Defenders of Wildlife Blog

A win for wildlife! Earlier today, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law AB971, the pro-sea otter bill that Defenders co-sponsored with the Monterey Bay Aquarium. This law reestablishes the California Sea Otter Fund on state income tax forms for another five years.

This fund is the main source for investigating the problems southern sea otters face in California through a great research collaborative that is studying many aspects of the population.

The following is a statement from Jim Curland, Defenders’ marine program associate:

“This is a great day for sea otters! We are very grateful to Assemblyman Bill Monning for introducing this legislation reestablishing the California Sea Otter Fund for another five years. This Fund is critical to understanding the problems facing sea otters in California and figuring out ways to recover and protect this fragile population. Defenders of Wildlife greatly appreciates Governor Brown signing this bill into law today.”

Read Assemblyman Monning’s Press Release (PDF) about this great success.

This blog post is a joint collaboration by Defenders of Wildlife, Friends of the Sea Otter, The Humane Society of the United States, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

A coalition of organizations welcomed news that California’s struggling sea otters may soon get a big boost thanks to a draft plan released by federal wildlife officials today. The plan would end a controversial “no-otter” zone on the California coast and allow the marine mammals to re-colonize their traditional habitat.

California sea otters are protected as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). In 1986, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) implemented a translocation program that removed otters from the shoreline of Southern California and relocated them to San Nicolas Island, with the hope of establishing a second viable population that would protect the species in the event of any environmental disaster. At the same time, FWS implemented a “no-otter” zone south of Point Conception in which otters would be removed and transported back north of the zone’s boundary.

Translocation failed to promote otter recovery, and FWS subsequently determined that enforcement of the “no-otter” zone violates the ESA by jeopardizing the species’ recovery due to harm to the species during transport. FWS has long recognized that natural range expansion is necessary to achieve species recovery for the California sea otter.

For the next 60 days, FWS is soliciting public input on the proposal before making a final decision. Conservation groups that have been focused on efforts to aid the otter’s recovery were quick to commend FWS’ proposal to end the translocation program and allow for the species’ natural range expansion.

Defenders of Wildlife, Friends of the Sea Otter, The Humane Society of the United States, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium, issued the following statement:

“Today is a good day for California sea otters. We support an end to the ineffective and harmful translocation program and “no-otter” management zone. For sea otters to have a real shot at recovery, they must be allowed to return to their historic range off the coast of Southern California. If sea otters thrive again throughout their historic range, the entire marine ecosystem will benefit.”

How you can help:

The Fish and Wildlife Service is scheduled to open its 60-day comment period in the next week or so. We will provide a link on our www.saveseaotters.org web page when it’s available so you can let the FWS know that you want the no-otter zone gone!

Montana's Glacier National Park has been losing its namesake glaciers since the park's establishment in 1910. They are predicted to disappear completely by 2030.

Blog post by Astrid Caldas, climate change and wildlife scientist with Defenders of Wildlife. This blog originally appeared on the Huffington Post.

You have probably heard about melting Arctic ice and the drastic decrease in glacier size. You may have seen it yourself during a trip to a favorite spot, and mourned the loss of beautiful snow covered views. And while you may be aware that the increase in greenhouse gases is to blame, at least in large part, for our planet’s warming, you may not realize that a substance called black carbon is an accomplice, affecting everything from polar bear habitat in the Arctic to glacial-fed drinking water in the Himalayas. A recent peer-reviewed study found that “Most of the change in snow and ice cover — about 90 percent — is from aerosols. Black carbon alone contributes at least 30 percent of this sum.”

Black carbon is an aerosol produced during poor combustion of carbon-based fuels (as opposed to carbon dioxide, which is produced in all circumstances), and together with organic carbon is one the major components in soot. Sources include diesel engines in various types of vehicles, furnaces, cook stoves, and forest fires, as well as some industrial processes. Some 25% to 35% of emissions occur in China and India (from combustion of wood, coal, and other fuels for household uses), whereas Europe, North America and eastern European countries emit about 13% of all black carbon, mostly from contained combustion.

Black carbon absorbs visible light and transfers the energy to the atmosphere, warming it. While carbon dioxide can stay in the atmosphere for 100 years, black carbon has a short atmospheric lifetime, making its effects more concentrated near the areas where it is emitted, especially in terms of atmospheric warming and health issues due to inhalation. It settles quickly from the atmosphere, and when it lands on snow and ice, the darkened snow and ice absorb more heat and melt more quickly. Because most emissions occur above 40⁰N, where they are likely to be transported to the Arctic (see Princeton University Report), black carbon has been linked to the melting of Arctic ice and Himalayan glaciers.

What can we do? Read the full blog on the Huffington Post to learn how we can address black carbon emissions in what may be the fastest, cheapest way to cool the planet.

By Lori Abbott, Public News Service – CA

BLM says it will steer utility-scale solar power plants to public lands with least chance of harming wildlife.

A plan to create solar-energy zones in California and five other western states is getting a closer look.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar says the Bureau of Land Management’s draft plans will include more information on how solar projects will affect wild lands, wildlife, water and other resources in proposed solar-energy zones.

Kim Delfino, program director for Defenders of Wildlife in California, thinks the “zone” approach offers the best chance for responsibly developing solar energy on public lands, and the goal is to encourage it as soon as possible.

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Listen to this story featuring Calif. program director, Kim Delfino, on Public News Service radio.

“In the right locations, which means that we’re putting them where you’re not going to have significant impacts on wildlife, habitat areas, important natural resources and cultural areas.”

When it comes to developing renewable-energy projects on public lands, Delfino says, using what they call a “smart from the start” approach will allow the process to move much faster.

Kim Delfino, Defenders' California program director.

“If you figure out ahead of time where the best, most low-cost places are to go and you have a consensus about that, when projects are proposed there, they can move forward quickly, efficiently and with minimal litigation – or no litigation is the goal.”

The federal government last week announced four new renewable-energy projects, which include two utility-scale solar developments and a transmission line in California as well as a wind-energy project in Oregon. Together, the four projects will provide a combined 550 megawatts of electricity, enough to power up to 380,000 homes and generate several million dollars of yearly tax revenue for local governments.

Apex predators like this wolf bring balance to their habitats.

When Defenders pushed for bringing gray wolves back to the Northern Rockies in the mid-1990s, we knew that we were supporting something even bigger: the restoration of whole ecosystems. Top predators, like wolves, bring balance to their habitats. Without them, that delicate balance falls out of whack and all animals tend to suffer. But just how important are predators to human life on Earth?

A new report, “Trophic Downgrading of Planet Earth,” published in Science last Friday suggests they’re far more crucial than you might have previously thought. It confirms that human-caused decline of large predators is resulting in widespread damage to the world’s land, freshwater and marine ecosystems: “[t]he loss of apex consumers is arguably humankind’s most pervasive influence on the natural world, […] with far-reaching effects on processes as diverse as the dynamics of disease; fire; carbon sequestration; invasive species; and biogeochemical exchanges among Earth’s soil, water, and atmosphere.”

In our backyard, hungry deer browse over suburban gardens — owing to the decline of wolves and their other predators – and all too often wander out into the streets with deadly results. Vehicle collisions with deer claim more human lives each year than any top predator in the United States.

Defenders took a leading role in enabling these findings by providing important financial contributions for a workshop at White Oak Plantation that led to this study. Based on a review conducted by an international team of 24 scientists, this seminal report finds that — in addition to damage caused by the overabundance of prey — the decline of predators contributes to the spread of disease, wildfires and invasive species, all of which have significant impacts on the quality of human life.

For example, the decline of vultures in India led to increased health risks from rabies and anthrax. In sub-Saharan Africa, lion and leopard losses have led to an overabundance of disease-carrying olive baboons, which are increasingly coming into contact with humans and eating crops. In our backyard, hungry deer browse over suburban gardens — owing to the decline of wolves and their other predators – and all too often wander out into the streets with deadly results. Vehicle collisions with deer claim more human lives each year than any top predator in the United States.

What Defenders is Doing

Some 73 million sharks are killed each year, depriving ocean habitats of this vital top predator.

This review’s findings suggest cascading effects on ecosystems are also exacerbated by land use practices, climate change, habitat loss and pollution.  Defenders is dedicated to protecting and restoring large predators, both through our support for ground-breaking research and our accomplishments in the field. Our work to protect sea otters and sharks, for example, also highlights the critical importance that these species have to their ecosystems. Without these apex predators, the habitat changes dramatically. It has been shown when sea otter populations have declined dramatically, we are left with a near-shore habitat devoid of plant and animal life as well as the loss of our great kelp forests. Similarly, with the dramatic decline in shark populations, reef systems are changed greatly with “an ecosystem dominated by small fishes and overrun by algae.”

This report comes at a time when endangered species are in dire need of defense, as debate rages in Congress over the future of the Endangered Species Act. The Interior Appropriations bill would strike a blow to the very heart of the ESA, allowing wildlife protection to be weakened, but never strengthened.

Take Action: Stop the all-out assault on the environment.

Extinctions, especially in light of this Science review, can have unanticipated and devastating consequences. It’s high time that Congress reassesses its priorities and opposes this piece of legislation, before the tide of extinction is irreversible and backfires on all of us.  In the meantime, Defenders will keep sticking up for endangered species.

A (live) pileated woodpecker

Post by Elizabeth Fleming, Florida representative for Defenders of Wildlife.

Driving home from a long weekend at my sister’s house on Florida’s east coast back to my place in St. Petersburg (west coast) I witnessed something heart wrenching: I was cruising along the two-lane SR-710 north just over the Martin/Okeechobee line when I saw a bird in the road up ahead next to a road-killed animal – an all-too-frequent site on Florida roadways.

Cars and trucks swerved into the other lane to avoid hitting the bird, and I did the same. I was astounded that the bird didn’t fly off as the cars passed so closely, until I realized that the roadkill was a pileated woodpecker and the bird next to it was its mate! I quickly pulled to the side of the narrow shoulder, chased the live woodpecker off the road, grabbed the dead bird and tossed it about 30 feet from the road.

The experience was heartbreaking. What bond did those two birds share? As little as I cared to touch the dead bird, I wanted to save the mate from meeting the same tragic fate. I hope it realized quickly that its mate was dead and that it moved away from the road to get on with its life.

Sadly, Dan Smith, biology researcher at the University of Central Florida, told me that this happens more often than people may think. “We had three sandhill cranes killed at the same location within minutes of each other on I-4 two weeks ago,” he said. “Mates, siblings or offspring of their fallen companions do not recognize the danger of oncoming vehicles, yet are bound by instinct or biological imperative to investigate what’s wrong with their companions.”

Roads can be deadly for all types of wildlife. Here, a panther casualty in Florida.

SR-710 is a rural road that runs south to southeast from SR-70, from Okeechobee County through Martin County to Palm Beach County. It bisects significant acreages of healthy public conservation lands and is planned to be widened in three different sections in the coming years. Along that road, I’ve seen roadkill of all kinds, including mammals like otters and bobcat, birds like turkeys and hawks, and reptiles like alligators and turtles. These are accidental but tragic losses, and serve a strong reminder that we share our roads not only with other vehicles, but a rich array of wildlife. We should do everything we can keep them safe.

Take Action:

Support safe passage for wildlife. Defenders is working to increase the number of wildlife crossings throughout Florida to ensure both wildlife and people can use our roads safely.

Slow down and watch out for wildlife – reducing your speed will increase your response time to avoid colliding with a crossing animal.  See Defenders’ Top 10 Tips to help you stay safe on the road.