintaining healthy ecosystems.
Despite an outpouring of public opposition – including over 28,000 petition signatures from the Care2 community and comments from organizations including Project Coyote, the Western Watersheds Project and WildEarth Guardians, among others — the BLM granted the permit. It also simultaneously denied a permit request for a “wildlife viewing” contest submitted by conservation organizations.
Now the BLM is backing down after several wildlife advocacy organizations headed to court earlier this month to stop this event from taking place.
Defenders of Wildlife, the Center for Biological Diversity, Western Watersheds Project and Project Coyote sued the BLM and Idaho District Manager Joseph Kraayenbrink seeking an injunction, arguing that the permit flies in the face of everything that has been done to help restore wolves to the landscape and that the agency failed to fully assess how it would impact the environment and public safety.
“It’s repugnant and shocking that wildlife-killing contests are still being allowed in the 21st century,” said Amy Atwood, senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, who represents the Center, Western Watersheds Project and Project Coyote. “In approving this contest, the BLM is out of step with an American public that no longer supports the slaughter of wildlife for sport. Indeed, more than 90,000 people submitted comments opposing the contest, yet the permit was still issued.”
WildEarth Guardians, Cascadia Wildlands and the Boulder-White Clouds Council simultaneously filed a nearly identical lawsuit that also faulted the U.S. Forest Service for failing to require a permit or analyzing the contest’s impacts.
While Idaho for Wildlife reportedly remains intent on continuing to hold derbies, Bryan Hurlbutt, an attorney with Advocates for the West, countered that the BLM withdrawing its permit “thwarts the derby organizers’ attempt to expand the small derby held in Idaho last year into a major event, and gives us momentum to ensure these backwards events are never permitted on our public lands.”
“We’re so glad that the deadly derby has been canceled this year,” said Atwood. “These sort of ruthless kill-fests have no place in this century. We intend to pursue every available remedy to stop these horrible contests.” (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emofaces.com%2Fpng%2F200%2Femoticons%2Ffingerscrossed.png&hash=d56f8009d18b55f4cea7be68284c0521be92fc5d)
As they celebrate the news, wildlife advocates are also still working to stop these wildlife killing contests from taking place elsewhere. In California, the Fish and Game Commission is preparing to vote next week on whether or not to ban this type of barbaric event throughout the state.
Those supporting the proposed ban are hopeful the commission will vote on the side of wildlife and that a win there will help set a precedent for other states to follow.
Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/success-feds-cancel-idahos-disgraceful-wildlife-killing-contest.html#ixzz3KUi2esMu
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Can the World Really Set Aside Half of the Planet for Wildlife? (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.desismileys.com%2Fsmileys%2Fdesismileys_1730.gif&hash=cdaf50326d98ff7b051a9c49e83d51c7bb687407)
The eminent evolutionary biologist E.O. Wilson has an audacious vision for saving Earth from a cataclysmic extinction event
By Tony Hiss
Smithsonian Magazine September 2014
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SNIPPET:
New England would seem to be a Half Earth slam dunk, a landscape on the upswing of a yo-yoing transformation. The region was 90 percent forested when the Pilgrims arrived, but almost 200 years later farmers chopped down all but 20 percent of the trees during a “sheep fever” that can in part be blamed on Napoleon and the first stirrings of globalization.
When Napoleon overran Portugal in 1810, a Vermonter carried off a herd of merino sheep, prized for their soft, premium-priced wool, which until then had been a monopoly of the Portuguese aristocracy. The 30-year wool craze that followed has been called “a mania as powerful as any religious fanaticism.” ;D New England’s famous stone walls, rocks piled up by hand, like the Egyptian pyramids, and with more stones than the pyramids, are a remnant of that period. 8) Then this vast series of sheep pens was abruptly abandoned as farmers and herders moved west.
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Pinus strobus, commonly known as the eastern white pine, white pine, northern white pine, Weymouth pine, and soft pine
The forests returned, though no one in the 21st century will see anything like those first forests’ practically sequoia-size Eastern white pines, trees that awed early settlers. Timbering is common in the newer woods, and even if left strictly alone, white pines need 400 years to tower over everything in sight. The “reforests,” if you can call them that, instill their own wonder, though. Self-seeded, they’ve spread again to cover 79 percent of New England, and a recent report refers to the entire six-state region as a “continental-scale habitat corridor.” If the pace of land conservation can be doubled, says this same clarion-call report, “Wildlands and Woodlands,” then 50 years from now New England can stay 70 percent forested forever. The area, it says, is something rare in the biosphere: a “second-chance landscape.”
Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/can-world-really-set-aside-half-planet-wildlife-180952379/#BU7Xgom239truQFK.99
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Victory! California Becomes the First State to Ban Wildlife Killing Contests (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.freesmileys.org%2Femoticons%2Femoticon-object-042.gif&hash=76ef1277aabb18fb4b98437f4ebc40a0f80ed4e8)
by Alicia Graef
December 5, 2014
5:30 pm
In a historic victory for wildlife, this week California became the first state in the nation to officially ban barbaric wildlife killing contests for good in a move that wildlife advocates are hopeful will set a precedent for other states to follow.
According to Project Coyote, more contests than we care to know about continue to take place under the radar because state wildlife agencies don’t monitor them, but they’ve been making headlines recently and a growing number of people have been speaking out against them. Thankfully wildlife officials and land managers are listening to the calls from wildlife advocates and are taking the problems with these unjustified events seriously.
Project Coyote petitioned the Commission earlier this year after news that a three-day Coyote Drive was taking place in Modoc County sparked outrage. Not only would the contest result in the cruel and senseless deaths of coyotes, but concerns also were raised that it threatened gray wolves who were protected earlier this year under the state’s endangered species act. California doesn’t have an established population, but the area was part of where OR-7, the first wolf to venture into California in 87 years, was known to visit.
In a 4-1 vote on Wednesday, the California Fish and Game Commission approved a proposal that closes loopholes that allow so-called hunters, including children, to participate in contests, tournaments or derbies that offer prizes or other rewards for killing the most, or biggest, predators.
“Awarding prizes for wildlife killing contests is both unethical and inconsistent with our current understanding of natural systems,” said Michael Sutton, President of the California Fish and Game Commission. “Such contests are an anachronism and have no place in modern wildlife management.”
While these competitions are held under the guise of wildlife management, or predator control, wildlife advocates and scientists argue that they’re not only cruel but counter to the goal of reducing conflicts with “nuisance” animals and that the indiscriminate killing of predators also ignores the valuable role they play in maintaining healthy ecosystems.
Sadly many of the wild animals who are targeted in these events are left without legal protection and can be killed year round in unlimited numbers. Now, thanks in part to the public’s reaction and those who spoke up on behalf of species targeted in these disgraceful events, things are starting to change.
“Wildlife prevailed at this historic meeting and the public made it clear through thousands of letters and thoughtful testimonies that they want to see predators protected in California,” said Camilla Fox, founder and executive director Project Coyote. “We hope that this is a first step in reforming the state’s predator management regulations, policies, and codes.”
“We commend the commission for this enlightened decision and for setting a precedent for the nation,” she added. “We should not be killing wildlife for fun and prizes in the 21st century.”
The move also comes just a week after the Bureau of Land Management pulled a permit that would have allowed a hunters’ rights group to hold a predator derby targeting wolves, coyotes and other wild animals annually for the next five years on more than three million acres of public land in Idaho.
http://www.care2.com/causes/victory-california-becomes-the-first-state-to-ban-wildlife-killing-contests.html#ixzz3LAhG2S2T
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The Shoshone National Forest covers more than 2.5 million acres on the eastern flank of Yellowstone in Wyoming. The Shoshone has some of the finest wild lands and wildlife habitat in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The Forest Service has been working on a new management plan for more than ten years, a process we have been involved in since its onset. After the Plan was released earlier this year, we helped lead a number of conservation partners, friends from the community of Cody, Wyoming, and members of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, to overturn some harmful 11th hour changes that reduced protections for some crucial wildlife areas. We detailed the importance of these areas for grizzly bears, bighorn sheep, elk, and mule deer and for the outstanding wilderness characteristics of these lands.
Earlier this week, we received notice from the Forest Service that our efforts were successful! (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.freesmileys.org%2Femoticons%2Femoticon-object-098.gif&hash=ab04cec34d8ac6be10d5db27dc7987012b3a69c4)They restored protection for Franc's Peak, the Wood River, and the DuNoir Special Management Unit. Additionally, more than 900,000 acres of the forest are now off limits to oil and gas drilling. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.runemasterstudios.com%2Fgraemlins%2Fimages%2F2thumbs.gif&hash=98130be1edf2bed4a80ac8f134b0126673bd469e) This is a wonderful outcome; the result of some very hard work by dedicated public servants of the Forest Service and thousands of Greater Yellowstone Coalition supporters and partners. We are on the verge of a great victory in Wyoming for the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.freesmileys.org%2Femoticons%2Femoticon-object-077.gif&hash=eb438043c93ec6a7daa400b47ad44ad22d4818ce)
Read More - http://greateryellowstone.org/issues/lands/Feature.php?id=300#.VJTyYcBsA
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gQujyNDp98&feature=player_embedded
Last Days
http://www.lastdaysofivory.com/
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12/22/2014 04:17 PM
Another Victory For Wolves! Protected Again In Great Lakes (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.freesmileys.org%2Femoticons%2Femoticon-object-098.gif&hash=ab04cec34d8ac6be10d5db27dc7987012b3a69c4)
SustainableBusiness.com News
Heartwarming story at link: (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.runemasterstudios.com%2Fgraemlins%2Fimages%2F2thumbs.gif&hash=98130be1edf2bed4a80ac8f134b0126673bd469e)
http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/26069
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGyUqGT1dsU&feature=player_embedded
Elephant Rescue! Unfortunately, one moment of tragedy occurred but the efforts of these people of GOOD WILL and the community are worthy of admiration, praise and support. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2F47b20s0.gif&hash=cc48c9af9d29b8836023c7db21103e52d1ed439e)
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHt2hySMkQw&feature=player_embedded
Please pass it on. Empathy SHOULD get more press than Empire.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xmqf_UfcARw&x-yt-s=1421828030&feature=player_embedded
The Chinese are doing their part to STOP the murder of elephants for ivory. That means that soon NO MORE chopsticks (or anything else) will be made from it and sold at a premium. GOOD!
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Eastern Screech-Owl (Otus asio)
Hero Freed Dangling Owl with Tree Branch, Then They Rested in a Hotel Together
by Laura Simpson
February 2, 2015
5:30 pm
A guest at the Bel Air Inn in West Springfield, Massachusetts was startled to lay eyes on an Eastern screech owl who was hanging upside down from a crevice in the corner of the building. Our hero, who goes only by the name Jose, didn’t waste any time. He immediately phoned wildlife rescuers for help, but he was unable to reach anyone for help. Rather than sitting on his hands, Jose decided to get resourceful.
Fullscreen capture 1312015 91122 PM.bmpThe owl’s foot had somehow become wedged into a crevice between the first and second floor on the exterior of the building. Though Jose couldn’t reach the owl overhead, he was able to find a tree branch and began offering it to the owl. The owl was able to right himself on the branch, and with a bit of gentle maneuvering from Jose, the animal was soon able to flutter to the ground.
Jose felt a rush of relief when he saw the owl perch in a bush, but the sense of relief was short lived. Jose soon noticed the owl was bleeding.
Though some might have shook their head and walked away, Jose had a better idea. He decided to take the owl into custody. He gently scooped up the small owl and carried it back inside and all the way into his hotel room.
While the owl found a lovely perch on top of the kitchen cabinets and surveyed the room from a safe height, Jose made some more calls and was able to find a wildlife rehabilitator who was willing to help. It would be a few hours’ wait, but the owl was soon fast asleep (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.runemasterstudios.com%2Fgraemlins%2Fimages%2F2thumbs.gif&hash=98130be1edf2bed4a80ac8f134b0126673bd469e), undoubtedly exhausted from his ordeal.
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We don’t know Joes’s full name and we probably never will. There’s something about anonymity that makes a hero seem ten feet tall. In this case, that was exactly tall enough to save the life of one desperate little bird.
Do You Rescue Too?
If you have an uplifting and inspirational animal rescue experience, please share it here.
Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/hero-freed-dangling-owl-with-tree-branch-then-they-rested-in-a-hotel-together.html#ixzz3Qj5wZtDY (http://www.care2.com/causes/hero-freed-dangling-owl-with-tree-branch-then-they-rested-in-a-hotel-together.html#ixzz3Qj5wZtDY)
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmFB3_MDvCA&feature=player_embedded
A drone camera put to excellent use. ;D
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Free Lolita! (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.freesmileys.org%2Femoticons%2Ftuzki-bunnys%2Ftuzki-bunny-emoticon-028.gif&hash=24570cb7e8246617010ce900a07bc85117ff78ca)
She was stolen from her pod as a calf and imprisoned in a tiny pool. >:(
We know exactly who Lolita’s family is and exactly where they are. She is a member of the L pod and her mother, L25 (Ocean Sun), is still believed to be alive and with the pod, along with a few others who were present the day Lolita was taken. According to the Orca Network, she still calls out in the unique language used only by her family members – she remembers.
Lolita the Loneliest Orca Finally Gets Endangered Species Protection (http://www.care2.com/causes/lolita-the-loneliest-orca-finally-gets-endangered-species-protection.html#ixzz3R5w5HObH)
by Alicia Graef
February 6, 2015
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGK9OOe7cfY&feature=player_embedded
Virunga Park is in DANGER from poachers AND Oil Corporation fostered WAR! >:(
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otKvlLEhdFA&feature=player_embedded
A team of Virunga National Park Rangers arrest a wildlife trafficker at Goma Airport, DR Congo. A member of Virunga National Park staff poses as a buyer in order to lure the trafficker to an ambush. The baby gorilla was rescued and the trafficker was arrested. Wildlife trafficking is just one of the many threats to the animals that live in the park and one of the many challenges faced by the rangers. To find out more about life on the front line of African conservation visit http://www.gorillacd.org.
WATCH the Trailer at the link below:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3455224/
NETFLIX Trailer about Virunga Park Oil Corporation sponsored DEATHS.
Urgent investigative report and unforgettable drama, "Virunga" is a work of heart-wrenching tenderness and heart-stopping suspense."
LA TIMES
"Showcasing the best and the worst in human nature, von Einsiedel’s “Virunga” wrenches a startlingly lucid narrative from a sickening web of bribery, corruption and violence."
NEW YORK TIMES, CRITIC'S PICK
“Extraordinary”
"...enough action, pathos, suspense, venal villains, stalwart heroes and endangered gorillas for a dozen fiction films”
VARIETY
2015 Academy Award® Nominee
Best Documentary Feature
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Circus Lion Freed From Cage Feels Earth Beneath His Paws for First Time
Cole Mellino | May 21, 2015 10:48 am
Lions are majestic and, sadly, exceedingly rare creatures. According to Defenders of Wildlife, their numbers have dropped by half since the 1950s, so that today fewer than 21,000 remain in Africa. Due to habitat destruction, poaching and climate change, lions could become extinct by 2020.
Lions have become prized possessions with the rise of trophy hunting and circuses, which have come under repeated fire for animal abuse. Big Cat Rescue, the largest big cat sanctuary in the world, says circuses should be banned for their cruelty to animals. “Often the cats are beaten, starved and confined for long periods of time in order to get them to cooperate with what the trainers want,” says Big Cat Rescue. “And life on the road means that most of a cat’s life is spent in a circus wagon in the back of a semi-truck or in a crowded, stinking box car on a train or barge.”
Watch this circus lion’s elation (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2F47b20s0.gif&hash=cc48c9af9d29b8836023c7db21103e52d1ed439e) when he is released from his cage:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL1Eeab76Rw&feature=player_embedded
http://ecowatch.com/2015/05/21/circus-lion-freed-from-cage/
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The End For Elephants? (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mrwallpaper.com%2Fwallpapers%2FSad-Sunflower.jpg&hash=ac9f33a23da8f73b88a002b6f4421f8c42327406)
Gangsters use poachers to make a killing in the ivory trade. What can stop the bloodshed? By Tristan McConnell
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http://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/eij/article/the_end_for_elephants
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Dentist From Minnesota Pays $50,000 to Kill Cecil the African Lion >:(
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http://ecowatch.com/2015/07/28/walter-palmer-kills-cecil-the-lion/
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https://youtu.be/-T86GCjCpus
Powerful New Film Exposes the Horrors of Captive Lion Hunting
Article at link: http://www.care2.com/causes/powerful-new-film-exposes-the-horrors-of-captive-lion-hunting.html#ixzz3hE9ugN60
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Photo @coryrichards Lioness and cub sharing a quick Okavango shower. Shot on assignment for @natgeo with @intotheokavango going source to sand on the Cuito River. The water that becomes the Delta originates in the Angolan highlands and forms a complex web that relies heavily on management by Angola, Namibia, and Botswana. Use of the waters that flood the delta every year sustaining wildlife such as this is key to its longevity as a cohesive ecosystem. @thephotosociety @natgeocreative @eddiebauer #okavango15 posted from the field
7 Instagram Accounts Every Nature Lover Should Be Following
Cole Mellino
http://ecowatch.com/2015/08/04/instagram-accounts-nature-lovers/
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(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-220815161550.png&hash=f95989290a4fca22333fc772d8abd90a6764d4d8)
Humans: (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2Fgen152.gif&hash=d5b10968fe56c4cb95fae17cee3cb420a5f4e2da) The Worst Predators on the Planet
John R. Platt, TakePart | August 21, 2015 12:22 pm
Watch any nature documentary and you’ll see the same story unfold time and time again: A predator approaches a group of potential prey and ends up taking down a single animal, perhaps the youngest, the weakest or the oldest among them.
Watch human beings doing the same thing and you’ll observe something different: They’ll either take the biggest animal—the strongest and the most charismatic—or they’ll just go ahead and take the entire group.
That fundamental difference in behavior, according to a paper published Thursday in the journal Science, makes humans the worst predators on the planet.
The paper—more than 10 years in the making—surveyed 2,215 predator species around the world. It found that humans kill adult animals at rates up to 14 times higher than any other predator. Not only that, but we also target an abnormally high number of other predators, not just for food but also—as with Cecil the lion—for sport.
“We are a predator of predators,” said the study’s lead author, Chris Darimont, Hakai-Raincoast professor at the University of Victoria in British Columbia and science director for the Raincoast Conservation Foundation. That position high above everything else on the food chain led the researchers to use the term “super-predator” to describe humans.
Darimont acknowledged that “super-predators” is a catchy term, but he said it has more than one meaning. “We also use ‘super-predator’ because of our enormous dietary breadth. What other predator has thousands of prey species that it preys upon? What other predator impacts entire food webs? None.”
Although land-based hunting by humans affects species all over the world, the researchers found that our greatest impact takes place in the oceans, where fishing vessels can take thousands of pounds of fish from the water at once. Here again, fisheries target the largest adult specimens. “Fishers don’t tend to brag about the small ones,” Darimont said. “Industrial harvesters are after the big ones because they’re in fact more economical to process. You have less waste per fish.”
This focus on adult fish is considered “sustainable” because it supposedly allows smaller, juvenile fish to have greater access to food—and then to grow large enough to also be caught. But Darimont said it has ecological repercussions. It leaves too few fish for other animals to eat and removes nutrients—in the form of dead or digested fish—from the ecosystem. “It’s one of the reasons why there is less biomass in the ocean now than there used to be,” he said, pointing out that many fish species and entire fisheries have become depleted in recent years.
Industrial-scale fishing also results in a large amount of bycatch, or the killing of not just targeted fish but other fish species, as well as sea turtles, marine mammals and birds. “I would hazard to guess that we are the only predator that commonly and at very high rates kills animals we are not intending to kill,” Darimont said. “What a sort of grotesquely sloppy predator we are that can do that.”
Although the timing of the paper is not intentional, Darimont said he is glad it comes so soon after the death of Cecil. “People are becoming increasingly well informed about the scope and implications of hunting large carnivores,” he said. “I think it’s a good time to consider reevaluating what we consider sustainable exploitation.”
http://ecowatch.com/2015/08/21/humans-worst-predators-on-planet/
INTERESTING comment thread...
Carbonicus (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2Facigar.gif&hash=dc9dccf92c6c88c99611b06c86d92629d69f2978)
Hmmm. As a waterfowl hunter, I can tell you this story is not accurate. We don't take the "biggest animal" or "the entire group". We try and take only males so as to minimize impact on reproduction. And on a typical fall day in central Saskatchewan, where I go each year, we take 8 birds each and have hundreds come within range and escape unscathed (and wisened for the fall migration through the states, which helps survival rates), and literally tens of thousands pass over our heads.
Mass staging and fall migration of north American waterfowl is a sight all "environmentalists" should behold at least once in your lives. So is the aurora borealis. So is the vastness of the boreal forest - by air and on foot.
What most "environmentalists" actually know about the environment could fit in a Starbucks cup (with room for cream). Shame, too, because that lack of knowledge leads to things like the US wasting well over $100 BILLION taxpayer dollars on "climate policy" since 1999. A fraction of that could clean up all mines abandoned before mining laws (Silverton, CO recently, for example), or many of the 1,200 Superfund NPL sites. I say all this as a 26 yr environmental professional.
And the headline is wrong. We're not the "worst" predator. We're the best (at it).
Nelson Petrie reply to Carbonicus
Your reasoning is hollow and you sound very arrogant, Mr Carbonicus (which I'm sure is not your real name). Your response to the article shows you are ignorant of the basic reality that is causing thousands of species to be endangered or wiped out. What you are implying is that poaching of elephants, rhinos, lions and other animals is fine because they are killing only one or two and not the whole herd of animals.
What you are implying is that lions should be shot one day and one lion at a time. You are talking about waterfowls? You say you take 8 birds each. How many of you are there in the hunting group?
You haven't mentioned that and assuming that there are but five of you, which means you'll be downing 40 birds at one hunting season. In Saskatchewan, there must be hundreds of similar groups, hence the overall impact on the birds will be just as big. And this number is not big? 40 birds is a huge number.
You haven't counted the birds flying over you. You think there are millions of water fowls like the human population? Carbonicus, you are actually a disaster for our planet. Shoot yourself and not innocent birds and animals.
Agelbert reply to Nelson Petrie
Well said. Let me add that Mr. Carbonicus Homo apex moronicous does a disservice to all predators by claiming he is "best" at predation.
As any biologist familiar with the term "evolutionary dead end" will agree, any animal that causes his prey species (this is NOT limited just to animals) to be depleted by his behavior is a FAILED predator doomed to extinction.
I'm sure you know this and the following but I am stating it for the benefit of other readers who don't. Trophic levels in our biosphere, starting with the phototrophic autotrophs that basically "eat" photons have, at each subsequent level that depends on the one above it, LESS biomass. This means that predator species require a much larger mass of prey for them to be successful predators.
This is because at each trophic level most of the energy stored in the previous level is lost. The most efficient capture of energy occurs with the phototrophs, whose "prey" is solar photons. So, Photosynthetic organisms are the most successful eaters in the biosphere, even though biologists hesitate to call the them the most successful predators (which, technically, they are). Perhaps that is a Darwinian bias at play. Darwin was rather fastidious (and wrong) about placing humans at the top of the food chain. It's the other way around.
Being an allegedly sentient species, we humans should have figured this out by now. We need to promote life on every trophic level above us if we wish to avoid extinction. Instead we worship permanence in a biosphere that requires the recycling of everything for the preservation and expansion of living organisms.
We degrade the biosphere we cannot live without with our polluting industries and then we have the nerve to call ourselves "apex" predators.
We have even corrupted the vocabulary. The word "biodegradable" has a negative connotation, as in "DEgrading". It is testament to our worship of permanence, as if that was a good thing in a biosphere that requires 100% recycling. It's not. The proper word should be "bioRECLAIMABLE" or "bioUPgradable". But the moronic permanence worshippers among us love tokens of permanence, arrogance and egocentric idiocy like "preserved" (another asenine term) trophies of dead animals.
A successful predator eats to live and stops right there. A lion or a hyena will not bother prey animals grazing right next to them if they are full. THAT is the mark of a successful predator. Carboniicus and his pals kill without need. They, like our destructive and polluting industries, deplete the biosphere that a sentient being is required to preserve, promote and expand.
Carbonicus is more Homo SAP than Homo sapiens.
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Care2 Success! Mother Deer With Arrow in Her Face Is Saved (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-200714191456.bmp&hash=a239c2fd76d20d142f1c54b961e22ebd0d2a4808)
by Alicia Graef
September 3, 2015
5:30 pm
https://youtu.be/-eYfV413_sA
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A mother deer who suffered for more than nine months with a bowhunter’s arrow lodged in her face has finally gotten help, thanks to the efforts of thousands upon thousands of caring people from around the world who signed a Care2 petition launched on her behalf.
The doe, who has been named Grace, was first spotted late last year in Marlboro, New Jersey, bearing an arrow that was presumably intended to end her life. Like many others who aren’t killed by bowhunters, she was callously left to suffer with a tragic injury.
Not only has she miraculously managed to survive, eating and navigating her environment without getting caught on anything, but she also gave birth to a fawn earlier this spring.
Even though wildlife officials had known about her since at least December 2014 the state’s Division of Fish and Wildlife said in a statement that they tried unsuccessfully to help her over the winter and put efforts on hold in May after she became pregnant over concerns intervention could harm her fawn.
Thankfully, her advocates kept the pressure on to help her. After Showing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK) shared a video of Grace earlier this spring, her story took off.
A Care2 petition started on her behalf urging officials to uphold their promise to help her has gathered more than 106,000 signatures (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-300614160245.gif&hash=26cf0af4ea082bdb608bb7b2656d54ec7199969b) ;D from supporters around the world and has been shared by major news outlets including USA Today, CBS and NBC.
This week their efforts to give Grace a voice paid off when wildlife officials finally located her, tranquilized her and removed the shaft of the arrow. According to a statement, a veterinarian present recommended the arrowhead be left because her wound had healed and removing it could cause further injury.
They said Grace, who is believed to be about three to four years old, was released back into the wild with her fawn and is expected to be fine. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-200714191258.bmp&hash=e4ed21caaca822f7445ccafd39f49a9f84be90ca)
Grace after the arrow was removed from her nose: (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2Ficare.gif&hash=7a81c13fb045a57fc456f34661fddcf04dbfe8b7)
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This photo was taken as she recovered from being sedated. Credit: New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife.
“We thank all of the New Jersey residents and people from all over the world who have expressed concern about the deer, as well as local residents who have been very helpful in providing information on her movements throughout the community and even set up bait stations on their properties,” said David Chanda, Director of Fish and Wildlife.
Poh Yeh Holmes, who created the petition to help Grace after seeing SHARK’s video on a friend’s Facebook page, told Care2 she is humbled by the number of signatures that came in and is “over the moon” that help finally came for her.
“If something bad happens to us, we can take ourselves to the doctor but sadly, Grace is not able to. She is not able to ask for help either. I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for her to graze on grass or to pick up an acorn, to reach higher up for greenery that she wanted to eat. I thought a petition to help her plight, may help,” she said.
Holmes said Grace’s advocates will now be using the petition to push lawmakers in the area to turn her range in Marlboro into a no-hunting zone to make sure she and the rest of her herd can continue to live in peace. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-080515182559.png&hash=d4dfa952fa0f817bf30a8059a4c88d6fb05ee1bf)
If you know of an animal in need in your community or elsewhere who could use some advocacy on their behalf like Grace, you can help them by starting a petition.
http://www.care2.com/causes/care2-success-mother-deer-with-arrow-in-her-face-is-saved.html#ixzz3kuGV5DHS
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China, U.S. Agree to Halt Ivory Trade (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fcliparts.co%2Fcliparts%2FBig%2FEgq%2FBigEgqBMT.png&hash=e7eec62f009cdd686ce795fad0a53c6befe748e9)
Friday, September 25, 2015
Washington, D.C.
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Africa's elephants need the support of China and the United States to end the poaching crisis and ensure their survival.
U.S. President Barack Obama and People’s Republic of China President Xi Jinping have announced a commitment to “take significant and timely steps to halt the domestic commercial trade of ivory” in their respective countries, according to a fact sheet released by the White House at the close of President Xi’s State visit.
The two presidents, acknowledging the importance and urgency of combating wildlife trafficking, have agreed to cooperate in bringing additional training, technical expertise, information sharing and public awareness to the poaching and wildlife trafficking crisis. The announcement comes at a time when as many as 35,000 elephants are poached every year for their tusks to supply the ivory market in China, the United States and other countries.
“We are seeing an important, public commitment from the world’s two largest economies to work together to bring an end to the elephant poaching crisis,” says Dr. Patrick Bergin, African Wildlife Foundation CEO and member of the White House Advisory Council on Wildlife Trafficking. “President Obama and President Xi are sending a clear message that they intend to throw the weight of their countries behind the elephant crisis.”
China and the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong are home to the largest ivory market in the world. An estimated 90 percent of ivory for sale in China and Hong Kong is reportedly illegal, with the legal trade helping to disguise the illicit industry. The legal trade further complicates law enforcement efforts to crack down on the black market. The United States is one of the world’s largest wildlife markets, and until recently domestic ivory trade was legal. The U.S. government has now enacted a near-total ban on the interstate trade and commercial import of ivory, and a number of U.S. states have banned or are working to ban intrastate trade of ivory in their states.
The announcement by Presidents Obama and Xi to deepen their cooperation to combat wildlife trafficking was confirmed in a section of a White House fact sheet released on September 25, shown here:
Wildlife Trafficking-—The United States and China, recognizing the importance and urgency of combating wildlife trafficking, commit to take positive measures to address this global challenge. The United States and China commit to enact nearly complete bans on ivory import and export, including significant and timely restrictions on the import of ivory as hunting trophies, and to take significant and timely steps to halt the domestic commercial trade of ivory. The two sides decided to further cooperate in joint training, technical exchanges, information sharing, and public education on combating wildlife trafficking, and enhance international law enforcement cooperation in this field. The United States and China decided to cooperate with other nations in a comprehensive effort to combat wildlife trafficking.
“If these commitments translate into meaningful cooperation and action by these geopolitical giants on tackling poaching and wildlife trafficking, the future will be bright for Africa’s giants,” says AWF’s Bergin.
https://www.awf.org/news/china-us-agree-halt-ivory-trade
(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.freesmileys.org%2Femoticons%2Femoticon-object-106.gif&hash=f996659d18df7f3b445e6135e884397ac91f25b1) Thailand Destroys 2 Tons of Ivory (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.freesmileys.org%2Femoticons%2Ftuzki-bunnys%2Ftuzki-bunny-emoticon-036.gif&hash=8ec7abacc074bac7984d9b80fbca377b3afb119d)
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Nairobi, Kenya
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Continuing the building momentum around fighting the illicit wildlife trade, the Royal Thai Government destroyed 2.1 tons of confiscated ivory on August 26.
This follows similar ivory destruction events that have taken place throughout 2015, including in Kenya, Ethiopia, the Republic of the Congo, the United Arab Emirates, China, the United States and Mozambique.
“Increasingly governments around the world are making the very public statement that there is no future to be had in the ivory trade,” said African Wildlife Foundation CEO Dr. Patrick Bergin. “By destroying ivory, the Thai government is sending a message that ivory is only valuable when attached to living elephants, rather than as jewelry, statuettes or other trinkets. We commend the Thai government for taking this strong stance against the illegal ivory trade.”
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Thailand has become one of the largest ivory markets in the world and organized criminal syndicates are reportedly involved in trafficking ivory between Africa and Thailand. The illegal ivory trade is estimated to result in the deaths of between 25,000 and 35,000 African elephants each year.
In addition to governmental efforts to shut down the global wildlife trafficking industry, AWF has implemented a number of initiatives to stop the killing, stop the trafficking and stop the demand associated with the illegal trade. These have included:
Providing financial and technical support to partners in Africa to supplement anti-poaching efforts. Currently AWF support is enhancing protections of 32 populations of elephants, rhinos, large carnivores and great apes on the continent.
Training and deploying detection dogs to key trafficking hubs in Africa. The first class of detection dogs and handlers graduated from AWF’s Conservation Canine Program last month. They will soon be deployed to trafficking hotspots in Mombasa, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Sensitizing the judiciary and criminal investigators in African countries on wildlife trafficking and the available laws to convict known traffickers. Thus far, these judicial workshops have been held throughout Kenya, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and in Kampala, Uganda. Plans are underway to hold similar sensitization trainings in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. All reports indicate these trainings have had a visible impact on the sentencing of convicted poachers and traffickers.
Conducting a public awareness campaign in Asia and in Africa to educate the general public about wildlife trafficking. AWF and partners WildAid and Save The Elephants recently posted billboards in the Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport that reminds locals and tourists not to purchase ivory in Thailand and attempt to take products out of the country. In Africa, Swahili-language billboards have been posted in Tanzania to urge citizens to protect their natural heritage against poaching.
http://www.awf.org/news/thailand-destroys-2-tons-ivory
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The Truth Behind That “Crappy” Cup of Coffee
by Elizabeth Claire Alberts (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2F19.gif&hash=3f9f2fc2285bc756137e21463bc2a4c420b15ac3) – October 7, 2015
Civet cats caged and force-fed in large numbers to feed the world’s growing demand for kopi luwak (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.sodahead.com%2Fpolls%2F000370273%2Fpolls_Smiley_Angry_256x256_3451_356175_answer_4_xlarge.png&hash=15577651daa4c35ff4d6b26217f99db6ebfde0b3)
I saw my first civet cat on the last day of my holiday in Bali, Indonesia. It was tethered to a wooden tabletop outside of an upscale coffee shop, squinting at the afternoon sun as it struggled to sleep. Tourists swarmed around the animal, poking its fur and snapping photos. It didn’t take much to see that this civet cat was scared, and very stressed.
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World Animal ProtectionA caged civet cat at a "Luwak" coffee farm in Sumatra, Indonesia. World Animal Protection carried out an investigation on the practice of civet farming to make coffee in 2011.
When I approached the coffee shop owner to express my disgust at the animal’s treatment, he brushed me off. Then the owner thrust a pamphlet into my hands about “kopi luwak,” the type of coffee he sold inside the shop. “This is how we make our living,” he said, gesturing to the civet cat on the table.
As I came to learn, kopi luwak is a specialty coffee made from beans that have passed through the digestive tracks of civet cats, or “luwaks” in the Indonesian language. Despite it repulsive origins, coffee aficionados claim that kopi luwak has an extraordinary taste resembling chocolate or caramel. This translates to an extraordinary cost: a cup of kopi luwak can sell for $30 to $100 in the United States. But what many people don’t realize is that kopi luwak is produced at an even higher cost to civets.
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World Animal ProtectionA caged civet cat at a "Luwak" coffee farm is fed coffee cherries in Sumatra, Indonesia.
Many traders and cafes sell the coffee as sourced in the jungle from the droppings of wild, free-roaming civets. However, undercover investigations by animal rights activists and journalists have shown that in many cases, the animals are held captive in cages where they are force-feed coffee cherries to keep up with the growing demand for kopi luwak.
Civets are shy, nocturnal creatures, which find being held in tiny cages is incredibly stressful. Ashley Fruno of PETA Asia-Pacific explains that video footage has shown caged civet cats exhibiting neurotic behavior, such as spinning, head-bobbing, and pacing. “This shows that the animals are going insane with boredom and depression,” Fruno says. A 2013 BBC investigation even revealed caged luwaks chewing their own legs off.
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World Animal ProtectionA caged civet cat at a "Luwak" coffee farm in Sumatra, Indonesia.
In addition to being stressed, civets experience medical problems from the copious amounts of coffee they’re force-fed. Anthony Wild, author of Coffee: a Dark History and founder of the Facebook campaign “Cut the Crap!” has worked out that luwaks ingest the equivalent of 120 double espressos each day to produce kopi luwak. While this caffeine over-consumption is known to contribute to malnutrition and fur loss, Wild believes it’s also responsible for the displays of neurotic behavior. “If you drank that much espresso, you’d be pacing around, chewing your own leg off,” Wild says.
Coffee farmers only started caging these animals in the last 25 years. Prior to the 1990s, kopi luwak was a rare drink produced from the scat of wild civet cats living around coffee plantations. Then in 1991, Wild imported a kilo of kopi luwak into the UK, which he used to generate media coverage. Kopi luwak was an instant hit, going on to be featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show, and mentioned by Jack Nicholson in the 1997 film The Bucket List. “It had become a global phenomenon,” Wild says, “and with it came the arrival of caged kopi luwak.”
(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.earthisland.org%2Felist%2Fgraphics%2Fcivets%2Flg%2F1015098.jpg&hash=6c2a403b54aa129e5ad840afbe615e03ea29f856)
World Animal Protection / Binsar BakkaraTaking Oro, a coffee Luwak exporter, explains that they only deal with farmers who source wild civet faeces in Indonesia.
The animal cruelty issues of kopi luwak have been well documented, but the environmental consequences of producing this coffee are often overlooked. Captive luwaks usually die within a few years, so farmers poach wild luwaks from the rainforest to keep their operations running. The poaching of wild civets goes largely unchecked, and it could have a huge impact on the natural environment if not curbed, explains Jan Schmidt-Burbach of World Animal Protection.
“Civets are very opportunistic in their food habits, but they mostly eat fruit,” Schmidt-Burbach says. “As a result, civets are prime contributors to the dispersal of seeds such as palm tree seeds, and they contribute to the regeneration of forests.” Schmidt-Burbach also points out that civets prey on mice, snails, scorpions, and other animals considered “pests.” So when civets are taken out of the ecosystem, these pest species proliferate.
Once Wild discovered how civets were being abused to produce this coffee, he felt guilty for playing his part in introducing kopi luwak to the western world. This motivated him to get involved with the BBC investigation, and to initiate the “Cut the Crap!” campaign. According to Wild, both ventures have been successful in raising awareness about kopi luwak, and prompting suppliers to stop selling this cruel coffee.
Wild and World Animal Protection are both campaigning for the introduction of wild-sourced, cage-free kopi luwak. As Wild wrote in an article published in The Guardian, companies like Rarefied have set up coffee plantations near patches of elevated rainforest, where wild luwaks wander onto the farm to feast on coffee cherries. Rarefied employs about 40 local farmers who collect civet scat containing coffee beans, and transport them to a central processing factory. The workers are closely monitored. If they try to sell beans by caged civet cats, they’re banned from the industry. Wild believes these genuine wild kopi luwak plantations have an environmental advantage. “These plantations need to be next to virgin rainforest, so there’s a value in retaining the rainforest. You can’t have a monoculture coffee plantation and expect luwaks to thrive,” he says.
(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.earthisland.org%2Felist%2Fgraphics%2Fcivets%2Flg%2F1015100.jpg&hash=d4aae2659009ae15b87cefcd80b70046bdad1777)
World Animal Protection / Binsar BakkaraSlamet, a coffee farmer dries wild civet faeces containing coffee beans in his house in Aceh Province, Indonesia.
Yet, it appears that the practice of caging civet cats is continuing :(, and has perhaps even increased, in Indonesia. PETA’s Fruno says that it’s virtually impossible to maintain a profitable business using coffee sourced from wild civets. “This is why farmers are driven to keep civets in cages,” Fruno says. “When there is a demand for an animal product, the reality is that profit will always prevail.” Fruno also explains that many farmers falsely advertise their beans as “wild-sourced” when they actually come from caged civets. “Two Indonesian farmers who cage civets told our investigator that they’d be able to manufacture coffee bearing the “wild-sourced” label,” Fruno says.
As international demand for kopi luwak continues to grow, it may become more difficult for coffee buyers to assess whether or not the kopi luwak they are drinking is genuinely wild-sourced. In 2014, Newsweek reported that 500 tons of kopi luwak were being produced each year, which is a thousand times more than what can be produced from wild harvests. Wild says there’s every reason to believe that number has gone up even more. “The demand is growing worldwide, particularly, and rather ominously, in China,” Wild says. “If the Chinese get excited about something, then it’s a huge market.”
Perhaps a more ethical solution to the kopi luwak problem is finding a way to artificially manufacture the unique taste. A biotechnology company called Afineur has created a cultured coffee that replicates the taste and aroma of kopi luwak. Afineur’s coffee, is still pricey – ranging from $50 to $100 a pound. But there’s a clear benefit: it won’t cost animals’ lives or the environment.
An earlier verison of this report incorrectly stated that Afineur's coffee wasn't on the market yet.
Elizabeth Claire Alberts
Elizabeth Claire Alberts is a writer and environmental activist based in Australia. Her website is www.elizabethclairealberts.com
http://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/elist/eListRead/the_truth_behind_that_crappy_cup_of_coffee/
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03/12/2015 03:56 PM
Top 10 Cities for Wildlife in the US
SustainableBusiness.com News
If you read our daily news, you know we're about green business, but we see it as a way to care for the earth and all its species. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2F47b20s0.gif&hash=cc48c9af9d29b8836023c7db21103e52d1ed439e)
With that in mind, the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is honoring 10 cities where people are showing a strong commitment to wildlife. Rankings is based on the percentage of open space; citizen action to create wildlife habitat, and wildlife gardens at schools.
(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.tallahassee.com%2Fcommunity%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F08%2FCongress-Avenue-Bridge-Austin-Texas-twilight-emergence-of-Mexican-Free-tailed-bats.png&hash=c40c5340bc39f53ba6fc6b4d503a496d0190cad9)
Bat Enthusiast Bridge Visitors in Austin, Texas go Batty over watching the Bats do their thing at dusk.(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-200714191258.bmp&hash=e4ed21caaca822f7445ccafd39f49a9f84be90ca)
1. The entire city of Austin, Texas is certified as a Community Wildlife Habitat. There are 2,154 certified wildlife habitats - the most per capita in the US - and the most Schoolyard Habitats (67). It's famous for its Congress Avenue Bridge, home to 1.5 million bats. More than 100,000 people visit the bridge each year to watch the bats emerge at dusk.
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2. People that live in Portland, Oregon have the delight of seeing Chinook salmon swim through the heart of the city, where Oregon's two largest spring runs converge, thanks to decades of restoration work. The city is also committed to providing access to natural areas within a half-mile of every citizen.
3. Atlanta, Georgia ranks high across the board, and NWF highlights the success of the Greater Atlanta Pollinator Partnership, started in 2009. The program creates pollinator habitat at landscape scale - around 1.2 million acres in the 25-mile radius around the city. It includes all major metropolitan parks and thousands of individual residences. It includes restoring native plants, rescuing them from construction sites, and controlling invasive species.
4. Baltimore, Maryland has 5700 acres of parkland, including the second-largest urban wilderness in the US, Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park. NWF and the National Aquarium are creating the largest certified Community Wildlife Habitat along the Chesapeake Bay. Certified community rain gardens are filtering runoff, preventing pesticides, fertilizers and other pollutants from entering Chesapeake Bay.
5. Washington DC is ranked third for parkland as a percent of city area, and bald eagles and osprey are returning to Anacostia River, once among the most polluted rivers in the US. Trash has been removed, invasive species are being controlled, and native wetland plants have been installed, and the river is rebounding.
6. More than 30 municipalities and neighborhoods in the Seattle, Washington area participate in NWF's NWF's Community Wildlife Habitat program. A "Green Factor" program reduces stormwater runoff and supports the use of native plants and trees.
(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/0a/58/fe/0a58fe534199249d84ce23267d21f18d.jpg)(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lloydspitalnikphotos.com%2Fd%2F788-4%2Fcoopers_hawk_F5R6406.jpg&hash=21e22247956451349af9be665e390e3fbf203b5d)
Sand Hill Crane happy family ;D Cooper's Hawk displays spectacular plumage.
7. Albuquerque, New Mexico has more parkland than another other city as a percent of its total area, home to sandhill cranes, Cooper's hawks, black bears, bobcats and many other species.
(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.backyardnature.net%2F4flyway.gif&hash=6e82224e5d8b37672418a81409f93e94088c6052) (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.birds.cornell.edu%2FAllAboutBirds%2Fstudyingbirdsi%2Fmig.map.jpg&hash=5cc2eec76c74bacb6a116eb47ab7e745320b1565)
8. Indianapolis, Indiana is located on the Mississippi Flyway and ranks second for certified wildlife habitats (932), in this case for migrating birds.
(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffriendsofsherwoodisland.org%2Fmain%2Fuploads%2FAJH-BarredOwl-talonsclose.jpg&hash=04c99577ba8b55a24234668337621172747c491f)
The Barred Owl is quite happy in Charlotte, North Carolina.
9. Charlotte, North Carolina ranks third for Certified Wildlife Habitats (849) and the city just achieved certification. The City Council's goal is to have half the city covered by trees by 2050. The barred owl population is so strong that the most research study on the species is being done there.
(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fjeffburritt.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F01%2FRed-Tailed-Hawk.jpg&hash=2bbaf982bad189f365369509b8ed9d2d706fa82b)
Red Tailed Hawks love New York! :o
(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.birds.cornell.edu%2Fbfl%2Fspeciesaccts%2Fimages%2Fcoe_btbwar.jpg&hash=15670ffece0ef7819c5c73ab11c63a24d4f539e4)
Those males are such show offs! ::)
10. New York City has the most Eco-Schools in America (270), ranks fourth in parkland as a percent of city area (14%), and is home to an incredible 168 species of wildlife and more than five million trees. Home to year-round residents like red-tailed hawks and migrating birds like black-throated blue warblers, it is a surprising urban wildlife haven that extends from Central Park to Brooklyn's Gateway National Recreation Area.
(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwordlesstech.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2011%2F03%2Fbrown-headed-bald-eagle.jpg&hash=eb9a4dabfc1a76a63aec664f6fa92b5e61d61227)(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.buffalofieldcampaign.org%2Fmedia%2Fupdate1112%2Fupdate050312%2Fupdate050312c.jpg&hash=67e2020cf03c9bd5e1a0c44c0c224ddbd141049f)
Over several decades, Americans have preserved critical habitats and waterways and have brought bald eagles, grizzly bears, bison (http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/media/update1112/050312.html), wolves (http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/26069) and other species back from the brink of extinction. Bison are returning to western and tribal lands for the first time in a century, says NWF.
Many of those species are under renewed attacks (by you know who (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2Facigar.gif&hash=dc9dccf92c6c88c99611b06c86d92629d69f2978)).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3GS2Ftff_k&feature=player_embedded
And now some of our most familiar species, from monarch butterflies (http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/26143) and bees (http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/25701) to frogs and bats (http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/22441), are in trouble. >:(
Learn about NWF's Certified Wildlife Habitat, Schoolyard Habitat and Eco-Schools USA programs - there are 200,000 certified habitats in the US and 84 certified Community Wildlife Habitats with another 50 in the pipeline. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2Fearthhug.gif&hash=3abcf70466f34337f2d702ebd9e02c650d5c4c20)(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2Ftreeswing.gif&hash=03d29d18183a2924176defc1df7861676abb0960)
http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/26189
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSV8pRLkdKI&feature=player_embedded
The USDA WAR on wildlife. >:(
USDA Wildlife Services is an agency whose mission is “to resolve wildlife conflicts to allow people and wildlife to coexist.” But according to a group of whistleblowers in the new award-winning documentary, Exposed, Wildlife Services has little regard for the welfare of America’s wildlife.
Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/new-documentary-exposes-usdas-secret-war-on-animals.html#ixzz3VMjX2Zgd
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(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-250814171543.png&hash=16208267913e8b8944444bac1fbfdeb64b867c64)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgFBfUHI-X8&feature=player_embedded
Kindness to Animals Video Compilation. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.freesmileys.org%2Femoticons%2Femoticon-object-045.gif&hash=71663903a230bcb4310b079806e67166832ec698)
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(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/82/Center_for_Biological_Diversity_logo.jpg)
Great Videos! ;D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4ImCYsKhKAg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg_a-lw9lcg&feature=player_embedded
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/public_lands/
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Here's What the Oregon Occupiers (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2Fpirates5B15D_th.gif&hash=32438e1ed2c4d1823d4ed2a193286525c840a605) and the GOP Presidential Candidates (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-241013183046.jpeg&hash=51c9c4f17e747698c76c65c7c1814eff4f32c400) Agree On (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2Fmocantina.gif&hash=d013c741bcf9a78776eec19c2c3aac449c35d75c)
By Robert S. Eshelman
SNIPPET:
The hatred toward the federal government espoused by the Bundys and Hammonds, said Parenti, is something Republican leaders are eager to mobilize, whether it comes at the expense of public lands — or the atmosphere.
He said the grievances of the Bundys and Hammonds echo those of Charles and David Koch, the libertarian Republican donors that have funded efforts to undermine all sorts of federal environmental protections, most notably the Obama administration's efforts to rein in fossil fuel burning, which is the leading cause of climate change.
"This area in Oregon was declared wilderness 40-some-odd years ago and the Hammond family has had a 40-year grace period, during which they got to use public property at rock-bottom prices," Parenti said.
"Their simultaneous dependence on public largess, while hating the public sector makes them pretty similar to the big business types who run the GOP: the Koch Brothers and their ilk who get federal tax breaks for producing and processing fossil fuels, (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2Facigar.gif&hash=dc9dccf92c6c88c99611b06c86d92629d69f2978) while at the same time constantly badmouthing 'big government.' (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-280515145049.png&hash=84e87515e750391c1f1bca6d6ae06485972bfa81) (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-051113192052.png&hash=93c42ef9f18fc5d9da50fd91fc19f70009f95f85) "
full Article: (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2Freading.gif&hash=63e3e644b39258d4c4eedbcdaf322315b1856723)
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/center/articles/2016/vice-01-06-2016.html
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01/07/2016 02:07 PM
What's Behind the Standoff at Oregon's Wildlife Refuge
SustainableBusiness.com News
In addition to the Keystone Pipeline rearing its ugly head again, we're seeing the right-wing vision of privatizing our public lands move ahead.
The standoff by armed gunmen at a 100-year old wildlife refuge in Oregon follows a vote by the US Senate to return ALL 700 million acres of federal public land to the states - all our national forests, wildlife refuges, wilderness areas and national monuments. Every piece of land would be up for grabs except national parks.
The idea, apparently, is gathering steam.
According to Lisa Murkowski's (R-AK)(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2Fwww_MyEmoticons_com__burp.gif&hash=8ff3ef6c016d8baf5f61ed5e8db58f069b64da00) amendment - which passed the Senate along party lines - states wouldn't buy the land, the federal government would pay to transfer it to them.(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.coh2.org%2Fimages%2FSmileys%2Fhuhsign.gif&hash=3732d0427be65896527fc3805c5be54a33cffd3b) (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffc06.deviantart.net%2Ffs71%2Ff%2F2009%2F347%2F2%2F6%2FWTF_Smiley_face_by_IveWasHere.jpg&hash=8ca673f8cf785d9dac626f9fd91e37a1a318c7ac) From there, states would either manage it (for a profit) or sell it to the highest private sector bidders for oil and gas development, mining and grazing. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2Fgaah.gif&hash=e43fa6be4258ba495007b2bbb3e7dd2f60288fcd)
In the House, this is a priority for Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT) (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-241013183046.jpeg&hash=51c9c4f17e747698c76c65c7c1814eff4f32c400), Chair of the Natural Resources Committee. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.freesmileys.org%2Fsmileys%2Fsmiley-devil12.gif&hash=d1822754cefdd0f77369dacd157d00f5f8d3fff9) He wants to spend $50 million of taxpayer money to start the process immediately. Utah passed a law to that effect last year. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-200714183337.bmp&hash=fd5a6df63c32bd65dda7b6d93e788647ca3829df)
(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sustainablebusiness.com%2Fimageupload%2FMalheur-National-Wildlife-R.jpg&hash=633889c9ce5163f397f159cf90698b9e1525a4ce)
Oregon's Malheur National Wildlife Refuge
The refuge protects a huge variety of migrating birds because of its wetlands. What if private citizens or corporations decide they would rather drain it?
We would say good-bye to caring for wildlife, habitats and public land in the US if it were up to the Republican party. Instead, we would see mass extraction - fracking, mining, grazing, everywhere - and of course, any animals that get in the way would have to be exterminated.
That's why Republicans (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2Fpirates5B15D_th.gif&hash=32438e1ed2c4d1823d4ed2a193286525c840a605) allowed the Land and Water Conservation Fund to expire for the first time in 50 years, until Democrats fought to include it in the budget passed in December. Republicans view a fund that purchases and protects lands as a "federal land grab." The rest of us perceive it as protecting nature.
There are clearly two very different points of view. Last year we saw it through the standoff between Cliven Bundy and the government - which has yet to be resolved. He grazed his cattle on federally protected land for a decade without paying a penny - as if he owned it, which he does not. Even the ridiculously low grazing fees - criticized for decades - aren't low enough for him.
In the case of Oregon's Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, it was designated under Teddy Roosevelt in 1908 to protect migratory birds from extinction because of the fad at the time - using feathers to make hats. He turned unclaimed government property into the refuge - it was never privately owned, unless you go back to the 1870s, when the Paiute Indians were forced to leave their land.
The underlying question is: should all land and water be open to anyone for any purpose they choose? Or do we have a responsibility to protect areas for nature and for society as a whole?
It's not as if these lands are closed off. >:( Much of the mining, natural gas, grazing and hunting in the US takes place on public lands, including wildlife refuges. Many of us would like to see that stopped. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2F301.gif&hash=0291ed4abf2d80e420d1aa00d4eb3c5dd6bbfb53)
We have seen what happens when states take control - they have killed over 3000 wolves over the past few years for no reason, and now grizzly bears could meet the same fate. The same states - Wyoming, Idaho and Montana - now want open season on grizzly bears - they want them off the Endangered Species List and turned back to state control. Grizzles were hunted close to extinction in the early 1900s and are still in trouble.
"The cow and sheep industry is heavily subsided across the public lands of Colorado, so much so that the some ranchers are often called "welfare ranchers."
They pay almost nothing to send hundreds of thousands of livestock across our public lands sometimes obliterating the natural landscape as the livestock devour native grasses, pound the soil into dust, and wallow in and destroy streams and rivers.
They also pay almost nothing to have the state and federal government exterminate native American wildlife on our public lands - wolves, coyotes, mountain lions, bears, even eagles - that sometimes prey on calves and lambs. The epitome of this extermination is the "aerial gunner men" hired by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to fly helicopters over our public lands and kill thousands of wolves and coyotes with shotgun blasts from the sky every year," says journalist Gary Wockner.
Read our article, President Obama, Stop Leasing Our Federal Lands & Waters.
Read how Teddy Roosevelt created the refuge:
Website: www.onearth.org/earthwire/malheur-national-wildlife-refuge-theodore-roosevelt (http://www.onearth.org/earthwire/malheur-national-wildlife-refuge-theodore-roosevelt)
http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/26514 (http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/26514)
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01/07/2016 02:07 PM
What's Behind the Standoff at Oregon's Wildlife Refuge
SustainableBusiness.com News
In addition to the Keystone Pipeline rearing its ugly head again, we're seeing the right-wing vision of privatizing our public lands move ahead.
The standoff by armed gunmen at a 100-year old wildlife refuge in Oregon follows a vote by the US Senate to return ALL 700 million acres of federal public land to the states - all our national forests, wildlife refuges, wilderness areas and national monuments. Every piece of land would be up for grabs except national parks.
The idea, apparently, is gathering steam.
According to Lisa Murkowski's (R-AK)(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2Fwww_MyEmoticons_com__burp.gif&hash=8ff3ef6c016d8baf5f61ed5e8db58f069b64da00) amendment - which passed the Senate along party lines - states wouldn't buy the land, the federal government would pay to transfer it to them.(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.coh2.org%2Fimages%2FSmileys%2Fhuhsign.gif&hash=3732d0427be65896527fc3805c5be54a33cffd3b) (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffc06.deviantart.net%2Ffs71%2Ff%2F2009%2F347%2F2%2F6%2FWTF_Smiley_face_by_IveWasHere.jpg&hash=8ca673f8cf785d9dac626f9fd91e37a1a318c7ac) From there, states would either manage it (for a profit) or sell it to the highest private sector bidders for oil and gas development, mining and grazing. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2Fgaah.gif&hash=e43fa6be4258ba495007b2bbb3e7dd2f60288fcd)
In the House, this is a priority for Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT) (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-241013183046.jpeg&hash=51c9c4f17e747698c76c65c7c1814eff4f32c400), Chair of the Natural Resources Committee. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.freesmileys.org%2Fsmileys%2Fsmiley-devil12.gif&hash=d1822754cefdd0f77369dacd157d00f5f8d3fff9) He wants to spend $50 million of taxpayer money to start the process immediately. Utah passed a law to that effect last year. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-200714183337.bmp&hash=fd5a6df63c32bd65dda7b6d93e788647ca3829df)
(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sustainablebusiness.com%2Fimageupload%2FMalheur-National-Wildlife-R.jpg&hash=633889c9ce5163f397f159cf90698b9e1525a4ce)
Oregon's Malheur National Wildlife Refuge
The refuge protects a huge variety of migrating birds because of its wetlands. What if private citizens or corporations decide they would rather drain it?
We would say good-bye to caring for wildlife, habitats and public land in the US if it were up to the Republican party. Instead, we would see mass extraction - fracking, mining, grazing, everywhere - and of course, any animals that get in the way would have to be exterminated.
That's why Republicans (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2Fpirates5B15D_th.gif&hash=32438e1ed2c4d1823d4ed2a193286525c840a605) allowed the Land and Water Conservation Fund to expire for the first time in 50 years, until Democrats fought to include it in the budget passed in December. Republicans view a fund that purchases and protects lands as a "federal land grab." The rest of us perceive it as protecting nature.
There are clearly two very different points of view. Last year we saw it through the standoff between Cliven Bundy and the government - which has yet to be resolved. He grazed his cattle on federally protected land for a decade without paying a penny - as if he owned it, which he does not. Even the ridiculously low grazing fees - criticized for decades - aren't low enough for him.
In the case of Oregon's Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, it was designated under Teddy Roosevelt in 1908 to protect migratory birds from extinction because of the fad at the time - using feathers to make hats. He turned unclaimed government property into the refuge - it was never privately owned, unless you go back to the 1870s, when the Paiute Indians were forced to leave their land.
The underlying question is: should all land and water be open to anyone for any purpose they choose? Or do we have a responsibility to protect areas for nature and for society as a whole?
It's not as if these lands are closed off. >:( Much of the mining, natural gas, grazing and hunting in the US takes place on public lands, including wildlife refuges. Many of us would like to see that stopped. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2F301.gif&hash=0291ed4abf2d80e420d1aa00d4eb3c5dd6bbfb53)
We have seen what happens when states take control - they have killed over 3000 wolves over the past few years for no reason, and now grizzly bears could meet the same fate. The same states - Wyoming, Idaho and Montana - now want open season on grizzly bears - they want them off the Endangered Species List and turned back to state control. Grizzles were hunted close to extinction in the early 1900s and are still in trouble.
"The cow and sheep industry is heavily subsided across the public lands of Colorado, so much so that the some ranchers are often called "welfare ranchers."
They pay almost nothing to send hundreds of thousands of livestock across our public lands sometimes obliterating the natural landscape as the livestock devour native grasses, pound the soil into dust, and wallow in and destroy streams and rivers.
They also pay almost nothing to have the state and federal government exterminate native American wildlife on our public lands - wolves, coyotes, mountain lions, bears, even eagles - that sometimes prey on calves and lambs. The epitome of this extermination is the "aerial gunner men" hired by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to fly helicopters over our public lands and kill thousands of wolves and coyotes with shotgun blasts from the sky every year," says journalist Gary Wockner.
Read our article, President Obama, Stop Leasing Our Federal Lands & Waters.
Read how Teddy Roosevelt created the refuge:
Website: www.onearth.org/earthwire/malheur-national-wildlife-refuge-theodore-roosevelt (http://www.onearth.org/earthwire/malheur-national-wildlife-refuge-theodore-roosevelt)
http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/26514 (http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/26514)
The ranchers (at least the smaller, non-corporate types) don't support selling of the commons. It isn't in their interest at all. The fact that the land has been public all these years has been a great gift to them. Truthfully, their real sin is that they have been poor stewards of the land, and have overgrazed it ever since they were allowed on it. They have essentially been subsidized all these years, but that was why the whole thing was set up the way it was in the beginning, to make it possible for settlers to live in parts of the west where 160 acre homesteads were too small to support a family.
So I have a hard time seeing this as their motivation. Now, perhaps this is some kind of trumped up scheme by the big money...the ones who have the kind of financing to actually buy big chunks of public land. That I could believe.
The whole stand-off stinks to high heaven, frankly. Most of the militia types out there think it's a false flag operation designed to make it easier for the federal government to justify grabbing their guns.
https://westernrifleshooters.wordpress.com/2016/01/06/malheur-another-perspective/ (https://westernrifleshooters.wordpress.com/2016/01/06/malheur-another-perspective/)
Eddie said,
Now, perhaps this is some kind of trumped up scheme by the big money...the ones who have the kind of financing to actually buy big chunks of public land. That I could believe.
THAT is what you should DEFINITELY believe because THAT is what this is ALL about (see the toadies Rep. Rob Bishop R-UT, Senator Lisa Murkowski's R-AK, etc. et al of the PRIVATE rich Welfare Queen Vested Interests using the Federal Government to fleece we-the-people: :evil4:).
The whole stand-off stinks to high heaven, frankly.
Of course. But the COVER for these types of scams always requires the use of Karl Rove's strategy number 3: Always accuse your opponent of doing what YOU are doing to hide the FACT that YOU are doing it. It's basic Machiavelli. ANYONE that uses this strategy is devoid of a moral compass. Nitzsche's Territorial Imperative REQUIRES that that you LACK a moral compass. And long before the Homestead Act, that has been our "justification" for land grabbing. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-200714183337.bmp&hash=fd5a6df63c32bd65dda7b6d93e788647ca3829df)
So now the REAL land grabbers ((see: PRIVATE rich Welfare Queen Vested Interests using the Federal Government to fleece we-the-people) behind this are deliberately propagandizing the militia types to look in the wrong direction for the motive. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-200714191329.bmp&hash=4764bfbe6bb0e11ca61102efa97a932a824f47e0)
Most of the militia types out there think it's a false flag operation designed to make it easier for the federal government to justify grabbing their guns.
See red herring. See distraction. See Bu ll sh it. See: Cui Bono? (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2Facigar.gif&hash=dc9dccf92c6c88c99611b06c86d92629d69f2978)
If this massive land grab BY the rich, biosphere math challenged, private greedballs (who use dumbass ideologues in Oregon and bought and paid for politicians as stalking horses) is not stopped, we will soon see our lands totally overrun by profit over planet exploitation. As the article I posted made clear, we ALREADY have a huge problem with wanton exploitation for fossil fuels, mining and the extermination of wildlife that "gets in the way". The overgrazing by greedy ranchers will be the least of our problems.
The solution to this problem requires that the American public understand who the BURGLAR really is and respond accordingly.
A burglar breaks into a house and finds a parrot inside.
“Kesha sees you,” says the Parrot.
Burglar covers the bird’s cage with a towel.
“Kesha is not a parrot, Kesha is a rottweiler,” says the Parrot.
(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fpm1.narvii.com%2F5869%2F6a64193d6770c3afd17406c78686c0eda32ded1c_hq.jpg&hash=fedf26e48d67cdd1e932380c7336ac18486d3fee)
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They pay almost nothing to send hundreds of thousands of livestock across our public lands sometimes obliterating the natural landscape as the livestock devour native grasses, pound the soil into dust, and wallow in and destroy streams and rivers.
They also pay almost nothing to have the state and federal government exterminate native American wildlife on our public lands - wolves, coyotes, mountain lions, bears, even eagles - that sometimes prey on calves and lambs. The epitome of this extermination is the "aerial gunner men" hired by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to fly helicopters over our public lands and kill thousands of wolves and coyotes with shotgun blasts from the sky every year," says journalist Gary Wockner.
Read our article, President Obama, Stop Leasing Our Federal Lands & Waters.
Read how Teddy Roosevelt created the refuge:
Website: www.onearth.org/earthwire/malheur-national-wildlife-refuge-theodore-roosevelt (http://www.onearth.org/earthwire/malheur-national-wildlife-refuge-theodore-roosevelt)
http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/26514 (http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/26514)
The ranchers (at least the smaller, non-corporate types) don't support selling of the commons. It isn't in their interest at all. The fact that the land has been public all these years has been a great gift to them. Truthfully, their real sin is that they have been poor stewards of the land, and have overgrazed it ever since they were allowed on it. They have essentially been subsidized all these years, but that was why the whole thing was set up the way it was in the beginning, to make it possible for settlers to live in parts of the west where 160 acre homesteads were too small to support a family.
So I have a hard time seeing this as their motivation. Now, perhaps this is some kind of trumped up scheme by the big money...the ones who have the kind of financing to actually buy big chunks of public land. That I could believe.
The whole stand-off stinks to high heaven, frankly. Most of the militia types out there think it's a false flag operation designed to make it easier for the federal government to justify grabbing their guns.
https://westernrifleshooters.wordpress.com/2016/01/06/malheur-another-perspective/ (https://westernrifleshooters.wordpress.com/2016/01/06/malheur-another-perspective/)
Eddie said,
THAT is what you should DEFINITELY believe because THAT is what this is ALL about (see the toadies Rep. Rob Bishop R-UT, Senator Lisa Murkowski's R-AK, etc. et al of the PRIVATE rich Welfare Queen Vested Interests using the Federal Government to fleece we-the-people: :evil4:).
Of course. But the COVER for these types of scams always requires the use of Karl Rove's strategy number 3: Always accuse your opponent of doing what YOU are doing to hide the FACT that YOU are doing it. It's basic Machiavelli. ANYONE that uses this strategy is devoid of a moral compass. Nitzsche's Territorial Imperative REQUIRES that that you LACK a moral compass. And long before the Homestead Act, that has been our "justification" for land grabbing. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-200714183337.bmp&hash=fd5a6df63c32bd65dda7b6d93e788647ca3829df)
So now the REAL land grabbers ((see: PRIVATE rich Welfare Queen Vested Interests using the Federal Government to fleece we-the-people) behind this are deliberately propagandizing the militia types to look in the wrong direction for the motive. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-200714191329.bmp&hash=4764bfbe6bb0e11ca61102efa97a932a824f47e0)
See red herring. See distraction. See Bu ll sh it. See: Cui Bono? (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2Facigar.gif&hash=dc9dccf92c6c88c99611b06c86d92629d69f2978)
If this massive land grab BY the rich, biosphere math challenged, private greedballs (who use dumbass ideologues in Oregon and bought and paid for politicians as stalking horses) is not stopped, we will soon see our lands totally overrun by profit over planet exploitation. As the article I posted made clear, we ALREADY have a huge problem with wanton exploitation for fossil fuels, mining and the extermination of wildlife that "gets in the way". The overgrazing by greedy ranchers will be the least of our problems.
The solution to this problem requires that the American public understand who the BURGLAR really is and respond accordingly.
A burglar breaks into a house and finds a parrot inside.
“Kesha sees you,” says the Parrot.
Burglar covers the bird’s cage with a towel.
“Kesha is not a parrot, Kesha is a rottweiler,” says the Parrot.
(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fpm1.narvii.com%2F5869%2F6a64193d6770c3afd17406c78686c0eda32ded1c_hq.jpg&hash=fedf26e48d67cdd1e932380c7336ac18486d3fee)
Yes, I think you have it right. It's the same old story about exploiting the commons, extracting the resources, and passing the costs back to the public. It's about timber and it's about uranium. It's about water and who gets it.
Yep. And the foundation of all this biosphere math challenged behavior is an absence of a moral compass. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-041115022304.png&hash=cd8cb8e28ab8f7fc78c1ea00d30a661bd937aed5)
In the light (or prehaps darkness :() of witnessing the thorough disappearance of ethical behavior in American society (back in the second half of the 19th century, engineers who designed railroad bridges would kill themselves if a bridge failed with a passenger filled train on it - now they claim "sabotage" and "poor government maintenance" while they lobby for another bridge building contract...), it is proper to resort to humor as a survival mechanism.
For the no good Attackers of the rich job creators/fossil fuel industry saviors of our civilization, Socialist, Eco-Leftist whackos like me (who talk too much ;D):
Congratulations! You won a free year long placement on a no-fly list.
Good for me! I get to lower my carbon footprint some more! - We Eco-Leftists always find silver compost linings in piles of poop. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-200714191258.bmp&hash=e4ed21caaca822f7445ccafd39f49a9f84be90ca)
Do you want coffee with cognac or without?
– Without.
– Without cognac?
– Without coffee.
For medicinal purpose only. I'm a Christian, ya know! (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2F2.gif&hash=e8f8c104b70e8c8b4b4c9981bcb36ed1cfbab01c)
Now for more general humor...
Ahmed, why is your wife walking in front of you? Did you forget that according to the Quran, a wife has to always walk behind her husband?
– Darling, I know what Quran says. But when they wrote it, they had not invented anti-personnel mines, yet.
Well yeah, some Arabs read Machiavelli too!
You have 300 Facebook friends. 80 of them come to your wedding. 10 show up for your birthday. When you have a problem, you have two friends: your parents.
And then your parents die. But your mother-in-law doesn't.
My mother-in-law is an angel.
– Lucky you… My mother-in-law is still alive.
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And what if this fed land grab operation is in part to procure control over silver and rare earth metals needed for the solar revolution AG?
It's a PRIVATIZATION land grab, not a fed land grab. The toadies are actually getting the Federal Government to PAY the States to take it, only to turn around and SELL IT to resource exploitation corporations. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-200714183337.bmp&hash=fd5a6df63c32bd65dda7b6d93e788647ca3829df)
Roamer, that is an interesting possibility. I expect you, as an allegedly objective, responsible, open minded individual to now research silver mining (silver is found with gold at a ratio of about 16 to one so they get gold from them too) and rare earths mining in the world in general, and the USA in particular.
I expect you to provide a list of the carcinogenic and otherwise toxic chemicals involved (there are LOTS of them besides arsenic) in the process of mining for and refining precious and rare earth metals. Furthermore, I expect you to provide the proportional distribution of the product in the various industries in the correct percentages and proportions, particularly how much of the total mining output goes (eventually) to Renewable Energy Technologies.
I expect you to compare their use for Renewable Technologies with their use for the polluting industries. But don't stop there. Copper, for example, is a rather important part of manufacturing electric motors. So you could make a case against copper being mined for Renewable Energy powered electric motors too.
Of course you would have to subtract all the copper used for electric motors on oil rigs and fossil fuel powered modes of transportation like cars, planes ships, submarines, etc. And don't forget to look into how the fossil fuel industry uses rare earths and silver in their machinery and infrastructure too. They do, you know. 8)
Otherwise, you might be mistaken for someone who is trying to distract people from the routine profit over planet exploitation of the fossil fuel industry, which they certainly DO have a track record of DOING on public lands.
So, if you think I am opposed to the privatization of public lands ONLY because the big money fossil fuelers want to exploit them for profit while they exterminate any wildlife that gets in the way, I beg to differ. I do not give a tinker's damn whether there is a mother lode of rare earths on public land or a giant copper or silver find in that, or any other wildlife refuge. I want it LEFT ALONE and managed by responsible biologists, not greedy, empathy deficit disordered opportunists. In fact, I suspect you feel exactly the same way. Howevah, ConocoPhillips, the reputed first oil corporation off the blocks to take advantage of the elimination of the export ban (they also just closed all operations in Russia - a coincidence, of course (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-200714191329.bmp&hash=4764bfbe6bb0e11ca61102efa97a932a824f47e0)) may see newly privatized lands to be Fracked as a "business opportunity". :P
By the way, the fastest growing job in the USA is Wind Turbine Technician. It pays pretty good and you are well qualified for it.
(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fagriculture.csi.edu%2Fimages%2Fwind%2FwindEnergy2.jpg&hash=2a0e293ed3c314c44a67339c8248d1bca6a3d611)
Where's Roamer? ???
I can give you a link to a recent news item on it if you like. You can still get in on the "ground floor", so to speak. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-200714191456.bmp&hash=a239c2fd76d20d142f1c54b961e22ebd0d2a4808)
AG, Well I was spouting idle chatter on that one, I think Eddie is closer to the mark though there are talks of massive solar farms looking for a home on west coast public land.
I agree with you too on the research that needs to be done to present an objective picture of cost benefit of solar PV. Maybe I'll find time to dig into a bit. But im not in need of convincing that the future is solar.
All for it and with the Sauds and presumably parasitic war mongering deep state throwing their weight behind their geological mother lode I'm far less inclined to think anything good can come of waiting to bite the bullet and transition.
So I think you and I can agree on one point, its now solar or bust for the world.
(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-080515182559.png&hash=d4dfa952fa0f817bf30a8059a4c88d6fb05ee1bf) (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-200714191456.bmp&hash=a239c2fd76d20d142f1c54b961e22ebd0d2a4808)(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2F128fs318181.gif&hash=eff6d5f3831782966c2ff2081f07bf7fc5b22a6b) I would only add the caveat that solar is just one of the several Renewable Energy Technologies needed to replace the fossil fuel hegemony. 8)
(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-110116142210.png&hash=8e60ea5c776b07ca58303dcf767ec93ee3d42c67)
http://thesolutionsproject.org/
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Personally, I think a better choice would have been to carve the Tusks into Elephant Sculptures and distribute them to Musueums around the world to demonstrate the problem. This solution just adds CO2 to the atmosphere.
RE
https://youtu.be/hVa8A_nUyDI
True.
But I would prefer the tusks be stored in prisons. Every person convicted of participating at some level of the poaching to selling and owning ivory should be required to carry 50 pounds of tusk around for the duration of their sentence. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.smiley-lol.com%2Fsmiley%2Fexagerent%2Fpolice%2Fboulet.gif&hash=d7b4519fc185b666c4c74a5bc63d4d0a70c0ad21) (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.desismileys.com%2Fsmileys%2Fdesismileys_6869.gif&hash=f94938471d343a09155d1f60eefacdb2ceab2457)
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(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn1.arkive.org%2Fmedia%2F43%2F4335726C-67BE-4ED0-817C-A8163ABE4F5C%2FPresentation.Large%2FYoung-coyote-cubs-playing.jpg&hash=7323e6ba625de73b66dcedd4ba353e6c871d20a4)
Coyote pups (they now have a better chance to survive) (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-080515182559.png&hash=d4dfa952fa0f817bf30a8059a4c88d6fb05ee1bf)
Killing Halted: (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.freesmileys.org%2Femoticons%2Ftuzki-bunnys%2Ftuzki-bunny-emoticon-052.gif&hash=1baf29ffd25f73a53f1b3129069a22b306c03ac8) California County Suspends Wildlife Services Contract
A settlement agreement stemming from a lawsuit by the Center and allies means that California's Mendocino County will suspend its contract with a federal wildlife-killing agency while a full environmental review is conducted.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services kills hundreds of coyotes, mountain lions, bears, bobcats and other wildlife in Mendocino County every year. The Center and allies twice sued the county for failing to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act in approving its contract with the program. Under the terms of the settlement, Mendocino County must evaluate the merits of a nonlethal predator-control program and prepare an "environmental impact report" if it decides to enter into a contract with Wildlife Services in the future.
This may finally begin to curb widespread killing by this rogue program, which wiped out more than 47,000 animals in California in 2014.
Read more in our press release:
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2016/wildlife-services-04-26-2016.html
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(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fjohnmuirproject.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2014%2F11%2FCenterForBiologicalDiversity.png&hash=dfb71a85f03d110b5fdcef3bc42ad8b2865040f4)
65,000 Acres Won for Oregon Spotted Frogs (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2Ftreeswing.gif&hash=03d29d18183a2924176defc1df7861676abb0960)
(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmediad.publicbroadcasting.net%2Fp%2Fksor%2Ffiles%2F201312%2Foregonspottedfrog.jpg&hash=d5f32c3d50360527248573fc5fdc83ba357ef373)
Oregon spotted frog
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this week protected 65,038 acres and 20 river miles of "critical habitat" for Oregon spotted frogs in Oregon and Washington. In response to a petition and lawsuit from the Center, these frogs were declared threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 2014 -- but not until they'd spent 23 years languishing on a waiting list for protection. The once-plentiful creatures have now disappeared from 90 percent of their range.
Oregon spotted frogs -- one of the few frogs that call to each other under water -- need clean water and stable flows for egg-laying, tadpole development and adult overwintering. They're threatened by wetlands loss, poor river management, reduced water quality, drought and invasive species.
"This habitat protection is good news for Oregon spotted frogs and for future generations, because we can't save endangered species without protecting their homes," said the Center's Tierra Curry. "Amphibians have been on the planet for millions of years, and when they start dying off it's a wake-up call that we need to take better care of our resources." (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2Ficare.gif&hash=7a81c13fb045a57fc456f34661fddcf04dbfe8b7) (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2Fearthhug.gif&hash=3abcf70466f34337f2d702ebd9e02c650d5c4c20)
Get more from KTVZ.
http://www.ktvz.com/news/feds-finalize-critical-spotted-frog-habitat-in-nw/39464934
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Myth-busting Study: Wolf Killing Spurs Wolf Poaching :(
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Alert wolves
Wolf managers, listen up: A study published this week finds that thinning wolf populations actually decreases public tolerance for wolves and leads to more poaching. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-200714183337.bmp&hash=fd5a6df63c32bd65dda7b6d93e788647ca3829df)
The analysis of wolf populations in Wisconsin and Michigan, by scientists Adrian Treves and Guillaume Chapron, undermines assertions by government officials and opponents of wolf protection that culling wolves is necessary to mollify the segment of the human population that might otherwise poach the animals. In fact the study -- involving 18 years of data -- found that when wolf culling was allowed, poaching increased as well; when wolves were protected from culling, poaching decreased.
"This important study should trigger more humane, science-based management of wolves," said the Center's Michael Robinson. "One of the best things governments can do to cut poaching is to send the message that wolves have a high public value and deserve to be treated accordingly."
Read more in our press release (http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2016/wolf-05-11-2016.html) and check out this cool video (http://www.theverge.com/2016/5/10/11645954/wolf-hunt-movie-minnesota-michigan-wisconsin-conservation)explaining the study using Playmobil figures. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2Freading.gif&hash=63e3e644b39258d4c4eedbcdaf322315b1856723)
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10 Things to Know about the Walrus
Posted On May 19, 2016 by Guest Blogger
This blog was written by Roger Di Silvestro, a field correspondent for Ocean Conservancy. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bativert.ma%2Fimages%2Fimage3.jpg&hash=7c7c27d838504cb1d5c5a4c1efac44e790a39265)
When you think of walruses, you may picture their tusks—the huge pinniped’s most familiar characteristic. But there is so much more to these “elephants of the sea”! Here are some less-obvious facts about these ice-dwelling creatures.
1. Biologists classify the walrus as a carnivore, or meat eater, which puts the animal in the same broad category as wolves, foxes and lions.
2. The polar bear, weighing as much as 1,200 pounds, is often touted as North America’s largest terrestrial carnivore. But it’s a mere wisp compared to the ocean-going male walrus, which can tip the scales in excess of 3,700 pounds.
3. Walruses depend on sea ice, and spend much of the summer on flows from which they dive into relatively shallow waters in search of food. In winter, the walruses go to shore and feed in near-shore waters. They communicate with grunting and roaring sounds.
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4. Despite their size and their ability to stay underwater for up to half an hour, walruses are not deep divers—they usually feed at depths of less than 300 feet.
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5. Walruses find much of their food by poking around on the ocean floor. When a walrus finds a tasty crab or clam buried in sand, it creates powerful suction with its mouth to vacuum it up. Walruses are not picky eaters—they feed mainly on mollusks, but will also eat worms, cephalopods, crustaceans and more. They even nosh on an occasional seal, though observations of walruses hunting their close relatives are rare.
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6. Walruses are able to locate buried food thanks to the 400-700 stiff bristles, or vibrissae, which grow on their muzzles. Like a cat’s whiskers, vibrissae are sensitive to touch, telling the walrus when it has come in contact with an appropriate food. Vibrissae can grow up to a foot long, but scraping against sand and rock usually keeps them shorter.
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7. Adult walruses have few enemies, mostly due to their massive size and sharp tusks, which can grow to more than three feet long. Bears sometimes attack young walruses, as do orcas. A bear attack on a beached walrus herd can make the pinnipeds rush headlong for the safety of water, causing injuries to adult walruses in the general crush and making them vulnerable to bear attacks.
8. The scientific name for the walrus genus is Odobenus, which is Greek for “tooth walker,” so-called because walruses sometimes use their tusks to haul themselves onto ice.
9. The brownish, heavily seamed skin of the walrus is over 1.5 inches thick and covers a layer of blubber that can get to 3.9 inches thick. The skin grows paler as the animals age, until the dark brown of the young fades to cinnamon in mature animals. The color depends partly on blood flow to the skin; when in cold water, blood flow to the skin reduces, so the skin of a pink walrus can turn nearly white.
10. Walruses breed from January to March while winter is in full swing, and females give birth about 16 months later. A newborn calf can weigh 100 to 165 pounds and may stay with the mother for two years or more, though usually weaned after a year.
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The Ocean Conservancy is using science-based solutions to tackle the biggest threats to our ocean, including ones that threaten walruses and other wildlife. See how you can take action.
http://blog.oceanconservancy.org/2016/05/19/10-things-to-know-about-the-walrus/#more-12079 (http://blog.oceanconservancy.org/2016/05/19/10-things-to-know-about-the-walrus/#more-12079)
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No ice in shallow water off the continental shelf, no Walruses. GET IT?
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Fossil Fuel Industry response to ALL THE ABOVE:
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The "We are very responsible, good and caring for wildlife" BULLSHIT from Kevin Shea, USDA Administrator, in a letter to Senator Sanders:
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THE TRUTH, as stated clearly since 2013:
Congress: Kill Wildlife Services’ Wildlife-Killing Budget
By Ralph Maughan On August 9, 2013
This is a guest editorial by Wendy Keefover, Director of the Carnivore Protection Program at WildEarth Guardians-
The New York Times editors largely got it right when they recently editorialized critically about the cruel work of a little known program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that annually spends over $100 million to kill some four million animals each year. But we believe the Times should have gone further with their recommendation: abolish Wildlife Services altogether because it represents a huge waste of taxpayer funds, it harms wildlife communities and ecosystems, and uses indiscriminate, brutal methods to kill millions of wildlife and domestic animals each year.
Not surprisingly Kevin Shea, one of the USDA’s top administrators for the government’s war on wildlife reacted defensively and claimed the Times editors “misunderstood” the federal government’s animal-killing “program.” He argues that unless one lives in “Rural [sic] America or work(s) in agriculture” one just cannot comprehend the need for the feds to kill “wolves, coyotes, bears that prey on livestock, as well as birds that can devour a field of sunflowers or a pen of farm-raised catfish in a morning.”
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But Shea’s notion of rural exceptionalism is fundamentally about the bottom line of agribusiness and is a complete dismissal of the growing support for non-lethal coexistence.
His arguments are out-of-step with Americans’ conservation values. In fact some rural producers readily use non-lethal methods to deter wildlife and prevent losses to their agricultural products. A few ranchers ride with their herds that graze on open range, or use barns or pens to protect lambing or calving mothers. Some farmers use scarecrows and electronic devices to scare off flocks of birds that might eat sunflower seeds or rice.
Shea conveniently omitted facts about the enormous problems associated with this federal animal-killing program. Each year, Wildlife Services kills millions of animals, including animals that are federally listed as “endangered” or “threatened” with extinction under the Endangered Species Act. It also kills hundreds of common species each year from meadowlarks, to beavers, to American kestrels. Wildlife Services slays hundreds of domestic pets, and occasionally and ironically the very cattle, sheep, or deer they are working to protect.
While Shea claims that: “we target just those animals causing the damage.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Wildlife Services uses a veritable arsenal that includes a variety of indiscriminate deadly poisons; cable neck snares; dynamite, steel-jawed, and leg-hold traps. None of these things target the individual animals that have caused agricultural damage. And neither can the federal snipers who shoot wolves, bears, coyotes, and ravens from helicopters and airplanes. They just shoot the animals they see.
Shea also forgot to mention the brutality that characterizes some Wildlife Services employees. Recently, one federal trapper was criticized for apparently siccing his dogs on trapped coyotes. The trapper then apparently took photos and posted them to his Facebook page.
In another recent incident, a government trapper, who was working for his wife with his supervisor’s approval, set up leg-hold traps in his own yard. He captured his neighbor’s dog who was left in traps for hours. The dog sustained permanent damage to her body. The trapper has been charged in Arizona for felony animal abuse and recently left his employment.
Wildlife Services wastes enormous resources in its bid to kill America’s most majestic native carnivores such as wolves, coyotes, bears, and cougars. What makes no sense is that only a miniscule number of livestock actually die from predation – less than a quarter of one percent of the cattle inventory according to USDA figures. Most cattle and sheep succumb to illness, disease, and birthing problems, according to the USDA’s own data, killing wolves and other native species creates enormous ecosystem problems, and disrupts the social structures in these animal communities.
Finally, Mr. Shea failed to tell his readers that tax dollars largely pay for all this killing. Wildlife Services receives funds from taxpayers at every level of government – from municipalities, to states, and from the federal treasury as well.
Worse, Wildlife Services operates under a veil of secrecy, often failing to account for its actions. Wildlife Services is notorious for its failures to respond to Freedom of Information Act requests. It won’t tell the public how much it spends on what it does, although a peek at some of its record keeping from its databases indicates a culture of precise record keeping. Wildlife Services has even evaded requests from Congress for its budget records.
Wildlife Services has been around in various guises since the late 19th Century with its primary mission to exterminate our nation’s wildlife so as to benefit those in agribusiness. Times have changed. Sadly Wildlife Service has not. It’s time for Wildlife Services to go. It’s out of step with Americans’ values toward wildlife and wildlands conservation.
With ingenuity and persistence, producers can choose to co-exist with wildlife rather than killing – because the amount of killing is expensive, harmful, misguided, and wholly unnecessary. In an era of economic uncertainty, it’s time to kill Wildlife Services’ budget so as to spare our nation’s wildlife and pets.
http://www.thewildlifenews.com/2013/08/09/congress-kill-wildlife-services-wildlife-killing-budget/
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WATCH: amazing move of four forest elephants in Cote d'Ivoire
https://youtu.be/lGyUqGT1dsU
http://www.ifaw.org/united-states/news/watch-amazing-move-four-forest-elephants-cote-divoire
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Amur tiger release - Cinderella leaps to freedom in Far East Russia!
Update: We’re thrilled to report that, not only is Zolushka thriving in her new home, but in December 2015 she became the first rehabilitated and released Amur tiger to give birth in the wild. Below, experience the dramatic release that initiated this remarkable success story.PHOTO: © BASTAK
https://youtu.be/WA90FGaIXJ8
I should consider myself truly lucky because I took part in Cinderella’s release to the wild.
Cinderella is an Amur tiger. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-301014181553.gif&hash=c09667beb656b25086c168adcdaddcba59abf858) She was orphaned in the winter of 2012, and we were helping to raise her at the rehabilitation facility in Alekseyevka village, near Vladivostok in Far East Russia.
From June 2012, I was checking on Cinderella virtually every day: what does she eat, what does she like, how does she sleep…and all other details of her life.
For example, Cinderella loves to bathe. Usually after a good meal – a hog or a rabbit – she climbs into a stream that runs through her enclosure and lies in water happily.
When Cinderella was found, she was exhausted and frostbitten. Very often tiger cubs like her suffer frostbite on their tails. Cinderella's tail was affected too, so the very tip, about 5 to 7 centimeters, had to be amputated. This is the tip that tigers so characteristically curve up.
We are a little worried that the amputation might inhibit her communication with other tigers, but in general it should not be a problem in her life in the wild.
Many other organizations besides the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) have been involved in rescuing Cinderella: Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution at the Russian Academy of Sciences, Phoenix Fund, Inspection Tiger, and WCS. Members of all these organizations came together to release Cinderella's back to the wild.
While living in the rehabilitation center, Cinderella has learned two most important skills: to hunt and to avoid human beings. Both are innate, but her time spent in rehabilitation gave her an opportunity to develop them, and Cinderella rather excels at both.
Whether Cinderella was ready for release, was decided by many of the world’s Amur tiger experts. After long discussions, the date for the release was set on May 9th. Nobody was intentionally setting it on Victory Day; it was just a nice coincidence.
A lot of people gathered at the rehabilitation facility on May 8th but were kept at a safe distance as Cinderella has intentionally been exposed to practically no contact with humans. All animals are examined and tested before being released; also a satellite collar had to be fit, so Cinderella had to be immobilized.
That was not so easy: Cinderella's enclosure is large, and she is very good at hiding and as soon as she heard and smelled the presence of humans she found a good spot to lay low and remain still. Only a handful of people approached the enclosure.
Two ‘shooters’ waited with their dart guns, a number of people surveyed the scene remotely on video fed by surveillance cameras, and the rest of us were asked to wait one kilometer away from the facility to avoid needlessly stressing Cinderella too much.
Around an hour and a half later, Cinderella was removed from the enclosure she called home for a year. Immediately after, blood was taken and other tests and measurements were performed, including measurements of her tail. Then she was fitted a satellite collar.
During remote observations at the rehabilitation facility Cinderella looked as if she weighed more than 100 kilos (which was quite impressive), but her actual weight at the time of transport showed 94 kilos. It’s true that TV adds a few kilos! Our girl actually was quite slim. I couldn’t help but feeling Cinderella’s fur while she was asleep and was surprised by how warm she was, feeling her body heat as I passed my hand over her hide.
The team then moved her into a transportation cage. The whole testing and measuring procedure took less than half an hour.
We started off from the facility about 1 p.m. Our party was riding in four vehicles; one of them towed a trailer with Cinderella.
During the first hour on the road our princess-to-be was waking up and recovering from anesthesia. We were watching her through breathing holes drilled in her cage. You put your eye to a peep-hole, and see a tiger looking straight at you… Ughhh… scary!
The weather was rather cool near Vladivostok, but as we started driving it grew warmer, and then just plain hot. We were stopping often to check on Cinderella. It’s quite complicated to pour water into the transport crate, so we put two five-liter blocks of ice in there to keep her cool.
Afraid that it would not be enough, we showered Cinderella by pouring water through the holes… what other way was there?... now imagine that here you are lying down, and suddenly cold water starts raining on you… Well, that was exactly what Cinderella thought too, and she expressed her thoughts loud and clear.
We took the hint. No more showers.
We can only imagine what Cinderella went through on the road. It was a very long and exhausting car drive. However, transportation by helicopter proved to be impossibly expensive. We were going to Bastak Nature Reserve. It is about 1000 kilometers from Vladivostok, near Birobidzhan. It started raining in the evening, and the temperature fell: that was the welcome we got as we approached Cinderella’s release site at Bastak Nature Reserve.
Tigers used to live in the area, but eventually people killed them all, and there were no tiger sightings there for many years. However, starting with 2006, one male tiger's presence is recorded there on a regular basis, and he is still sighted today. So we have far-reaching plans for Cinderella.
At 11 a.m. on May 9th we came to a place where we were met by a massive off-road vehicle that closely resembles a tank without a turret. No other vehicle would be able to travel across the reserve terrain.
The cage was uploaded on the tank, and we too climbed up on it. Never before have I travelled on such a thing! It’s a very powerful machine, there is only one downside – you have to duck all the time so as not to be hit by tree branches. I failed to do that once and got a good punch from a thick bough, which was less than nice.
Finally we reached the place of release. It was selected in the very center of the reserve, where no one ever goes, and even rangers only visit on rare occasions. That is, they patrol this territory's perimeter looking for signs of human presence, and if there are none, they do not go inside this core area. This is where we brought Cinderella.
The cage was taken down and placed in a way that gave Cinderella a good clearing to jump out and run for cover. We thought that she would run straight ahead so the video cameras were set to a side.
Not surprisingly nobody volunteered to open the cage directly, so a block and tackle system was arranged to lift the cage door from the distance. Everything was set up, and placed, everyone was put inside the tank since a tiger's behavior in such situations is unpredictable.
The rope was pulled, but the door wasn’t opening. The structure was then readjusted, everybody was growing nervous, time was passing, and all the cameras that were set up and recording were burning battery life. Of course Cinderella could hear everything and she was nervous too.
The rope was pulled again, and again it wasn’t working. Then they started redoing the entire block and tackle system. By now our cameramen were seriously worried about losing the whole thing and Cinderella was less than pleased by all the action around her cage.
Everybody got back inside the tank, took their 'positions', and finally the door slid open!
Then everything was over in a split second. We heard a roar, and for an instant I saw Cinderella leaping out of the cage right away and, contrary to our expectations, disappearing immediately from our sight, making a sharp right turn.
I was totally enraptured by that moment, so fluid and graceful she was. That was amazing. Cinderella leaped over one of the cameras, ran a bit to the side, stopped and looked back at us. I thought that for the first time in my life I see a tiger in the wild. And that this was perhaps the last time I would ever see a tiger in our taiga.
At that moment the man who was holding the door open (and the door was heavy) faltered perhaps, and the door closed back with a deafening bang. Cinderella startled and – disappeared. That is, she made a couple more leaps and sort of dissolved among the trees. It’s amazing how the bright orange and black stripes make the tiger invisible in taiga.
You know that she is there and can see us, but we cannot see her. It was a strange feeling, on one side a great joy because our Cinderella was free and back home, and on the other hand a realization that you do not want to cross her path again in the future.
That was it.
Today, we already received satellite data showing that Cinderella is moving across the reserve territory, so we know for certain that she is alive.
Let me say again that all of this became possible only thanks to the joint efforts of many people from a number of organizations: Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution at the Russian Academy of Sciences, Inspection Tiger, WCS, Phoenix Fund, and IFAW. But more importantly, this was possible thanks to your contribution. A million thank-you’s to IFAW’s generous supporters for saving Cinderella and giving Amur tigers a new hope for their survival.
--AF
For more information about our efforts to protect tigers, visit our project page.
Anna Filippova (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2F19.gif&hash=3f9f2fc2285bc756137e21463bc2a4c420b15ac3) is an International Fund for Animal Welfare campaigner working in the IFAW Russia office.
http://www.ifaw.org/united-states/news/watch-amur-tiger-release-cinderella-leaps-freedom-far-east-russia
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WATCH: Rescued bears dash to freedom in Russia
https://youtu.be/SZPmT1WAQGc
Watch as Vesnushka and Elka, two rehabilitated orphaned bears, find freedom once again.
This short video shot exclusively on GoPro cameras shows Vasily, Katya and Sergey Pazhetnov tranquilizing the bears and transporting them to their release site before opening their crate doors to the outside world.
More than 200 bears have been rescued and released at IFAW’s Orphan Bear Rescue Center located in Bubonitsy, Russia.
Sixteen more bears are currently being cared for at the Center. Stay tuned for updates on how they’re growing and learning the skills needed to survive in the wild!
--MD
Mila Danilova, Campaigner, IFAW Russia
Mila Danilova (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2F19.gif&hash=3f9f2fc2285bc756137e21463bc2a4c420b15ac3) is an International Fund for Animal Welfare campaigner working in the IFAW Russia office. Mila’s focus is on wildlife rescue and rehabilitation, and the protection of beluga.
http://www.ifaw.org/united-states/news/watch-rescued-bears-dash-freedom-russia
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Watch: The last DRC mountain gorillas again face an uncertain fate
By Michael Booth
Posted: Thu, 05/24/2012
Yes, it’s happening again.
A few weeks ago, the delicate state of peace in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo was again shattered by renewed clashes between the Congolese army and rebel militias operating near and inside Virunga National Park.
Established in 1925, the park is the oldest in Africa and a bastion for the endangered mountain gorilla. This is the site where conservation icons like George Schaller and Dian Fossey conducted the first field studies on the Gorilla beringei beringei.
Out of an estimated 790 mountain gorillas left in the world, approximately 200 of them live within the park’s territory. Remarkably, and in spite of a 12-year civil war in the region, the park’s gorilla population has continued its upward trend; but for how long?
Dian Fossey was forced to flee Congo and the gorillas she was studying back in 1967 due to civil unrest in the country. All these years later, thousands of Congolese refugees follow her footsteps in yet another wave of violence unleashed a few weeks ago.
As refugee camps in Rwanda and Uganda struggle to cope with the influx of people, back in Virunga things are quickly getting out of hand. The Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN) are evacuating their rangers from the combat zone.
This is bad news for the gorillas and other animals that receive protection from ICCN.
Back in July of last year, my International Fund for Animal Welfare colleague Céline Sissler-Bienvenu and I traveled to Africa and partnered with the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International to move 6 rescued Grauer gorilla orphans from Rwanda to a rehabilitation center in the DRC.
After we successfully completed the operation, we joined rangers from the ICCN and visited/filmed wild mountain gorillas at the famous park. Take just a few minutes and visit Virunga’s treasure by playing the video below:
https://youtu.be/VLgtNqTytQM
Trekking up the volcano’s slopes to get a unique 1-hr glimpse of wild mountain gorillas is an experience I will never forget. I think about the dominant silver-back Kabirizi and his family group in these uncertain times and hope they remain safe.
Losing just a single family group would have devastating consequences for mountain gorilla conservation.
--MB
Find out more about IFAW efforts to save primates.
If you’re as concerned as I am, go directly to the Fossey Fund website for the latest security reports and help all of us protect animals in need.
Michael Booth, Program Communications Officer, IFAW Headquarters
Michael Booth (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2F19.gif&hash=3f9f2fc2285bc756137e21463bc2a4c420b15ac3)is IFAW's communications lead during Emergency Response and Wildlife Rescue operations.
Since joining IFAW in 2006, Michael's assignments have included disaster animal.
http://www.ifaw.org/united-states/news/watch-last-drc-mountain-gorillas-again-face-uncertain-fate
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3.2 Million Animals Killed by Wildlife Services in 2015
Center for Biological Diversity | June 21, 2016 1:01 pm
The highly secretive arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture known as Wildlife Services killed more than 3.2 million animals during fiscal year 2015, according to new data released by the agency.
The total number of wolves, coyotes, bears, mountain lions, beavers, foxes, eagles and other animals killed largely at the behest of the livestock industry and other agribusinesses represents a half-million-animal increase more than the 2.7 million animals the agency killed in 2014.
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Fox Photo credit: Pexels
Despite increasing calls for reform a century after the federal wildlife-killing program began in 1915, the latest kill report indicates that the program’s reckless slaughter continues, including 385 gray wolves, 68,905 coyotes (plus an unknown number of pups in 492 destroyed dens), 480 black bears, 284 mountain lions, 731 bobcats, 492 river otters (all but 83 killed “unintentionally”), 3,437 foxes, two bald eagles and 21,559 beavers. The program also killed 20,777 prairie dogs outright, plus an unknown number killed in more than 59,000 burrows that were destroyed or fumigated.
“Despite mounting public outcry and calls from Congress to reform these barbaric, outdated tactics, Wildlife Services continues its slaughter of America’s wildlife with no public oversight,” Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity said.
“There’s simply no scientific basis for continuing to shoot, poison and strangle millions of animals every year—a cruel practice that not only fails to effectively manage targeted wildlife but poses an ongoing threat to other animals, including pets.”
Agency insiders have revealed that the agency kills many more animals than it reports.
The data show that the Department of Agriculture boosted its killing program despite a growing public outcry and calls for reform by scientists, elected officials and nongovernmental organizations.
“The Department of Agriculture should get out of the wildlife-slaughter business,” Robinson said.
“Wolves, bears and other carnivores help keep the natural balance of their ecosystems. Our government kills off the predators, such as coyotes and then kills off their prey—like prairie dogs—in an absurd, pointless cycle of violence.”
http://ecowatch.com/2016/06/21/animals-killed-wildlife-services/
Agelbert NOTE: I signed a petition that was sent to Senator Sanders. He wrote to the USDA and they answered with a pack of lies. The chief liar is Shea. He is in charge and has been advocating this murderous policy for several years.
The "We are very responsible, good and caring for wildlife (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F_9HT4xZyDmh4%2FTOHhxzA0wLI%2FAAAAAAAAEUk%2FoeHDS2cfxWQ%2Fs200%2FSmiley_Angel_Wings_Halo.jpg&hash=13281f1944b60773bf12b29387b70be77cc1fe16)" BULLSHIT from Kevin Shea, USDA Administrator, in a letter to Senator Sanders:
Prize quotes for world class innocent sounding Kevin Shea doubletalk, duplicity and hard to disprove (the lawyer liars must have vetted the letter first - wink) statements among the pack of lies told by Kevin Shea in his May 6, 2016 letter to Senator Sanders:
"In fact, some 9 out of 10 wild animals are chased away from the place they are casuing problems, and WS lethal predator control work removes only a minuscule number of predators when compared to their native populations in the wild."
"We assure you and your constituents that we are dedicated to advancing the coezistence of people and wildlife and that our Agency is committed to developing and utilizing socially acceptable and biologically sound methods od wildlife damage management. "
The only thing missing is "Trust us, we are lawyers". LOL!
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THE TRUTH, as stated clearly since 2013:
Congress: Kill Wildlife Services’ Wildlife-Killing Budget
By Ralph Maughan On August 9, 2013
This is a guest editorial by Wendy Keefover, Director of the Carnivore Protection Program at WildEarth Guardians-
The New York Times editors largely got it right when they recently editorialized critically about the cruel work of a little known program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that annually spends over $100 million to kill some four million animals each year. But we believe the Times should have gone further with their recommendation: abolish Wildlife Services altogether because it represents a huge waste of taxpayer funds, it harms wildlife communities and ecosystems, and uses indiscriminate, brutal methods to kill millions of wildlife and domestic animals each year.
Not surprisingly Kevin Shea, one of the USDA’s top administrators for the government’s war on wildlife reacted defensively and claimed the Times editors “misunderstood” the federal government’s animal-killing “program.” He argues that unless one lives in “Rural [sic] America or work(s) in agriculture” one just cannot comprehend the need for the feds to kill “wolves, coyotes, bears that prey on livestock, as well as birds that can devour a field of sunflowers or a pen of farm-raised catfish in a morning.”
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But Shea’s notion of rural exceptionalism is fundamentally about the bottom line of agribusiness and is a complete dismissal of the growing support for non-lethal coexistence.
His arguments are out-of-step with Americans’ conservation values. In fact some rural producers readily use non-lethal methods to deter wildlife and prevent losses to their agricultural products. A few ranchers ride with their herds that graze on open range, or use barns or pens to protect lambing or calving mothers. Some farmers use scarecrows and electronic devices to scare off flocks of birds that might eat sunflower seeds or rice.
Shea conveniently omitted facts about the enormous problems associated with this federal animal-killing program. Each year, Wildlife Services kills millions of animals, including animals that are federally listed as “endangered” or “threatened” with extinction under the Endangered Species Act. It also kills hundreds of common species each year from meadowlarks, to beavers, to American kestrels. Wildlife Services slays hundreds of domestic pets, and occasionally and ironically the very cattle, sheep, or deer they are working to protect.
While Shea claims that: “we target just those animals causing the damage.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Wildlife Services uses a veritable arsenal that includes a variety of indiscriminate deadly poisons; cable neck snares; dynamite, steel-jawed, and leg-hold traps. None of these things target the individual animals that have caused agricultural damage. And neither can the federal snipers who shoot wolves, bears, coyotes, and ravens from helicopters and airplanes. They just shoot the animals they see.
Shea also forgot to mention the brutality that characterizes some Wildlife Services employees. Recently, one federal trapper was criticized for apparently siccing his dogs on trapped coyotes. The trapper then apparently took photos and posted them to his Facebook page.
In another recent incident, a government trapper, who was working for his wife with his supervisor’s approval, set up leg-hold traps in his own yard. He captured his neighbor’s dog who was left in traps for hours. The dog sustained permanent damage to her body. The trapper has been charged in Arizona for felony animal abuse and recently left his employment.
Wildlife Services wastes enormous resources in its bid to kill America’s most majestic native carnivores such as wolves, coyotes, bears, and cougars. What makes no sense is that only a miniscule number of livestock actually die from predation – less than a quarter of one percent of the cattle inventory according to USDA figures. Most cattle and sheep succumb to illness, disease, and birthing problems, according to the USDA’s own data, killing wolves and other native species creates enormous ecosystem problems, and disrupts the social structures in these animal communities.
Finally, Mr. Shea failed to tell his readers that tax dollars largely pay for all this killing. Wildlife Services receives funds from taxpayers at every level of government – from municipalities, to states, and from the federal treasury as well.
Worse, Wildlife Services operates under a veil of secrecy, often failing to account for its actions. Wildlife Services is notorious for its failures to respond to Freedom of Information Act requests. It won’t tell the public how much it spends on what it does, although a peek at some of its record keeping from its databases indicates a culture of precise record keeping. Wildlife Services has even evaded requests from Congress for its budget records.
Wildlife Services has been around in various guises since the late 19th Century with its primary mission to exterminate our nation’s wildlife so as to benefit those in agribusiness. Times have changed. Sadly Wildlife Service has not. It’s time for Wildlife Services to go. It’s out of step with Americans’ values toward wildlife and wildlands conservation.
With ingenuity and persistence, producers can choose to co-exist with wildlife rather than killing – because the amount of killing is expensive, harmful, misguided, and wholly unnecessary. In an era of economic uncertainty, it’s time to kill Wildlife Services’ budget so as to spare our nation’s wildlife and pets.
http://www.thewildlifenews.com/2013/08/09/congress-kill-wildlife-services-wildlife-killing-budget/
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Sep. 29, 2016 04:51PM EST
Court Stops U.S. Fish & Wildlife from Killing Wild Red Wolves (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.clipartbest.com%2Fcliparts%2Fxig%2Fojx%2Fxigojx6KT.png&hash=6706182c9f1427099a77e10d1758e61d9cadb701)
Defenders of Wildlife Defenders of Wildlife
SNIPPET:
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina today issued a preliminary injunction that orders the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to stop capturing and killing—and authorizing private landowners to capture and kill—members of the rapidly dwindling population of wild red wolves.
http://www.ecowatch.com/red-wolf-court-ruling-2023369456.html
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(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2Fearthhug.gif&hash=3abcf70466f34337f2d702ebd9e02c650d5c4c20) World Habitat Day (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2Ftreeswing.gif&hash=03d29d18183a2924176defc1df7861676abb0960)
https://youtu.be/dof_KFKlx8s
Despite 40 years of protection efforts and billions of dollars, America's rarest animals and their habitats continue to decline. Existing approaches are not capable of protecting habitat quickly enough and at a large enough scale to restore healthy wildlife populations, in large part because a challenge between wildlife and development typically ends in costly and time-consuming court battles. But EDF has come up with a solution that allows people and wildlife to thrive together. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-080515182559.png&hash=d4dfa952fa0f817bf30a8059a4c88d6fb05ee1bf)
https://youtu.be/ut-bQn88xEc
Lesser Prairie Chicken
The lesser prairie-chicken is a ground-dwelling grouse, known for its elaborate mating dances, and found only in the United States. Once abundant throughout the southern Great Plains, the bird is now limited to select portions of New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas. Its habitat overlaps with farming and ranching operations as well as oil, gas and wind energy development.
EDF is among the leaders in an effort to save this species. By participating in the Lesser Prairie-Chicken Habitat Exchange, farmers, ranchers, and other landowners can earn income by creating, maintaining, and improving habitat vital to the survival of the lesser prairie chicken.
There were once an estimated 1 million Attwater's prairie chickens living in the coastal prairie of Texas and Louisiana. But rapid loss of prairie habitat in the early 1900s took a devastating toll. Today, the only living Attwater's prairie chickens are born in zoos. :(
Prairie chickens need millions of acres of prairie habitat in order to survive extended droughts and a multitude of other threats—far more than can ever be preserved through purchase and the establishment of federal or state refuges and preserves.
Enjoy Spectacular slide shows and a wealth of valuable environmental information at the link below: (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bativert.ma%2Fimages%2Fimage3.jpg&hash=7c7c27d838504cb1d5c5a4c1efac44e790a39265)
https://www.edf.org/
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America's wolves at Risk
https://youtu.be/v6Ad09m3WQY
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Shades of Gray: America's Wolf Dilemma
https://youtu.be/AydbYkWP1zk
Wolf Howling Compilation ;D
https://youtu.be/op7fRsvWowA
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Sweet Kangaroo Who Was Rescued as an Orphan Thanks Her Caretakers for Saving Her Every Day !(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2Fcomputer3.gif&hash=cd6007945e9cbaabf029ebaef6ad36b8505bc341)
Full story with heart warming pictures:
http://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/kangaroo-thanks-caretakers-for-saving-her/
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Love and Relation With Wild Animals - Full Documentary
https://youtu.be/herXyPYRoII
Love and Relation With Wild Animals - Full Documentary P.2
https://youtu.be/XbvkJSrgKUw
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Sea Shepherd (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2F19.gif&hash=3f9f2fc2285bc756137e21463bc2a4c420b15ac3) Finds Japanese Whaling Fleet (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2Fpirates5B15D_th.gif&hash=32438e1ed2c4d1823d4ed2a193286525c840a605)
in Southern Ocean
December 23, 2016 by Mike Schuler
A whale tied to the side of the Japanese whale research vessel Yushin Maru No. 2 taken February 15, 2013. Photo (at article link) courtesy Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Activists with the controversial Sea Shepherd Conservation Society have located the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean setting the stage for what is sure to be another season of high seas drama and possibly violent confrontations in the remote Antarctic waters.
Sea Shepherd said its vessels, including its new Ocean Warrior, intercepted part of the Japanese whaling fleet Thursday night in the South Ocean Whale Sanctuary.
“The crews of the Ocean Warrior and The MV Steve Irwin have been battling through thick fog and ice to protect the whales in the Australian whale sanctuary,” said Captain Adam Meyerson, Captain of the Ocean Warrior. “The [Yushin harpoon ship] was hiding behind an iceberg and came out on a collision course.”
The organization said the Japanese whaling ship was located approximately 165 miles northeast of Australia’s Casey base, inside the Australian whale sanctuary.
“Sea Shepherd’s vessels are now on the hunt for the centerpiece of the illegal Japanese whaling fleet, the floating slaughterhouse known as the Nisshin Maru,” Sea Shepherd said in a statement.
“Finding one of the hunter killer ships hiding behind an iceberg in a thick fog means that the rest of the fleet is nearby. We all hope to have whaling in the Southern Ocean shut down by Christmas,” said Meyerson.
Sea Shepherd is currently on its 11th Antarctic Whale Defense Campaign, named Operation Nemesis. This year the organization is equipped with a brand new, multi-million patrol ship that is faster and more capable than any ship Sea Shepherd has ever had in its fleet.
Sea Shepherd says this year the Japanese whaling fleet has set a quota of 333 Minke whales. Japanese whaling is conducted by the Institute of Cetacean Research, which skirts an international moratorium on commercial whaling under a provision that allows whaling only for purposes of scientific research.
https://gcaptain.com/sea-shepherd-finds-japanese-whaling-fleet-in-southern-ocean/
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Australia ‘Deeply Disappointed’ by Japan’s Continued Whale Hunt in Southern Ocean
January 16, 2017 by Reuters
A photo published Sunday by marine conservation society Sea Shepherd shows a dead whale on the deck of the Japanese ‘whale research’ vessel Nissan Maru. Photo: Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (at article link)
ReutersSYDNEY, Jan 16 (Reuters) – Australia said on Monday it was “deeply disappointed” Japan had continued whaling in the Southern Ocean after anti-whaling activists published a photograph of a dead whale and two days after Australian and Japanese leaders discussed the issue.
Australia has long opposed Japanese whaling and the contentious issue was raised in talks between Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Sydney on Saturday, said sources familiar with the talks.
“The Australian government is deeply disappointed that Japan has decided to return to the Southern Ocean this summer to undertake so-called ‘scientific’ whaling,” Australian Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg said on Monday.
“It is not necessary to kill whales in order to study them,” Frydenberg added, without confirming the exact location of the current hunt.
The International Court of Justice ruled in 2014, in a case brought by Australia, that Japan’s whaling in the Southern Ocean should stop, prompting Japan to suspend its hunt for one season, though it resumed in 2015.
Japan maintains that most whale species are not endangered and that eating whale is part of its culture. Japan started what it calls “scientific whaling” in 1987, a year after an international whaling moratorium took effect.
Anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd published a photograph on Sunday of a dead minke whale, which appeared to have been punctured by a harpoon, on the deck of the Japanese whaling ship Nisshin Maru. Sea Shepherd said the ship was hunting in an Australian sanctuary off the Antarctic coast.
The photograph is the first of the Japanese whaling fleet hunting in the Southern Ocean since the 2014 court ruling, Sea Shepherd said in a statement. Footage shows the dead whale was later covered by a blue tarpaulin.
Frydenberg said Australia will continue to press its strong opposition to whaling at the International Whaling Commission. (Reporting by Tom Westbrook and Colin Packham; Editing by Michael Perry)
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017.
http://gcaptain.com/australia-deeply-disappointed-japans-continued-whale-hunt-southern-ocean/
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Center for Biological Diversity: 100-day Trump Action Plan
Rather than waiting to see Donald Trump’s plan for his first 100 days in office, the Center for Biological Diversity has drawn up our own plan to resist Trump during the earliest days of his term. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-210614221847.gif&hash=54129e3b65760aaddc6f2d7f42b34a7d839d2f27) (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fcliparts.co%2Fcliparts%2FBig%2FEgq%2FBigEgqBMT.png&hash=e7eec62f009cdd686ce795fad0a53c6befe748e9)
1.Rally Americans from coast to coast under the banner of #Earth2Trump to resist Trump's extremist, authoritarian agenda.
2.Strengthen alliances with groups fighting for gender and racial equality, American Indian sovereignty, LGBTQ rights, freedom of speech, press and religion, workers’ rights and other civil rights and values.
3.Hire 10 new attorneys, investigators and activists to aggressively hold the Trump administration accountable when it violates America's federal environmental laws.
4.Fight the confirmation of Trump's extremist, financially conflicted, unqualified cabinet nominations, including Rex Tillerson for secretary of State, Rick Perry for secretary of Energy, Scott Pruitt for Environmental Protection Agency director, Ryan Zinke as secretary of the Interior and Sonny Perdue as secretary of Agriculture.
5.Stop the repeal or weakening of the Endangered Species Act.
6.Block efforts to rescind, radically shrink or defund America's national monuments.
7.Stop the weakening of the Clean Air Act and revocation of the EPA's responsibility to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.
8.Stop Trump from revoking the Clean Power Plan.
9.Stop Trump from weakening protection for wetlands and streams.
10.Maintain the moratorium on new federal coal leases and ensure a national assessment is completed of the environmental, human-health and financial costs of the federal coal-mining program.
11.Stop new offshore oil drilling in the Arctic, Atlantic and eastern Gulf of Mexico by defending the Five-year Offshore Leasing Program and preventing the repeal of permanent protections against oil and gas leasing in the Arctic and Atlantic oceans.
12.Fight in the courts, along with the state of California, environmental and indigenous groups, to stop ocean fracking along the California coast.
13.File suit to stop intensive pollution of our oceans by industrial plastics.
14.Defend the State Department's refusal to approve the KXL pipeline and the Army Corps of Engineers' decision not to allow the Dakota Access Pipeline to threaten the water supply and cultural values of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe.
15.Defeat proposals to weaken trophy-hunting regulations and expand U.S. imports of endangered species including elephants, lions and polar bears.
16.Defeat efforts to give away federal public lands or turn their management over to states and corporations.
17.Prevent the stripping of federal protection from grizzly bears and wolves.
18.Prevent rollback of protections for imperiled greater sage grouse and more than 300 other species dependent on healthy Sagebrush Sea habitat.
19.Stand with reproductive-rights organizations defending the Affordable Care Act, abortion rights, access to birth control, and international funding for family-planning programs.
20.Mobilize college students across the country around clean energy, sustainable food and population issues.
21.Stop the construction of a massive new wall on the U.S.-Mexico border that would destroy wildlife habitat, pollute rivers, violate national parks, wildlife refuges, forests and rivers, and cause massive social and economic disruption of border towns and cities.
22.Petition the Department of Agriculture to cease the use of dangerous, unnecessary predator-killing poisons.
23.Ensure the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Department of Agriculture are not stripped of their authority and responsibility to protect people and wildlife from dangerous pesticides.
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/earth2trump/action_plan.html
Agelbert NOTE: Below please find, an example of the Trump Administration's Plans to make himselfAmerika Great:
(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Famericanmoon.org%2Ftrump%2FTrumpMoonSecureDollar.jpg&hash=9ce9e4a7af895e2e490e390cbfb74e41b6034d5b)
Brought to you by the Brooklyn Bridge Realtors for Trump. ;D
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A monumental win for elephants: China will ban ivory trade by 2017 (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2Fza4.gif&hash=2db0a6001703f4089cb64dc38159bb3d467e1bff)
We celebrate another big win for elephant conservation with China’s game-changing decision to end domestic ivory trade by 2017.
December 30, 2016
Author: Maru Valdes
Today, we celebrate another big win for elephant conservation with China’s game-changing decision to end domestic ivory trade by 2017. The new regulations come as part of the government’s efforts to reduce demand for elephant ivory and help end the global elephant poaching crisis.
"China’s announcement is a game changer for elephant conservation," said Carter Roberts, president and CEO of WWF. "The large-scale trade of ivory now faces its twilight years, and the future is brighter for wild elephants. With the US also ending its domestic ivory trade earlier this year, two of the largest ivory markets have taken action that will reverberate around the world."
Last September, President Barack Obama and China’s President Xi Jinping made a joint commitment to impose near-total elephant ivory bans in their countries. The US finalized new regulations in June that will help shut down commercial elephant ivory trade within its borders and stop wildlife crime overseas.
China and the US are two of the world’s biggest consumer markets for wildlife products. Their historic decision to phase out commercial elephant ivory trade in both countries is a monumental step that few would have predicted a year ago.
The decision helped shape discussions at the world’s most important wildlife trade conference which took place in South Africa this past September. Representatives from 182 Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) gathered to discuss critical trade issues impacting species under threat, including a proposal to end all commercial domestic elephant ivory markets. In 2013, China and 18 other Asian and African countries were asked to develop and put into effect National Ivory Action Plans to address the poaching crisis.
Poachers kill between 20,000 and 30,000 African elephants each year for their tusks, primarily to satisfy the demand for ivory products in Asia, where China is a key part of this trade. The epidemic threatens Asian elephants as well, but on a smaller scale.
Now that two of the world’s largest domestic ivory markets—the US and China—have shown great leadership in taking significant stands towards elephant conservation, it is WWF’s hope that other consumer markets follow suit.
A recently published study by WWF and TRAFFIC says that an ivory trade ban in China is feasible and could help reduce current threats to African elephants. Creating that ban could set an example for and influence other countries to tackle the illegal ivory trade.
We’d like to see China continue its efforts to reduce demand for ivory; raise public awareness about wildlife crime; and work with other governments, conservation organizations, the private sector and local communities to help end the illegal ivory trade—and give elephants a future free from poaching.
Do your part to help stop wildlife crime.
https://support.worldwildlife.org/site/SPageServer/;jsessionid=AA84E60D919BEDF3E31DB40BF5D76BEC.app245a?pagename=enews_signup&_ga=1.88753691.1249604236.1484942642
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The National Wildlife Federation Calls on Senate to Reject Nominee for EPA Administrator
For First Time in 80-Year History, Bipartisan NWF Opposes Cabinet Nomination.
01-19-2017 // Miles Grant 39 26 .
WASHINGTON – The National Wildlife Federation today announced its opposition to the nomination of Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. It marks the first time in the history of the National Wildlife Federation, founded in 1936, that the organization is asking Senators to oppose a presidential cabinet appointment. NWF will launch a national campaign to mobilize its six million members and supporters to contact their U.S. senators to urge a no vote on Pruitt’s nomination.
Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, said today:
“When Attorney General Pruitt was first nominated, the National Wildlife Federation was willing and eager to hear his vision for the EPA.
We have a basic three-part test that we use to evaluate nominations:
1. Does the nominee support science-based decision-making?
2. Will the nominee uphold our nation’s environmental laws?
3. Is the nominee willing to put the interest of the American people above those of special interests?
Unfortunately, at yesterday’s confirmation hearing the nominee made it crystal clear that he does not meet any of these tests. For these reasons, we must oppose his confirmation. Simply put, Mr. Pruitt cannot be pro-outdoors and anti-science.
“As a nationwide Federation comprised of millions of Republicans and millions of Democrats, we are proud of our history working with Administrations of both parties to fulfill government’s sacred duty to conserve and steward America’s wildlife, fish, healthy waters, clean air, and public lands as public trust resources for all — including for future generations — using the best available science.
During previous Republican Administrations, we worked closely with President Nixon and Bill Ruckelshaus to create the EPA and we worked closely with Tennessee Senator Howard Baker, Maine Senator Ed Muskie, and Michigan Congressman John Dingell to develop and pass the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act.
We worked with President Reagan to confront the threats to the ozone layer and coastal resources, President George H.W. Bush to address acid rain and cross-state air pollution. We worked with President George W. Bush to better protect millions of acres of wetlands. A commitment to sound science was the foundation of each of these accomplishments.
“In contrast, Mr. Pruitt’s record and policy positions represent a stark break with the Republican Party’s conservation legacy. He has sought to undermine climate science and questioned whether mercury pollution was bad for public health. He has repeatedly used the power of his office to fight to overturn the water and air safeguards that protect our fish and wildlife, public health, natural resources, and climate. He sued to stop the EPA from reducing water pollution entering upstream tributaries and wetlands. He sued to stop rules to reduce toxic mercury pollution, oxides of nitrogen, and sulfur dioxide, and sued to block the Clean Power Plan.
During yesterday’s hearing, Mr. Pruitt did not say anything to suggest he would change course from this record to represent all Americans, rather than special interests. Because of this track record and the positions he stated in yesterday’s hearing, his nomination is completely unprecedented in the agency’s nearly 50 year history and must be rejected.”
“It is clear Mr. Pruitt does not share America’s cherished bipartisan conservation values and cannot effectively lead the EPA. We agree with former Republican EPA Administrators, including Bill Ruckelshaus, Bill Reilly, and Christie Todd Whitman, who have made it clear that Mr. Pruitt cannot lead the EPA without a strong respect for science. For the first time in our 80-year history, the National Wildlife Federation asks Senators from both parties to join us in opposing this nomination by voting no.”
http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/Media-Center/News-by-Topic/General-NWF/2017/1-19-17-NWF-Calls-on-Senate-to-Reject-Nominee-for-EPA-Administrator.aspx
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Email from Senator Sanders
February 10, 2017
Dear Mr. Gelbert:
Thank you for contacting me to express your support for the Endangered Species Act (ESA). As a longtime conservationist, I share your support for the ESA and your concern that some members of Congress would like to weaken this landmark legislation.
The Endangered Species Act was enacted in 1973 to protect species from the threat of extinction. The ESA set up the framework to scientifically determine which species are endangered, and take steps to conserve them and their habitat. Currently over 1,400 species have protection under this law. As we celebrate 40 years of successful conservationism thanks to the ESA, I am proud to say that 99 percent of the species that have been placed on the endangered list are alive today.
Though the ESA has saved hundreds of plants and animals from extinction, not all of my colleagues see its value. Some members want to see critical species' habitats opened up to industrial and commercial interests, rather than protected for all Americans to enjoy. Several pieces of legislation have been introduced that would be detrimental to the conservation of endangered species because they would turn a decision that ought to be based solely on science into a political issue.
That is why, like you, I oppose efforts to weaken the ESA. As a member of both the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee please know that I will keep your thoughts in mind should legislation threatening the ESA be brought up for consideration.
Thank you again for contacting me, and please feel free to stay in touch about this or any other subject of interest to you. For up-to-date information on what I am working on, please sign-up for my e-newsletter, the Bernie Buzz, at http://sanders.senate.gov/buzz/.
Sincerely,
BERNARD SANDERS
United States Senator
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Watch Swedish Couple Rescue Moose From Frozen Lake
Jordan Simmons
A wild moose in Sweden struggled for its life after falling through the ice on a frozen lake. Fortunately for the moose, a couple came along and worked 30 minutes to rescue it. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2F19.gif&hash=3f9f2fc2285bc756137e21463bc2a4c420b15ac3)
Watch this video to see how they did it:
https://youtu.be/TxK-C2KmBdk
English translation:
"On our way to the hole, we saw the moose make several attempts at getting out of the water, but it could neither get up nor break the ice to get into shore. My partner, Sigrid Sjösteen, eagerly started to chop a pathway to shallower water, where it could reach the bottom and get out. We took turns chopping for about 30 minutes before the moose was out of danger."
http://www.ecowatch.com/moose-rescue-video-2250087137.html
(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2Fcomputer3.gif&hash=cd6007945e9cbaabf029ebaef6ad36b8505bc341)
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Can LED lights save sea turtles?
In other words: Could a simple lightbulb be the answer that keeps sea turtles out of fishing nets?
Issue: Spring 2017
Hundreds of thousands of sea turtles are accidentally killed by fishing gear—caught on dangling hooks or entangled in nets—every year. To reduce that risk, some experts have proposed modifying the design of fishing gear. But what if you could simply change the way turtles perceive it?
That was the question behind an illumination device developed by John Wang, an ecologist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
He submitted the idea to the WWF International Smart Gear Competition, a challenge designed to identify innovative ideas for reducing bycatch in fisheries, in 2011.
“Turtles can see certain light wavelengths that a lot of fish species can’t,” says Mike Osmond, a senior program officer on WWF’s Oceans team. “Wang’s theory was that if you used a light with the right wavelength, you could help turtles see and avoid the nets while still catching fish.”
The device, which won a runner-up prize, started out using a glow stick. Through funding from WWF, Wang then switched to LED lights, testing the effects of various light colors at field sites in Mexico and Indonesia. Eventually he settled on green and ultraviolet.
The test results showed an up to 60% reduction in turtle bycatch—and at the Indonesian site, a 20% boost in the target catch for participating fishers. WWF and NOAA are now working with a small company to develop a better case for the light, and exploring the potential of testing it in the Philippines and Indonesia, key feeding sites for endangered leatherback turtles.
http://www.worldwildlife.org/magazine/issues/spring-2017/articles/can-led-lights-save-sea-turtles
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Grim Toll: Wildlife Services Killed 2.7 Million Animals in 2016 (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-070814193155.png&hash=144ce9330e49ee84060db8753a8db69c39a14913)
The latest numbers are out on the deadly toll on animals taken by Wildlife Services' killing program. Last year this secretive arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture wiped out more than 2.7 million animals, including 415 gray wolves, 76,963 adult coyotes, 407 black bears, 334 mountain lions, 997 bobcats, 21,184 beavers and 3,791 foxes.
The Center has worked for years to reform this rogue program, whose killing -- with traps, poisons, guns and gases -- is mostly done as a misguided favor for agriculture.
"Despite mounting public outcry to reform these barbaric, outdated tactics, Wildlife Services continues its taxpayer-funded slaughter of America's wildlife," said the Center's Collette Adkins. "These cruel practices not only fail to effectively manage targeted wildlife but also pose ongoing threats to other animals, including endangered species and pets." (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.desismileys.com%2Fsmileys%2Fdesismileys_2955.gif&hash=ddc12d8bdb1bc63b7998a6b086b79a71b7bda755)
Read more in our press release.
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2017/wildlife-services-03-14-2017.php
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A tiny aircraft gives researchers a big-picture view of Thailand and Myanmar (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2F8.gif&hash=c1d98e606d7f558df4040f88e7997b3e11e9448c)
Issue: Spring 2017
Author: Mark Silverberg
Conservationists have been working in the Dawna Tenasserim Landscape—which spans the Thailand/Myanmar border—for years. It is the largest intact block of forests in Southeast Asia, and home to most of the region’s tigers and Asian elephants. WWF staff travel for days at a time on the unpaved roads that traverse the 40,000-square-mile area, conducting research, training park rangers, and more.
Rarely, though, do they get to see this magnificent wilderness area from the air. That’s why I am here—to provide WWF with an entirely new perspective. It’s why I spend days driving into the heart of this jungle while towing my paramotor—a flying machine that looks like a two-seat recumbent bicycle with a propeller on the back. It’s why I spend the day before our flight using my shovel and machete to clear debris from the dirt roads that will serve as runways, and why I meticulously check every component of my machine.
It’s all worth it. I rise before dawn to take advantage of the calm morning air, strap WWF-Thailand scientist Gordon Congdon into a seat with no walls or floor around him, and soar to 3,000 feet. From the sky, Congdon gets an awe-inspiring unobstructed aerial view of the forest. He is able to see access roads to illegal logging sites, but also long stretches of forest that are home to critical and endangered species.
Images captured by photographer Adam Oswell during a second flight that day will help Congdon inspire those who will never get into the air to appreciate this amazing place. The photos stick in my head, too, as record of a time when I felt lucky enough to combine the joy of flying with saving a portion of the planet I love.
https://youtu.be/n8St36dOZMA
https://www.worldwildlife.org/magazine/issues/spring-2017/articles/a-tiny-aircraft-gives-researchers-a-big-picture-view-of-thailand-and-myanmar
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This Man (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-080515182559.png&hash=d4dfa952fa0f817bf30a8059a4c88d6fb05ee1bf) Has Spent 40 Years Re-Planting Forests Lost to Cattle Ranching in Brazil
Natasha Brooks
March 21, 2017
Few stories are as inspirational as this one about Antonio Vicente, a man who has dedicated the past forty years of his life to reforesting the precious natural ecosystems of Brazil.
As one of fourteen children raised in a farming family, Vicente saw firsthand the adverse effects of clearing forests for farmland. He saw his father chop down trees at the order of wealthy landowners for the production of coal and cattle. Eventually, the natural water sources were depleted and the land dried up.
Far ahead of his time, Vicente saw this as a giant warning sign and made it his mission to re-plant the trees lost to deforestation. Beginning at a time where Brazil’s government encouraged the expansion of farmland, most people laughed at Vicente for his proposed initiative. However, no one’s opinion stopped Vicente from acting out his mission.
It is estimated that in the past four decades, Vicente has planted over 50,000 trees on 77 acres. His Serra de Mantequeira property on the mountainside in Brazil is a beautiful sight. Seeing images of this towering lush green forest, it can be hard to believe that Vicente grew each and every tree from seed.
When asked by the Guardian what has motivated him over the decades, Vicente replied, “I didn’t do it for money, I did it because when I die, what’s here will remain for everyone…People don’t call me crazy any more.”
Check out this video to see Vincente in action: (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2F19.gif&hash=3f9f2fc2285bc756137e21463bc2a4c420b15ac3)
https://youtu.be/ndWyBU9mWlM
If you are inspired by Vicente and his applaudable mission, please share this story with friends and family. If he has inspired you to act even further, consider taking his example and plant trees in your own home and neighborhood. Planting trees not only connects us with the earth, it also helps ensure a brighter future for the planet. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2Ftreeswing.gif&hash=03d29d18183a2924176defc1df7861676abb0960)
http://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/man-re-planting-forests-lost-to-cattle-ranching-in-brazil/
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Just a handful of tiger subspecies remain in the wild — here they are
Elena Motivans March 28, 2017
Tigers are the largest felines in the world. At the start of the 20th century, there were 100,000 tigers in the wild. Now between 3,000 and 4,000 tigers remain due to hunting and habitat loss. Although there is only one species of tiger, Panthera tigris, there are different subspecies, not different enough to be separate species but have subtle differences.
Tigers have only dispersed from Siberia relatively recently, in the past few to 70,000 years. This is enough time for genetic differences to arise but not enough time for them to look really different from each other. Nine subspecies are genetically justified and recognized. Three subspecies are extinct already and the other six subspecies are classified as endangered by the IUCN. In 2015, a controversial study claimed that based on morphology and ecology, there are only two subspecies of tigers. However, this suggestion has not been adopted and the nine subspecies are officially recognized:
Bengal tiger (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-301014181553.gif&hash=c09667beb656b25086c168adcdaddcba59abf858)
(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.zmescience.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2017%2F03%2FBengal_Tiger_In_Sundarbans_Bangladesh.jpg&hash=2fa60bdb304c382121d99d0e1e5df602157b0563)
Image credits: Mmkhan.mmk.
The Bengal tiger (P.t. tigris) is the most common type of tiger. There are still about 2,500 left in the wild. They live on the Indian subcontinent, in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan. Bengal tigers are the second largest tiger subspecies and enjoy eating pigs, deer, and other hoofed animals. They live in grasslands, subtropical and tropical rainforests, deciduous forests, and mangroves. Perhaps one reason that they have survived is that they don’t need much space compared to other tigers; about 18 tigers can live in 100 square km (39 square miles).
(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.zmescience.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2017%2F03%2FGolden_tiger_3_-_Buffalo_Zoo.jpg&hash=eb4db2ae1b33a9260202ae65cff551264637d68e)
The Golden Tabby Bengal tiger. Image credits: Dave Pape.
There are 4 different types of Bengals, which interestingly, look even more different from each other than the other subspecies combined. The Standard Bengal is the typical orange and black type, while the other types now only exist in captivity. The Royal White Bengal (white with black stripes) only have 300-400 members left. Thirty Golden Tabby Bengals (red to pale orange cream stripes) are in captivity. The Snow White Bengals (all white or with ghost stripes) are the most threatened type; there are only a dozen left.
Indochinese tiger
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Image credits: Accipiter.
The Indochinese tiger (P.t. corbetti) lives in southeast Asia. It used to live in China and Cambodia but is extinct in those regions. In 2010, there were 350 tigers left in the wild. They prefer to live in mountainous or hilly areas. Lots of poaching in the area has really caused the population of Indochinese tiger to drop drastically. Roads, dams, and mines have cut away some of their territories.Their prey has also been wiped out by hunting so it’s hard for the remaining tigers to find food, such as wild pigs and deer. Luckily, the tropical forests are still intact and they have a place to live.
Malayan Tiger
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Image credits: Ted.
The Malayan tiger (P.t. jacksoni) is found only in the Southern part of Malay Peninsula. It used to live in Thailand and Singapore also but is extinct there now. Genetic studies in 2004 named the Malayan tiger a distinct subspecies. Before they were thought to be Indochinese tigers. Morphologically, both species are hard to tell apart. There are fewer than 500 left in the wild, though the number is possibly more between 200 and 300. Their rainforest habitat is disappearing making it hard for them to have the space that they need. Deer and boars aren’t so common, so one tiger lives in 100 square km (39 square miles). The Malaysian government is actively conserving their tiger by introducing wildlife corridors and taking measures to double its population by 2022.
Siberian tiger
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Image credits: Appaloosa.
The Siberian tiger (P.t. altaica) is also called the Amur tiger. It lives in Eastern Siberia, with a small population in northeastern China and North Korea. It calls the taiga and eastern Russian birch forest its home. About 500 Siberian tigers exist in the wild. They are adapted to live in the cold Siberian landscape. They are the largest tigers and have thicker fur to survive the cold. The tigers are also paler and have fewer stripes, which are dark brown instead of black. One thing going for them is that they live in the largest unfragmented tiger habitat with the fewest humans. They need the most space of any of the other tiger subspecies, one male needs 1000 square km (386 square miles).
Sumatran tiger
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Image credits: Captain Herbert.
The Sumatran tiger (P.t. sumatrae) is found only on Sumatra island. The other two subspecies only found on Indonesian islands have already gone completely extinct. This tiger was found to be a distinct subspecies in 1998 through genetic testing. There are between 400 and 500 left in the wild, mostly in national parks. The Sumatran tiger is the smallest subspecies due to thick forests and small prey. It has dark fur, with closely spaced stripes and a longer mane. One male needs 100 square kilometers (39 square miles) of space.
South China tiger
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Image credits: J. Patrick Fischer.
The South China tiger (P.t. amoyensis) is the most endangered subspecies of tiger. It’s also in the top 10 most endangered species in the world. It is officially extinct in the wild, about 65 tigers exist in captivity. There could be a lone few left in the wild; unconfirmed sighting and footprints have been reported. In the 1950s there were supposedly 4,000 South China tigers in the wild. Unfortunately, most of them were killed in the 1950s when the Chinese government labeled them as a pest that should be eradicated. Hunting was banned in 1979, and the government applied some conservation measures in the 1990s, but it was too little too late. That shows you how quickly a species can go extinct if it specifically hunted. The South China tiger is a bright orange colour and has a narrow skull.
Extinct tigers
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The extinct Caspian Tiger. Image credits: http://www.petermaas.nl/extinct/animals.htm.
Three tigers were brought to extinction in the past 100 years. The Bali (P. t. balica) and Java tigers (P. t. sondaica) lived on the islands after which they were named. Bali tigers were hunted to extinction in 1937. Javan tigers lost most of their habitat and were killed. The Caspian tiger (P.t. virgate) lived in Eastern Europe and West Asia and went extinct in the early 1970s. It was hunted due to a Soviet Union land reclamation program. Additionally, its prey was hunted and its natural habitat was destroyed. We need to be careful that the living tigers don’t fall to the same fate.
What do you think, should the tigers be considered nine different subspecies or two? If they were considered as two, conservation would be easier, but the unique characteristics of each would be lost.
http://www.zmescience.com/ecology/animals-ecology/different-tigers-world/
Agelbert NOTE: It is sad testament to the success of the empathy deficit disordered fossil fuel industry's mindless, ruinously stupid and irresponsible profit over planet 'business model' that, even while those greedballs are busy destroying the habitat of these majestic animals, the tigers of the world, they can then have the mens rea to associate a tiger with their polluting, biosphere degrading hydrocarbon products (see Esso "put a tiger in your tank" BULLSHIT which morphed into Exxon (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-120716190938.png&hash=01feab1c7345a4e98764e0f9d24b2d69171b93c2)).
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Exxon's profit over planet is helping to make us EXTINCT! DON'T LET THEM GET AWAY WITH IT! Bankrupt the fossil fuel fascists with Renewable Energy!
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The Imperiled American Wolf
https://youtu.be/l6X9TjBAnvU
Predator Defense
Published on Dec 12, 2012
America's gray wolves were rescued from the brink of extinction over 35 years ago when they gained federal protection under the Endangered Species Act. But these majestic animals have been under attack since April 2011, when President Obama removed them from the endangered species list and turned management over to state wildlife agencies.
By April 2015 over 3,600 wolves had been senselessly slaughtered by sport hunters and trappers in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Minnesota and Wisconsin. This "kill tally" does not include the scores of wolves slaughtered by federal and state predator control programs.
Predator Defense's film, "The Imperiled American Wolf," explains the reasons wolves cannot be successfully managed by state wildlife agencies: not only do their methods ignore the core biology of how wolves hunt and breed, but their funding depends on hunting and trapping fees. In fact, current wolf management may actually lead to wolves' demise. Predator Defense and this film make a bold call for federal relisting of these important apex predators as endangered species.
The war being waged against wolves is senseless and tragic, and it is up to all of us to speak out now on their behalf. Learn more on our website at http://predatordefense.org/wolves.htm.
Agelbert NOTE: As if it wasn't bad enough under Obama, with Trump, it has gotten WORSE for wolves. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-200714183312.bmp&hash=02dafef2fe739676600fdc9bd56271f0f5ab3723)
Did We Only Bring Wolves Back So We Can Kill Them Again?
http://www.predatordefense.org/wolves.htm
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Coyote Peterson meets a Wolf Pack
https://youtu.be/3IhEWZb3Go4
Published on Feb 24, 2015
Please SUBSCRIBE NOW! http://bit.ly/BWchannel
On this week's episode Coyote Peterson meets a Wolf Pack!
It goes without saying that Coyote and the crew are extremely thankful to visit some pretty cool locations when making Breaking Trail and as often as they can they try to team up with wildlife preserves or sanctuaries to help support the animals featured on the show. In this particular episode they are taking up residence at Howlers Inn, an Alaskan Tundra Wolf Preserve in Bozeman, Montana.
Five wolves make up the pack and Coyote is hoping to become the sixth member as he has an up-close encounter that is truly a once in a life time experience. If you love wolves this is totally the episode for you!
For more information about these amazing wolves at Howlers, or to schedule a visit of your own please visit www.howlersinn.com
Breaking Trail leaves the map behind and follows adventurer and animal enthusiast Coyote Peterson and his crew as they encounter a variety of wildlife in the most amazing environments throughout North America!
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Friendly Baby Fox! (in Alaska)
https://youtu.be/rJ6Tnn183Os
Published on Nov 1, 2016
Please SUBSCRIBE - http://bit.ly/BWchannel
Watch More - http://bit.ly/BTocelot
On this episode of Breaking Trail, Coyote gets up close with an adorable baby Fox!
While visiting Steve Kroschel’s Wildlife Center in Haines, Alaska the Brave Wilderness team were privileged to meet many amazing rescued animals…one of their favorites was Lupin, an orphaned Red Fox.
Lupin was as energized and as playful as they come, and she eagerly entertained the crew for hours with all her pouncing and leaping while running in circles around the cameras!
Get ready to get up close with one friendly baby Fox!
HUGE THANKS to Steve Kroschel and his amazing team for hosting the Brave Wilderness crew and making this video possible. Please visit his website for information on booking a visit to his wildlife center today! - http://bit.ly/stevekroschel
Breaking Trail leaves the map behind and follows adventurer and animal expert Coyote Peterson and his crew as they encounter a variety of wildlife in the most amazing environments on the planet!
The Brave Wilderness Channel is your one stop connection to a wild world of adventure and amazing up close animal encounters!
Follow along with adventurer and animal expert Coyote Peterson and his crew as they lead you on three exciting expedition series - Emmy Award Winning Breaking Trail, Dragon Tails and Coyote’s Backyard - featuring everything from Grizzly Bears and Crocodiles to Rattlesnakes and Tarantulas…each episode offers an opportunity to learn something new.
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Leading elephant conservationist shot dead in Tanzania (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-041115022304.png&hash=cd8cb8e28ab8f7fc78c1ea00d30a661bd937aed5)
Wayne Lotter had received numerous death threats while battling international ivory-trafficking networks
(https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/b17a9e134cced067b9b0214bd876c719a5ae551b/0_136_2048_1229/master/2048.jpg?w=620&q=20&auto=format&usm=12&fit=max&dpr=2&s=04ec4069bbfdff1f31cf83152ba8e9ac)
Wayne Lotter, founding member of the PAMS conservation NGO.
The head of an animal conservation NGO who had received numerous death threats has been shot and killed by an unknown gunman in Tanzania.
Wayne Lotter, 51, was shot on Wednesday evening in the Masaki district of the city of Dar es Salaam. The wildlife conservationist was being driven from the airport to his hotel when his taxi was stopped by another vehicle. Two men, one armed with a gun opened his car door and shot him.
Lotter was a director and co-founder of the PAMS Foundation, an NGO that provides conservation and anti-poaching support to communities and governments in Africa. Since starting the organisation in Tanzania in 2009, he had received numerous death threats relating to his work.
Police in Tanzania have launched an investigation into his death.
(https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/41633f5805f7aaf4a0c75e021f1261edba62ab17/66_0_1917_1150/master/1917.jpg?w=620&q=20&auto=format&usm=12&fit=max&dpr=2&s=4a34355df676ef7dd6f518a0f9727125)
Wayne Lotter with primatologist Jane Goodall (centre) and PAMS co-founder Krissie Clark
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The PAMS Foundation funded and supported Tanzania’s elite anti-poaching National and Transnational Serious Crimes Investigation Unit (NTSCIU) which was responsible for arrests of major ivory traffickers including Yang Feng Glan, the so-called “Queen of Ivory” and several other notorious elephant poachers. Since 2012, the unit has arrested more than 2,000 poachers and ivory traffickers and has a conviction rate of 80%. The NTSCIU was recently featured in the Netflix documentary The Ivory Game. In a previous interview, Lotter said he believed its work had helped to reduce poaching rates in Tanzania by at least 50%.
The latest elephant census data suggests that elephant populations fell by 30% in Africa between 2007 and 2014. Tanzania experienced one of the biggest declines in elephant numbers, where the census documented a 60% decrease in the population.
Lotter rarely took credit for PAMS’ success in helping reduce poaching rates in Tanzania, and was always quick to credit the work of the communities and agencies he worked with.
(https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/7a600cd2930bb64636359c959461ec9d2b5933a0/0_68_2048_1229/master/2048.jpg?w=620&q=20&auto=format&usm=12&fit=max&dpr=2&s=0ea778441b33808a4f17ace7c7f57520)
Wayne Lotter with his colleagues at PAMS.
Lotter was a big figure in the international conservation community, having served on the boards of several conservation groups and was the Vice President of the International Ranger Federation. The news of his death has sent the community into mourning. “Wayne was one of Africa’s leading and most committed conservationists. He had over two decades worth of experience in wildlife management and conservation, and can be credited as the driving force behind ending the unscrupulous slaughter of Tanzania’s elephants,” said Azzedine Downes, CEO of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).
“Wayne devoted his life to Africa’s wildlife. From working as a ranger in his native South Africa as a young man to leading the charge against poaching in Tanzania, Wayne cared deeply about the people and animals that populate this world,” read a statement released by the PAMS Foundation team. “Wayne’s charm, brilliance and eccentric sense of humour gave him the unique ability to make those around him constantly laugh and smile. He died bravely fighting for the cause he was most passionate about.
“Wayne leaves behind his wife Inge, daughters Cara Jayne and Tamsin, and parents Vera and Charles Lotter. We all grieve with his family, colleagues and friends. His legacy will continue in our work.”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/aug/17/leading-elephant-conservationist-ivory-shot-dead-in-tanzania
Honor Wayne Lotter's life by supporting his noble work on behalf of these magnificent animals. Help STOP this senseless and cruel Butchery!
(https://fightforrhinos.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/illegal-ivory-trade-in-us.png)
(https://static01.nyt.com/images/2014/08/12/world/12sino-yaoming06/12sino-yaoming06-tmagArticle.jpg)
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WATCH: ELEPHANTS SAVED FROM MUD PIT!
Eleven elephants, including three babies, were trapped in a muddy bomb pit. Its walls were too high for them to climb. Without food, they became even more stuck as the mud dried up. Until help arrived:
https://youtu.be/JTCG371nPrg
Whether it's constructing ramps for a dramatic mud pit rescue or keeping poachers and traffickers at bay, WCS relies on your support to save wildlife.
With species like elephants, tigers, and gorillas hanging on by a thin thread, their future in the wild depends on your continued compassion and generosity.
https://secure.wcs.org/donate/watch-elephants-saved-mud-pit
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Agelbert NOTE: Smart geese! (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2F19.gif&hash=3f9f2fc2285bc756137e21463bc2a4c420b15ac3)
(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-200317134631.png&hash=3ec83ab2cb9a9acaf485fff7312df6381c25c2fd)
Canada geese flock to cities to escape hunters
LAST UPDATED ON OCTOBER 30TH, 2017 AT 2:34 PM BY MIHAI ANDREI
Researchers were wondering why so many Canada geese were popping up in cities more often. After doing a bit of research, they found that the geese were actually hiding from hunters. Instead of being “sitting ducks” in the countryside, they take refuge in urban areas.
Canada Geese are large wild birds, native to arctic and temperate regions of North America, but also found in northern Europe. They’re so successful and widespread that in many parts of the world, they’re regarded as pests. They’re also one of the most commonly hunted species in North America.
From mid-October to mid-January, it’s hunting season in many parts of the US and Canada. University of Illinois ornithologist Mike Ward wanted to see if there is some connection between this season and the urban shift of the geese.
“We thought the geese would fly to forage on nearby agricultural fields during the day, then fly back to the city to roost, but that wasn’t the case. What we learned is that they weren’t going to the city for food, they were going there because there were no hunters,” he explains.
They tracked the birds and found that 85 percent of them wintered in the Greater Chicago Metropolitan Area, and none made foraging flights to agricultural fields within or outside of the urban area. Their strategy worked well, Ward says.
“All of the Canada geese that spent the winter in Chicago survived, whereas half of the birds that decided to leave the Chicagoland area and go to areas where hunting is allowed, and more prevalent, were harvested.”
However, while this is good news for the birds, it might not be so good for local communities. There’s a reason these birds are often regarded as invasive — not only do they tend to push out native species, but they can also cause problems for locals. They can contaminate water sources, spread diseases, they can even be aggressive. Geese are also the largest bird commonly struck by aircraft in North America, Ward writes.
Researchers don’t really know what’s the best way to treat the problem, but they’re looking at what the geese are most interested in: food.
“We have future studies that will investigate the best ways to harass geese to make them leave the city,” Ward says. “We are approaching this from an energy use perspective. If the geese cannot find good sources of food and the harassment cause them to use energy, they may be forced to leave the city in search of food in agricultural fields.”
The paper “Survival and habitat selection of Canada Geese during autumn and winter in metropolitan Chicago, USA” is published in The Condor: Ornithological Applications by the American Ornithological Society.
https://www.zmescience.com/ecology/animals-ecology/canada-geese-hunters-29102017/
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EcoWatch
Sierra Club
Where Have All the Salmon Gone?
By Heather Smith
SNIPPET 1:
To get to the largest surviving population of wild Spring Chinook salmon on the Klamath River, I drive farther north than I've ever been in California, then turn right. Gradually, the highways disappear, and the roads narrow. Commerce becomes more improvisational. Grocery stores and restaurants disappear and in their place there is a farm stand staffed by Gandalf in overalls and a naked baby cooing to itself and scooting along on a tricycle.
The roads become more improvisational too, and begin to curve and twist until they nearly double back on themselves, until my rental car is trundling along a single lane of dirt and gravel carved into the edge of a cliff. It becomes clear to me that if I meet another car going in the opposite direction that one of us is going to die, probably me. But when I do round a corner and see another car it does a set of maneuvers that seem to bend space-time, and somehow we pass by each other smoothly, and continue on our way.
https://youtu.be/4YM8YvU46wA
SNIPPET 2:
That evening we learn that the recorded count this year is 110—just a little under the all-time low of 90, back in 2005, and a far cry from the highest recorded count of 1593 back in 2012. At a conference the next day, the tone is somber. "When I heard last night the number of salmon in the system it was like a kick to the gut," says Josh Saxon of the Karuk Council. "We are failing this species. If this disappears so will our ceremonies."
Full article:
https://www.ecowatch.com/salmon-chinook-sierra-2507519718.html
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The M-44 Bait Trap(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-120716190938.png&hash=01feab1c7345a4e98764e0f9d24b2d69171b93c2)
(https://www.animalalliance.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/m-44-BaitTrap-tzr-780x501_seattle_times.jpg)
(https://wiki-gateway.eudic.net/wikipedia_en/I/m/Center_for_Biological_Diversity_logo.jpg)
Big Win: (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2Fza4.gif&hash=2db0a6001703f4089cb64dc38159bb3d467e1bff)Wildlife Services Halts Use of M-44s in Colorado
We just won an important reprieve for Colorado wildlife under attack by the USDA's Wildlife Services.
In response to a lawsuit from the Center for Biological Diversity and WildEarth Guardians, the program has agreed to temporarily halt (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.clker.com%2Fcliparts%2Fc%2F8%2Ff%2F8%2F11949865511933397169thumbs_up_nathan_eady_01.svg.hi.png&hash=599691109af22b33f1d59dd61eb97448a9427020) the use of M-44s — deadly, exploding cyanide capsules employed to kill animals — while it completes a new environmental analysis.
Also in response to our lawsuit, the USDA won't participate, fund, or approve hunting or trapping of black bears or mountain lions as part of a questionable study on the effects on mule deer.
"We're thrilled that Colorado wildlife are getting a break from Wildlife Services' deadly work," said the Center's Collette Adkins. "The new analysis resulting from our lawsuit will reveal Wildlife Services' killing is scientifically unsound, ineffective and cruel."
Thanks to those who donated to help us fight Wildlife Services.
Read more in U.S. News & World Report: (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-060914180936.jpeg&hash=5e39d70fafe4e7190a6eebce34b740c58721de3f)
https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2017-11-06/us-to-suspend-use-in-colorado-of-cyanide-bombs-to-kill-wild-animals
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(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ftherealnews.com%2Ft2%2Ftemplates%2Fgk_twn%2Fimages%2Flogo3.png&hash=4b5cf976827a8d50b9a86730b78230c107b3cf62)
Trump Administration (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-250817135149.gif&hash=b4a8748d7cf56a31dd0a6aae5828ed2c1ac2815c) reverses ban on African ivory
SNIPPET:
Donald J. Trump(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-270117175421.png&hash=cf39e823dd9156833bfa885808a876bf518bd0d6), President of the United States, seems hellbent on reversing every piece of environmental legislature enacted by his arch-nemesis, his predecessor in the Oval Office, Barrack Obama — even if that means setting the world on fire.
Trump’s Administration has done so much to hurt the environment that keeping a tally can be a full-time job. National Geographic (https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/03/how-trump-is-changing-science-environment/) has a running list of all the vast changes Trump has made to U.S. science and environmental policy, if you’re interested.
Read more bad news:
https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/trump-reverses-ban-0432432/
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(https://www.workforgood.org/getasset/94faf2cd-34c2-4855-9221-ead0608380d5/)
Grizzlies ‘Saved His Life’ and Now He Fights To Save Theirs
By Jessica A. Knoblauch | Monday, November 13, 2017
SNIPPET:
After naturalist and author Doug Peacock served two tours as a Green Beret medic in Vietnam, he went into the American wilderness to confront his demons. There, he closely observed grizzlies across the west—an experience he says “saved his life.”
Below, Peacock talks about the government’s recent decision to delist grizzlies and why now—more than ever—we need to “fight like hell” to save them.
Full article with heart warming pictures:
https://earthjustice.org/blog/2017-november/grizzlies-saved-his-life-and-now-he-works-to-save-theirs
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It’s been a difficult year for the environment and your public lands. Anti-conservationists control power in the White House and Congress, and they’re selling out our wilderness to their friends in Big Oil and Gas.
But we’re not giving up. Not now, not ever. And neither should you. The Wilderness Society is in all-hands-on-deck defense mode to protect irreplaceable wild spaces like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and our national monuments. The battles to save them are just beginning. You can help protect these places. Please donate to The Wilderness Society to help us keep up the fight in 2018. Your donation today will be matched 2-to-1 and double the impact of your gift. (https://secure.wilderness.org/page/17851/donate/1?ea.tracking.id=AMA1712E4001&utm_source=en&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=eoy4-1217&utm_term=fallback&utm_content=yearinreview&ea.url.id=1199988)
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Is the Ivory Trade on the Decline?
Ivory is a precious commodity in China. Some wealthy residents think that owning ivory makes them appear more successful. Others say that ivory brings them luck. Ivory is also used in traditional Chinese medicine. Historically, China has been one of the largest markets for ivory, and experts say that up to 70 percent of the illegal ivory from 30,000 annual elephant deaths end up there. But there’s hope for the gentle giants: On the last day of 2017, China made the entire commercial ivory trade illegal, closing 172 factories and shops throughout the year. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-311017193926.png&hash=135a7bcd2093b679e425bbd2086adb8ddfd2e7b5)
A big day for the elephants:
From 2007 to 2014, a census of African elephants revealed that their numbers had dropped by nearly a third -- a decline of about 144,000 animals in just seven years.
The international ivory trade has been banned since 1989, under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). China continued to allow the sale of ivory products crafted before 1975, and many poachers have passed off newer ivory as antiques.
"Decades from now, we may point back to this as one of the most important days in the history of elephant conservation,” the World Wildlife Fund said in a statement. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-250817121649.png&hash=4554f7e59701d12857946aece16bceb973c997b3)
http://www.wisegeek.com/is-the-ivory-trade-on-the-decline.htm
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🐘 New calf born to a Sumatran elephant trained to reduce human-elephant conflict
A Sumatran elephant trained to help reduce human-elephant conflict in Indonesia’s Tesso Nilo National Park gave birth to a female calf. Named Harmoni Rimbo, meaning “the harmony of the jungle,” this little elephant is the third birth for mother Ria, one of the four trained adult Sumatran elephants in the elite Elephant Flying Squad.
When elephants wander into human inhabited areas in search of food—which happens more frequently as human settlements encroach on elephant habitat—the result is often damaged crops and property. WWF and the Indonesia Ministry of Forests established the Elephant Flying Squad in 2004 to address human-elephant conflict in Tesso Nilo.
Trained elephants like Ria, along with their handlers called mahouts, drive back wild elephants into the forest when they stray too close to villages or farms surrounding the park. The birth is a significant step in the conservation of this critically endangered elephant species. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2F47b20s0.gif&hash=cc48c9af9d29b8836023c7db21103e52d1ed439e)
https://youtu.be/_XS9zAc5zHQ
https://www.worldwildlife.org/videos/new-calf-born-to-a-sumatran-elephant-trained-to-reduce-human-elephant-conflict
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Veterinarians treat burned 🔥 bears 🐻 with fish 🐟 skin — and it seems to be working (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2F19.gif&hash=3f9f2fc2285bc756137e21463bc2a4c420b15ac3)
Last updated on January 26th, 2018 at 7:24 pm by Mihai Andrei
SNIPPET:
Vets from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife have used an unusual treatment for two bears and one cougar suffering from severe burn 🔥 wounds: fish skin.
n December 2017, the Thomas Fire ravaged through California, blazing approximately 281,893 acres (114,078 hectares). It was the largest wildfire in modern California history.
It destroyed over 1,000 buildings, forced 100,000 people to evacuate, and was only put out on January 12, 2018. It claimed at least 15 lives, but humans weren’t the only ones to suffer — wildlife was even more severely affected.
Among the animal victims of the fire were two adult bears (one of which was pregnant) and a 5-month-old cougar from Los Padres National Forest. The bears had third-degree burns on their paws — one of them was so badly injured it couldn’t even stand. Instead of treating them with the conventional bandages, veterinarians went for a different option: fish skin.
As strange as it seems, fish skin (tilapia in particular) has been used to treat burns before, on humans. Brazilian doctors have used fish skin to treat burn victims, due to a shortage of transfer collagen, which is the standard treatment. The doctors then reported that the tilapia skin is very rich in collagen proteins which help with the skin healing and scarring process. The treatment shows promise and is now undergoing clinical trials. But it wasn’t just the desire to try a new, unusual treatment — vets had several reasons why they opted for tilapia skin instead of bandages.
For starters, working with bears and cougars, especially when they’re injured, is no easy feat.
Full heart warming article with pictures:(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2Ficare.gif&hash=7a81c13fb045a57fc456f34661fddcf04dbfe8b7)
https://www.zmescience.com/ecology/animals-ecology/veterianrians-fish-skin-26012018/
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(https://wiki-gateway.eudic.net/wikipedia_en/I/m/Center_for_Biological_Diversity_logo.jpg)
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This yearling ringed seal was rescued off Unalaska in 2017 and treated at Alaska SeaLife Center. (Alaska SeaLife Center)
Win:🌟 Protection Upheld for Arctic's Ringed Seals (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2F19.gif&hash=3f9f2fc2285bc756137e21463bc2a4c420b15ac3)
We celebrated this week when the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Endangered Species Act protection for ringed seals, Arctic ice seals threatened by climate change. The ruling reverses a 2016 lower-court decision that rejected protection for the seals, which give birth in snow caves built on top of sea ice. Global warming is causing caves to collapse and leaving pups vulnerable to death by freezing or predation.
The Center for Biological Diversity petitioned to protect these seals in 2008. Four years later they were put on the endangered species list — but the oil industry and the state of Alaska challenged that decision.
"The decision underscores the recklessness of the Trump 🦀 administration's proposal to open up the Arctic Ocean to oil drilling(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-070814193155.png&hash=144ce9330e49ee84060db8753a8db69c39a14913) ," said the Center's Kristen Monsell. "Ringed seals have a shot at survival thanks to the Endangered Species Act, but only if we rapidly reduce the greenhouse pollution destroying their habitat."
Read more in Anchorage Daily News.
https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/environment/2018/02/12/court-approves-threatened-species-status-for-ringed-seals-in-alaska/
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(https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/03/gorilla-guts/554636/)Something Mysterious Is Killing Captive Gorillas :(
Just before 8 o’clock on a snowy Wednesday morning, deep in a maze of doors and steel fencing in the basement of the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, a 30-year-old gorilla named Mokolo is getting a heart ex…
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Trump 😈 to consider elephant trophy 🐘🔫 imports on 'case-by-case' basis (http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/376839-trump-admin-to-consider-elephant-trophy-imports-on-case-by-case)
(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-250817121829.png&hash=035f25ddb6d065f1533ce03c1c07f5fddcbbc83c)
The Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced last week that it will now consider all permits for importing elephant trophies from African nations on a “case-by-case basis," breaking from President T…
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Victory! Turtles Return to Beach That Used to Be Covered in Plastic Trash After Massive Clean Up Effort (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fus.cdn2.123rf.com%2F168nwm%2Flenm%2Flenm1201%2Flenm120100200%2F12107060-illustration-of-a-smiley-giving-a-thumbs-up.jpg&hash=2046bc6d662e09d3014a2c404a2af6ba17f8217c)
Aleksandra Pajda
March 30, 2018
(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pic4ever.com%2Fimages%2Freading.gif&hash=63e3e644b39258d4c4eedbcdaf322315b1856723)
http://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/turtles-return-beach-covered-plastic-trash/
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WildEarth GUARDIANS
VICTORY
(https://s.hswstatic.com/gif/wolves-howling-at-moon-562940453.jpg)
Ensuring Lobos Will Roam their Southwestern Homelands
April 2, 2018
Celebrating a Win for Wolves
Last week we celebrated the 20th anniversary of the return of Mexican wolves to the wilds of Arizona and New Mexico. This week we celebrate the most significant legal victory for lobos in years. We couldn’t have done it without you.
In 2013, the federal government began a process to change how wolves, including Mexican wolves, were managed. We called on you to speak out against weakening protections and you answered: you signed petitions, sent comments, came to rallies and testified at hearings. Together, we laid the groundwork for a lawsuit challenging the government’s flawed plan that capped the Mexican wolf population at less than half what leading scientists say is necessary for recovery, limited where Mexican wolves can roam, liberalized trapping and killing wolves at the behest of the livestock industry and labeled the wolves “non-essential” to the species’ survival in the wild, a designation that allows weak protections.
Yesterday a federal judge agreed with us (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-080515182559.png&hash=d4dfa952fa0f817bf30a8059a4c88d6fb05ee1bf) and criticized the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for ignoring scientists who sounded the alarm. Now the Service must create management guidelines that do not merely keep lobos hovering on the brink, but will truly recover this critically imperiled species. At just 114 wolves in the wild, the need is urgent.
Today we celebrate. Tomorrow we go back to work. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fcliparts.co%2Fcliparts%2FBig%2FEgq%2FBigEgqBMT.png&hash=e7eec62f009cdd686ce795fad0a53c6befe748e9)
http://www.wildearthguardians.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=13424&news_iv_ctrl=1681#.WsP0LIjwY2y
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One Green Planet 🍃
April 13, 2018
Investigation Reveals California Fisheries Are Responsible for Killing Hundreds of Dolphins, Turtles, and Whales 😱
By Aleksandra Pajda
SNIPPET:
An undercover investigation carried out off the coast of California by animal rights and marine conservation groups Mercy for Animals, Turtle Island Restoration Network, SeaLegacy, and Sharkwater has discovered the shocking hidden effects of the driftnet fishing industry. It was found that besides the targeted swordfish, marine mammals like dolphins, sea lions, sea turtles, sharks, and even seabirds are dying in these massive nets that are essentially walls of floating netting. Some of these species are even considered threatened or endangered. In 2017, two endangered sperm whales were entangled in the California driftnet fishery – and died as a result.
“These driftnets are over a mile long, 100 feet deep, and designed to kill everything in their path,” said Paul Nicklen, SeaLegacy co-founder.
😟
The bycatch rate of driftnet fishing is staggeringly high. For some nets, the estimates are as high as seven to one – which means that for every swordfish, as many as seven other animals may be caught in the net. The California driftnet fishery has an estimated 65 percent bycatch rate – which, as Nicklen points out, makes it “the most destructive fishery in the U.S.” 😠
Many animals die when they become entangled in the huge nets, but not all do. As undercover observers found out, in some cases, instead of being freed with basic respect, live bycatch animals are severely maimed and discarded overboard – as if the animals were nothing but waste. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-120716190938.png&hash=01feab1c7345a4e98764e0f9d24b2d69171b93c2)
http://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/california-fisheries-responsible-killing-dolphins-turtles-whales/
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In Kenya, a Local Tribe Is Saving the Elephants 🐘 It Once Killed 😇
May 1, 2018
Yessenia Funes
SNIPPET:
The Samburu people of Kenya’s northern plains have been in conflict with elephants for years. Elephants and people both need water, and drought means there’s less to go around. The majestic animals also tear down acacia trees the Samburus’ livestock eat.
These are just a few of the reasons people in the region have a history of killing elephants.
But recently, the conflict has transformed into community. My Africa, a virtual reality film released Monday, puts viewers into the plains to see what a local, indigenous-led effort to protect elephants looks like.
The Samburu, who are nomadic livestock herders, have partnered with their local government since 2016 to raise and release injured and orphaned baby elephants in the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary. They now take care of more than 12 of these little kings and queens, forging a new relationship between humans and animals. It’s the first elephant orphanage in Africa that a local community owns and runs.
Released by Conservation International and narrated by Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o, My Africa tells the tale of Kenya’s wildlife conservation as elephants fight for their very existence in the face of poaching and human-wildlife conflict.
https://youtu.be/119f0l7sqwg
Full article
https://earther.com/in-kenya-a-local-tribe-is-saving-the-elephants-it-once-1825693138
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National Parks Conservation Association
The Art and Science of Camera Trapping
Ryan Valdez, Ph.D. Apr 27, 2018
SNIPPET:
The rise of camera trapping has allowed a growing number of volunteers to make significant contributions to academic research. Here’s a look at the practice, how these devices are used, and ways to get your own glimpses at wildlife “selfies” and help with ongoing research.
(https://npca.s3.amazonaws.com/images/11723/1d51dc78-f95e-4788-9310-2159c9ead3ba-banner.jpg?1521036953)
NPCA uses camera trapping to monitor pronghorn antelope crossing through modified fences throughout the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Photo by NPCA.
Our national parks and protected areas are vital habitat for numerous species of wildlife, and the ability to accurately survey and monitor them is important for their survival. A not-so-new technology is now sharply on the rise — camera trapping, a method by which a camera armed with infrared sensors is placed in the field to remotely capture time-lapsed images and video whenever the devices sense motion.
It can be difficult for wildlife biologists and park rangers to keep up with emerging threats to wildlife. Particularly with mammals, accurately documenting their presence and estimating their populations remains a challenge. Many of these species are nocturnal, travel great distances, have complex behavior and avoid humans. Additionally, species like the endangered jaguarundi in south Texas or the red wolf in North Carolina are so rare and elusive they are almost never seen. Camera traps allow people to see animals in the wild in ways that they otherwise simply could not.
Educational article with lots of great pictures: 👀 ;D
https://www.npca.org/resources/3236-the-art-and-science-of-camera-trapping
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Deadly Disease Threatens Deer, Elk, and Moose
LAUREN ANDERSON | MAY 22, 2018
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Mule Deer. Credit: Greg Ochocki.
Wildlife face a host of threats in today’s changing world. Invasive species, habitat loss, and disease are often at the top of the list when wildlife managers talk about the pressures with which wildlife must contend. Wildlife disease is by far one of the scariest dangers. Many people have heard of chytrid fungus, which has decimated native frog species, and white-nose syndrome, which has had severe consequences for native bats. But there is another wildlife disease that has gotten less attention, though it poses an equal threat.
It is called chronic wasting disease (CWD) and it heavily impacts deer, elk, and moose in North America.
TAKE ACTION (https://online.nwf.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2536&_ga=2.164113471.144443343.1527436448-1742713684.1518905941)
Chronic wasting disease is a fatal disease with no known cure. Once contracted, there is not pathway back to health. It is a prion disease, like mad cow disease, that affects cervids (deer, elk, and moose), and symptoms include drastic weight loss (wasting), stumbling, listlessness and other neurologic symptoms.
(https://blog.nwf.org/wp-content/blogs.dir/11/files/2018/05/deer-doe.jpg)
White tailed deer. Credit: USFWS
The Spread of Chronic Wasting Disease
To date, chronic wasting disease has been detected in 24 states. The disease was first discovered in a captive breeding facility in 1967. It was then found in free-ranging elk in 1981 and was next found in free-ranging white-tailed deer in 1990.
More recently, chronic wasting disease was detected in Montana’s wildlife in late 2017 and just this year Mississippi had its first confirmed case when an infected white-tailed deer was found in Issaquena County. If the disease continues to spread and establish itself in new wild cervid populations, there is potential for a conservation crisis that could decimate wildlife populations.
Please join us is calling on the U. S. Department of Agriculture to ensure adequate surveillance, and prevent this devastating disease from spreading further.
(https://blog.nwf.org/wp-content/blogs.dir/11/files/2018/05/dead-deer.jpg)
https://blog.nwf.org/2018/05/deadly-disease-threatens-deer-elk-and-moose/
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June 11, 2018
Guardians and allies call for ending the War on Wildlife in new film
Watch, share, and engage
Across the American West, Guardians is fighting to protect wildlife from the many threats. From Ending the War on Wildlife by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s secretive “Wildlife Services” program to freeing our public lands from dangerous, indiscriminate traps and snares, we work tirelessly to create a new paradigm in wildlife conservation free of archaic tools of cruelty.
Because many people are not aware of the risks to wildlife and people on OUR public lands, we made a film to spread the word. Partnering with Mountain Standard Creative, we traveled across New Mexico talking to wildlife scientists, advocates, and people whose dogs were caught in traps. The result is a film that presents some of the most challenging issues in wildlife protection today and how we can move toward a brighter future.
We are proud to share our new film with you. Please watch and share far and wide.
For the Wolves,
Bethany Cotton, Wildlife Program Director
WATCH THE FILM
https://youtu.be/I12a1FVUgWs
WildEarth Guardians ✨ protects and restores the wildlife, wild places, wild rivers, and health of the American West.
© 2018 WildEarth Guardians | MAIN OFFICE: 516 Alto Street, Santa Fe, NM 87501
p) 505.988.9126
http://wg.convio.net/site/MessageViewer?em_id=24441.0&dlv_id=41767¤t=true&em_id=24441.0#.Wx8do4pKg2w
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The above is a picture of a dik dik. For the incredibly cute and cudly pictures of an orphaned baby dik dik (they are tiny!) walking over a keyboard and being given loving care, go here: (http://grist.org/list/this-orphaned-dik-dik-may-be-the-cutest-animal-weve-ever-encountered)
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Grieving Mother Orca Has Been Carrying Her Calf’s Body for the Past 7 Days 😟
Estelle Rayburn
July 31, 2018
In her research on orca whales (also known as “killer whales” though they are known for being quite the opposite), neurobiologist Lori Marino discovered that the limbic system — a group of structures in the brain which deal with emotions and the formation of memories — of these whales is “so large it erupts into the cortex in the form of an extra paralimbic lobe.” In plain words, this means that these majestic aquatic creatures may just be more emotionally aware than us humans.
In light of the orca’s high capacity for emotion, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that when a mother orca recently lost her just-born calf near Vancouver Island, she has reportedly been carrying the baby for the past seven days. This heartbreaking act of grief was witnessed by researchers from the Center for Whale Research, who were tracking the mother killer whale and her pod at the time of the calf’s death.
As the Center for Whale Research reportedly stated, “The baby’s carcass was sinking and being repeatedly retrieved by the mother, who was supporting it on her forehead and pushing it in choppy seas. The mother continued supporting and pushing the dead baby whale throughout the day until at least sunset.”
The incredibly sad death of this baby orca clearly had profound emotional impacts on the calf’s mother. And unfortunately, this type of occurrence — a killer whale calf dying mere days after birth — is not at all uncommon in the present day.
As far as scientists can tell, Southern Resident killer whales like the mother in this story have not had a successful birth in three years. In fact, over the last two decades, the Center for Whale Research estimates that only 25 percent of the newborn calves have survived.
Ken Balcomb, Founder of the research center, offered some insight into how humans are playing a major role in the plight of these gentle giants. “The cause [of the birth rate] is lack of sufficient food resources in their foraging area,” Balcomb reportedly told CNN. He added, “There’s not enough food, and that’s due to environmental reasons.”
More specifically, humans are rapidly lowering the population of Chinook salmon — the orca’s main food source — by polluting and destroying their oceanic habitats, not to mention harvesting the fish at rapid rates.
In turn, we are causing widespread food scarcity for these whales, thus resulting in an unprecedentedly high rate of miscarriages and making it extremely difficult for the whales to give their surviving young the proper nutrition. With the population growth of this species seriously stunted, only 75 Southern Resident orcas remain in the wild, putting these precious creatures at a high risk of disappearing from the planet for good if we don’t soon take action to protect them.
If you’d like to learn more about what these poor whales are up against and find out how you can help give them a fighting chance for survival, check out these helpful resources: (at article link)
• There Will be More Plastic in the Oceans Than Fish by 2050 – Here’s How You Can Help!
• 10 Alarming Facts About Overfishing
• Vivid and Stunning Photo Campaign Reveals the True Cost of Holding Orcas and Dolphins Captive
• 10 Simple Actions That Just Might Save Our World’s Oceans From Plastic
http://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/grieving-mother-orca-carrying-calfs-body/
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Hapag-Lloyd Cruises Faces Outrage After Guard Kills Polar Bear During Arctic Cruise Excursion
July 30, 2018 by gCaptain
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MS Bremen. Photo: Hapag-Lloyd Cruises
German cruise line operator Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has found itself in the middle of an online firestorm after a guard shot and killed a polar bear during a shore excursion to an Arctic archipelago from one of its expedition cruise ships over the weekend.
In a statement posted to Facebook on Sunday, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises says it “very much regrets” the incident but made clear that lethal measures against the polar bear were taken purely out of self-defense.
The incident occurred Saturday as the company’s cruise ship Bremen was stopped in Spitsbergen, the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago, for an excursion.
According to the cruise line, a four-man armed security detail was securing the landing area in preparation for guests when out of nowhere the polar bear attacked one of the guards, inflicting non-lethal injuries that required medical attention.
“The guard suffered head injuries, however, he was responsive after the attack and was airlifted. He is out of danger, with no threat to life. In an act of self-defence, unfortunately, it was necessary for the polar bear to be shot dead. We very much regret this incident. Hapag-Lloyd Cruises is very aware of its responsibility when travelling in environmentally-sensitive areas and respects all nature and wildlife,” Hapag-Lloyd said.
In its statement, the cruise operator provided the following account of the incident:
“The incident occurred when the four-person polar bear guard team, who are always on board for these expedition cruises as required by law, prepared for a shore leave. One of the guards was unexpectedly attacked by a polar bear that had not been spotted and he was unable to react himself. As the attempts of the other guards to evict the animal, unfortunately, were not successful, there had to be intervention for reasons of self-defence and to protect the life of the attacked person. The injured person was immediately provided with medical care and flown to a hospital with a rescue helicopter. We are in personal, direct contact with him. His condition is stable and he remains responsive.”
Despite its explanation, the cruise line was intensely criticized online over the incident, with many calling for a boycott of the company. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.doomsteaddiner.net%2Fforum%2FSmileys%2Fdd1%2Fcussing.gif&hash=a055451c0bb47a137a9a3cc88ab7e0011bbaa945)
“‘Let’s get too close to a polar bear in its natural environment and then kill it if it gets too close,’ Morons,” tweeted comedian Ricky Gervais. Others also accused the company of exploiting polar bears for profit.
In its statement, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises defended its shore excursion practices, insisting that they are not meant for polar bear observation. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F1%2F3-250718202127.gif&hash=acc63221521ebaf3f238088fd92d1ae3a08b6e48)
“To illustrate the situation: Spitzbergen is a large geographical area, about one and a half times the size of Denmark. Landings are possible only in a few places; these are not there to serve the purpose of polar bear observation, on the contrary: polar bears are only observed from aboard ships, from a safe distance. To prepare for a shore leave, the polar bear guards go ashore in advance after sighting the landing site as a group and without passengers. They then set up a land station and check the area again to make sure that there are no polar bears in sight. As soon as such an animal approaches, the shore leave would be stopped immediately,” the company wrote on Facebook.
As of Monday, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ Facebook post about the incident had over 1,000 comments, many of them negative.(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-130418201722.png&hash=5299cc10ee42beae76e4d3b7c79dbf5f4c0addac)
The MS Bremen was built in 1990 and can hold 155 passengers and 100 crew.
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises says it is working with Norwegian authorities to fully investigate the circumstances of the incident.
http://gcaptain.com/hapag-lloyd-cruises-faces-outrage-after-guard-kills-polar-bear-during-arctic-cruise/
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🐻 Grizzly Bear technique for relieving back itch: ;D
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(https://wiki-gateway.eudic.net/wikipedia_en/I/m/Center_for_Biological_Diversity_logo.jpg)
September 27, 2018
Judge Blocks 'Energy Dominance' Policy on Public Land (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F1%2F3-120818185039-1655102.gif&hash=1a13ffad2c8451cba6f45b04a1249447d50c3e73)
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Sage grouse
Win for the West
A federal judge has blocked a Trump "energy dominance" policy slashing public and environmental review of oil and gas leasing on public lands. The injunction bans the Bureau of Land Management from using the policy on more than 67 million acres in 11 western states.
Lease sales slated for December — spanning hundreds of thousands of acres of sage-grouse habitat — must now face full public and environmental review.
"This is good news for public lands and the millions of people who love them," said the Center's Taylor McKinnon. Read more (https://click.everyaction.com/k/2362572/13055526/1281525375?nvep=ew0KICAiVGVuYW50VXJpIjogIm5ncHZhbjovL3Zhbi9DQkQvQ0JELzEvNjE0MjkiLA0KICAiRGlzdHJpYnV0aW9uVW5pcXVlSWQiOiAiOTdkZTE1ZjAtOGZjMi1lODExLWFmMTEtMjgxODc4NDdjODllIiwNCiAgIkVtYWlsQWRkcmVzcyI6ICJhbnRob255ZzE1NEBnbWFpbC5jb20iDQp9&hmac=M1VwlKUL1MQ3afK0rv9fxjyNwBsOBoJc3SaN3xKPHpI=).
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(https://wiki-gateway.eudic.net/wikipedia_en/I/m/Center_for_Biological_Diversity_logo.jpg)
September 27, 2018
Scientists Oppose Trump Attack on Endangered Species Act
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Polar bears
The Trump 🦀 administration 🐉🦕🦖 has proposed brutal 👹 changes to the Endangered Species Act. But hundreds of scientists (https://click.everyaction.com/k/2362552/13055504/-1690585609?nvep=ew0KICAiVGVuYW50VXJpIjogIm5ncHZhbjovL3Zhbi9DQkQvQ0JELzEvNjE0MjkiLA0KICAiRGlzdHJpYnV0aW9uVW5pcXVlSWQiOiAiOTdkZTE1ZjAtOGZjMi1lODExLWFmMTEtMjgxODc4NDdjODllIiwNCiAgIkVtYWlsQWRkcmVzcyI6ICJhbnRob255ZzE1NEBnbWFpbC5jb20iDQp9&hmac=M1VwlKUL1MQ3afK0rv9fxjyNwBsOBoJc3SaN3xKPHpI=&utm_source=eeo&utm_medium=email) and organizations (https://click.everyaction.com/k/2362553/13055505/-1690589981?nvep=ew0KICAiVGVuYW50VXJpIjogIm5ncHZhbjovL3Zhbi9DQkQvQ0JELzEvNjE0MjkiLA0KICAiRGlzdHJpYnV0aW9uVW5pcXVlSWQiOiAiOTdkZTE1ZjAtOGZjMi1lODExLWFmMTEtMjgxODc4NDdjODllIiwNCiAgIkVtYWlsQWRkcmVzcyI6ICJhbnRob255ZzE1NEBnbWFpbC5jb20iDQp9&hmac=M1VwlKUL1MQ3afK0rv9fxjyNwBsOBoJc3SaN3xKPHpI=&utm_source=eeo&utm_medium=email), including the Center, are fighting back. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-210614221847.gif&hash=54129e3b65760aaddc6f2d7f42b34a7d839d2f27) We've called on the administration to withdraw the proposed rules, which ignore science, would strip protection from many species, and would speed up habitat destruction.
And you've spoken up too: On Monday we delivered more than 56,000 comments from Center supporters, defending the Act, to Interior Secretary Zinke. Thank you. We'll keep you posted.
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(https://wiki-gateway.eudic.net/wikipedia_en/I/m/Center_for_Biological_Diversity_logo.jpg)
Thursday, September 27, 2018
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Yellowstone grizzly bear cubs
Victory: A Safe Future for Yellowstone Grizzlies 🐻 (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-250817121424.gif&hash=384c17a4d2be4831084933b91808f8a60f73f7f5)
We're still buzzing with excitement over Monday's historic court ruling that restored Endangered Species Act protection to Yellowstone grizzlies.
The federal judge's decision to overturn a 2017 Trump administration order that stripped protection from these threatened bears is a massive victory. The Center for Biological Diversity, with our environmental and tribal allies, has been fighting that order since it was issued. Monday's decision not only returns protection but also halts plans in Wyoming and Idaho to hunt more than 20 bears.
Thanks to everyone who helped with this fight. We couldn't have done it without you.
But we fully expect the Trump administration (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-250817135149.gif&hash=b4a8748d7cf56a31dd0a6aae5828ed2c1ac2815c) to appeal this decision — and your gift to our Predator Defense Fund (https://click.everyaction.com/k/2362545/13055497/-278347231?nvep=ew0KICAiVGVuYW50VXJpIjogIm5ncHZhbjovL3Zhbi9DQkQvQ0JELzEvNjE0MjkiLA0KICAiRGlzdHJpYnV0aW9uVW5pcXVlSWQiOiAiOTdkZTE1ZjAtOGZjMi1lODExLWFmMTEtMjgxODc4NDdjODllIiwNCiAgIkVtYWlsQWRkcmVzcyI6ICJhbnRob255ZzE1NEBnbWFpbC5jb20iDQp9&hmac=M1VwlKUL1MQ3afK0rv9fxjyNwBsOBoJc3SaN3xKPHpI=&sourceid=1005042&utm_source=eeo&utm_medium=email&emci=e66cbe13-b1c1-e811-af11-28187847c89e&emdi=97de15f0-8fc2-e811-af11-28187847c89e&ceid=745049&fn=Anthony&mn=&ln=Gelbert&em=anthonyg154%40gmail.com&add1=75%20Wilmington%20Rd%20&ci=Colchester&st=VT&pc=05446&hp=&mp=&wp=&ep=&oc=&p=&s=&tknfa=shZCnH85IcKhUnRRhCdcdCJRdjKG-xRpt0ETP2CwuPk%3D)will help us defend this lifesaving victory.
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Pacific fisher
A Crucial Win for Pacific Fishers (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F1%2F3-120818184311-16361805.gif&hash=06cada4f5692796721e0ef8a72f092fd6b4f4940)
Thanks to another court victory won by the Center and allies, Pacific fishers (https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/mammals/fisher/?utm_source=eeo&utm_medium=email) now have a better shot at Endangered Species Act protection.
Relatives of minks and otters, Pacific fishers once lived in forests from British Columbia to Southern California. But intense logging and trapping drove their numbers way down, and now only two naturally occurring populations are left in California and Oregon.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed federal protection for the fishers in 2014, but in 2016 arbitrarily withdrew that proposal. So we challenged the decision, and a judge just ruled the agency must reconsider by March 2019. Hopefully that means these amazing, forest-dwelling creatures will finally get the protections they so badly need.
Read more in High Country News (https://click.everyaction.com/k/2362549/13055500/-216021490?nvep=ew0KICAiVGVuYW50VXJpIjogIm5ncHZhbjovL3Zhbi9DQkQvQ0JELzEvNjE0MjkiLA0KICAiRGlzdHJpYnV0aW9uVW5pcXVlSWQiOiAiOTdkZTE1ZjAtOGZjMi1lODExLWFmMTEtMjgxODc4NDdjODllIiwNCiAgIkVtYWlsQWRkcmVzcyI6ICJhbnRob255ZzE1NEBnbWFpbC5jb20iDQp9&hmac=M1VwlKUL1MQ3afK0rv9fxjyNwBsOBoJc3SaN3xKPHpI=).
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(https://propelsteps.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/elephant-rope3.jpg?w=400&h=400)
Do Elephants Thrive in the Wild? (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F1%2F3-120818180835-1624479.gif&hash=92c92575625c10582f9c1c6f9db969ad24bf62a8) (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-250817121424.gif&hash=384c17a4d2be4831084933b91808f8a60f73f7f5)
In many parts of the world, elephant populations are threatened, due to demand for ivory and loss of habitat. A comprehensive study, however, suggests that protected areas may offer real hope for both Asian and African elephants.
According to the results of the six-year study, elephants living in protected areas of Kenya and Myanmar have lifespans that are at least twice as long as those housed in zoos.
In fact, even elephants born and raised in zoos tended to have shorter lifespans than those captured in the wild and later taken to zoos.
The study's authors point to factors such as obesity and stress as likely reasons why elephants do not survive nearly as long in zoos as in protected areas of the wild.
A trunkload of elephant facts: 🐘
✔ African elephants have the longest gestation period of any mammal, at an average of 22 months.
✔ Only cartoon elephants eat peanuts; real ones never touch the stuff. ;D
✔ No Asian elephant has ever been filmed running; they appear to always keep at least two feet on the ground.
https://www.wisegeek.com/do-elephants-thrive-in-the-wild.htm
(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sabisabi.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F01%2FElephant-twins-3.jpg&hash=f9c1a8b1e17715437f081a19b65c56bf38930204)
We elephants belong in the protected (FROM HUMANS) wild, NOT in a prison you humans call a zoo.
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October 3, 2018
See the Great Migration come alive in this video featuring our East Africa safaris in Kenya and Tanzania.
WATCH: East Africa's migration
https://youtu.be/gjf6o1cZyaQ
(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-160614020633.gif&hash=fdf5d23d2c843efabecbe3e36591f441e9e047bc)
(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-160614020827.gif&hash=c8744968f5df29bc4e2da533cba59384ebe022fb)
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(https://wiki-gateway.eudic.net/wikipedia_en/I/m/Center_for_Biological_Diversity_logo.jpg)
For Immediate Release, October 6, 2018
Contact: Kierán Suckling, (520) 275-5960, ksuckling@biologicaldiversity.org
Statement on Kavanaugh's Confirmation to Supreme Court
TUCSON, Ariz.— Kierán Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity, released this statement after the Senate’s vote today to confirm Brett Kavanaugh as the next U.S. Supreme Court justice:
“This is a profound and shameful moment for the U.S. Senate and the Trump administration that will have disturbing ripple effects for decades to come. By brushing aside serious and credible allegations, Republicans in the Senate are doubling down on an ugly kind of politics that rewards the powerful and pushes everyone else, including women, to the margins.
“The U.S. Supreme Court will now tilt firmly in favor of right-wing ideologies, corporations, perpetrators and those to whom the notion of civil rights for all is a nuisance rather than a necessity.
“Beyond that Kavanaugh’s (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-311013201314.png&hash=0715eb72631014310634eb56176ff860c6d542f6) vote on Supreme Court will have awful consequences for clean air and water, wildlife, climate and anyone struggling against pollution in their own communities. Time and again, he has sided with corporations and other powerful interests when it comes to wildlife and the environment. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-200714183337.bmp&hash=fd5a6df63c32bd65dda7b6d93e788647ca3829df) That will continue. 🤬
“But Trump and his network of corruption shouldn’t rest easy. The resistance will galvanize and strengthen during this dark hour. We’ll link arms, speak louder, get more organized, demand more justice and fight harder than we ever have before. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-210614221847.gif&hash=54129e3b65760aaddc6f2d7f42b34a7d839d2f27) Too much is at stake now to do anything less.” (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-130418202709.png&hash=7503265ec59e4c28d735afb762bc39f4674bd838) (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-060518153110.png&hash=39d587c31b7f7e66b30d7e59bb560e2ad0662eee)
The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.6 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.
https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/
https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2018/brett-kavanaugh-10-06-2018.php
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(https://wiki-gateway.eudic.net/wikipedia_en/I/m/Center_for_Biological_Diversity_logo.jpg)
Oct. 19, 2018 01:03PM EST
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Desert_Bighorn_Sheep_Joshua_Tree_4.JPG/1200px-Desert_Bighorn_Sheep_Joshua_Tree_4.JPG)
Desert Bighorn Sheep in Joshua Tree National Park
Leaked Trump 🦀 Administration (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-311013201314.png&hash=0715eb72631014310634eb56176ff860c6d542f6) Memo: Keep Public in Dark About How Endangered Species Decisions Are Made(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F1%2F3-120818180835-16181943.gif&hash=0b93e71ee5e24bbe02555e0d648a1283e0e9651d) 🤬
In a Trump administration memorandum leaked to the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is directing its staff to withhold, or delay releasing, certain public records about how the Endangered Species Act is carried out. That includes records where the advice of career wildlife scientists may be overridden by political appointees in the Trump administration.
"This is a clear attempt to stifle science and boost Trump's anti-wildlife agenda," said Meg Townsend, the Center for Biological Diversity's open government attorney. "The public has every right to know how our government makes decisions about the fate of our most endangered species. This memo keeps the public in the dark and creates the perfect environment for political meddling."
The memo recommends that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service limit the information released to the public for decisions regarding species protected under the Endangered Species Act. It provides a list of types of records for agency staff to withhold, including drafts of policies and rules, briefing documents and decision meeting notes and summaries.
The agency has already implemented aspects of this guidance in actions like the Keystone XL pipeline construction lawsuit, and in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's decision last year to prematurely remove endangered species protection from Yellowstone grizzly bears, as the memo confirms.
"Directing the agency to hide science violates every notion of the scientific process, which is supposed to be open and reviewable," said Townsend. "If the Service covers up dissenting views, it can get away with all kinds of bad decisions that could do enormous damage to some of America's most imperiled plants and animals."
As this memo recommends that agency staff take a less transparent approach, Trump's anti-wildlife agenda is being pushed at all levels of government. Removing the public's ability to know what its government is doing—which is contrary to the spirit of the Freedom of Information Act—means that it will be more difficult to legally challenge agency actions that harm imperiled wildlife.
"This Trump memo would send all future Fish and Wildlife Service decisions into a black hole and result in more animals going extinct," Townsend said. "If the Trump administration would simply let the Fish and Wildlife Service follow the law and support decisions with science, it wouldn't need the memo or have anything to hide."
https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-endangered-species-decisions-2613623876.html
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Agelbert NOTE: Domestic animals are also rescued by these kind, noble people 🕊. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F1%2F3-120818185037-16412296.gif&hash=c8a4038d309a0f49ca4a7a464f30f9a340049cac)
The story of a special animal sanctuary, where even pigeons are VIPs
https://youtu.be/9dNKjoXmcQ4
October 22, 2018
In the small Serbian town of Niš is a place that makes my heart glow. It’s called Zoo Planet. It’s a wonderful haven where kind volunteers rescue, rehabilitate and release mostly small wild animals.
But Zoo Planet has a problem. As more and more people learn about the good work it does, more and more animals arrive and not all of them can be released into the neighbouring countryside – two rescued roebuck for example would never make it on their own because roebuck hunting is legal in Serbia.
The animals need food and medical supplies and Zoo Planet needs more land. We have promised to help, but we can only do so with the support of animal lovers like you.
Animals from all over Serbia are taken to Zoo Planet because it’s one of only two places in the country licensed to care for animals, like foxes, eagles and deer. A sadistic child had broken the pigeon’s wings and legs leaving it in agony!
While my team was visiting Zoo Planet, a woman arrived with an injured pigeon in a cardboard box. The woman had driven 150 miles (240 kilometres) from Belgrade because she knew Zoo Planet would help when no one else would.
https://networkforanimals.org/newsletter-page/the-story-of-a-special-animal-sanctuary-where-even-pigeons-are-vips/
(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F1%2F3-111018132400-1685431.gif&hash=770de9d7a4fd6b31ea7d9b45e544cc00777d8029)
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(https://wiki-gateway.eudic.net/wikipedia_en/I/m/Center_for_Biological_Diversity_logo.jpg)
(https://ci4.googleusercontent.com/proxy/EsRhCV-FW0Fin7Q2xzZW5OxrOUMw-2Q1puHgkVXX_rn982x1p9VZMEthnVslUDXBeeNAgJ5HIMvWgRUV9FK6VxGhTRUoFnPh_ghZYsRD0RziGEXyM1q8k9pP77vghVtVqrTSIFLKTASJTqBZ6mTbNYyHIoUd5J-u-ukC39iGqdb0QwnGMAqNZclZG0RjelJt=s0-d-e1-ft#https://nvlupin.blob.core.windows.net/images/van/CBD/CBD/1/61429/images/EEO/600wide/wolverine-Audrey-Magoun-USFWS-head.jpg)
“The Trump administration’s anti-regulatory agenda is turning it into the extinction presidency,” said Greenwald. “The vast majority of the American public wants to see endangered species protected, but administration officials are flushing these imperiled plants and animals down the toilet for their patrons in the oil industry (https://c7.alamy.com/comp/E7HDG6/orange-oil-drum-or-barrel-E7HDG6.jpg) and other polluters.”
The Extinction (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2Fthumb_3-070115205550.bmp&hash=954ecd048188876741ab48a48f4eee644baa39ec) Presidency (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-270117175421.png&hash=cf39e823dd9156833bfa885808a876bf518bd0d6) ☠️
Trump Administration Withholding Protection for 78 Species (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-120716190938.png&hash=01feab1c7345a4e98764e0f9d24b2d69171b93c2)
The Trump administration is dragging its feet on lifesaving protection decisions for 78 endangered animals and plants, including those desperately in need of protection for their last remaining habitat on Earth.
The Center for Biological Diversity's new analysis examines the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's failure to adhere to a plan it developed in 2016. Under Trump the agency has failed to decide whether to protect 57 species under the Endangered Species Act and whether to protect the habitat for another 21 species.
Among those neglected are wolverines, lesser prairie chickens and Hermes copper butterflies.
"The Trump administration's anti-regulatory agenda is turning it into the extinction presidency," said the Center's Noah Greenwald. "The vast majority of Americans want to see endangered species protected, but Trump 🦀 officials (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fstyles%2Frenewablerevolution%2Ffiles%2F780_9adc777a0e08428257b76ece69d18ee52006bb5e39d60d966bb2440d29d17641.jpeg&hash=4d8f2f9ea7b952c63ad0441a4619e9b370ddcb0a) are flushing these vanishing plants and animals down the toilet to hand easier profits to their patrons in polluter industries."
(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-100718164155-14511755.jpeg&hash=1c62dd0525852ffbbcbc7f2459189db15d6435c6)
(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.smilies.4-user.de%2Finclude%2FSpiele%2Fsmilie_game_017.gif&hash=e8548890f80af23241a1d43a1ab1ca8031301f20) (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-130418193910.gif&hash=633dd399cd6006279afd7efb5ef953673b96bd78)
Full press release including Detailed Table of 95 Imperiled Species Covered by Fish and Wildlife’s Workplan (https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2018/endangered-species-10-18-2018.php/)
(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-301216142007.png&hash=84ef2c6fc002fc0b4bc9940ee16d0728d50cc9b5)
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EcoWatch
By Lorraine Chow
Nov. 08, 2018 12:11PM EST
SNIPPET:
(https://ci5.googleusercontent.com/proxy/rrtvppeqChcG4QhcTxbIyqMQLZ01PRdHvbyQ_YUWK5oV_61cQikPst5TKehsBLtdtsUkVCXCSN11o9-8utFIXEr2ampqOvgOEv5kdKbII4GnRWjEWhDOCmmG8zXdYrgMY-mC1H-j3p6hxTEx8Q_TWlnKp0cBVs74KIk=s0-d-e1-ft#https://gallery.mailchimp.com/214ab5fbb3f6015d74ffab4ec/images/0eed61cf-3755-4eef-9a42-d685c4d2ef81.jpg)
Greenpeace Russia described the conditions as "torture" and said that capturing the marine mammals could threaten the species' survival.
90 Belugas, 11 Orcas Trapped in 'Whale Jail' off Russian Coast 🤬 (https://www.ecowatch.com/beluga-orcas-russia-trapped-jail-2618694294.html)
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EcoWatch
(https://ci4.googleusercontent.com/proxy/nA9mN9yajHhDgQxqThQBtMatp6pIGVBQzaYy93SdVdZA1HvY1Vkbctz8RgLdSTu8KhCs4eRbn3r3eXI8pDf_jcumcPi2BEY6W-3HXHGlYvpDt9SDeAKRXafVypNF-yLPNC9ACmKR5ZpUc4v7AjqNQcjXdDkBdupzScY=s0-d-e1-ft#https://gallery.mailchimp.com/214ab5fbb3f6015d74ffab4ec/images/2a319069-98d9-4292-98ff-b97360b694d4.jpg)
China Restores Rhino and Tiger Parts Ban After International Fury(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-130418201722.png&hash=5299cc10ee42beae76e4d3b7c79dbf5f4c0addac) (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F1%2F3-210818180844.png&hash=d74cfbba22967e53f7eb6202dffdd50b3e520fe2) (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-060518153110.png&hash=39d587c31b7f7e66b30d7e59bb560e2ad0662eee)
By Lorraine Chow
Nov. 12, 2018 10:26AM EST
SNIPPET:
Great news from China! Following intense international backlash, the Chinese government said Monday that it has postponed a regulation that would have allowed the use of tiger bone and rhino horn for medicine, research and other purposes.
In October, China alarmed animal rights activists around the world when it weakened a 25-year-old ban on the trading of the animal parts. Conservationists said it would be akin to signing a "death warrant" for endangered tiger and rhino populations.
Ding Xuedong, the executive deputy secretary-general, told the state news agency Xinhua that the October regulation was "postponed after study."
China will continue to enforce its 1993 ban on the import, export and sale of rhinos, tigers and their byproducts, he said.
"I would like to reiterate that the Chinese government has not changed its stance on wildlife protection and will not ease the crackdown on illegal trafficking and trade of rhinos, tigers and their byproducts and other criminal activities," Ding added.
The October plan (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-040718162655-14231561.gif&hash=98b427175ee380f6d3c313520cc8668c10f2172a) (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Frapgenius%2F1375371542_tumblr_m7jevgcaFm1qzqdem.gif&hash=1a2fe8d9567770e89661ad82a4e03b115e0f5358) would have allowed the trade of rhino horns and tiger bones from captive animals for use in medical and scientific research (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F1%2F3-250718202127.gif&hash=acc63221521ebaf3f238088fd92d1ae3a08b6e48), education and "cultural exchanges," (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-191017140758.jpeg&hash=8c0a35a928dcda3c1a8714ab03f4924a1a775851) Reuters reported.
Read more: (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-130418201112.png&hash=679f4583d6861313c256e8762c40929af1ac667e)
https://www.ecowatch.com/rhinos-tigers-parts-ban-china-2619363455.html
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EcoWatch
(https://ci4.googleusercontent.com/proxy/iKNGulyu0oT272xsljPlVQCyFiC9YXUt77U6mEgaxesB7MQiBVNtz1Ase19z_cbPeENNLH3mle-fs9tPGBxU9bK6VYEe7X3IfrDeFbYHFVGiLnrW0iMxkwCrfsyPpdjzn1Kf9p1u3BElpqyr2YPO7htD3YDMFK12i24=s0-d-e1-ft#https://gallery.mailchimp.com/214ab5fbb3f6015d74ffab4ec/images/4297e473-6117-4c0d-b27e-90e053eb6418.jpg)
Judge: Wildlife Must Be Considered Before Permitting Fracking Off SoCal Coast
By Olivia Rosane
Nov. 12, 2018 08:38AM EST
SNIPPET:
In what environmentalists are calling a major victory, a California judge ruled Friday that the Trump administration cannot approve any new fracking off the state's southern coast until a full review is done assessing the controversial technique's impact on endangered species and coastal resources, The San Francisco Chronicle reported.
"Endangered sea otters and other critters just won a reprieve from the Trump 🦀 administration's (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fstyles%2Frenewablerevolution%2Ffiles%2F780_9adc777a0e08428257b76ece69d18ee52006bb5e39d60d966bb2440d29d17641.jpeg&hash=4d8f2f9ea7b952c63ad0441a4619e9b370ddcb0a) 🐉🦕 assault on our oceans for dirty oil 🦖," Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) Oceans Program Legal Director Kristen Monsell said in a press release. "We plan to celebrate this great victory in the fight against climate change and dirty fossil fuels."
Full article: (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-130418200416.png&hash=15d789b29124aa5a1f1ea397ce630913734b20a4)
https://www.ecowatch.com/judge-halts-fracking-off-socal-coast-2619347365.html
(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-081014144000.jpeg&hash=1a953046340686c5595fd5e288f3abc9af675a85)
(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-100718163824-14461877.png&hash=2f8fbcc090b12d7200a4801bc07488d6f772fd82)
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No. 54, Nov. 15, 2018
SNIPPET:
When it comes to wildlife, we still have a lot to learn about the reintroduction of imperiled wild species. University of Texas-Austin researcher Kalli F. Doubleday explains why all eyes are on India's Sariska Tiger Reserve for important lessons on the reintroduction of big cats (https://therevelator.org/vagabond-tigers/)and their coexistence with neighboring humans.
India’s ‘Vagabond Tigers’ Offer Lessons for Future Reintroductions
When tigers (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-301014181553.gif&hash=c09667beb656b25086c168adcdaddcba59abf858) are reintroduced into an area where they once lived, people need to learn to live with them all over again.
Essays
November 13, 2018 - by Kalli F. Doubleday
(https://therevelator.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/tigress-sariska.jpg)
A Sariska tigress and her cubs. Photo: Rajasthan forest department
FULL ARTICLE: (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-060914180936.jpeg&hash=5e39d70fafe4e7190a6eebce34b740c58721de3f)(https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/304fa75d7ed32d56ae1ff3a796933cb65eac738511bb960bc4a77bb2f67c0af6.gif)
https://therevelator.org/vagabond-tigers/
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Baby deer rescue and release
22,799,619 views
https://youtu.be/eStXV_TYFFw
honeysada
Published on Sep 28, 2015
A deer doe abandoned one of her twin fawns, the fawn had injured leg and could not keep up with the mother.
I do not support keeping wild animals as a pets, but this was special situation. The baby deer was healed and released back to her real mother.
Update: The doe and two her fawns is still around, we seen them through the summer and the autumn.
Here is follow up video one year after release:
https://youtu.be/GvRcix5-qVs
Here is few videos how she learn to drink milk and bathing:
https://youtu.be/-KNY_UXHc44
https://youtu.be/dgNJ05cRXdo
I am thankful for every single person who liked, shared and left a comment. I didn't expect this story to become so popular.
I am sure that any of us with a little bit of a conscience about our existence, with love for the nature and animals would do the same.
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Turning Points
February 11, 2019 - by Tara Lohan
How Removing One Maine Dam 20 Years Ago Changed Everything
The removal of the Edwards Dam on Maine’s Kennebec River helped river conservationists reimagine what’s possible.
SNIPPET:
As soon as the dam came down, the river rebounded. Fish immediately had access to 18 more miles of habitat, up to the town of Waterville at the mouth of the Sebasticook River. Atlantic sturgeon began to swim past the former dam site, and alewife and shad soon returned. Within a year seals could be seen chasing alewives, a type of river herring, 40 miles upstream from the ocean.
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Alewives returned by the millions after the Edwards and Ft. Halifax dams were removed. (Photo by John Burrows/ASF)
And with alewives coming back, so did everything that eats them — river otters, bears, mink, bald eagles, osprey and blue herons.
But the best indicator of the ecosystem’s recovery was the resurgence of aquatic insects like mayflies and stoneflies, which signaled improved water quality. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F1%2F3-210818163125-16762116.gif&hash=dcf93619f3c0ebb651977b3dae2d1398f7705823)
Full article with graphics: (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F1%2F3-120818184310-1635923.gif&hash=5e2530db4748ed6c7163e1d478fdfa3cd1108668)
https://therevelator.org/edwards-dam-removal/
Full Revelator Newsletter (https://therevelator.org/) 🎍
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Jul 23, 2019, 7:33 PM
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🐘 Elephants are losing their iconic tusks 😟
Legendary “big tuskers” used to roam much of the African continent, but today, it is estimated there could be fewer than 40 of these iconic giants alive. These large elephant bulls, whose tusks can weigh more than 100 pounds each, are more likely to attract poachers’ attention and fall victim to the ivory trade.
The unsustainable demand for elephant ivory and subsequent heavy poaching of Africa’s remaining elephants is not only decimating big tuskers but resulting in another alarming trend: tuskless elephants. Tusklessness is a rare trend, typically affecting just 2 to 6 percent of the population, but at sites that have suffered mass elephant slaughters, like Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park, tusklessness appears to be on the rise.
Tuskless females that were not targeted by poachers survived to breed and pass along their genetic makeup, resulting in an overall increased rate of tuskless elephants to over 30 percent. “The trend toward increased tusklessness is seen pretty much anywhere there has been heavy poaching of elephants,” says AWF VP for Species Conservation Philip Muruthi. People sometimes reference this phenomenon as a kind of accelerated natural selection, but it is actually more like artificial selection as it is caused by humans.
> Learn more about this disturbing trend (https://www.awf.org/blog/going-tuskless-brutal-outcome-poaching-african-elephants-their-ivory)
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SATURDAY, AUGUST 03, 2019
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The bear was officially returned to the list created by the Endangered Species Act on Tuesday. ANIA TUZEL PHOTOGRAPHY / FLICKR
Indigenous Groups Applaud 👍 Return of Grizzly Bear to Endangered Species List
JULIA CONLEY, COMMON DREAMS
Native tribes and their supporters on Friday defended their push for the continued inclusion of the grizzly bear of Yellowstone National Park on the endangered species list. The bear was officially returned to the list created by the Endangered Species Act on Tuesday, nearly a year after a federal judge found that the (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-301216165623.jpeg&hash=1ccfee6aaf9d939cca294a849774cff11e462e59)Trump administration had exceeded its authority when it attempted to remove the species.
Read the Article → (http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=enHLxGUIw3Aygq58Jw8N2TY5GydQXcUy)
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Wolf 🐺 Delisting is Premature and not Based in Science
JULY 12, 2019 TALA DIBENEDETTO
The gray 🐺 wolf is an inextricable part of the cultural and ecological landscape of the west. Once driven almost to extinction in the continental United States, the recovery of the wolf in the Northern Rockies and the Great Lakes regions is one of the great American conservation success stories.
The famous author Barry Lopez wrote in Of Wolves and Men, “The wolf exerts a powerful influence on the human imagination. It takes your stare and turns it back on you.” That stare is one of the reasons that people have such a profound connection to wolves, even though many have never seen one in the wild or even in person.
(https://www.denverpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/20140404__gray_wolf_american_westp1.jpg?w=620)
Thanks to the protections of the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA), wolves are now recolonizing the Pacific Northwest and could one day be seen by more than just a lucky few. At this time, gray wolves only occupy 10% of their historic range, and just this week a wolf crossed the border into Colorado, renewing hope for their return to the Southern Rockies and beyond. But now the Trump administration wants to remove all remaining ESA protections for wolves and the result could mean devastation for wolves and their continued recovery.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) proposed a rule in March that would strip wolves of all federal protection (whether threatened or endangered) in the lower 48 states by delisting them under the Endangered Species Act. The gray wolf is currently protected under the ESA throughout the lower 48, except in the Northern Rockies states, including Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and eastern portions of Oregon, Washington, and northern Utah. Since 2011, when wolves were removed from federal protection in the Northern Rocky Mountain states, more than 3,500 wolves have been killed. If wolves are removed from federal protection in the rest of the continental United States, even more could be killed. Defenders, along with over 1.5 million people across the country, filed comments opposing this move, but the Trump administration could finalize the rule this fall.
Scientists, even those requested by the FWS to complete a peer review of the delisting proposal, agree that delisting gray wolves is premature. (http://www.endangered.org/cms/assets/uploads/2019/05/Final-Gray-Wolf-Peer-Review-Summary-Report_053119.pdf) Reviewer Adrian Treves, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and founder of the Carnivore Coexistence Lab, found “demonstrable errors in the proposed rule and the draft biological report," concluding that “several of the Service's documents' interpretations and syntheses are neither reasonable nor scientifically sound.” Treves further stated to Courthouse News: “it looks like they (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-130418203402.gif&hash=b2691028ba683a0039a5811f5775c68d7ccae01c) decided to delist and then they 😈 compiled all the evidence that they thought supported that decision. It simply doesn’t support the decision.” Relying on incomplete and unsound science that fails to acknowledge the importance of multiple areas for wolf recovery in major determinations on the future of the species is reckless and unlawful.
(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/2/3-050819202145.png)
Predators like wolves are essential for a healthy, functioning ecosystem. By preying on the weak and diseased, wolves help maintain healthier and stronger ungulate populations. The presence of 🐺 wolves also helps prevent overgrazing of vegetation, improving and creating habitats where biodiversity can thrive. This was the case when, with the help of Defenders, wolves were reintroduced in Yellowstone National Park. Once the 🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺 wolves began to repopulate the area, prey populations like elk changed their grazing behaviors, allowing vegetation to flourish, ultimately inviting new species to populate the area. This phenomenon, known as a tropic cascade ✨, was the result of protection and valuing of wolves as integral to a healthy environment rather than a varmint to be eliminated. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F1%2F3-111018132421-16902.gif&hash=deba9f0f91ecd7d65bbdeb78786bef4a98cb1a7e)
Defenders of Wildlife has always been on the front lines of wolf recovery. For years both before and after reintroduction, we have worked tirelessly with ranchers and landowners to promote coexistence and the use of non-lethal tools on the landscape that ease hostility towards wolves and prevent conflict. We also continue to work with lawmakers to keep wolves protected. We believe this delisting is premature and dangerous to the recovery and continued existence of the wolf population. Without ESA protection, small populations that are still getting their footing will be placed in jeopardy and at the mercy of states with increasingly hostile anti-wolf policies. We would be reversing all of the progress we have made from a time when wolves could only be found within the confines of Yellowstone and potentially returning to the days of trophy contests and unregulated killing.
The Trump (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-130418203402.gif&hash=b2691028ba683a0039a5811f5775c68d7ccae01c) administration may want to strip wolves of federal protection, but Defenders will not stop working to ensure these majestic creatures retain the legal protection they require to survive. Join us in standing up for wolves! (https://secure.defenders.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=3456&s_src=3WDW1900XXXXX&s_subsrc=action-page)
https://defenders.org/blog/2019/07/wolf-delisting-premature-and-not-based-science
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Court Approves Ban (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F1%2F3-210818180844.png&hash=d74cfbba22967e53f7eb6202dffdd50b3e520fe2) on Cyanide Bombs in Wyoming Forests
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Coyote
Days after 🦀 Trump's 😈 EPA gave a thumbs-up to the ongoing use of sodium cyanide in M-44s (or "cyanide bombs"), forest creatures across 10 million acres in Wyoming caught a break from the lethal devices. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F1%2F3-111018132400-16842321.gif&hash=e2590f92501c5dd6149626bb0ab180ce9e1d5bd3)
A judge has approved an agreement, secured by the Center and allies, to ban M-44s across the state's national forests. It also requires the federal program "Wildlife Services" — which uses cyanide bombs — to analyze the impacts of its killing of coyotes, bobcats and other Wyoming wildlife. And new trapping restrictions will help protect grizzlies and other animals. Read more. (https://www.jhnewsandguide.com/news/environmental/wildlife-services-commits-to-nepa-redo/article_55ff84d6-dab1-50d2-b2e5-4ed299b26193.html/?utm_term=Wildlife)
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An initiative of the Center for Biological Diversity
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Wild, Incisive, Fearless.
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Five Things to Watch at This Month’s Big Wildlife Trade Treaty Meeting
New wildlife trade rules being discussed at CITES could affect 550 species, including elephants, rhinos and giraffes.
Extinction Countdown
August 16, 2019 - by John R. Platt
Dozens of important and potentially controversial decisions for the world’s most imperiled wildlife will come out of Geneva over the next few weeks.
That’s where the representatives from 183 nations will gather to discuss issues related to legal and illegal wildlife trade at the 18th triennial meeting of the member parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), a treaty aimed at regulating the commercial sale of threatened plants and wildlife.
CITES protects species by adding them to what’s known as its Appendices — listings of species that may or may not be traded. Species listed on Appendix I are banned from all international trade, while those on Appendix II may only be traded from proven sustainable populations. About 90 percent of CITES listings appear on Appendix II.
CoP18This year’s 12-day CITES meeting (Aug. 17-28), known as the Conference of the Parties, was originally scheduled for earlier this year in Sri Lanka but delayed due to violence in that country. The postponement didn’t diminish the meeting’s scope, though. The agenda includes a record 57 proposals affecting more than 550 highly traded species, ranging from megafauna such as elephants, rhinos and giraffes to less charismatic but lucratively traded species like sea cucumbers and rosewood trees.
“CITES sets the rules for international trade in wild fauna and flora,” CITES Secretary General Ivonne Higuero said in a press release earlier this month. “It is a powerful tool for ensuring sustainability and responding to the rapid loss of biodiversity — often called the sixth extinction crisis — by preventing and reversing declines in wildlife populations. This year’s conference will focus on strengthening existing rules and standards while extending the benefits of the CITES regime to additional plants and animals threatened by human activity.”
Let’s take a look at five of the biggest issues on the table this year:
1. Rhinos and Elephants
Despite rampant, ongoing poaching threats, proposals this year could actually open up legal trade in elephants or rhinos.
Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe have proposed allowing legal trade in elephant ivory from their countries, as well as from South Africa, something that’s currently banned. Zimbabwe, meanwhile, wants to be allowed to sell live elephants to China.
These countries’ elephants are all currently listed under CITES Appendix II, while other nations’ elephants are listed in Appendix I. The four nations argue their elephant populations are healthy and can withstand international trade, but most experts argue that any legal ivory sale helps to spur demand for the products, which then inspires additional poaching and illegal trafficking. Experts also point out that African elephants frequently cross national borders, so they shouldn’t be considered the “national property” of any given country.
Meanwhile, a competing proposal would move elephants from these four nations to Appendix I, which would end the current “split listing,” restrict international trade and put all African elephants on the same level playing field.
We’ll have to wait and see which, if either, of these proposals gains traction. CITES itself recently published a report that found “poaching continues to threaten the long-term survival of the African elephant,” so the prospects of opening up trade again seem less than likely, but proponents of commercialization remain steadfast.
(https://therevelator.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Rhino-Henri-Bergius.jpg)
Rhino by Henri Bergius (CC BY-SA 2.0)
As for rhinos, eSwatini (formerly known as Swaziland) and Namibia want to open up trade for their southern white rhino populations, with the former wanting to sell rhino horns and the latter asking to sell both hunting trophies and live rhinos. South Africa also wants to increase trophy hunting of its black rhinos. Similar proposals were defeated at the last meeting three years ago, but commercial interests continue to push for legalization of the horn trade, something that’s likely to persist in the years ahead even if the proposals are again shot down this month.
2. Giraffes
The world’s tallest animals have undergone a shocking 40 percent population decline over the past few decades, and CITES will take up the issue for the first time this year. Thirty African states have submitted a proposal for restricting trade in giraffe hunting trophies, bones and hides under Appendix II.
(https://therevelator.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Giraffe-David-Davies.jpg)
Giraffe by David Davies (CC BY-SA 2.0)
The trophy hunting alone is a huge deal; according to the proposal, “the United States imported more than one giraffe hunting trophy a day” from 2006 to 2015. That’s more than 3,500 giraffes killed by American hunters over a single decade — the same period during which giraffe populations fell to fewer than 100,000.
Meanwhile we know the trade in most other giraffe products — such as the growing trade in giraffe-bone gun and knife handles — is extensive, but there are also huge data gaps concerning their country of origin or whether the specimens were legally or sustainably acquired. This reveals a need to place serious controls on this trade.
The disappearance of giraffes has often been referred to as a “silent extinction,” but the threats facing these iconic mammals have finally started to generate some noise. The fate of Africa’s giraffes may hinge on whether that’s now loud enough to generate support from a majority of voting parties this month.
3. Vaquita
A few weeks ago we heard that the population of critically endangered vaquita porpoises had fallen to fewer than 19 and possibly as low as six. Many conservation organizations now say it’s the last chance to save this species from extinction.
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Tom Jefferson, via NOAA Fisheries West Coast
CITES can’t address the vaquita directly — there’s no trade in the animals — but in 2016 the parties to the treaty agreed to take on illegal trafficking of a fish from the same area called totoaba. Illegal gillnet fishing for totoaba — their swim bladders sell for big bucks in China — has been responsible for the deaths of dozens of vaquita over the past few years.
That agreement, sadly, didn’t lead to much, if any, action. Now, as Mexico prepares to allow commercial breeding of totoaba, conservation organizations (including the Center for Biological Diversity, publisher of The Revelator) have called for trade sanctions against Mexico to ensure more vaquita protective measures are put in place. They’re also calling for additional funding and other support to conserve both vaquita and totoaba in the wild and stronger law enforcement to address the illegal totoaba trade.
This may also serve as a reminder for Mexico and other countries to follow through on their promises to protect other imperiled species.
No matter what happens in Geneva this will be a critical year for the vaquita — and, we hope, not one that will end with the species’ extinction.
4. Exotic Pets
Hundreds of species commonly found in the legal and illegal pet trade will be up for discussion this year, including a wide range of lizards, iguanas, turtles, tortoises, frogs, newts and even spiders. Most would be added to Appendix II, but several proposals would place species — such as the highly trafficked Indian star tortoise — on Appendix I to end all legal international trade.
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Indian start tortoise by Damith Osuranga Danthanarayana (CC BY 2.0)
Perhaps the most interesting species on the pet-trade list is the spider-tailed horned viper from Iran, a huge, venomous snake known for using its tail to attract and kill birds.
(https://i.imgur.com/ZEursmU.jpg)
👀 Spider-tailed horned viper from Iran
Trade in this species isn’t exactly rampant yet, but it’s turned up for sale recently on German social-networking sites. This measure would proactively try to control that trade before it gets any worse.
Of course, not all of these species are exclusively threatened by the pet trade. The tokay gecko, for example, is also highly traded for use in traditional medicine. That leads us to our next big topic.
5. Wildlife Trafficking
CITES will have an active agenda related to illegal wildlife trafficking this year, with key discussions on songbirds, big cats (especially China’s large number of tiger farms), coral, hawksbill turtles, saiga antelopes, rosewood and other species.
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Wooly Mammoth (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F1%2F3-210818163125-16722324.gif&hash=fd301340fefe90d81ed8826dfa0568be12a1c0d8)
Even woolly mammoths are on the list. (Yes, sometimes extinct species require protective trade restrictions. In this case ivory from recently killed elephants is sometimes disguised or laundered as mammoth ivory, a trade that could be curtailed by a proposal to add mammoths to Appendix II.)
(https://therevelator.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/illegal-wildlife-property-ryan-moehring-usfws.jpg)
Illegal wildlife property. Photo: Ryan Moehring/USFWS
In addition to species-specific proposals, the participants at this year’s CITES meeting will also discuss building international capacity to track and address the multibillion-dollar wildlife (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-250817135149.gif&hash=b4a8748d7cf56a31dd0a6aae5828ed2c1ac2815c) crime industry — a problem so pervasive that some experts say it may require an entirely separate convention. They’re also expected to discuss Vietnam’s role as both a consumer country and a hub for transit of wildlife parts, improving the livelihoods of rural communities, tactics to address wildlife cybercrime, and what to do with confiscated products from species such as pangolins, rhinos and rosewoods.
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Pangolin
And on top of all that, the CITES parties will also discuss their strategy for the year 2020 and beyond. With biodiversity around the world in crisis and hundreds of thousands of species at risk of extinction, that may end up being the biggest topic of all.
https://therevelator.org/wildlife-trade-cites-cop18/
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Care2 Action Alerts <actionalerts@care2.com> 4:52 AM (19 hours ago) to me
(https://ci5.googleusercontent.com/proxy/_c_XNmP-5kRR4qBHCvEpReQ-iY4CfULr_trlR7zN6XOVNX8Ki7gfuaZsMBEtOkoQaMevGJjLbN_cEu-g0QD24IBMI2DDMms7tEhlyEPx5GkwDw_bynMFg-0g4yfDKLJkplT2vA=s0-d-e1-ft#http://dingo.care2.com/petitions/thank-you-custom-email/closed_success_bubble.png)
(https://ci4.googleusercontent.com/proxy/r5SzUjTqbeRLxDVimleRoLCdHeCkiKKrgZKqF9ce5hUKWrIJ_eWFMRsKUrITk9Tmn91Est0tOdhmdqAhpjtGsjLkQjZwj3ONcHQuDOlYTM2DSQzJ51vQ4rA0WMoJ3_It9DjmKMFdH0I7CPmhfqPWmeM=s0-d-e1-ft#https://dingo.care2.com/pictures/petition_images/petition/735/971815-1546377264-wide_thumb.jpg)California, Create Overpasses to Save 🐯 Animal Lives!
SUCCESS! (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F1%2F3-120818184311-16361805.gif&hash=06cada4f5692796721e0ef8a72f092fd6b4f4940)
Thank you for helping my petition succeed! Freya H
California will soon build the largest wildlife overpass in the world! More information here (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/california-will-build-largest-wildlife-crossing-world-180972947/).
Sincerely,
Freya H (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-141113185701.png&hash=615e3c1aa9c374cb1eab5bfc1e9494f2cb05e9f7)
Care2 Petitions
The link to this petition is: https://www.thepetitionsite.com/971/815/735/california-create-overpasses-to-save-animal-lives/
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✨ WildEarth 🎋 Guardians 💫 30th Anniversary Video
158 views • Sep 5, 2019
https://youtu.be/nIReBCWWl0U
WildEarthGuardians
409 subscribers
For the past 30 years WildEarth Guardians has been protecting and restoring the wildlife, wild places, wild rivers, and health of the American West.
Website: https://wildearthguardians.org/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wildearthguard
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WildEarthGua...
When the politically powerful can turn one of our nation's iconic wildlife into a trophy mount something is fundamentally wrong.
In 2017, the Trump(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-130418203402.gif&hash=b2691028ba683a0039a5811f5775c68d7ccae01c) administration stripped Yellowstone’s grizzlies of it’s protected status under the Endangered Species Act paving the way for trophy hunting.
The moment I heard this I knew we were in for another long battle. What gave me hope was knowing that we're good at doing what is right in the wild, we've been doing it for a long time.
In 1989, Sam Hitt, Steve Sugarman and Letty Belin founded Guardians. Their purpose: to defend the forest from clearcut logging and protect an endangered owl.
Highlighting their vision, ability and determination, in 1996 a federal judge issued a landmark legal injunction halting logging on more than 21 million acres in 11 national forests throughout New Mexico and Arizona.
Our Victory rocked the timber industry to the core.
But it also solidified the idea that Guardians’ innovative, creative and uniquely disruptive approaches to conservation really work.
Throughout our history we’ve had impact way beyond our size.
In March 2019, we won a legal victory blocking 300,000 acres of wild lands from fracking, protecting our climate.
In April 2019, we won a lawsuit driving another nail in the coffin of the federal coal program, which accounts for 15% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
In 2011, we won a historic legal settlement protecting more than 250 critically imperiled but unprotected species.
Ongoing advocacy protects sage grouse habitat from mining, livestock grazing and oil and gas development throughout the West.
But between the (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-301216165623.jpeg&hash=1ccfee6aaf9d939cca294a849774cff11e462e59) Trump Administration, population growth and the 🦕🦖 fossil fuel and timber industries, the American West faces an unprecedented barrage of threats.
The very landscape of how to do conservation is constantly changing.
The fossil fuel industry is in a drilling frenzy, denying climate science.
The Rio Grande is running dry.
Public lands are being ripped from public hands.
Native species are being driven to extinction.
Millions of animals are being trapped, snared and poisoned.
We have to do more.
We agitate, we litigate but we also educate and legislate. We are Guardians. The work of nurturing an ethic of care is our job, it's our purpose. Within each of us there's a sense that we're Guardians.
Whether or not we win or lose, cultivating and nurturing that ethic is what we do. Our job is to protect the vulnerable from the powerful.
28,000 Guardians oppose wildlife slaughters funded by tax dollars.
33,000 Guardians oppose fracking in Chaco.
70,000 Guardians oppose de-listing wolves from the Endangered Species Act.
In the fall of 2018, we restored Endangered Species Act protections for the Grizzly.
With Guardians like you we’re giving them the freedom to roam.
Category Film & Animation
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For Immediate Release, October 22, 2019
Contact:
Sophia Ressler, (206) 399-4004, sressler@biologicaldiversity.org
Lawsuit Challenges Federal Killing of Washington’s Bears, Beavers, Bobcats
SEATTLE— The Center for Biological Diversity sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services program today over its killing of thousands of native animals a year in Washington state.
The lawsuit seeks an updated environmental analysis of the agency’s wildlife-killing programs, which shoot, trap and snare black bears, bobcats, beavers and other animals vital to maintaining healthy ecosystems in Washington. The suit was filed in federal court in the Western District of Washington.
“Washington’s bears and bobcats deserve better, so we’re suing Wildlife Services to force officials to consider alternatives to their mass-extermination programs,” said Sophia Ressler, a Center attorney. “The science shows that nonlethal methods of addressing wildlife conflicts work. Wildlife Services should acknowledge that research and scrutinize its cruel and outdated programs.”
Wildlife Services is a multimillion-dollar federal program that uses painful leghold traps, strangulation snares, poisons and aerial gunning to kill wolves, coyotes, cougars, birds and other wild animals. Most of the killing responds to requests from the agriculture industry.
In 2018 Wildlife Services reported killing more than 1.5 million native animals nationwide. In Washington state last year, the agency killed six black bears, 397 beavers, 376 coyotes, 429 marmots, 448 squirrels and thousands of other creatures.
Animals that aren’t intended to be killed — including pets and protected wildlife like wolves and eagles — are also at risk from the programs’ indiscriminate methods. Wildlife Services killed nearly 300 of Washington’s pocket gophers last year. This risks harming the state’s four species of endangered pocket gophers.
“We need to stop Wildlife Services’ destructive war on Washington’s wildlife,” Ressler said. “It’s long past time to use the best available science to inform these management decisions. Not doing so is irresponsible, dangerous and ecologically destructive.”
The National Environmental Policy Act requires Wildlife Services to rigorously examine the environmental effects of killing wildlife and to consider alternatives, such as those that rely on proven nonlethal methods to avoid wildlife conflicts.
Today’s lawsuit is part of a larger Center campaign to hold Wildlife Services accountable for its inhumane, unscientific wildlife-killing programs across the country. Court victories in California, Oregon, Colorado, Arizona, Idaho and Wyoming have led to vast on-the-ground improvements in the programs in these states.
The environmental analyses for Washington’s programs for killing predators and aquatic mammals are almost a decade old. According to today’s complaint, Wildlife Services must use recent information to analyze the impacts of its mammal-killing programs on the environment and Washington’s unique wild places.
The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.6 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.
https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/lawsuit-challenges-federal-killing-of-washingtons-bears-beavers-bobcats-2019-10-22/
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More Press Releases (https://biologicaldiversity.org/news/breaking/)
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The Revelator: A New Threat to Public Lands
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BLM truck
The (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F1%2F3-250718205808.gif&hash=5c451456a306c150d3555c49e31a2f47d6f369a9) Trump (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-130418203402.gif&hash=b2691028ba683a0039a5811f5775c68d7ccae01c) administration wants to relocate the headquarters of the Bureau of Land Management from Washington, D.C., to Grand Junction, Colorado. It claims this move will put agency staff closer to the public lands that they manage. But there's reason to suspect that the true motive is to drastically weaken the BLM — and give 🦖 oil and 🦕 gas companies better access to its staff.
Westward Heave-ho: How a Federal Agency’s Move to Colorado Threatens Public Lands, Science and the Climate (https://therevelator.org/blm-relocation/?utm_source=eeo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=eeo1012&utm_term=PublicLands&emci=bd435a1e-7a0d-ea11-828b-2818784d6d68&emdi=c370b115-df11-ea11-828b-2818784d6d68&ceid=745049)
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Photo of land near Kanab, Utah that could have been razed for a frac-sand mine by Tara Lohan.
The operation would have started by bulldozing all the trees, shrubs, grasses and forbs, then scraped up to 30 feet of the earth from the exposed surface. The sand would then be processed — washed with water and chemicals, then dried and sorted — in a facility with up to six 120-foot-tall silos. After that it would be loaded into trucks and hauled out.
The 🦅 Town That Beat the 🦕 Fracking Industry
No. 116, Jan. 23, 2020
Hello Revelator readers,
Kanab, Utah, is known for its breathtaking beauty and proximity to national parks, but now the tourist-friendly destination has another claim to fame: Residents just drove a frac-sand mining development out of town. We've been following the story for months — here's what happened (https://therevelator.org/frac-sand-kanab/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=no116&emci=7475d346-8238-ea11-a1cc-2818784d084f&emdi=6f695197-cf3d-ea11-a1cc-2818784d084f&ceid=745049).
We also talked to Craig Pittman about his new book on the wild and weird battle (https://therevelator.org/florida-panthers-pittman/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=no116&emci=7475d346-8238-ea11-a1cc-2818784d084f&emdi=6f695197-cf3d-ea11-a1cc-2818784d084f&ceid=745049)to rescue Florida panthers from the brink of extinction and why the big cats aren't out of the woods yet.
Check out our latest video to meet Stevie Nicks (https://therevelator.org/blind-black-footed-ferret/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=no116&emci=7475d346-8238-ea11-a1cc-2818784d084f&emdi=6f695197-cf3d-ea11-a1cc-2818784d084f&ceid=745049), a blind black-footed ferret who's an adorable example of conservation success in action.
Coming up:
Stay tuned for stories about threats from warming ocean waters and what's working to save coral reefs.
Look for our latest links in next Thursday's newsletter — or follow us on Twitter and Facebook for the headlines as they go live.
As always, thank you for reading.
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Tara Lohan
Deputy Editor, The Revelator
Sign up to receive The Revelator's weekly newsletter. (https://therevelator.org/subscribe-to-the-revelator/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=no116&emci=7475d346-8238-ea11-a1cc-2818784d084f&emdi=6f695197-cf3d-ea11-a1cc-2818784d084f&ceid=745049)
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81 Dams Coming Down + 12 Great Wildlife Cams
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Observant 🧐 Blue tit Pixabay
No. 124, March 19, 2020
Hello Revelator readers,
The world got a lot scarier this week, but we're still here to bring you stories of environmental successes, emerging problems and wild inspiration.
Let's get to that inspiration right away: We've compiled a list of a dozen amazing wildlife and nature livestreams (https://therevelator.org/covid-19-wildlife-livecams/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=no124&emci=62e71f77-4b69-ea11-a94c-00155d03b5dd&emdi=f3ae7848-e269-ea11-a94c-00155d03b5dd&ceid=745049) to help you beat the COVID-19 self-isolation blues and keep you connected to what matters.
And here's a fantastic developing story: An innovative project in California aims to bring down not one, not two, but 81 dams (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F1%2F3-120818180835-1626482.gif&hash=068d5ba96cc9a0d9b824d58bf6e532eeee05b706) in the Cleveland National Forest. This will help endangered steelhead and transform the region's watershed (https://therevelator.org/cleveland-forest-dam-removal/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=no124&emci=62e71f77-4b69-ea11-a94c-00155d03b5dd&emdi=f3ae7848-e269-ea11-a94c-00155d03b5dd&ceid=745049) (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F1%2F3-120818185039-1655102.gif&hash=1a13ffad2c8451cba6f45b04a1249447d50c3e73).
We wonder if activities like hunting and fishing will be curtailed by the 🤧😷 pandemic, but in the meantime, important new research reveals that recreational fishing has a much bigger impact than previously realized, especially for ocean species (https://therevelator.org/recreational-fishing-environmental-impact/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=no124&emci=62e71f77-4b69-ea11-a94c-00155d03b5dd&emdi=f3ae7848-e269-ea11-a94c-00155d03b5dd&ceid=745049).
Other new research points to an emerging threat to conservation: fear of nature, or "biophobia." It's a symptom of humanity's disconnection from the natural world — but there are also solutions (https://therevelator.org/biophobia-fear-nature/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=no124&emci=62e71f77-4b69-ea11-a94c-00155d03b5dd&emdi=f3ae7848-e269-ea11-a94c-00155d03b5dd&ceid=745049).
Subscriber bonus: The Wild 5
Here are five more stories we're watching this week.
1. Concerns about COVID-19 have prompted a partial shutdown of national parks (https://www.huffpost.com/entry/national-parks-coronavirus_n_5e71196ac5b60fb69ddf5fe1?emci=62e71f77-4b69-ea11-a94c-00155d03b5dd&emdi=f3ae7848-e269-ea11-a94c-00155d03b5dd&ceid=745049), but many remain open and crowded 👎 (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/17/national-parks-cause-public-health-concern-visitors-flood-in?emci=62e71f77-4b69-ea11-a94c-00155d03b5dd&emdi=f3ae7848-e269-ea11-a94c-00155d03b5dd&ceid=745049).
2. Increasing environmental stress could lead the world's most vital ecosystems — like the Amazon rainforest and Caribbean coral reefs — to collapse in only decades 😵 (https://www.ehn.org/ecosystems-collapse-2645447028.html?emci=62e71f77-4b69-ea11-a94c-00155d03b5dd&emdi=f3ae7848-e269-ea11-a94c-00155d03b5dd&ceid=745049), a new study finds.
3. Democrats pushed back against a potential 🦀 Trump 🐘 administration plan to use the coronavirus health crisis to bail out the struggling 🦖 oil and 🦕 gas industry (https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/488106-house-democrats-fight-bailout-for-oil-industry?emci=62e71f77-4b69-ea11-a94c-00155d03b5dd&emdi=f3ae7848-e269-ea11-a94c-00155d03b5dd&ceid=745049).
4. The biggest source of new electric generating capacity (https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/the-us-residential-solar-market-got-its-mojo-back-in-2019?emci=62e71f77-4b69-ea11-a94c-00155d03b5dd&emdi=f3ae7848-e269-ea11-a94c-00155d03b5dd&ceid=745049) last year was solar, which beat out both wind and natural gas — although the solar industry now anticipates that the coronavirus could disrupt (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.ame4u.com%2FAnimated_Clipart%2FAnimated-Solar%2Fsun_shining_solar_panel_hg_clr__st.gif&hash=f244a42c405966e333bd5533ae540330a95e63ee) projects in the months ahead 😬😞 (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-solar-report-idUSKBN2140F6?emci=62e71f77-4b69-ea11-a94c-00155d03b5dd&emdi=f3ae7848-e269-ea11-a94c-00155d03b5dd&ceid=745049).
5. A warm winter has started rousing 🐻 bears early from hibernation (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/11/mild-winter-bears-emerge-from-hibernation?emci=62e71f77-4b69-ea11-a94c-00155d03b5dd&emdi=f3ae7848-e269-ea11-a94c-00155d03b5dd&ceid=745049) — sparking worries about increased conflicts with humans if the bears find food scarce at this time of year.
In case you missed it:
(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fdl5.glitter-graphics.net%2Fpub%2F3328%2F3328805eipbi6o30e.gif&hash=6b47effe687cb862012c19507f1979f43ff67a02) People looking for ways to help monarch butterflies may be putting them in even more danger (https://therevelator.org/monarch-mishaps/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=no124&emci=62e71f77-4b69-ea11-a94c-00155d03b5dd&emdi=f3ae7848-e269-ea11-a94c-00155d03b5dd&ceid=745049) 😟 (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F1%2F3-120818185039-1654984.gif&hash=ab230d9ffbd9a35d8cab33b596c366a0718cb7ec).
What should we cover next?
Our stories rely on insight from experts and readers around the world, especially in these troubling times. How has the coronavirus affected things in your work, your life or your community's wild spaces? We want to hear from you, so please drop us a line anytime.
Coming up:
We're got some important reporting about biodiversity issues coming up, including a look at virus-related 😷 issues and a roadmap to help 🐟 freshwater species.
Look for our latest links in next Thursday's newsletter — or follow us on Twitter and Facebook for the headlines as they go live.
As always, thank you for reading — and stay safe.
(https://ci4.googleusercontent.com/proxy/6H1nq225IB-oqSV0r2eOZxxp6OtOqTfIk85kyJgsxlTjDF4B64O_Y49Rrev8fddoA5NB0NvZDmkxGeN4iEpSWPp-Isbz3EYhx4jS-N0S45dn5CamyI50f3wJmp7MGIMM14swVtldbM7Tr3WSZLU=s0-d-e1-ft#https://nvlupin.blob.core.windows.net/images/van/CBD/CBD/1/61429/images/Staff/JohnPlatt.jpg)
John R. Platt
Editor, The Revelator
Sign up to receive The Revelator's weekly newsletter. (https://therevelator.org/subscribe-to-the-revelator/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=no116&emci=7475d346-8238-ea11-a1cc-2818784d084f&emdi=6f695197-cf3d-ea11-a1cc-2818784d084f&ceid=745049)
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Major Victory for Alaska’s 👉 Majestic 🌲 Trees and for the 🎋 Climate (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/2/3-300919160019-22712315.png)
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March 12, 2020
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A recent court victory halted a timber sale on Prince of Wales Island in Alaska. (Andrea Izzotti/Getty Images)
Earthjustice attorney Tom Waldo (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/2/3-300919160022-2281531.png) went to court to argue against a sweeping logging plan that targeted old-growth trees in the Tongass National Forest — and won. The timber sale, slated for Prince of Wales Island in southeast Alaska, was the largest proposed in any national forest in more than 30 years. Read more (https://earthjustice.org/blog/2019-september/tongass-national-forest-victory-old-growth-climate?utm_source=crm&utm_medium=email&utm_term=newsletter&utm_campaign=200326_ForTheRecord_March2020_resend&utm_content=tongass_ReadMoreButton&curation=newsletter)
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A New Chance at Life…
https://youtu.be/l6puelN3wXk
Cricket Hollow Zoo 💩 👎 was not a kind place for animals. Roadside zoos profit while the animals in their care suffer. These monkeys endured an extremely neglectful situation with poor nutrition and complete lack of veterinary attention. As you know, we have been fighting to shutdown inhumane roadside zoos and rescue the animals residing in them for years. And thanks to you, we got these animals out just in time. We could not have rescued these animals without you. Watch and share this video to see the impact Animal Legal Defense Fund donors make in the lives of abused animals.
The chance to roam and play (https://act.aldf.org/page/17898/petition/1?ea.tracking.id=CE20391NN0&ea.url.id=430418&forwarded=true)
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EcoWatch
April 17, 2020
(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-301114161124.jpeg)
🐻 Look ma, no Humans!
(https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/bxEEnt5SWqRu0qBEpKz7yImWQkUSz9ORg5wpkyZeDHZPbvjOgsxcT66hY-zlFhB4AdpoEpOw_lK0vMuu6ckCaxBdJgnimKyKNnngLSt6KoSHvw4r1Pqspwe1TwJ-0W8O40BhvuZRwePG0si3p_z25dRlYcZWdw=s0-d-e1-ft#https://mcusercontent.com/214ab5fbb3f6015d74ffab4ec/images/5821e718-96ea-486f-aa71-d11a995764c2.jpg)
(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-040817183318.gif&hash=85dbde0ecc986da6385d09f4df76d45028b7062d)(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F1%2F3-111018132401-1689625.gif&hash=31d44a761d963df1354e5ef55b63387c72033709)
Wild Bears 'Having a Party' in Coronavirus-Closed Yosemite National Park (https://www.ecowatch.com/wild-bears-yosemite-national-park-2645728901.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=3f94a4d94b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-3f94a4d94b-86021645)
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May 1, 2020
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Colorado Parks & Wildlife Commission just voted to end killing contests (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F1%2F3-120818184311-16361805.gif&hash=06cada4f5692796721e0ef8a72f092fd6b4f4940) (http://wg.convio.net/site/MessageViewer?em_id=26181.0&dlv_id=43241¤t=true&em_id=26181.0)
After years of backwards policy, this is a step in the right direction for Colorado’s wildlife
Dear Guardian,
Today, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission voted 8-3 to ban killing contests targeting many of the state’s treasured wildlife including coyotes, foxes, and prairie dogs. The move falls short of a total ban on wildlife killing contests, but it is a huge step in the right direction for an agency that has long been under criticism for misguided and cruel policies toward native species, especially carnivores. Colorado joins neighbors Arizona and New Mexico, both of which curtailed wildlife killing contests in 2019.
CPW Commissioners showed leadership on this issue as Guardians staff and volunteers worked behind the scenes with other conservation and animal welfare groups to make this victory a reality. Click here if you would like to thank the commissioners or send a “thank you” tweet to @COParksWildlife.
We will continue to work throughout the West to end this brutal blood sport and momentum is on our side. Our wildlife program will also leverage this success as we work to bring Colorado’s wildlife policy into the 21st century. Please stay tuned for action alerts on how you can speak up for native carnivores and other wildlife in the state.
Thank you to all who helped drive this over the line. Slowly but surely, we are stopping cruelty and re-shaping the American West into a hospitable place for native wildlife.
For the Wild,
Lindsay Larris, Wildlife Program Director
WildEarth Guardians protects and restores the wildlife, wild places, wild rivers, and health of the American West.
© 2020 WildEarth Guardians | MAIN OFFICE: 516 Alto Street, Santa Fe, NM 87501
p) 505.988.9126
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EcoWatch
https://youtu.be/CgvouUtQcTQ
Associated article (https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNjQwNDQ0NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1ODI3MTI1MX0.n7Pxn99mSXxHp7XIbfvIVanKy4wigxEEneC77EIGmtA/img.jpg) by Olivia Rosane May. 17, 2021 02:21PM:
The ‘New Big 5’ Picks World’s Most Photogenic Animals to Celebrate Life, Not Death (https://www.ecowatch.com/new-big-5-wildlife-photography-2653013621.html)
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(https://support.nature.org/tnc_redesign/images/tnc-logo.svg)
Nature Conservancy Photo Contest (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F1%2F3-120818185038-16442135.gif&hash=52927992b43007fa5c5eb6ffcb453ae29948c356)
(https://ci5.googleusercontent.com/proxy/8S3t059isUJOlgZe7wU7CMwucv5itYvLxoyHrn-IgVpmtXEaFCZHQbrGXv8I3cyesmpWV793ZxH9be8H7LCFZGc0_DHDxMijFMl3mv31xlo_HoQhZsDadMR_8hVx814wM1FRwSF2=s0-d-e1-ft#https://content-ci360.nature.org/tngcincvusp/2/913a795c-9ae9-47ec-a6cb-4563fa80a73e)
MEMORABLE MOMENTS Fox kits on a log in Menasha, Wisconsin. © Christopher Appleby /TNC Photo Contest 2019
As excitement builds for this year’s Nature Conservancy Photo Contest, Photo Editor Alex Snyder reflects on a memorable moment from 2019: “The body language between the two is what really makes this frame. The use of a shallow depth of field helps separate the kits from the busy background of branches and leaves and lets us focus in on this interaction.”
Be the first to know when this year's Photo Contest opens, what the prizes are and more.
Agelbert NOTE: Scroll down to the plethora of fantastic photos at the Contest Web Page! (https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/photo-contest/?s_src=NewSch.WJEMSA2106NPNZNZZE04Z00-ZZZZZ-ST00&lu=4921015&src=e.ch_vt.eg.x.gpn.0621.n.sas.pm) (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F1%2F3-120818180835-1626482.gif&hash=068d5ba96cc9a0d9b824d58bf6e532eeee05b706)
Here's a small selection of several you can feast your eyes on:(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F1%2F3-120818185040-1659929.gif&hash=0a9ca0c1f083655b821cbf024422e55e009a6d8d)
(https://widget-uploads.stackla.com/10/the-nature-conservancy/5c6dacf59d982/2019-08/b974954e5e1043088b7d4c0a2344396b_640x396.jpg)
(https://widget-uploads.stackla.com/10/the-nature-conservancy/5d2a68af71012/2019-08/f6253b2c9c00f115542ee2b7678bdd26_640x420.jpg)
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(https://widget-uploads.stackla.com/10/the-nature-conservancy/5d2a68af71012/2019-09/d709a5ded6bf403966d5dea87ebb22f3_640x427.jpg)
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National Audubon Society
Elf Owl (micrathene whitneyi)
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Though small, an Elf Owl has no problem taking on a scorpion when it's dinner time. Photo: Bettina Arrigoni/Flickr CC (BY 2.0)
Meet the Tiniest Owl in the World
Native to the American Southwest, Elf Owls are slightly larger than a soda can, but that doesn't stop them from being determined predators. Flying out from its tree cavity at dusk, the Elf Owl hunts beetles, crickets, and spiders, plus the odd lizard or mouse. Larger prey such as scorpions — with the stingers carefully removed — may end up cached in the nest for later dining.
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Standing less than six inches tall, feathered in gray with big yellow eyes, the Elf Owl weighs less than an ounce and a half — a bit less than a golf ball.
(https://tse4.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.85ScM_8Z93w_Rk7o7021GwHaLH&pid=Api&P=0&w=300&h=300)(https://tse3.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.TTRVpSr6woViI3WTmt7IQAAAAA&pid=Api&P=0&w=300&h=300)
This audio story is brought to you by BirdNote, a partner of The National Audubon Society. BirdNote episodes air daily on public radio stations nationwide.
🔊 Podcast (https://www.audubon.org/news/meet-tiniest-owl-world) (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F1%2F3-210818163127-1680962.png&hash=405119a0c023346043f1dae6ab993a831a8cbb5d)
Credits:
Written by Bob Sundstrom
Producer: John Kessler
Executive Producer: Sallie Bodie
Narrator: Michael Stein
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. 105533 recorded by Geoffrey A. Keller, 188270 recorded by Bob McGuire.
BirdNote’s theme music was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2017 Tune In to Nature.org March 2017
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By Olivia Rosane Jun. 11, 2021
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A gray wolf. John & Karen Hollingsworth / USFWS
First Wolf Litter Born in Colorado After 80 Years (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F1%2F3-020818221610-1607296.jpeg&hash=372bed297059a182447c4cb001615d5e8346adcc)
The state of Colorado just welcomed its first wolf pups in the first 80 years.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) announced earlier this week that it had spotted at least three gray wolf pups in the wild. They were spotted by a CPW biologist and a CPW district wildlife manager alongside parents M2101, or "John," and F1084 , or "Jane." It's possible there could be more pups in the area. Wildlife officials are excited at the sight of the pups but are keeping their distance to protect the young wolves.
Read more: (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F1%2F3-120818184310-1635923.gif&hash=5e2530db4748ed6c7163e1d478fdfa3cd1108668)
https://www.ecowatch.com/wolf-litter-born-colorado-2653329162.html
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Greater Yellowlegs. Photo: Melissa James/Audubon Photography Awards
By Jessica Grannis
Interim Vice President, Coastal Conservation, National Audubon Society
A Decisive Victory for the Most Important Coastal Law You’ve Never Heard of(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F1%2F3-210818163125-16762116.gif&hash=dcf93619f3c0ebb651977b3dae2d1398f7705823)
Audubon won a lawsuit to prevent sand mining on protected beaches and plans to expand this powerful policy.
SNIPPETS:
or decades, the CBRA also prevented removal or mining of sand from areas protected by the law to nourish beaches outside of the CBRA System. The drafters of the law recognized that beach nourishment—replacing sand on a beach after it has washed away—would be an expensive and never-ending undertaking in these highly dynamic, storm-prone areas of our coast. And for decades, Republican and Democratic administrations alike enforced these restrictions.
But in 2019, (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F1%2F3-250718205137.gif&hash=7a79df8ecf1b29d8599c26fe550e664c6c5e24bd) Trump’s Secretary of the Interior (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F1%2F3-250718205808.gif&hash=5c451456a306c150d3555c49e31a2f47d6f369a9) David Bernhardt broke the law when he abruptly reversed this long-standing policy. Just six days after he received a letter from three Members of Congress asking him to “correct” the law, he illegally authorized sand to be taken from CBRA-protected areas, allowing the destabilization and erosion of America’s important barrier islands. ... ...
Last month, we received some exciting news for birds and communities on our coasts. One year since Audubon filed suit against the (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-130418203402.gif&hash=b2691028ba683a0039a5811f5775c68d7ccae01c) Trump Administration’s illegal rule to allow sand mining on beaches protected by the Coastal Barrier Resources Act, the Biden Administration reversed this rule.
This is a crucial victory to keep our pristine, undeveloped beaches intact, where they provide a home for coastal birds and a buffer for nearby communities from storm surges and rising seas. But if you’ve never heard of the decades-old Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA) or why it’s so important, you’re not alone.
The CBRA is a little-known, bipartisan law, signed by President Reagan in 1982, and upheld by every presidential administration since then. It protects one of our nation’s most unique and important resources—the long, continuous chain of barrier islands and the associated beaches and wetlands that line the Atlantic Coast, the Gulf of Mexico, Great Lakes, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The CBRA System includes national treasures like Assateague Island and Cape Hatteras, known for their huge, sprawling sand dunes and unique wildlife.
Full article: (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F1%2F3-120818184310-1635923.gif&hash=5e2530db4748ed6c7163e1d478fdfa3cd1108668)
https://www.audubon.org/news/a-decisive-victory-most-important-coastal-law-youve-never-heard
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Sep 4, 2021
🐆 Ganesh & 🐅 Vithal's Heartwarming Bond
https://youtu.be/ZoQQpye3AYs
Wildlife SOS 51.9K subscribers
Rescued leopards Vithal (R) and Ganesh (L) are a rare example of a deep bond between two adult males.
Ganesh suffered a major eye injury when he was trapped in a conflict situation and has cataract on the left eye. On the other hand, Vithal had lost his right hind paw to a deadly snare trap.
As life in the wild was not feasible for either of them, Ganesh and Vithal were given a permanent home at the #ManikdohLeopardRescueCentre in Junnar, Maharashtra.
Today, they perform an important role as conservation ambassadors to sensitize people about the threats that leopards face in India.
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(https://therevelator.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/logo-black.png)
Wild, Incisive, Fearless
October 22, 2021
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Vanishing: What Are Pikas Trying to Tell Us? (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-310714182509.png&hash=7a8191a3d5ff15c51ad36a342a0cd50a90b956bd)
Sometimes the smallest animals have the 📢 biggest things to say. For our latest Vanishing essay, writer Laura Dassow Walls treks into the Cascade Mountains, her ear attuned for the eep! eep! of pikas.
Besides being ridiculously cute — and teaching us volumes about how we’re swiftly altering the planet — pikas are also a lesson in survival and resilience.
Read the essay (https://therevelator.org/vanishing-pika/?utm_source=eeo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=eeo1112&emci=db18d0cc-5637-ec11-9820-c896653b26c8&emdi=0a9912d9-2d38-ec11-9820-c896653b26c8&ceid=1950629) (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-130418200416.png&hash=15d789b29124aa5a1f1ea397ce630913734b20a4) and check out the rest in the Vanishing series (https://therevelator.org/vanishing/?utm_source=eeo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=eeo1112&emci=db18d0cc-5637-ec11-9820-c896653b26c8&emdi=0a9912d9-2d38-ec11-9820-c896653b26c8&ceid=1950629) (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-130418200416.png&hash=15d789b29124aa5a1f1ea397ce630913734b20a4), which examines the human toll of the vanishing wild.
Mountain Moment: Call of the Pika
https://youtu.be/DM-ZXUdYYvY
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Whiskered Screech-Owl by Amanda Guercio Shutterstock
Sky-Island Specialty:
Whiskered Screech-Owl
A well-camouflaged little raptor, the Whiskered Screech-Owl’s U.S. population even managed to hide from scientists until almost the dawn of the 20th century. It’s easy to see why it took a while: Although a bit smaller and with slightly more heavily scalloped underparts, the Whiskered Screech-Owl very closely resembles the two other U.S. screech-owls, the Western and the Eastern. Once documented, the bird currently known as the Whiskered Screech-Owl was initially called the Arizona Whiskered Owl and Spotted Screech-Owl.
https://youtu.be/Uxz7XAt-3cY
In the U.S., the Whiskered Screech-Owl only occurs in the “Sky Islands,” mountains rising from the desert in southeastern Arizona and an adjacent dollop of southwestern New Mexico, but the species’ range extends far southward, through the mountains of Mexico and into Central America as far south as Nicaragua. Aptly named, this bird does have longer, thicker facial plumes than its cousins, but these are usually only seen with the bird “in hand,” or in close-up, zoomed-in photos.
The Whiskered Screech-Owl often lives at higher elevations than its look-alike neighbor the Western, but the two species do occur in some of the same places. In such situations, the best way for birders to parse out the two species is by listening to them because, usually, they are easily separated by sounds they make.
How can you identify two co-occurring, near-identical screech-owls with your eyes closed?
Read on to find out more: (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F1%2F3-120818180835-16281948.gif&hash=bde76e8c89cdf209aecaf236a316ba025ef35835)(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-130418200416.png&hash=15d789b29124aa5a1f1ea397ce630913734b20a4)
https://abcbirds.org/bird/whiskered-screech-owl/
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American Crow (https://www.democraticunderground.com/emoticons/patriot.gif)
Intelligent Survivor: American Crow
The American Crow is widespread in North America and, like the Blue Jay, is often maligned and misunderstood. In folklore, the crow is sometimes associated with witchcraft and evil, or is thought to signify misfortune and even death. One popular term for a group of crows is a "murder"! Often considered a pest, bird’s name is used in association with stuffed manikins and movie characters — scarecrows — meant to frighten them from crops. Other cultures appreciate the crow's intelligence and adaptability, portraying it as an ingenious trickster that can foresee the future, and that sometimes helps humankind.
Male and female American Crows look alike, with all-black plumage that has an iridescent purple sheen in direct light. Corvus, the first part of the American Crow's scientific name, simply means “crow,” and its species name brachyrhynchos means "short beak" — which is true only in comparison to its larger, similar-looking relative the Common Raven. The crow's beak is actually fairly large — 2.5 inches long — stout, and slightly hooked, with stiff bristles over the nostrils.
This common bird is an uncommonly intelligent survivor, able to cope with human pressures that have almost eradicated many bird species. Find out how the American Crow even managed to outlast an introduced avian epidemic!
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Read On to Find Out More: (https://abcbirds.org/bird/american-crow/?utm_campaign=botw&utm_medium=email&utm_source=emailblast&omcampaign=membership&contactdata=7Nx5XxYTR3ztThfYCko4o6%2fSqyTlOpkA%2f8%2bocYqvnHKNsRo1J1HDfQn9Xaq%2bHTO%2beiRwE0U6dZq9tEH7%2bDLgaSln081lZ77megpKaQ8%2b%2fv4bhaSK%2f4V8f8u%2beG%2b8oe3JWz5srWP%2fem7TDxfBBJz3ALVqxFf7tnHBZjTvmaEQQDUzks3M1xi6DC%2bkpAMFr3umvnyorFz6cyyv0YFLvQN%2bRA%3d%3d&ms=botw&emci=101de6d3-ac3d-ec11-9820-c896653b26c8&emdi=8846d2d0-593e-ec11-9820-c896653b26c8&ceid=153162) (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-060914180936.jpeg&hash=5e39d70fafe4e7190a6eebce34b740c58721de3f)
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Nov 9, 2021 115,189 views :o👍
The Birds I Never Met | North America's Extinct Birds
https://youtu.be/fsT9lbVKEPM
Atlas Pro 965K subscribers
Recently I looked into a number of extinct birds from all around the world, but few of them shed light on those that I would've lived alongside. Today we're "borrowing" my mom's field guide on the Birds of Eastern and Central North America to learn about those birds that I might've witnessed had I been alive only a century ago!
Support me on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/atlaspro
Agelbert COMMENT:
SNIPPET:
👍👍👍 Excellent video!
As to those irresponsible greedballs who irrationally criticized you by pushing the "justification" for new extinctions (CAUSED BY HUMANS) as "no big deal because, uh, Darwin", I suspect they work for the 🦖 Hydrocarbon 😈 Hellspawn (otherwise known as the Fossil Fuel "Industry"). These Profit over Planet Biosphere Destroyers will stoop to any cheap rationalization to "justify" IGNORING the Catastrophic Climate Change FACTS. 😠
"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." -- Aldous Huxley
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Agelbert RANT: Beyond the usual wishful thinking about how "solvable" the climate crisis is AND the complete lack of finger pointing at the profit over planet polluters (i.e. NO demands for prosecuting/bankrupting the polluters and NO recommended TEETH for laws and regulations to prevent continued degradation of the biosphere for short term profit) that are TOTALLY (NOT "partially") responsible for Catastrophic Climate Change, this article is based on facts. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-130418202829.png&hash=a4ec201b97ad269ff59a6a1c0f1c19a04b57803a) The problem with stating the biosphere degradation facts resulting from our climate crisis, while studiously ignoring the gigantic elephant in the room FACT that the 😈🦖🐍 humans in charge of the polluter corporations are NOT going to stop as long as they are not prosecuted for their profit over planet ecocide is that we-the-people will accomplsh NADA to stop the ‘Insect Armageddon’ discussed here or any other extinction causing result of Catastrophic Climate Change. Yeah, that is a problem, to put it mildly. What really burns me is how these scientists can harbor the incredibly naive opinion that we can fix this "together" because, uh. we are "all" in this together.
NO, we are NOT all in this together. The polluters have every reason, based on their morally bankrupt ideology, to not care a hoot what happens to most of the biosphere, including the extinction of several high order mammalian vertebrate species, as long as their profit over planet corruption of governments all over the world continues unpunished and unabated. The polluters are morally depraved Social Darwinists. They will, with a straight face, calmly tell you that species have gone extinct since life has "evolved" on this planet and apex predaters like them need not be concerned (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F1%2F3-120818185036-1638694.gif&hash=648d3b7e5567fa4f349a5fbfbfc1df8b27355704) with ANY species that goes extinct due to pollution from a 😈 profitable "business Model". These moral reprobates actually believe that any species that goes extinct, no matter how important scientists think that species is, "deserves" to go extinct if it went extinct. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F2%2F3-190419232147.png&hash=b9d818543137cfd7ac4b712c1c25fe3b94b6d174) This is circular thinking insanity in the extreme, but ALL 🦍 Social Darwinsits swear by this irrational rejection of altruistic behavior on behalf of the biosphere in general (and humans they exploit in particular) in order to "justifiy" their wanton degradation of the biosphere for short term profit. They are true believers in technofixes, even if scientists tell them there ain't no technofix for the extinction of a keystone species. ANYTHING that questions their morally bankrupt "might equals right" ideology is rejected. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/1/3-020818201439-14611696.jpeg)
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The problem with too many scientists is that they think of the Climate Crisis as a biological math problem to be solved. rather than a DIRECT CAUSE of the moral depravity of polluters. As long as the climate Crisis is not labelled as a MORAL CRISIS, asking we-the-people to do our part to save nature, something 90% PLUS of humanity already DOES, will not work BECAUSE LESS than 5% of humanity (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F2%2F3-291021175322.gif&hash=b75a58cc0c75ff3a7264e74c7217391d1e70d860)(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-130418193910.gif&hash=633dd399cd6006279afd7efb5ef953673b96bd78)(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F2%2F3-200419205214.png&hash=4c5b9ca97c84607da003becdf6282716bcdf1800) is doing over 99% of the pollution! It is like these scientists, people who are great at math from the time they were knee high to a grasshopper, deciding to forget how to add and subtract when the blame for worldwide (OVERWHELMINGLY CAUSED BY THE HYDROCARBON "Industry") biosphere degradation needs to be SPECIFICALLY tallied up. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F3-221215212409.png&hash=a468474328aca658690b57ec357614360c510849)(https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/2/3-300919160019-22721213.gif)
Nature underpins every aspect of human existence—and it is in crisis
KEY TAKEAWAYS
📢 Biodiversity underpins every aspect of life on our planet—but it's currently declining at an unprecedented rate.
֍ To reverse this trend, we must find better ways to manage humanity's footprint on land and sea—and new ways to fund this work.
֍ The year ahead will be crucial, as members of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity reconvene in China in 2021 and early 2022 to agree on a new global framework for protecting nature.
Whether you live in a large coastal city or a small town in the foothills; work in agriculture, engineering or finance; live off the land or consider yourself an urban warrior; whether you consciously realize it or not, we all need nature.
https://youtu.be/KPzpdwE2ic4
BIODIVERSITY EXPLAINED (3:05) What if all the variety on the planet disappeared? It could happen. Extinctions are happening faster than ever. If we remove too many pieces the health of our environment, food supply, and economies could crumble. But if we can agree to prioritize biodiversity, we can save the planet and ourselves.
This variety of life, the communities they form, and habitats in which they live make up the fabric of life—biodiversity. It underpins planetary health and informs everything down to the taste of a grain, the strand of a cloth and a sip of water, supporting our most basic needs. Yet, nature and wildlife are declining around the world at an unprecedented rate.
THE COST OF LOSING NATURE
The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) recently warned that we are exploiting nature far more rapidly than it can renew itself, driving extinctions up to 1,000 times faster than the background “natural rate.” The report also spells out that up to one million known species could disappear by 2050. Invertebrates, in particular, are disappearing so quickly that some scientists are warning of a looming ‘Insect Armageddon.’
That species loss comes at a price—both literally and figuratively. While the intrinsic value of nature is priceless, economists have estimated that nature also contributes trillions of dollars to the global economy each year, in the form of ecosystem services – natural processes like pollination and the provision of water. We know, for instance, that 75 percent of global food crops rely on pollination; that forests filter and store 40 percent of the water for the world’s largest urban areas; and coastal habitats like coral reefs and mangroves buffer us from floods and storms while also absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Beyond these essential services, other cultural and physical aspects of our relationship to nature, although less easy to quantify, are arguably just as important to our quality of life.
PROTECT THE BEST—BUT ALSO MANAGE THE REST
Climate breakdown is already making it clear that the future of human development depends on rethinking our relationship with the natural world. The biodiversity crisis further reinforces the need for urgency. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is part of a global effort to preserve the world’s remaining wild and near-natural habitats, with the goal of protecting 30 percent of the planet by 2030. But it’s not enough to simply create more protected areas on land and at sea—we also need to address the root causes of biodiversity loss.
The biggest direct drivers causing this steep decline are massive land-use changes, climate change, pollution, resource use and exploitation, and invasive species. Agricultural expansion in the past fifty years has resulted in the degradation of intact forests, especially in the tropics, but cities and roads have also encroached upon natural landscapes. Marine ecosystems, meanwhile, are in a dire state from the cumulative impacts of overfishing, pollution, and climate-related drivers like ocean warming, acidification and deoxygenation.
(https://natureconservancy-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/tnc_90016106.jpg?wid=820)
ESPIRITU SANTO ISLAND A sea lion hunts in Los Islotes in Espiritu Santo Island in La Paz Bay, Baja California Sur, Mexico © Alfredo Martinez Fernandez/TNC Photo Contest 2019
Addressing these issues means fundamentally changing the way we manage humanity’s footprint on land and sea. We can—and must—grow more food through regenerative agricultural practices that seek to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect soil and biodiversity. In addition to halting deforestation and other habitat conversion, we can better manage working forests in ways that preserve as many species as possible without sacrificing sustainable production. In areas that have already been degraded, we must restore and regenerate forests and other landscapes. Degraded lands also offer opportunities to site infrastructure in ways that meet human needs with minimal impact to nature.
At sea, we need to better manage fisheries, create safe havens in the ocean, and build resilience along our coasts. One bright spot: a new agreement for biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction (more than 200 nautical miles from shore) aims to protect the world’s high seas. The agreement should be completed during the fourth and final round of talks in spring 2020.
INVEST IN SUSTAINABLE PATHWAYS
Make no mistake: achieving all this within the timescales required to avert ecological catastrophe will require massive and transformative changes in our global economies and financial systems. For example, the hundreds of billions of dollars in public subsidies currently directed towards the agriculture sector, originally intended to make food cheaper and more plentiful, have hidden costs for both nature and human health by too often effectively incentivizing unsustainable farming practices and unhealthy eating. Such funds should ideally be reallocated in ways that support healthy food production while also benefiting nature.
Rethinking public spending alone isn’t enough, though—we’ll also have to unlock or redirect new sources of funding for nature, including from the private sector. Too often the economic value of the services nature provides—the way forests filter and recharge groundwater, for example—go unrecognized and unvalued. But quantifying these values opens the door to investing directly in nature in ways that can deliver both financial returns and conservation benefits. To start to manage the conservation crisis, we need to be looking for conservation finance solutions that can easily scale to deliver billions of dollars per year, every year.
The Nature Conservancy has pioneered the use of water funds—localized arrangements where urban water users pay into a fund that then invests in conservation and improved agricultural practices in the upper watershed. Source watersheds provide water for the largest cities on the planet; they represent one third of the Earth’s surface, sustain more than 1.7 billion people and are home to more than 50 percent of the planet’s endangered terrestrial species.
In many cases, these investments in “natural infrastructure” are a more cost-effective way to secure water quality improvements compared with traditional ‘gray infrastructure’ solutions like water filtration plants. Considering that the world spends around half a trillion dollars a year on water infrastructure, nature can improve the return on that investment by providing cleaner drinking water for hundreds of cities for less. That’s a multi-billion dollar investment proposition with a negative financial cost.
(https://natureconservancy-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/tnc_24225754_Full.jpg?crop=221,0,3556,2667&wid=820&hei=615&scl=4.336585365853659)
PORTRAIT OF SAM 'OHUKANI'ŌHI' A GON III Senior Scientist and Cultural Advisor at the Nature Conservancy, Hawai'i Program, Maunawili Falls Trail, Oíahu, Hawai'i © Ian Shive
COMMIT TO NATURE
The year ahead is crucial for tackling these major ecological and systemic threats. In early 2021, when the UN Convention on Biodiversity reconvenes in Kunming, China, 196 national governments will have the opportunity to make an ambitious commitment to biodiversity protection—one that fully recognizes the value of nature across society and government. Momentum is also building through a public voice and a movement creating a demand for nature.
(https://www.nature.org/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/graphics/general/NatureNow_BiodiversityWeb_QuoteDesign-14.png)
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The natural world is not a faraway place: it is our world. Large-scale ecological collapse in such a short period of time has happened just five times in geological history. Historically, however, mass extinctions were caused by catastrophic events like asteroid collisions and volcanos. This time, human activities and the planet’s runaway transformation is happening on our watch.
The good news is that the way forward is in our hands, too—but only if we (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F1%2F3-250718202127.gif&hash=acc63221521ebaf3f238088fd92d1ae3a08b6e48) are willing to make the creative, political and financial decisions necessary today to avoid almost unimaginable consequences in the future. The nature we need is under threat; but it is also profoundly resilient and can regenerate if we work with it instead of against it. A strong (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F1%2F3-250718202127.gif&hash=acc63221521ebaf3f238088fd92d1ae3a08b6e48) agreement between countries charting a way forward, underpinned with the financial wherewithal to make it stick, would be two credible and necessary steps to change course next year and truly mobilize for nature.
https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-insights/perspectives/biodiversity-crisis-nature-underpins-human-existence/
Agelbert NOTE: As long as the "WE" mentioned above does not include the polluters degrading the biosphere for profit 24/7 AND corrupting our governmetns 24/7 to force we-the-people to PAY THEM "subsidies" so they can make even more money while they poison us, NO credible and necessary steps to change course next year, or any other year, to mobilze for nature, will take place. This is not hard to figure out; If you don't stop a murdering crook, he will murder and steal more, PERIOD.
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January 4, 2022
Thank You
https://youtu.be/0FvPP1eZS2o
The extinction emergency and climate crisis call us to action in 2022. (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F2%2F3-190119153601.gif&hash=336ba78f7f18ff5829ef3722f89b4258d2315284)
For more than three decades, the Center has been fighting to secure a rich and viable future for wildlife, and especially for species that are facing extinction. At the root of our commitment is a love for these species and a commitment to secure justice for all living things.
This year will be a critical, historic juncture for setting us on a path toward saving the diversity of life on Earth. Thank you for standing with us last year. Onward.
https://biologicaldiversity.org/
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Dec 7, 2021 INDONESIA
🐟 Whoops and 🐠 grunts: ‘bizarre’ fish songs (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/2/3-301021140910.gif) raise hopes for coral reef recovery (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frenewablerevolution.createaforum.com%2Fgallery%2Frenewablerevolution%2F1%2F3-120818184310-1635923.gif&hash=5e2530db4748ed6c7163e1d478fdfa3cd1108668) (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/dec/08/whoops-and-grunts-bizarre-fish-songs-raise-hopes-for-coral-reef-recovery)
The researchers compared areas one to three years into recovery against areas still degraded and areas that had never been damaged. They found most of the noises recorded were at least 50% more frequent in the healthy and restored habitats.
Previously unheard 🐟🐠 fish sounds from restored coral reef: 'Whoops, purrs and grunts'
https://youtu.be/97M2muq9JQc
Guardian News 2.05M subscribers
From whoops to purrs, snaps to grunts, and foghorns to laughs, a cacophony of bizarre fish songs have shown that a coral reef in Indonesia has returned rapidly to health. Many of the noises had never been recorded before and the fish making these calls remain mysterious, despite the use of underwater speakers to try to “talk” to some of them
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This four year old female leopard was trapped in a 70-foot deep open well in Otur located in Pune district, Maharashtra. Quick-thinking villagers alerted Wildlife SOS and the Forest Department, and she was saved from certain death. This photo was taken by staff photographer Akash.
Wildlife SOS is tackling the problem of open wells head-on. In Maharashtra, 95 leopards died in open wells in just the first six months of 2021. The number of open wells in India is massive, so our project is identifying the most dangerous wells, and initially covering 40 or the wells known to have trapped wildlife. Learn more about our project to cover open wells here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpAqs4kCJq0).
Trapped Leopard Rescued from a 70-Ft Deep Well in Maharashtra
https://youtu.be/-K-JAMtIbWs
Mar 2, 2022
Wildlife SOS 59.2K subscribers
An approx. 4-year-old female Leopard was found trapped in a 70-feet-deep uncovered well in Otur located in Pune district, Maharashtra. #Wildlife SOS & the Forest Department rushed to the rescue and carefully extricated the leopard in a harrowing 2 hour long operation.
The incident took place just days after a male leopard was rescued from a 50-feet-deep well in Alkuti village, Ahmednagar district.
Wildlife SOS is in the process of working with farmers and the Forest Department to cover open wells in Maharashtra and to protect leopards. You too can be a part of the change by donating to this effort: https://give.wildlifesos.org
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USDA Program Killed 400,000 Native Animals in 2021 (https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/2/3-301021140812.gif)
A federal program called Wildlife Services, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, just announced it killed 404,538 native animals last year. According to its new report — which probably underestimates the real number — in 2021 the secretive, multimillion-dollar program massacred 324 gray wolves, 64,131 coyotes, 433 black bears, 200 mountain lions, 605 bobcats, 3,014 foxes, 24,687 beavers, and 714 river otters. It also unintentionally killed at least 2,746 animals, from bears to bobcats to songbirds — and even pet dogs.
“Killing carnivores to supposedly benefit the livestock industry just leads to more conflicts and more killing,” said Collette Adkins, director of the Center for Biological Diversity’s Carnivore Conservation program (https://biologicaldiversity.org/programs/carnivore-conservation/). “This is a stomach-churning, truly vicious cycle, and we’ll continue to demand change from Wildlife Services.”
With litigation and advocacy, the Center has been fighting Wildlife Services’ cruel killing for almost a decade, winning in states like California, Idaho, Minnesota and Washington. Help us win with a donation to our Stop Wildlife Services Fund (https://act.biologicaldiversity.org/onlineactions/pl7pGyRGFE2UKaQqOZ1d9A2?sourceid=1008295&utm_source=eeo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=eeo1133&contactdata=Vtr8a%2baLKvkHfL6bS0nwntzdV3v7m6CDmBJVPzO0WqvCRtLjJB%2fUNTK70LOkoP1Mn3bsVp9QUHIWHcWuHibUvjJegIi9PhtzbiM0eyXQVqrvopV%2fegwmJcP1nTf5EBaQc5GVx%2bRqhfv8dWnTY%2b%2flJoJgWG1xErPqQgDtglgdguFNR2KStqRvMDfBNEnHtx7eO6d855cy7mFJ9UmvnnaC5gs7ahGmAEagbnGoToUFkzs%3d&emci=9d39d00d-d0aa-ec11-997e-281878b83d8a&emdi=872a0c83-a2ab-ec11-997e-281878b83d8a&ceid=1950629).
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Washington Nixes Spring Bear Hunt — Thank You
Just in time to save Washington’s black bears at their most vulnerable, last weekend the state’s Fish and Wildlife Commission voted 5-4 against (https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/washington-wildlife-commission-again-votes-down-spring-bear-hunt-2022-03-19/?utm_source=eeo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=eeo1133&utm_term=Carnivores&emci=9d39d00d-d0aa-ec11-997e-281878b83d8a&emdi=872a0c83-a2ab-ec11-997e-281878b83d8a&ceid=1950629) a proposed 2022 spring bear-hunting season.
“This vote will protect bear cubs from being orphaned by a reckless spring hunt,” said the Center’s Sophia Ressler. “It reeks of corruption that department staff and commissioners did the bidding of bear hunters by pushing this proposal to the commission only days before Gov. Inslee appointed new members.”
Supporters like you sent in more than 3,800 comments opposing this unsporting, inhumane hunt. Thanks — your actions made a difference.