Defenders of Wildlife Blog

Just before the holidays, Defenders joined two local conservation groups in a lawsuit voicing concerns over exploratory drilling for a proposed silver mine on the Coronado National Forest in southern Arizona.

The Hardshell Project site threatens habitat for endangered Mexican spotted owls, lesser long-nosed bats, and could cut off key migration corridors for ocelots and jaguars. The Forest Service is allowing these companies to destroy our federal lands with little to no consideration of the impact on wildlife and the environment.

This sensitive region, says local biologist Ron Pulliam with the University of Georgia in the video, is “biologically, the richest and most diverse place in the United States.”

In this in-depth documentary, courtesy of the Patagonia Area Resource Alliance, the people of Patagonia, Ariz. give a firsthand account of how mining has already started to irreversibly alter life in this idyllic landscape.

By Doug Ramsey, Public News Service – AZ

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Listen to this story with biologist Philip Hedrick on the Public News Service.

PHOENIX – The number of endangered Mexican gray wolves in Arizona and New Mexico continued to rise last year. State and federal biologists found at least 58 wolves in their latest count, up from 50 the previous year and 42 in 2009.

Arizona State University biology professor Philip Hedrick calls it good news, but says the best news is that the number of breeding pairs rose from two to six – although he says that’s far from enough.

“If you think about it, that’s only 12 animals that are contributing to the next generation for this year, so that’s not a huge number even though it’s a lot better than just two last year.”

The total wolf count, Hedrick says, needs to be much larger – perhaps four times as many – to produce a long-term stable and sustainable population. That wouldn’t sit well with ranchers in eastern Arizona and western New Mexico, who long have complained that the wolves kill cattle and sheep.

The U-S Fish and Wildlife Service has worked with ranchers to keep the wolves away from livestock, noting that only a single problem wolf has had to be permanently removed in the past five years. Hedrick doesn’t consider it to be a major issue.

“In general, these animals haven’t caused a lot of problems. The amount of killing livestock or domestic animals has been pretty low – and, when that’s happened, there’s been compensation. So, there’s a fund set up to compensate people for that.”

An experimental program in New Mexico is using a form of chemical aversion therapy to train wolves awaiting release to avoid livestock.

Hedrick hopes the wolf population can grow substantially, to around 250 animals. Along with promoting genetic diversity, he says, the larger numbers will help the fragile wolf population avoid scenarios which could lead to their extinction.

“You have a disease that comes in, and many of the animals die. Or you have, in one generation, many more males produced than females. There are factors like this, if the numbers are low, then the probability of extinction is pretty high.”

The Mexican gray wolf reintroduction program began in 1998, with a goal of 100 wolves by 2006. Further wolf releases are being delayed while the Fish and Wildlife Service works on a full recovery plan.

The number of endangered Mexican gray wolves living in the wild increased in 2011.

BREAKING: The number of endangered Mexican wolves, or lobos, in Arizona and New Mexico increased last year to 58 wolves and six breeding pairs, up from 50 wolves and two breeding pairs in 2010, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today.

The small boost is big news around here. Mexican wolves are the most endangered subspecies of gray wolf in North America.

To get a better idea of what this means for the lobo’s recovery, I sat down for an in-depth Q&A with Defenders’ Southwest program director, Eva Sargent.

If you just want the highlights, check out our press release.

Q: So what exactly is the annual population count?

Eva: In January each year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) takes to the skies over the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area spanning more than four million acres in Arizona and New Mexico to count how many wolves are living in the wild. They use an airplane to locate signals from the wolves with telemetry collars, and then radio in a helicopter to take a closer look. The helicopter crew’s job is to count all the wolves found near the collared wolf. The airplane and helicopter also survey areas without collared wolves, searching for lobos that could have set out to claim new territory, find a mate or start a pack. Wildlife officials use this information along with wolves tallied during ground surveys in November and December to come up with a final count.

Q: Why do you think lobo numbers are on the rise?  

Red flags, called fladry, tied to fences help keep wolves away from livestock.

Eva: We are seeing the pay off of years of hard work by Defenders and others. In 2009, Defenders settled an important court case with the Fish and Wildlife Service that ended the notorious “three strikes” policy, which removed far too many wolves from the wild. Even genetically important wolves, and those with dependent pups, were removed. Under those conditions, it was difficult for the population to grow. Since the settlement, only one wolf has been removed. Fewer removals and more Wolf Coexistence Partnerships have helped Mexican wolves survive. Our coexistence program works directly with ranchers to lower conflict between livestock and lobos. We do things like help ranchers hire more cowboys to watch over cattle, fund special fencing or fladry (flags that wolves avoid), move livestock away from den sites – techniques that are proven to work. We’ve had growing interest from ranchers in the last few years, and the FWS, Arizona Game and Fish Department and others are placing a greater emphasis on coexistence projects.  

Q: Is this increase typical or should lobos be doing better?

The Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area spans across more than four million acres of wild lands.

Eva: We expected to have 100 wolves and 18 breeding pairs by 2006. Instead, due to excessive removals and ongoing poaching by wolf-haters, the population has never climbed above 59 and stagnated for many years around 50. Wolves are resilient. Given enough game and a chance to find a mate, they will expand into good habitat and the population will grow until it reaches a healthy balance with available prey. The most important thing that we can do to help out now is to release more wolves. There are wolves waiting right now, eligible for release in both Arizona and New Mexico, and the FWS needs to get on the ball and let them go. Some of these wolves have even been specially conditioned to avoid cattle, and we need to get them out there and see if this conditioning method makes a difference. In addition to releasing more wolves, the FWS needs to change its outdated policy that doesn’t allow wolves direct from captivity to be released in New Mexico. The service has been sitting on the paperwork for this policy change for years.

Q: What are some challenges to recovery?

Eva: The challenges are almost all political or social. We have Congressman Pearce in New Mexico repeatedly trying to defund the program, and we have a lack of resolve to release more wolves. We are also waiting for a new recovery plan, although good progress is being made…

The first step to overcoming some of these obstacles is to take a rigorous scientific look at what Mexican wolves need to survive into the future. How many wolves are needed? How many different populations? How will the populations be connected, and where are the best places for wolves–the places with enough prey and not too many roads or too many people?

Q: What more needs to be done to help bring lobos back from the brink?

Eva: While all of the above is being figured out, we will continue to build tolerance and coexistence. We also need more wolves to be released. This is urgent. Our one small population is extremely vulnerable to disasters like the Wallow Fire, to inbreeding, to slipping back toward extinction.

Mexican gray wolf numbers were up in 2011.

TUCSON, Ariz.—The number of endangered Mexican gray wolves surviving in the southwestern United States increased in 2011 to 58 wolves and six breeding pairs up from 50 wolves and two breeding pairs the year before, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today.

But Defenders of Wildlife is urging Arizona state and federal wildlife officials to release new wolves into the wild to strengthen the population — cautioning that despite the increase, the small population is still at risk and needs a deeper gene pool.

“While the increase comes as good news for these highly endangered animals, the small population of 58 lobos is still extremely vulnerable,” said Eva Sargent, Defenders’ Southwest program director. “Wolves are smart, adaptable animals, but they can’t make it alone. New releases of wolves in Arizona and New Mexico are urgently needed to ensure a healthy population.”

Wolves are smart, adaptable animals, but they can’t make it alone. — Eva Sargent, Southwest program director

The boost signals, however, that a new emphasis on partnerships between the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Arizona Game and Fish Department and ranchers is helping livestock and lobos better coexist. Techniques such as portable fencing, watchdogs, funding for cowboys and compensation for livestock lost to wolves are working to keep more wolves on the ground.

A federal wildlife agent demonstrates how to set up fladry.

“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must build on this momentum, moving forward with several releases that were planned for 2011, but never happened,” Sargent added. “There are wolves eligible for release in Arizona and New Mexico right now, and they are desperately needed. Some of these wolves have been specially conditioned to avoid preying on cattle and deserve a chance at life in the wild.”

BLM aims to guide utility-scale solar power plants to public lands with least chance of harming wildlife.

BREAKING: On the heels of President Obama’s State of the Union remarks to expand clean energy development, the Interior Department is moving to finalize the nation’s first solar energy program for public lands with the closing of the public comment period.

Over the past 90 days, the Bureau of Land Management has been seeking input on the Supplemental Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (SPEIS) for solar development on public lands in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah.

The solar plan has garnered more than 100,000 comments in the past two years from stakeholders across the country advocating for balanced, guided development that would minimize potential impacts on wildlife and sensitive lands, and reduce uncertainty in permitting. Solar companies, major trade associations, utilities and conservation groups also submitted a joint letter to Interior with recommendations to help shape a successful solar program.

Following are statements from conservation groups and other stakeholders in support of guided solar development:

“We are at a critical juncture in the future of solar development on our public lands,” said Chase Huntley, Director of Renewable Energy Policy at The Wilderness Society.  “We have seen a tremendous amount of leadership from staff at the Department of the Interior to ensure we develop a strong solar program. Over the next few months we hope to see them finalizing a plan that strikes a balance between wildlands and wildlife protection while creating certainty and a level playing field for the solar industry.”

The Interior Department’s proposed solar program focuses on producing power in low-conflict and no-conflict zones and offers the best opportunity to achieve this goal. This zone-based approach is an important step toward producing energy in the right places and protecting sensitive public lands and wildlife. -Jim Lyons, Defenders’ senior director for renewable energy

“It’s time to kick our addiction to polluting fuels and create new jobs by increasing clean sources of energy,” said Johanna Wald, senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “Interior’s intention to guide development to thoughtfully designated ‘solar energy zones’ will help ensure the success of the solar industry and our nation’s quick transition to a clean energy economy while protecting irreplaceable lands and wildlife. Reaching that balance is a tall order but Interior has provided strong leadership demonstrating that a comprehensive final solar program can be achieved.”

Solar projects must be carefully designed to avoid desert bighorn sheep habitat.

“If the Obama administration is to reach the goal of powering three million homes with clean energy by the year’s end, it must move quickly to put in place a smart solar energy program that speeds up permitting of projects. The key is to guide development away from conflicts with wildlife and natural resources to areas with access to transmission,” said Jim Lyons, Senior Director for Renewable Energy with Defenders of Wildlife. “The Interior Department’s proposed solar program focuses on producing power in low-conflict and no-conflict zones and offers the best opportunity to achieve this goal. This zone-based approach is an important step toward producing energy in the right places and protecting sensitive public lands and wildlife.”

As a solar investor, I believe the biggest advantage of the zones approach is reducing uncertainty in permitting. By doing so, it will reduce risks and attract long-term investments for projects that will create jobs and help advance our nation’s clean energy goals. — Nancy Pfund, founder and managing partner at DBL Investors

“Properly designed solar energy zones on public lands would be a major step forward in helping create an enduring and stable investment environment for the solar industry,” said Nancy Pfund, founder and managing partner at DBL Investors. “As a solar investor, I believe the biggest advantage of the zones approach is reducing uncertainty in permitting. By doing so, it will reduce risks and attract long-term investments for projects that will create jobs and help advance our nation’s clean energy goals.”

“The Bureau of Land Management’s latest solar energy plan is a major step forward in achieving the multiple goals of efficient solar development and protecting our water, wildlife and magnificent western landscapes,” said Timothy Hay, former Nevada consumer advocate and public utility commissioner. “By establishing clearly defined zones for solar energy development, we can begin to provide investors, developers, conservationists and citizens the predictability and stability to move forward.”

Desert tortoise benefit from smart planning of solar power projects.

“Well-designed solar energy zones will result in faster permitting and speedier construction of projects,” said Jonathan Foster, a director of Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) in California. “Interior’s approach to guide solar development to appropriate areas strikes the right balance between protecting critical lands and wildlife, and providing greater certainty for project success – and should be supported by solar developers, environmentalists, and the public at large.”

“The solar industry is up to the task of meeting the President’s goal for dramatically expanding our rich solar resources in the Southwest,” said Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association.  “However, project developers need clear rules of the road that balance the need for flexibility to build solar power plants both inside and outside of designated Solar Energy Zones with responsible stewardship of public lands, resources and wildlife. These are not mutually exclusive objectives and we look forward to continuing work with stakeholders.”

On a chilly bright blue sky day on top of the Vermillion Cliffs in northern Arizona, I finally got to see first-hand the results of a project I worked on while at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the late 1990s.  I stood on the edge of the cliffs with colleagues from Defenders and conservation partners from AZ Fish and Game and The Peregrine Fund watching critically endangered California condors soaring in the wind updrafts and sitting on boulders sunning themselves in the crisp morning’s sun.  They are certainly spectacular birds. Until you actually see one of these massive creatures on the wing, it’s hard to truly visualize just how incredible these birds are and how precarious their future still is.  They are almost magical to watch as they ride the thermals against the strikingly severe cliff sides near the Grand Canyon.

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Jamie Rappaport Clark

Defenders CEO Jamie Rappaport Clark watches condors soaring

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Condor perched on Vermillion Cliffs

Condor perched on Vermillion Cliffs

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Condors perched on Vermillion Cliffs

Condors perched on Vermillion Cliffs

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Display showing the wingspan of a condor

Jamie Rappaport Clark

Though there have been some birds now born in the wild since the original releases from captivity over a decade ago, most still wear the obvious brand of human help in the form of tags and transmitters to track their movements in northern Arizona and southern Utah.   It is only with significant human support that we are making headway in returning these incredible flying creatures back to their rightful place in the wild.  All of the birds now in the wild still require supplemental feeding and are monitored regularly to manage the leading ongoing cause of their deaths today; the ingestion of lead from carcasses and gut piles of animals hunted throughout their range.  As carrion eaters (consumers of dead animals), the lead often left behind by hunters in carcasses or gut piles is ingested during feeding and accumulates quickly to deadly levels in the birds.  If we are seeing it at such high levels on an ongoing basis in condors, just imagine all the other wildlife that feed in a similar fashion.  It is abundantly clear that lead and wildlife are not a good mix for long term survival and sustainability.

AZ Game and Fish and The Peregrine Fund have been working diligently through voluntary ammunition swap programs (free exchanging of lead bullets for copper or steel).  In addition, they have an around the clock program of supplemental feeding and monitoring of the birds’ lead levels with intervention by trapping and treatment to remove lead from the systems of those birds most affected.  Regardless, the condor population overall is still in real trouble.

Though there has been a positive response from hunters with the ammunition swap out program in Arizona, there is no such opportunity in Utah and that makes recovery of the condor all the more complicated and frustrating.   The birds range from their “home base” at the Vermillion Cliffs but are now flying further and further away into Utah where there are no controls or incentives to use other than lead shot while hunting.  Until the lead is out of ammunition used to hunt wildlife, it will continue to be a labor intensive uphill battle to save the condors.

It’s time for ammunition manufacturers to step up and do what was done for waterfowl decades ago.  Conversion away from lead should not affect hunter success, but it will do a world of good for condors and other critters.  The science is clear, now we need to encourage manufacturers and hunters to step up.