Defenders of Wildlife Blog

Report tallies all-time low for votes to protect the environment

Current members in the U.S. House of Representatives have cast the most anti-environment votes of any Congress in history. That was the take-home message of a minority report from the House Committee on Energy and Commerce commissioned by Reps. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Howard Berman (D-Calif.).

According to the report, the 112^th Congress cast at least one anti-environment vote for every day it was in session—a total of 191 anti-environment votes were recorded. Those votes undermined many of Defenders’ priority issues such as upholding vital Endangered Species Act protections, demanding careful review of offshore drilling proposals, and taking strong action to combat climate change.

Here’s a further breakdown taken from the report:

The report notes a sharp partisan divide in votes to undermine environmental protections—94% of votes cast by House Republicans were anti-environment while 86% of votes cast by House Democrats were pro-environment. But as we saw with the Extinction Rider and a handful of other conservation votes, a number of Republicans have demonstrated their willingness to join with most Democrats and stand up for America’s wildlife.  After all, statutes like the Endangered Species Act, signed into law by President Richard Nixon, were enacted with strong bipartisan support.

Still, the overall record of the 112^th Congress does not bode well, especially as we head into a tough election year. We’ll be working double-time to make sure that America’s imperiled wildlife doesn’t fall victim to petty party politics and to encourage those Republicans who support this nation’s wildlife heritage to make their voices and votes heard.

Learn more about the 112^th Congress’ dismal voting record using the Defenders Action Fund’s Conservation Report Card.

Defenders' president and CEO, Jamie Rappaport Clark

Last week, the National Journal’s Energy and Environment Experts Blog asked, “What’s in store for 2012?” Read about what environmental priorities Defenders president and CEO Jamie Rappaport Clark thinks Congress should focus on this year.

The damages of last year’s record-setting droughts, floods and fires are estimated to have cost the country more than $52 billion. Not to mention the costs to our natural resources. The Texas Forest Service estimates as many as 500 million trees throughout the state were killed by the year’s horrific drought —a full 10 percent of the forests in the Lone Star State. And according to the top international climate scientists that comprise the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the natural disasters of last year were only a preview of the extreme weather to come.

Instead of waiting for 2012 to deliver worse and potentially deadlier punches, Congress should take this opportunity to fortify our natural defenses and prepare ourselves for what’s ahead. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Max Baucus (D-MT) have taken the first important step in that direction. In November the two introduced the Securing America’s Future and Environment (SAFE) Act, a bill that outlines the countless benefits that healthy natural resources provide to our country’s safety, economy and well being, and provides a roadmap to help them adapt to a more hostile climate. From combating pests in forests in order to prevent fires to restoring watersheds that protect drinking water supplies, the legislation offers common-sense solutions to protecting our communities, natural resources and wildlife in an uncertain future.

2011 was a record-setting year for floods, droughts and fires. Photo courtesy USDA

Without a doubt, the coming year will be one of belt tightening and tough budgeting. The SAFE Act does not appropriate money but does provide a clear outline of how our resource agencies can strengthen and protect our invaluable resources through new planning and coordination. The bill is an investment plan; each step taken to help our natural resources adapt to a changing climate now will save us time, money and energy down the road.

We may not know what the coming year will bring. But by passing the SAFE Act, Congress can ensure America is ready to meet the challenges of the future head-on, in 2012 and beyond.

Learn more:

Read the full question and see what others are saying on the National Journal’s Energy and Environment Expert Blog.

Learn more about the SAFE Act and how it will protect American communities and natural heritage.

David Gaillard (far right) during a recent trip with his fellow colleagues and "citizen scientists" to collect hair samples from grizzly bears in Montana. Click the image above to see Dave's blog post and video from the trip.

One of the last emails Dave ever sent landed in my inbox on Friday afternoon. While most of us at Defenders had already headed home for the long holiday weekend, Dave was still thinking up new and better ways to protect the critters he cared so much about. He had compiled a list of conservation successes for 2011 for his beloved “meso-carnivores”—wolverines, lynx, fishers—and mentioned wanting to do a similar recap for each quarter of 2012.

That’s just the kind of guy he was. For two decades, Dave was deeply dedicated to protecting the wild animals and wild places that make the Northern Rockies so special. Whether he was tromping through the backcountry with “citizen scientists” in search of wolverine tracks, or defending critical lynx habitat from oil and gas drilling, he was always focused on a mission much larger than himself. And he did it with a warm smile, infectious laughter and an uplifting spirit that made us all want to cheer for the underdogs he was working hard to save.

Here’s a look at just some of the great work that Dave was involved with over the past year:

We here at Defenders will miss Dave very much, but we take some solace knowing that he died doing what he loved to do most: savoring the rugged wilderness under a beautiful Montana sky with his beloved wife.

Dave, your life was an inspiration for us all. Rest in peace, dear friend.

Readers: If you have any thoughts or memories to share, please feel free to add a comment below. You can also make a donation in Dave’s honor by visiting www.defenders.org/dgmemorial.

They may have made the trek from the North Pole this year safe and sound, but how will Santa’s reindeer fare in a warming planet? Hear about the challenges that face Rudolph and the rest of the crew as the climate continues to change from Defenders’ board member Jeff Corwin.

Sadly, climate change isn’t the only threat facing caribou today. Members of Congress are again ramping up efforts to drill for oil in the birthplace of Santa’s reindeer, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s coastal plain. Such a move would destroy the pristine nature of the coastal plain forever, and make life even harder for animals like the Porcupine caribou that are already suffering the effects of a warming world.

You can make a difference  - contact your member of Congress and tell them to keep drilling OUT of the Arctic National Wildlife refuge today.

Bowhead whales

These Arctic heavyweights use their massive bow-shaped heads to crash through sea ice—and they also smash a couple of records. Weighing in at up to 60 tons, bowhead whales hold the record for the biggest mouth of any living animal and they have the densest blubber, measuring up to 2-feet thick.

In a whale’s world it’s a bonus to be big, and that means bowheads have few natural predators. Even so, by the early 20th century, whalers had nearly pushed the population into the abyss, relentlessly hunting bowheads for their bones and blubber—key ingredients in household products of the day like corsets and oil.

Today many countries including the United States have strict laws prohibiting commercial whaling, but threats persist. Scientists say that new plans to drill for oil off Alaska’s northern coast could harm these graceful goliaths. If they’re right, being “hardheaded” may not be enough for bowheads to hang on.

Read more in the latest issue of Defenders.

Climate change will mean more frequent and intense droughts and forest fires. Photo courtesy USDA

This post originally appeared on the High Country News blog, The Range.

They don’t call it the Wild West for nothing. From crippling droughts to raging fires, the region is no stranger to natural disasters. But will it be able to weather the storm ahead?

Already, 2011 has been a record-setting year for extreme weather events. And scientists predict that as climate change continues, we’re in for even harder times. For a region heavily dependent on farming, ranching and outdoor recreation, this pattern threatens not only communities, wildlife and natural resources, but local economies as well.

And natural disasters aren’t the only way climate change is leaving its mark in the West. Rising temperatures are allowing pests like the pine bark beetle to thrive, decimating forests and increasing the risk of fire. Warming streams are reducing habitat for coldwater fish like trout and salmon. And the U.S. Geological Survey predicts that by the year 2030, the glaciers of Montana’s Glacier National Park will be no more than a memory. In order to stop these trends, it’s critical we take action now.

Fortunately, the West has a leader who intends to do just that.  Senator Max Baucus. D-Mont., has joined forces with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I, to tackle the challenge of preparing for these changes head-on. This month, the two senators introduced legislation that outlines the countless benefits that healthy natural resources provide to our country’s safety, economy and well being, and offers a roadmap for how to help them adapt to a more hostile climate. The bill does not call for money, but aims to strengthen climate change adaptation efforts across the government, requiring federal agencies to plan for the projected long-term effects of climate change and encouraging states to follow suit. From combating pests in forests in order to prevent fires to restoring watersheds to protect drinking water supplies, the Securing America’s Future and Environment (SAFE) Act provides practical solutions to prepare ourselves and vulnerable natural resources for an uncertain future.

“In Montana, where our outdoor heritage grounds us and defines us as a people, we know that healthy public lands mean more tourism, more support for our Montana businesses, and more jobs.” – Sen. Max Baucus

The SAFE Act is also an investment plan, helping government agencies reduce their long-term costs by determining the most effective ways to protect and conserve our country’s natural resources. Upon the bill’s release Sen. Baucus said, “In Montana, where our outdoor heritage grounds us and defines us as a people, we know that healthy public lands mean more tourism, more support for our Montana businesses, and more jobs.” He recognizes that stronger natural resources mean stronger communities and economies, and that fortifying Montana’s natural resources now will save the state time, money and energy down the road.

Instead of waiting for the next natural disaster to strike, 2011 should be America’s wake-up call. We need to start planning now to be sure that we are ready for whatever challenging future climate change holds. Two innovative senators have taken the first step. Now it’s our turn to come out strong behind them and support their efforts to protect the wildlife and natural places that makes this country so great.

The West may still be wild, but we should do everything in our power to keep its communities, wildlife and natural resources SAFE.

Learn more:

See the original post on High Country News.

Read more about the SAFE Act and the promise it holds for America’s wildlife and natural places.