Defenders of Wildlife Blog

The Arctic refuge is the largest onshore denning area for America's polar bears.

BREAKING: In its first vote on the issue since 2008, the U.S. Senate today decisively voted down an amendment to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas exploration (vote count 41-57).

This amendment, offered by Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS), not only sought to open the Arctic refuge’s coastal plain to drilling, but also would have allowed drilling in vast areas of our nation’s coastal waters, including the Eastern Gulf of Mexico, offshore Virginia and Alaska’s Bristol Bay, would have approved the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, and would have reinstated 11th hour regulations from President Bush that would allow massive commercial-scale leasing of our western public lands for oil shale and tar sands developments.

Jamie Rappaport Clark, president and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife, said after the vote, “The Senate today continued the legacy of keeping dirty and dangerous drilling out of the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, demonstrating a commitment to our country’s natural treasures and a refusal to engage in the Big Oil giveaway that is keeping its Congressional counterpart spinning its wheels. If the House of Representatives is serious about securing critical transportation funding this year, they should follow suit and remove Big Oil’s wish list from the bill.”

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Photo courtesy of USFWS

Drilling in the Arctic refuge will do nothing to combat the high gas prices seen today. What small amounts of oil might be generated from oil and gas leasing in the Arctic refuge would not be seen for ten years as oil companies will still need to explore, apply for drilling permits and start development.

This amendment is almost identical to an earlier amendment introduced by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) that was ruled “non germane” by the Senate Finance Committee, and an amendment offered by Sen. Hoeven (R-ND) that was voted down last week.

Learn more:

Read about the reckless “drill everywhere” bill passed by the House of Representative last month.

It’s that time of year again… Save the Florida Panther Week! And the celebration of Florida’s official state animal is in full swing. Where do the endangered big cats stand today? We caught up with Defenders’ Florida director Laurie Macdonald to find out.

Defenders: 2011 wasn’t a great year for Florida panthers, with a record-tying 24 deaths recorded. Are the numbers looking any better in the new year?

Laurie: The good news is, the panther population throughout the state is holding at 100-160 animals. But while that recovery is a vast improvement from the low numbers seen in the late 1960s (only 20-30 animals in the entire state), we’re not out of the woods yet—the Florida panther remains one of the most endangered cats in the world. Already, five panthers have died in 2012, with three of those caused by collisions with vehicles, reminding us we still have work to do to protect these animals.

Defenders: Accidents while crossing roads continues to be a leading threat to the recovery of these animals–what progress is being made to make Florida roads safer for panthers?

Laurie: The past few months have been exciting times for panther recovery! In December, we were thrilled to see a slow speed nighttime panther zone designated at CR 832/Keri Road, where nine panthers have been killed since 1996. And then in January, a Remote Animal Detection System (RADS) was installed along a deadly stretch of US-41 in the state’s Big Cypress National Preserve. The system is being monitored now to determine whether it is effective in detecting big cats and if it can be used in other parts of the state. These are projects that will help us make roads not only safer for wildlife like panthers, but for people too.

Defenders: Improving passage for panthers wasn’t the only good news for the endangered cats this winter, was it?

Laurie: I’m happy to say it wasn’t! Also in January, Secretary Interior Ken Salazar announced the creation of the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area, an area north of Lake Okeechobee and valuable panther habitat. This was a huge boost for panthers, who will need even more room to roam as the population continues to grow.

Defenders' Laurie Macdonald meets Corky, a rescued panther whose work as ambassador for the endangered cats reached thousands of Floridians.

Defenders: What advice can we give to Florida residents to help keep panthers on the road to recovery?

Laurie: As panthers go about their lives and raise their kittens, it’s important that we recognize how to prevent conflict situations, for instance, by securing pets and livestock at night rather than making domestic animals easy prey. And by driving carefully and watching out for wildlife, Floridians (and visitors!) can prevent panther injury and death, making the highways safer for all. This can be as simple as following day and nighttime speed limits and staying alert in case panthers or other wildlife— bear, deer, turtles, even birds— are trying to walk, crawl or fly across the road!

Learn more:

Be a part of the celebration! This Saturday, March 17, join Defenders and other Sunshine State residents at the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge Open House. The day includes bird walks, buggy rides and tours through panther habitat. For more information, visit www.fws.gov/floridapanther.

Spring Break is around the corner. Make sure you’re ready for the road with these tips on how to drive safely in panther country.

Red knots in flight (c) Andrew Harper

Hunkered down in their Southern Hemisphere wintering grounds, red knots may be out of sight. But the plight of the shorebird is certainly not out of mind. Just this week, the state of New Jersey added the red knot to its list of endangered species.

It’s been almost a year since the state initially proposed the uplisting from threatened to endangered. And in that time, population numbers for the shorebird have continued their downward spiral. It’s hard to believe that less than two decades ago, more than 100,000 red knots filled the skies of Delaware Bay. Today, only 13,000 remain.

Wildlife officials said that the new status does not add protections for the birds. However, it is formal recognition that despite years of efforts to help the bird–including a 2008 New Jersey state-instituted moratorium on horseshoe crab fishing–its numbers continue to decline.

With any luck, the listing will get the attention of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), who decided last July to speed up the initiation of the process to formally add the rufa subspecies of red knot to the list of threatened and endangered species. Since 2005, four formal requests to list the red knot under the Endangered Species Act have been submitted to the FWS. Citing a lack of resources and other priorities, the FWS failed to list the bird but placed it on the candidate list in 2006, where it has languished ever since.

Unlike the state listing, a listing under the federal Endangered Species Act would offer some real protections for the birds. It would initiate the development of a recovery plan and require federal agencies whose actions affect red knots to consult with the FWS. With the shorebird continuing its slide toward extinction, such actions may be the last hope for red knots.

Learn more:

Watch Defenders join efforts on the ground to protect the imperiled red knot:

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Photo courtesy of USFWS

BREAKING: The House of Representatives today voted to open the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and along almost every acre of our coastline including off the East Coast, West Coast, the protected eastern Gulf of Mexico and Alaska’s Bristol Bay to oil drilling all under the guise of funding this year’s transportation bill.

The funding issue is a scam. Even the most generous revenue estimates from this reckless expansion of drilling will not be enough to fund proposed transportation projects in the bill. In addition, what small amounts of revenue might be generated from oil and gas leasing in the Arctic refuge would not be seen for ten years as oil companies will still need to explore, apply for drilling permits and start development. In short, H.R. 3408 is a fiscal gimmick that relies on unknown future revenues that are speculative at best to pay for transportation projects today.

Upon passage of the bill, Defenders’ president and CEO Jamie Rappaport Clark, said, “Today, the House approved the most radical drilling-bill we have seen in recent memory. This fiscal boondoggle would industrialize the pristine coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, home to iconic wildlife like polar bears and the Porcupine Caribou herd, exposing thousands of miles of coastline to chronic pollution from offshore drilling and potential oil disasters like the Deepwater Horizon.

The Arctic refuge is the largest onshore denning area for America's polar bears.

The vote comes only one day after an exploratory well exploded on Alaska’s North Slope, spewing drilling mud, leaking natural gas and requiring the intervention of a company specializing in blowout control.

“Yesterday’s exploratory well explosion on Alaska’s North Slope demonstrates once again that drilling is a dangerous business. We can’t afford to take those risks with some of our most pristine and fragile places, some of which may never recover should a drilling accident occur. The Senate should reject this funding scam and look for realistic ways to meet our transportation needs without sacrificing the health of our environment.”

Stay tuned: See how you can help stop this dangerous drilling bill from becoming a law.

Help protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Photo courtesy of USFWS

BREAKING: Republican leaders of the House Natural Resources Committee today did the bidding of Big Oil once again and voted to open up the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, the protected eastern Gulf of Mexico and Alaska’s Bristol Bay to oil drilling all under the pretext of funding this year’s transportation bill.

Conservative politicians have always wanted to open the Arctic refuge to drilling for the Big Oil companies. The transportation bill and the professed need for revenue is just the latest excuse to push something they have wanted for a long time.

The funding issue is a scam. Even the most generous revenue estimates from this reckless expansion of drilling will not be enough to fund proposed transportation projects in the bill. In addition, what small amounts of revenue might be generated would not be seen for ten years as oil companies will still need to explore, apply for drilling permits and start development. That’s too late to pay for transportation projects starting next year.

This giveaway to Big Oil will expose millions of acres of America’s pristine land and water to dirty and dangerous oil and gas development from which they may never recover.

Jamie Clark in 2010 witnessing the devastation of BP oil disaster firsthand.

Jamie Rappaport Clark, president and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife, said:

“Just in time for Valentine’s Day, House leaders in Congress have come out with a sweetheart deal for their Big Oil allies. Opening the Arctic refuge to drilling has been a long-standing priority of the backwards-looking, drill first crowd and the transportation bill is just the latest excuse to do so. The proposed revenue from this deal won’t even materialize for years, making this one of the most disingenuous refuge-drilling schemes we’ve ever seen, to say nothing of the environmental destruction it would cause.

“Instead of sacrificing some of America’s most pristine wilderness and waters for the profit of Big Oil, Congress should focus on coming up with real solutions to fund the transportation projects that will decrease our addiction to oil and keep our country moving.”

Learn more:

Take Action!  Ask your representative to oppose this bill and protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the wildlife that call it home.

Read more about how Defenders is working to protect America’s Arctic from the dangers of dirty oil and gas drilling.

Isolated from other beluga populations, Cook Inlet beluga whales are particularly vulnerable to population loss.

January brought some disappointing news for Cook Inlet belugas when scientists from NOAA’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center announced the 2011 estimate for the endangered Cook Inlet beluga whale population. The estimate numbered only 284 animals, almost 20 percent lower than last year’s estimate of 340 whales. The number is the second-lowest since NOAA’s surveys began in 1993; the lowest was in 2005, when the estimate was 278 whales.

Cook Inlet belugas represent one of Alaska’s five beluga populations. Separated from the others by the Alaska Peninsula, the geographic barrier makes the Cook Inlet belugas genetically distinct from the state’s other beluga whales, and therefore particularly vulnerable to population loss. The whale was listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in 2008,  and last April, the Obama administration designated critical habitat for the species. But despite these protections, the Cook Inlet population has failed to recover, and a 20 percent loss of the population could be a devastating blow.

The low numbers are alarming. And since these whales live in one of the most populated–and fastest growing–regions in Alaska, survival won’t get any easier.

Scientists aren’t convinced the low estimate is entirely accurate. The count is taken from a small airplane that flies above the inlet, with live sightings compared to video footage taken at the same time. Different sighting or survey conditions, weather, or changes in beluga behavior or distribution from year to year can affect the survey results.

Defenders' Karla Dutton serves on the Cook Inlet Beluga Whale Recovery Team

Still, the low numbers are alarming. And since these whales live in one of the most populated–and fastest growing–regions in Alaska, survival won’t get any easier. Defenders is committed to helping Cook Inlet beluga whales recover. We garnered record support for the whale’s endangered listing and critical habitat designation, and Alaska director Karla Dutton currently serves on the Cook Inlet Beluga Whale Recovery Team for the National Marine Fisheries Service, working on a recovery plan for this unique “canary of the sea.”

You can help Cook Inlet beluga whales too! Click here for more information on how to become a trained citizen scientist for the Anchorage Coastal Beluga Survey.