Defenders of Wildlife Blog

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. 

As you gather round the Thanksgiving dinner today, you may notice an unexpected (and unwelcome) guest at the table: the effects of the extreme weather experienced across America this year. From wildfires and drought to flooding and tornadoes, there isn’t a region in the country that hasn’t felt the pain of these unprecedented events. Not even your holiday spreads are safe — and from turkey deaths to pumpkin shortages, these new weather patterns are leaving their mark on the most classic of American dishes.

See how the elements are making their way to your Thanksgiving, courtesy of our friends over at Resource Media (click image to enlarge):

These shortages and price hikes may be hard to swallow, but we still have cause to be thankful! Last week, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (RI) and Max Baucus (MT) introduced legislation designed to protect American communities, natural resources and wildlife from the increasingly destructive impacts of climate change. The bill, the Securing America’s Future and Environment (SAFE) Act, outlines the countless benefits that healthy natural resources provide to our country’s safety, economy and well being, and offers an common-sense approach to help them adapt to a more hostile climate.

Whether giving our counties, towns and states better tools to prepare for disasters or helping farmers plan now for an environment with less water, there are steps we can take to better prepare our country for the challenges ahead. We just have to get started. Learn more.

Defenders' president and CEO, Jamie Rappaport Clark

This blog originally appeared on the Huffington Post.

From wildfires and drought to flooding and tornados, 2011 has been a record-setting year for extreme weather events. The economic pain to American communities unprepared for such radical shifts in natural weather systems has been tremendous. Already, drought in the south has cost the country $10 billion. And as the dry conditions spread to the southeast and midwest, we can anticipate that number to grow.

Our finances aren’t the only place we feel the effects of extreme weather. Natural disasters take a substantial toll on our national historic places, parks and refuges, and the wildlife that make up our country’s natural heritage. Drought reduces food supply, flooding damages river banks and sends pollution into waterways, and hurricanes and other large coastal storms can devastate coastlines, habitats and wildlife. Unfortunately, these threats only promise to get worse. These weather patterns have long been predicted as indicators of a changing climate, and as the world continues to warm, we can expect these events to occur more often, with greater intensity.

Natural disasters join a long list of ways a shifting climate is already changing the face of our planet. Sea level rise, warming rivers and streams, insect infestations and other risks to wildlife and natural habitats may not be as high-profile as extreme weather, but their impacts on our wildlife and natural resources are no by means insignificant. To survive these threats, our natural resources and wildlife — and the economies they support — need help adapting to these changes now.

In light of this year’s tragedies, can we really justify not giving our counties, towns and states better tools to prepare for disasters and restore their communities after disasters happen?

Fortunately, we’ve got leaders in the U.S. Senate taking action to tackle this challenge. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Max Baucus (D-MT) have been longtime champions in the effort to protect American communities, natural resources and wildlife from the increasingly destructive impacts of climate change. Legislation introduced by the senators today provides a road map for how to get it done. The bill, the Securing America’s Future and Environment (SAFE) Act, outlines the countless benefits that healthy natural resources provide to our country’s safety, economy and well being, and offers a common-sense approach to help them adapt to a more hostile climate.

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

This is not a regulatory bill; the SAFE Act is an investment plan. Senators Whitehouse and Baucus know that each step taken to help our natural resources adapt to a changing climate now will save us time, money and energy down the road. So when we rebuild coastal wetlands to create buffers against damaging storms or combat invasive pests in our forests where watersheds originate and in turn protect drinking water supplies, we are not only helping to strengthen our natural resources, we’re investing in our communities, our country and our future.

In light of this year’s tragedies, can we really justify not giving our counties, towns and states better tools to prepare for disasters and restore their communities after disasters happen? Instead of waiting for disaster to strike, our leaders are planning ahead to be sure that we are stronger and ready for whatever future climate change holds. The SAFE Act provides us with the plan and the leadership to start fortifying our natural defenses. Let’s get to work.

Learn more: 

Read more about the SAFE Act.

See how Defenders is working to protect wildlife and natural places from the harmful effects of climate change.

BREAKING: Across the country, the impacts of climate change are taking a toll on our wildlife and natural resources. And after a year of record-setting extreme weather events across our nation, efforts to help our wildlife and natural resources survive these changes have never been more critical.

Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (RI) and Max Baucus (Mont.) are taking the lead in addressing this critical issue and today introduced legislation designed to protect American communities, wildlife and natural habitat from the increasingly destructive effects of climate change. The non-regulatory bill, the Securing America’s Future and Environment (SAFE) Act, outlines the countless benefits that healthy natural resources provide to our country’s safety, economy and well being, and underscores the urgent need to help them adapt to a more hostile climate  and provides a road map to do so.

WASHINGTON (November 15, 2011) – The following statement is from Jamie Rappaport Clark, president and CEO at Defenders of Wildlife:

“Our nation has recently experienced a number of tragic weather events, and the extreme floods, drought and wildfires that took place this year have long been predicted as indicators of climate change. As the world continues to warm, unpredictable and extreme weather events join a growing list of threats to our natural resources and the economies that depend on them. If we want to protect American communities, wildlife and resources such as safe drinking water from the growing threats of a changing climate, it’s critical we take action now.

“Sens. Whitehouse and Baucus offer a common-sense approach for stimulating federal and state collaboration designed to meet the impacts of climate change head-on. They know that helping our natural resources adapt to a changing climate now will save us time, money and energy down the road. When we rebuild wetlands to create buffers against storms or restore vital watersheds to ensure we have clean drinking water, we are helping to strengthen our natural defenses while also making an investment in our communities and our country.

“We may not know exactly what lies ahead, but by increasing the likelihood of survival for our communities, wildlife and natural resources amidst the unavoidable effects of climate change, the SAFE Act will better position America to respond to an uncertain future.”

Learn more:

See how Defenders is working to protect wildlife and natural places from the harmful effects of climate change.

When the Obama administration asked the public what they thought about protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the response was loud and clear — over 860,000 comments came in asking the US Fish and Wildlife Service to recommend that Congress designate the refuge’s coastal plain a wilderness area, bringing us one step closer to keeping dangerous oil and gas drilling out of the area for good. Defenders joined groups today to hand-deliver the comments to the Department of the Interior, letting the administration know just how important it is to keep the refuge wild for future generations.

We couldn’t have done it without you! Together with our partners at the Animal Rescue Site, Care2 and Change.org, Defenders supporters generated 315,000 of these actions. They may not know it, but the animals of the refuge are lucky to have you on their side.

Over 860,000 comments came in asking the US Fish and Wildlife Service to recommend that Congress designate the refuge’s coastal plain a wilderness area, bringing us one step closer to keeping dangerous oil and gas drilling out of the area for good.

Despite this overwhelming show of support, the Arctic refuge is far from safe. This Friday, two Congressional hearings will take place to discuss the future of drilling in the refuge. The first of the two will consider a bill by Rep. Doc Hastings (R-Wash.) and Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) that would allow for oil and gas development on the refuge’s coastal plain, a 1.5 million-acre stretch on the refuge’s northern edge.

Photo courtesy of USFWS

Such a move would mean big trouble for the iconic wildlife who call the refuge’s coastal plain home. The most important onshore denning habitat for America’s vanishing polar bears, the coastal plain is also the calving ground of the Porcupine caribou herd on which the native Gwich’in people have depended for thousands of years. Industrial-scale oil and gas development would destroy the pristine nature of the Arctic refuge’s coastal plain forever. For the wildlife already impacted by the damaging effects of climate change, preventing these operations is critical.

Learn more:

Defenders is working to make sure the Obama administration’s long-term management plan keeps the refuge and its wildlife healthy and protected for years to come. Stay tuned for more as the fight to keep the refuge safe continues.

Oil and gas development isn’t the only threat facing the animals of the Arctic refuge. Read Defenders’ report, Climate Change and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Which Species Are At Risk? and see which mammals in the refuge are the most vulnerable to climate change, and what we can do to protect them.