Defenders of Wildlife Blog

Elizabeth Fleming, Florida Representative

With an estimated 100 to 160 animals left in the wild, the Florida panther is one of the most endangered mammals in the United States, and the last surviving puma subspecies in the eastern U.S. Once ranging throughout much of the southeastern part of the country, the panther has been restricted to a fraction of its historic range by past persecution and today’s unchecked development. Highway expansions continue to sever panther habitat, and collisions with vehicles take a terrible toll on these wide-ranging cats each year – a record 19 Florida panthers were killed while trying to cross roads in 2012.  And since urban and suburban areas now border panther habitat in many locations, human-panther interactions are on the rise.

The economic downturn provided a respite from the rapid development that had been gobbling up panther habitat. But now that the economy is picking up, plans are underway to build several new highways across rural parts of Florida that would fragment panther habitat and lead to more development and additional deaths on roads. New subdivisions are under construction, large scale developments and towns are being planned and lands important to panthers are currently offered for sale.

We have a limited window of time to protect and restore undeveloped tracts of land and connected habitat before they are lost forever. Right now is the time to act. That is why Defenders is launching the “Give Panthers a Brake” campaign — to raise awareness about the plight of the critically endangered Florida panther. We want to highlight the major threats to these beautiful felines: loss of habitat, collisions with vehicles and lack of tolerance for living with a large predator. The more Floridians know about these threats to their State Animal, the better chance we have to ensure a future for these majestic big cats.

To help raise awareness about Florida panthers, we’re kicking off this campaign at the home of Florida’s aptly-named pro hockey team: the Florida Panthers! We’re trying to raise enough money for a huge advertising blitz in the stadium throughout the month of March. We’ll be able to place our message on the scoreboard, the giant video screen at the entrance, even on the radio during home games, all to get the word out that the real panthers – the four-legged ones – need a BRAKE!

© Robert Repenning

Another big part of this campaign is to reduce the number of panthers killed on roads each year. Defenders is working to make existing roads safer for panthers to cross, and to prevent new roads that would sever important conservation lands and wildlife travel corridors. And we are encouraging Florida residents and visitors to remain alert, obey speed limits and watch out for wildlife while driving at all times, but especially at night when panthers are most active and visibility is low.

We also recognize that helping people coexist with the Florida panther is vital to building the acceptance and support needed to save this subspecies. Through partnerships, education, research, outreach and advocacy, we work to increase understanding of these wild predators to help people and panthers share the landscape.

The last piece of the puzzle is giving Florida panthers more room to roam! We are asking federal agencies to make it a priority to secure habitat and travel corridors for panthers by creating and expanding new national wildlife refuges and offering incentives to private landowners to ensure that the lands panthers need the most will never be developed.

There are plenty of ways for you to get involved in the Give Panthers a Brake campaign, too — click here to learn more! Together we can make sure the Florida panther can continue to be an icon of the Florida landscape for generations to come.

Laurie Macdonald, Florida Program Director

Wood Stork (c)Terry Foote

The American wood stork has made a notable comeback in the nearly 20 years since it was put on the endangered species list. Historic nesting colonies in the Greater Everglades continue to need concerted conservation action and habitat restoration for a full recovery — the largest wood stork rookery in the nation at Corkscrew Swamp has had no nesting in five of the last six years. But there is still cause to celebrate: today there are between 7,000 and 9,500 breeding pairs in the wild, well above the 6,000 pair marker needed to upgrade the bird’s overall status from endangered to threatened, which the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed doing in December.  It’s an important species here in Florida, and the recent news of its progress was a fitting end-of-the-year announcement for all who care about our nation’s wildlife.  It’s also a fitting reminder of the importance of the Endangered Species Act, as it enters its fortieth year.

The Endangered Species Act was signed into law by Richard Nixon in December of 1973 and since its inception, less than one percent of species on the list have been removed due to extinction. The act is an enduring piece of legislation, and for good reason: it works.

With 60 Florida animal species currently on the federal endangered species list, the Endangered Species Act has had particular impact in this state.  Wood storks aren’t the only species here that are moving away from the brink of extinction: many others, such as the Florida panther, Key deer, brown pelican and manatee, have benefited significantly from the conservation efforts of the Endangered Species Act.

But wildlife conservation in Florida doesn’t just help species.  It also contributes to our local economies: manatee watching in Florida state parks and snorkeling at protected coral reefs in the Florida Keys attracts thousands of visitors and generates millions of dollars in revenue per year.  Our wildlife refuges, known across the United States for the wide range of species and habitats they protect, also provide jobs and revenue to nearby communities.

A gopher tortoise – another endangered species living in Florida (c)NASA

Despite this success, the Endangered Species Act faces countless attacks from the oil industry and corporate agriculture interests, to say nothing of relentless attacks from extreme anti-conservation Members of Congress. It’s a shame they don’t value and appreciate what the loss of protection for Florida imperiled wildlife would mean for both our economy and the many delicate ecosystems in our state.  And that’s not all: protected habitat serves a vital role in buffering human communities from natural disasters.  As we look back on the disastrous weather events of 2012-record drought, forest fires, and a devastating hurricane- we must also look to the year ahead and beyond, and recognize that preserving endangered species and their habitat contributes to our own health, safety and prosperity.

The Endangered Species Act is a cornerstone of our nation’s conservation laws, like the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act. It acknowledges the beauty of the diverse wildlife and natural landscapes across our country and is a demonstration of the commitment we made decades ago to preserve our natural heritage.   In the words of Richard Nixon, in its wildlife and wild places the United States has “a many-faceted treasure, of value to scholars, scientists, and nature lovers alike.” The continued recovery of the wood stork under the Endangered Species Act is but the latest progress we’ve had in preserving that treasure for future generations.

Elizabeth Fleming, Florida Representative 

With only an estimated 100 to 160 individuals remaining in the wild, the Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) is one of the most endangered mammals in the United States, and the last surviving puma subspecies in the eastern U.S. Though its historic range spanned eight southeastern states, today the panther is restricted to less than 5 percent of its original habitat, remaining as a single breeding population in south Florida.

Animals like the Florida panther depend on the state’s public lands for survival.

While no one knows how many panthers once roamed the southeastern states, one estimate suggests 1,360 in Florida alone. Once European settlers arrived, clear-cutting, building and other human activities began to destroy and degrade panther habitat and break it up into disconnected fragments. Misconceptions and fear led to widespread persecution — the state of Florida even authorized a $5 bounty for panther scalps in 1887 — and panthers were practically hunted out of existence by the turn of the century. Not until 1950 did Florida end the bounty and begin to look toward the protection of the species.

When the Endangered Species Act (ESA) became law in 1973, the Florida panther was one of the first species listed. The population at that time was only an estimated 12 to 20 individuals. Though it is still endangered today, in the decades since its listing, great strides have been made to halt the panther’s downward spiral towards extinction.

In 1981, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) issued the first Florida Panther Recovery Plan to prevent the species’ extinction and to re-establish viable populations of the Florida panther in its former range. This spurred several years of progress for the Floria panther, in which it was designated the official state animal, and the Florida state legislature approved new programs to help fund panther conservation and research. The 1980s also saw speed limits reduced to 45 mph at night on certain key roads to protect panthers from being hit by speeding vehicles, and in the 1990s, the Florida Department of Transportation included wildlife underpasses and fencing along more than 40 miles of roadway. Since then, additional slow-speed zones have been designated, more crossings have been installed, and others are planned to protect panthers on dangerous roads.

Slow zones help increase awareness of panthers on roads.

The listing under the ESA also prompted federal and state agencies to purchase additional land to give panthers more room to roam. Today, Florida panthers can travel across several protected regions including Big Cypress National Preserve, Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve, Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, Picayune Strand State Forest, Okaloacoochee Slough State Forest and Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed, and the Spirit of the Wild and Dinner Island Ranch Wildlife Management Areas. This year saw the inclusion of American Prime as protected panther habitat — a critical piece of undeveloped land along the Caloosahatchee River where panthers have crossed to expand their range northward. While most Florida panthers reside south of Lake Okeechobee, in recent years several males have dispersed northward into central and northeast Florida, and one even traveled back into its historic range in northwest Georgia by using this connection to move out of south Florida.

With such a small population to begin with and serious problems arising due to inbreeding, the FWS also had to look at how to increase the panthers’ numbers before there simply weren’t enough left in the wild to save. In fact, the IUCN Captive Breeding Specialist Group predicted that without some kind of intervention, the Florida panther population would decline by six to 10 percent each year, eventually reaching extinction. The FWS and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission made the bold decision to temporarily introduce eight female pumas from Texas — animals that Florida panthers used to breed with before they became isolated in south Florida — into the Florida panther population in 1995. A recent University of Florida study concluded that without the new genetic material that the Texas pumas provided, the Florida panther population would most likely have fallen below 10 panthers by 2010. Instead, thanks to a genetic restoration program that would not have been possible without the authority of the Endangered Species Act, a much larger, healthier panther population exists today.

Despite being rescued from certain extinction, the Florida panther continues to face numerous threats due to an increasing human population and development in panther habitat. Collisions with vehicles take a terrible toll on panthers — 17 have been killed so far in 2012. And while the greatest threats to the panthers’ survival are destruction, degradation and fragmentation of habitat — something we combat by advocating for additional habitat to be protected and restored — one of the greatest impediments to panther recovery is the lack of human tolerance for living with a large predator. That’s why we have established a multifaceted outreach program that works to counter misinformation about panthers and provide people with practical solutions for living with this beautiful, wild cat so that all residents of Florida, feline and otherwise, can safely coexist.

From Bill Eubanks and Defenders’ Board Member Eric Glitzenstein

An egret stalks through a cypress swamp (Credit: Farrell Grehan, National Geographic Stock)

Florida’s Big Cypress National Preserve encompasses one of the nation’s most unique ecosystems, containing majestic strands of cypress domes, dozens of federally protected species, including the highly endangered Florida panther, and a critical hydrological pattern that serves as a filter for water that ends up in the Everglades and as the drinking water for South Florida’s residents. Due to climate change and rapid commercial and residential development in South Florida, the Preserve and its vulnerable resources are subject to increasing pressures, and it is critical that we create safeguards to protect these resources.

The most avoidable threat to panthers, vegetation and hydrology in the Preserve are the adverse impacts of off-road vehicles (ORVs). Prior to 1995, the National Park Service (NPS) did not regulate ORV use in the Preserve, which led to the creation of approximately 23,000 miles of ORV trail where use of these vehicles routinely disturbed soil and plants, flushed panthers and other wildlife from the Preserve, and disrupted water flows that are essential to maintaining an ecological balance in the Preserve and the Everglades.

In 1995, several conservation groups brought a lawsuit challenging that NPS’s failure to regulate ORV use in the Preserve resulted in numerous violations of federal environmental laws. NPS agreed to settle that case and to create an ORV management plan to significantly reduce the extent of ORV use in the Preserve to sustainable levels. In 2000, NPS issued its final ORV plan, which reduced the mileage of ORV trails in the Preserve from 23,000 to only 400 miles. When ORV users sued, claiming it was unlawful to curtail some ORV use, Defenders and other conservation organizations argued that the plan actually helped NPS better comply with federal laws. The court ruled in our favor and upheld the new plan with no more than 400 miles of ORV trails throughtout the Preserve — a sign that the Preserve’s resources could finally return to a more natural state.

In 2007, however, NPS reopened approximately 23 miles of trails in the Bear Island Unit — the most sensitive ecological area in the Preserve, and the area where panthers are most likely to be found. Those trails had been expressly closed by the 2000 ORV management plan, but NPS reopened them in 2007 with no explanation as to why the agency was reversing course. Defenders and other conservation groups brought a new lawsuit challenging the reopening of the trails. During the course of the lawsuit, it became clear that NPS reopened those trails simply because ORV users were urging that they be opened, and regardless of the on-the-ground environmental impacts of that decision.

Off-road vehicle (Credit: Ben Hallert)

Earlier this year, a federal court once again ruled in  Defenders’ favor. It determined that NPS’s trail reopening violated several environmental laws, including the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act. In particular, the court found that NPS is bound by its ORV management plan, and it cannot change its management direction mid-stream without going through all the necessary environmental reviews to make sure the new course of action will not damage the Preserve’s natural resources.

This outcome is a huge victory for the Preserve and its wildlife because it means that NPS cannot abandon the resource-protective 2000 ORV management plan that Defenders fought for and won in an earlier lawsuit. The 23 miles of illegally-opened ORV trails in a critical area have now been indefinitely closed to ORV use, and the agency will finally have  to grapple with some related questions about how it manages ORV use in ecologically sensitive areas.

As the Big Cypress National Preserve Off-Road Vehicle Advisory Committee (of which  Laurie MacDonald, Director of Florida Programs, is a committee member) continues to meet to make trail recommendations to NPS, these issues are sure to be front and center. In any event, while this case brings another chapter in the Big Cypress saga to a close by granting the Preserve’s resources much-needed protection, there is still much work to do in South Florida as climate change, development and motorized recreation continue to strain the unique resources of this diverse ecosystem.

Bill Eubanks and Eric Glitzenstein are attorneys with Meyer, Glitzenstein & Crystal, a public interest law firm in Washington, DC that has represented Defenders of Wildlife and other environmental groups in litigation over ORV use in the Big Cypress National Preserve for nearly 20 years.

Till next season… – The Wood River Wolf Project finished its fifth season this month, having lost just 4 sheep out of 27,305 that move through the million-acre project area—a 99.99% success rate! We’ll have a full review from project manager Suzanne Stone early next week, but also check out last Friday’s write-up in the Idaho Mountain Express. To celebrate the end of the season, our field crew was invited for the first time to participate in the annual Trailing of the Sheep Festival in Sun Valley that honors the culture and heritage of raising sheep. It was an honor to take part and shows how Defenders’ efforts are slowly gaining acceptance in the community.

Don’t shoot red wolves! – Defenders took action this week with the Southern Environmental Law Center and other groups to protect red wolves in North Carolina. The state had previously agreed to allow night hunting of coyotes in areas where wolves also live, and at least one endangered red wolf has died as a result. Red wolves are small and can be very hard to distinguish from coyotes at any time of day, let alone at night. Here’s what Defenders senior staff attorney Jason Rylander had to say:

 “With fewer than 100 red wolves in the wild, we cannot afford to lose a single one to accidental shooting. Spotlight hunting of coyotes is a new and unnecessary threat to the conservation of red wolves.”

Read more in The Mountaineer.

What’s next for Washington? – Over the weekend, the Seattle Times reported on the ongoing controversy in Washington surrounding the removal of the Wedge Pack. While there’s little agreement about how to resolve future conflicts, it’s clear that no one is happy with the current direction in which wolf management is heading. Many ranchers have been reluctant to adopt proactive strategies to prevent livestock losses, while the state has been quick to blame wolves based on shoddy evidence. Our best hope is to find ways to work directly with ranchers to help provide them with the tools they need to coexist with wolves on the landscape.

First hundred wolves killed across Northern Rockies – At least 121 wolves have been killed so far this hunting season across three states: Idaho hunters have removed 65 since the end of August; Montana hunters have taken 25; Wyoming hunters have killed 23 in the trophy game area, another 2 were lost to other causes and 8 have been killed in the unregulated predator zone. With rifle season just starting in many states, those numbers are likely to rise sharply over the next couple months. Read more in the Missoulian.

Elizabeth Fleming, Florida Representative

Three endangered Florida panthers were killed while trying to cross roads last week in south Florida. This is gut-wrenching news, especially for a species with an estimated 100 to 160 adults left in the wild, and we who spend so much time and effort protecting these big cats all feel each loss deeply. But why is this happening now, and why so many?

A Florida panther in Fakahatchee Strand (Credit: David Shindle)

Sadly, rashes of deaths like this have happened before; most recently in 2010 when three panthers were killed on the same road in one weekend. Some years, it seems that December and January are especially horrible times for panthers. One year, three panthers were killed in a row, including one on my birthday of December 29, and lasting into New Year’s Day – what an awful way to start a new year! It’s hard to predict when something like this can hit. One year, it looked like we might reach a record year of panthers killed by vehicles by the month of June. We braced ourselves — and then not another single panther was killed for the rest of the year.

Obviously, the small panther population could not withstand these spates of two or three panther deaths if that rate was consistent for the whole year. And fortunately (I want everyone to knock on wood as you read this), this terrible rate doesn’t seem to continue. But why does it happen in the first place?

I asked panther biologists if they could determine a cause for these deaths, and they said that one factor could be the water.  Water levels are up right now where panthers roam in south Florida. Roads and paths are dry spots that make panthers’ travels easier, so they are more likely to be using them to travel, and more likely to be exposed to cars and trucks. A lower water level could also be part of the issue. In another year when we had a large number of panthers killed by cars, biologists thought the drought at that time had  forced the animals to search for water sources over large areas, which meant they had to cross more roads to meet their needs.

So what is the solution? There are several. First, we’re working to improve road safety for panthers by helping communities implement slower nighttime speed zones and install wildlife underpasses and fencing. Defenders also helps fund panther crossing signs and high-tech motion sensors that warn drivers to slow down when large animals are approaching the road.

A family of Florida panthers in Picayune Strand State Forest (Credit: David Shindle)

Those steps help address areas that are already dangerous to panthers, but it’s also important to prevent the creation of new high-risk roads. That’s why we advocate for conservation-minded transportation planning that considers the dangers that motor vehicle traffic and habitat fragmentation can present for panthers.  Another fundamental piece of the puzzle is maintaining large expanses of habitat for panthers where they have a safe place to roam so that they aren’t forced to cross roads just to meet their basic needs. So we also promote projects that help restore the Everglades, support the creation and expansion of national wildlife refuges in the greater Everglades ecosystem, and work to protect connected habitats and travel corridors.

What can you do to help panthers? If you happen to live in Florida, or are visiting here, drive very, very carefully in rural areas, and stay alert, especially in places marked by panther crossing signs. Support our work so that we can continue our efforts to keep roads safe for panthers and humans. And support efforts to restore the Everglades, since so much of the integrity and natural resilience of south and south-central Florida is determined by the water supply. It affects us all, panthers, people and the incredible diversity of life around us.