Defenders of Wildlife Blog

Ruling restores vital role of wildlife experts in forest fire planning

WASHINGTON (Feb. 7, 2012) – The U.S. District Court of D.C. struck down Bush administration regulations yesterday that would have allowed National Fire Plan projects to move forward without consulting the government’s own wildlife experts. Defenders initially challenged the regulations in 2006, arguing that the regulations violated long-standing Endangered Species Act procedures that help protect the environment and imperiled wildlife.

The following is a statement from Mike Senatore, vice president of conservation law for Defenders of Wildlife:

“The U.S. Forest Service and other federal agencies should consult wildlife experts when considering projects that might affect endangered and threatened wildlife. That’s the simple proposition behind one of the most critical provisions of the Endangered Species Act. But the Bush administration ignored the opinion of its own scientific experts and tried to brush aside this common sense and legally mandated requirement. Regional wildlife directors knew it was wrong, environmental advocates knew it was wrong, and the American people knew it was wrong. Now a federal judge has finally thrown out these ill-conceived regulations, upholding our nation’s commitment to protecting imperiled wildlife. This decision makes it clear that the existing consultation process already allows for timely and effective forest fire planning without discarding vital wildlife protections.”

Background:
The Endangered Species Act requires that federal agencies consult with experts at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service to determine the impacts of their actions on endangered and threatened wildlife. Regulations issued by the Bush administration in 2003 altered this legal duty to severely limit the role of wildlife experts when considering projects under the National Fire Plan. Similar regulations to short-circuit the consultation process for registration of pesticides were previously overturned by another federal court. A much broader Bush administration policy that essentially eliminated all consultation requirements was issued at the end of 2008 but was promptly withdrawn by the Obama administration in 2009.

Defenders was represented in this case by Eric Glitzenstein of the law firm Meyer, Glitzenstein and Crystal.

Learn more about Defenders’ efforts to uphold the Endangered Species Act

Read more about the Bush administration’s attempts to undermine the Section 7 consultation process

We almost missed it…38 years and one day ago, the Endangered Species Act was signed into law by President Nixon after receiving strong bipartisan support from members of Congress. Since then, the Act has been one of the most effective and important environmental laws. In nearly four decades, fewer than a dozen species have gone extinct, and most of those were already doomed before the law went into effect. Hundreds more have been rescued from the brink of extinction, including iconic animals such as the bald eagle, peregrine falcon, American alligator and gray wolf.

Julia Whitty at Mother Jones published a nice homage with a list of endangered species (cribbed from Wikipedia) that have increased their numbers substantially while under the protection of the Endangered Species Act. Here’s a partial list:

• Bald Eagle (increased from 417 to 11,040 pairs between 1963 and 2007); removed from list 2007
• Whooping Crane (increased from 54 to 436 birds between 1967 and 2003)
• Peregrine Falcon (increased from 324 to 1,700 pairs between 1975 and 2000); removed from list
• Gray Wolf (populations increased dramatically in the Northern Rockies and Great Lakes)
• Gray Whale (increased from 13,095 to 26,635 whales between 1968 and 1998); removed from list
• Grizzly bear (increased from about 271 to over 580 bears in the Yellowstone area between 1975 and 2005);
• California’s Southern Sea Otter (increased from 1,789 in 1976 to 2,735 in 2005)
• Black-Footed Ferret (increased from 18 in 1986 to 600 in 2006)

Julia also included this beautiful video from Defenders’ board member and award-winning National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore:

RARE from Joel Sartore on Vimeo.

Thanks to all our supporters who have helped us defend and protect endangered species over the years. We hope you will take this opportunity to reflect on all the wonderful plants and animals that make up the web of life that sustains us all!

Just remember, the battle isn’t over yet. Nearly 2,000 species remain protected under the Endangered Species Act, yet some members of Congress have been trying to dismantle our nation’s safety net for saving imperiled wildlife. But don’t just take our word for it. A story today from Rob Hotakainen with McClatchy’s DC bureau appeared in papers across the country from the Miami Herald to the Seattle Times, outlining pending legislative hearings on the Act from House Republicans.

America’s endangered plants and animals will need all the help they can get to survive the coming attacks.

This week saw the happy return of an orphaned Florida panther kitten to the wild. The release of the 1.5-year-old cat took place on Tuesday evening in Florida’s Big Cypress National Preserve, near the area he’d been discovered last year.

Watch the video footage of the kitten as he takes off into the Big Cypress National Preserve (footage provided by Ralph Arwood).

Background:

On October 25, 2010, through on-going tracking activity within the preserve, the radio-collar of female panther FP102 began emitting a mortality signal. Upon reaching the site of the signal, National Park Service biologists found the remains of the cat. A subsequent necropsy confirmed that she had died from wounds received during a fight. Five months earlier the cat had given birth to two male kittens. After the death of FP102, one of the offspring, was discovered. His sibling was never found.

Rescue efforts:

The National Park Service, working closely with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, transported the kitten, now called FP194, to the White Oak Conservation Center, a wildlife facility in northeastern Florida. At the facility, the cat was cared for and housed in appropriate facilities with minimal human contact.

At 86 pounds and in good condition, the National Park Service has high hopes for the cat. Fitted with a new tracking color, the agency will be able to monitor the movements of the cat as he adjusts back to life in the wild.

Learn more:

Only 100-160 Florida panthers remain in the wild. See how Defenders is working to protect them and the places they call home.

See how a proposal to create a new national wildlife refuge north of Lake Okeechobee could give a big boost to efforts to save the Florida panther. 

Want to hear more about the wild cats of North America? Join Defenders and wildlife tracking expert Sue Morse for a special presentation this Thursday, Dec. 8, in Estero, Florida. For more details, call Defenders at (727) 823-3888.

USFWS protects more than 375,000 acres in Idaho and Washington for at-risk species

PRIEST LAKE, Idaho (November 29, 2011) – Endangered woodland caribou will be protected across 375,562 acres in the Selkirk Mountains of northern Idaho and northeastern Washington, thanks to a critical habitat designation handed down today by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The long-awaited decision is the result of action taken by Defenders of Wildlife, Lands Council, Selkirk Conservation Alliance and Center for Biological Diversity.

“Christmas has come early for America’s only reindeer relative,” said Mike Leahy, Rocky Mountain director for Defenders of Wildlife. “Critical habitat is an essential tool for recovering endangered species like the woodland caribou, and they deserve our best efforts. To protect endangered animals, we must protect the places they live.”

The woodland caribou is perhaps the most endangered species in the continental United States. The southern Selkirk herd of the caribou, which is the only one to occur in the lower 48 states, consists of about 45 animals. The southern Selkirk herd belongs to a unique mountain dwelling form of caribou known as the “mountain ecotype” that, unlike other woodland caribou, do not form large herds or make large migrations.  Instead, these caribou migrate between low and high elevation forests.

“The woodland caribou of the Selkirk Mountains are highly endangered and need this habitat protection to survive,” said Tim Layser, a wildlife biologist with the Selkirk Conservation Alliance. “Protecting the caribou means protecting the old-growth forests and wild places of the Selkirks, which are cherished by many.”

Thousands of woodland caribou once roamed the northern United States but were eliminated from all of their habitats except the Selkirk Mountains by a combination of logging of their old-growth forest habitats, hunting and poaching, and roads. They continue to be threatened in their last habitat in the U.S. by disturbance from snow mobiles and other winter recreation.

“With today’s designation of critical habitat, the woodland caribou has a shot at survival,” said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Woodland caribou are one of the many hidden treasures of the Idaho Panhandle and are definitely worth saving.”

Background:
The conservation groups petitioned for critical habitat in 2002 and sued for the designation in 2009.  In 2005, the conservation groups challenged grooming of snow mobile trails into caribou habitat on the Idaho Panhandle National Forest and obtained an injunction on snow mobile travel and trail grooming in a small portion of the forest that is essential for the caribou.  Much of that habitat has now been designated as critical habitat, ensuring these protections will be maintained.

Read more about the lawsuit that triggered the critical habitat designation.

Read the USFWS’ proposed critical habitat designation.

More and more people are recognizing that protecting wildlife is an important mission that transcends geographic boundaries and crosses media. And now our conservation partners in Mexico have the accolades to prove it.

Last week, a Defenders-funded radio show, Supervivencia, won a “Conservation of Nature” award in Communications! The program is hosted by Maria Elena Sanchez, president of Teyeliz, A.C. and wife of Defenders’ Mexico Program Director Juan Carlos Cantu, and focuses on threats to biodiversity.

Supervivencia is broadcasted weekly from Mexico City on IMER, a national governmental radio station that reaches more than 200,000 people across the country. Maria Elena and Juan Carlos created the show with help from Defenders to educate Mexican citizens about threats to parrots, sea turtles, mangrove forests and other major conservation challenges in the country.

The show was honored last Tuesday by officials of the Mexican government during National Conservation Week at a ceremony in Ciudad Juarez. The celebration and awards ceremony took place at the “Medanos de Samalayuca,” among the highest and largest sand dunes in Mexico, located just across the border from El Paso, Texas in the state of Chihuahua. The dunes are one of the country’s natural protected areas and home to coyotes, jack rabbits and kangaroo rats—just a few of the animals that had left visible tracks on the day of the ceremony.

Places like these exemplify the abundance of wildlife that our Mexican colleagues are fighting to protect. And with award-winning shows like Supervivencia, our allies have shown that they continue to lead the way.

Congratulations to the producers of the radio show and to Maria Elena and Juan Carlos for all their terrific work!

“You are making a difference! We’ve made a lot of progress, but we need you to stand strong!” That was the call to arms issued by Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) to 16 “citizen lobbyists” amassed for a Capitol Hill reception last week hosted by Cardin and longtime wildlife champion Representative Norm Dicks (WA-6).

The 100-person gathering was the culmination of a two-day lobbying marathon organized by Defenders and other conservation groups to help secure funding for wildlife conservation programs. In all, the heads of seven different enviornmental groups partiipated in the lobbying push along with countless other staff. And the 16 citizen lobbyists? They were the stars of the show, all having agreed last minute to put their personal lives on hold, fly to D.C. and speak from the heart about the importance of wildlife conservation funding to their local regions and economies.

They hailed from all walks of life—refuge managers, environmental activists, and local eco-business owners. And each had a unique story to tell about the importance of wildlife conservation in their area. Nathan Varley, owner and operator of The Wild Side, a wildlife tourism business, spoke to the crowd about how important wildlife is to his business and many others. “Put simply,” he said, “take away the wildlife and I don’t have a business and my employees don’t have jobs.”

Nathan’s plea was an apt one considering the total contribution from outdoor sports in the United States is nearly $821 billion a year, generating more than 6.4 million jobs and close to $100 billion in federal and state tax revenue. Wildlife viewing alone brought in close to $49 billion, including nearly half a million jobs and people visiting national wildlife refuges, parks, and other
recreation areas added another $47 billion.

“These programs are so vital to our natural heritage,” said Jamie Rappaport Clark, President of Defenders of Wildlife and emcee for the evening. “But we also must remember what they mean for jobs and so many local economies.”

With such earnest citizen lobbyists speaking out in favor of such programs, it’s not a lesson anyone is likely to forget soon.