Defenders of Wildlife Blog

In Memory of Naturalist-Conservationist David Gaillard, 44

Northern Rockies Conservationist Dies In Avalanche

Written by Todd Wilkinson (Authors Bio)

[This post originally appeared on January 2nd 2012 on WildlifeArtJournal.com]

Heartbreaking is the only way to describe it.  On the afternoon of New Year’s Eve 2011-12, the American conservation community lost a young, fearless and inexhaustible advocate.

David Gaillard setting up a remote camera. Photo courtesy of WildlifeArtJournal.com.

David Gaillard, 44, of Bozeman, Montana, died in an avalanche while cross-country skiing the Hayden Creek drainage, located in the Absaroka Mountains just beyond the  back northeastern doorstep of Yellowstone National Park.

A proud graduate of the Yale School of Forestry and Williams College, Gaillard came West in 1990 seeking to groundtruth what he learned in the classroom.  He worked for the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Predator Conservation Alliance and, for the last five years, Defenders of Wildlife. His special interest was with carnivores, which are key indicators of ecosystem health.

Gaillard was at his most passionate in giving voice to a suite of forest and mountain dwellers many of us take for granted because they are so elusive and seldom seen.  The animals on this list include the wolverine, Canada lynx, fisher, and pine marten.

“People will protect the things that are right before their eyes,” he told me in 2011 as I was writing a story about wolverines, then being considered for federal protection as a result of a listing petition that Gaillard himself helped craft.  “If people can’t encounter these animals directly, then I at least want them to realize they are out there—and they need our help.  Otherwise, they could easily disappear without anyone knowing the difference.”

Gaillard, a lanky, red-headed outdoorsman, loved traversing through snow on skis and snowshoes. He wasn’t the kind of conservationist who saw himself as a town crier;  rather, he was a celebrator of wild places.  During the course of his career, he attended countless public meetings and dared to testify before hostile audiences that automatically equated species protection with loss of jobs. He delighted most in sharing anecdotes about the life histories of wolverines and lynx, encouraging folks to learn what their tracks look like in the snow and to take up the mantle of “citizen science” by sharing information they gleaned from their own backcountry adventures.

In 2011, as the U.S. Forest Service in Wyoming deliberated over whether it will open the Hoback Basin and Wyoming Range to oil and natural gas drilling—bringing industrial strength development to an important wildlife corridor—Gaillard erected remote controlled cameras.  He wanted viewers to objectively see for themselves that the areas targeted for energy production were used by a wide variety of critters, including hunters and outfitters drawn to mountains unblemished by pumpjacks and air pollution.  For an example of David’s handiwork, enjoy the video below (click on the lower corner of player to bring it to full screen).

Gaillard had many friends in the conservation movement. Not long ago, Defenders magazine published a story about wolverines and global warming written by Douglas Chadwick and in it Gaillard was quoted:  “Nobody can say for sure what the future may bring,” he said. “But I want to be able to look my daughter in the eye and say we are doing everything we can to prepare lynx, wolverines and other wildlife that she loves for the big changes ahead.”

Gaillard delivered on his promise.  His daughter can always know that her Dad did everything he could to remind us that wild places matter.  Condolences go out to David’s family and close friends.

Carnivore conservation expert killed in avalanche outside Yellowstone

BOZEMAN, Mont. (Jan. 3, 2012) — Defenders of Wildlife mourns the passing of David Gaillard. Dave was buried in an avalanche Saturday afternoon while cross-country skiing near Pilot Peak in the Shoshone National Forest south of Cooke City, Montana.

David Gaillard

Dave had been the Northern Rockies Representative in Bozeman, Montana for Defenders of Wildlife since 2007. Prior to coming to Defenders, Dave worked on carnivore conservation in the Northern Rockies region for a number of organizations since 1991. Dave was a leading champion for the conservation of some of the smaller and lesser known carnivores in the region – lynx, wolverines, fishers, and martens. Dave was very generous with his time and talents and worked on many other issues including wildlife adaptation to climate change, state wildlife action plans, and habitat conservation plans.

Dave was a great, long-standing, and effective conservation advocate, with a kind and generous heart, a quiet but hilarious sense of humor, and a warm and friendly demeanor. One of Dave’s highest priorities was to get people in the conservation community and far beyond to work more closely, effectively and cordially together, as evidenced by his work to bring wolverine researchers, managers, educators, and advocates together to form the Wolverine Network (http://www.wolverinenetwork.org/).

Dave was also a strong family man and community member.

Dave’s passing is a great loss for the conservation community, particularly the species he championed the most – lynx, wolverines, and fishers. It is a great loss for his family, many friends, and the Bozeman community. We are grateful for the time we had working with and getting to know Dave as a colleague and a friend. We express our condolences to Dave’s family, and to his friends and colleagues.

To learn more about Dave’s work for Defenders, visit his staff profile and recent blog posts. Click here to view a photo of Dave.

Read the full story reported by the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, and a touching tribute from freelance writer and friend Todd Wilkinson.

A proposal for 136 new oil and gas wells in a sensitive wildlife area south of Jackson Hole, Wyoming has been put on hold pending further review, announced the U.S. Forest Service yesterday. The Forest Service is now considering an alternative to the original drilling plan with fewer roads and infrastructure relocated from the western end of the project where it poses the greatest harm to the endangered Canada lynx and other wildlife.

Defenders lynx expert David Gaillard has been working with a broad coalition called Citizens for the Wyoming Range to prevent the project from destroying critical wildlife habitat. This summer he placed remote cameras along the Upper Hoback Rim and documented mule deer, elk, moose, a black bear, a bobcat, pronghorn antelope and a fox or coyote all using the area. These species and many others will be at risk if the project moves forward. (See video below)

Defenders’ members helped generate a record 60,000 comments raising concerns about this project, a key factor in the Forest Service’s decision to withdraw the plan for further analysis.  But the battle isn’t over until we know the lynx and other vulnerable wildlife are safe. The expanded environmental review is slated for completion in early 2012, before Bridger-Teton National Forest officials decide whether to approve the drilling project and under what conditions.

Thanks to Defenders activists and others who responded to our alerts on this issue and helped us gain this important reprieve. We’re likely to need your support again in 2012 to make sure that this and other harmful projects do not threaten native wildlife on our national forests in Wyoming.

Smile, wildlife! You’re on candid camera.

Canada lynx are highly elusive forest cats that prey on snowshoe hares in remote alpine reaches of the Rockies.

When Defenders’ Northern Rockies Representative Dave Gaillard set up cameras in the wilds of western Wyoming in early August, he wasn’t sure what he would find. Dave knew the area was a vital movement corridor for many species (see slideshow in original blog post), including mule deer, elk, moose and pronghorn antelope. But, as an expert on mid-sized carnivores, he was most interested in capturing on film one of the most elusive animals of all—the imperiled Canada lynx.

Lynx are extremely rare and stick to remote alpine regions where they can hunt snowshoe hares, their primary prey. Because of their unique habitat requirements, lynx populations are spread very thin in isolated mountain forests across the Rocky Mountains at very low densities. In fact, scientists believe there may be as few as 10 individuals in the entire greater Yellowstone ecosystem encompassing the national park and surrounding areas.

In three consecutive years, lynx were tracked moving through the Hoback Rim of the Wyoming Range. The white box indicates the corridor where cameras were placed in hopes of documenting lynx in the area.

That’s why protecting their habitat is so important. The area where Dave put the cameras is along the eastern portion of the Hoback Rim of the Wyoming Range in Bridger-Teton National Forest, a relative “hot spot” of lynx activity in previous years. (One research study shows lynx using the area in three consecutive years. See map at left.)

Unfortunately, the U.S. Forest Service has been considering a proposal to allow oil and gas exploration smack dab in the middle of this important wildlife corridor. Dave’s hope is that by documenting the wildlife that use the corridor, we can help convince the Forest Service not to approve the project, or at least not without substantial modifications to ensure lynx and other affected wildlife will not be harmed..

What Dave found was impressive indeed. See the video below compiled from all the footage captured by three remote cameras in just over a month. Mule deer, moose, a giant bull elk, a black bear, a bobcat (we think)**, either a fox or a coyote (too hard to tell)**, a couple domestic cows, even a few human hunters wandering by.

Sadly, no lynx this time. But the video is an excellent reminder of the great diversity of animals that we’re fighting to protect on our public lands.

Thanks to Dave and citizen scientists Kerry Gaillard and Michael Osgood for all their hard work!

Learn more about Defenders work in the Northern Rockies and our joint efforts to protect the Wyoming Range

**In case you missed them, here are some still images of the suspected bobcat and fox/coyote.

This spring, we reported on a proposal to turn a vast, undeveloped basin south of Jackson Hole, Wyoming into a major industrial oil and gas field.  This summer, our Rocky Mountain staff had the opportunity to visit this area and document the unique wildlife values at stake. Check out my photos below:

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Pronghorn antelope

Pronghorn antelope en route to the Hoback Rim, an area proposed for oil and gas development.

Sagebrush

Looking north from the sagebrush meadows to the forested Hoback Rim, a vital wildlife travel corridor.

Camera1

A photo of a camera we deployed to document wildlife using the area.

Camera2

A second camera we deployed that evening in the forested corridor of the Hoback Rim. The same well pad is about a quarter-mile from this spot.

Yellow field

The main access road from the Hoback Rim down to the Noble Basin.

Noble Basin 1

Three of the 17 proposed well pads are to be located within a mile of this spot, the closest within a couple hundred yards.

Noble Basin 2

Noble Basin 3

Aspen

An aspen stand as we head back up through the Hoback Rim corridor.

The Upper Hoback area provides habitat for an entire suite of wildlife, including pronghorn antelope, mule deer, elk, moose, black bears, mountain lions, wolves and possibly grizzly bears (it lies at the southern frontier of the Yellowstone population’s current range).  Yet our chief concern is the potential impact of this project on the imperiled  Canada lynx.

Lynx are exceedingly rare in the greater Yellowstone area, such that their entire population is believed to be fewer than 10 animals! The northeastern portion of the Wyoming Range, where this oil and gas project is proposed, provides some of the very best habitat for lynx in the entire state because of its abundance of snowshoe hares–the lynx’s main prey.  And if that isn’t enough cause for concern, the oil and gas project is located right next to a vital travel corridor for lynx, and its main access road goes right through it!

Don’t just take our word for it, here is some language from the **Forest Service’s recent environmental impact statement that describes the importance of this area to Wyoming’s imperiled lynx population:

Portions of the project area including the South Rim and parts of Middle Beaver Creek drainage have been described as prime lynx habitat… Experts have described the southern portions of the project area and the land immediately south of the project area as vital to the survival of lynx in Wyoming, and as the highest quality lynx habitat within the state… Recent research has shown that the unprecedented density of snowshoe hares present in the area likely contributes to the quality of the habitat as well as the consistent history of occupation in this area by lynx… Hare densities in this area are the highest ever observed in the greater Yellowstone area… Besides naturally occurring lynx, reintroduced lynx from Colorado have, on several occasions, dispersed to the area immediately south of the project area… The nearest denning activity to the project area has been documented in the vicinity of the South Rim about 1 to 2 miles west of the project area…

Radio collared lynx from the Wyoming Range have been tracked making regular long range movements through the project area. A single male made extra-territorial exploratory movements to the north of his delineated home-range each of at least four summers. The male used the South Rim as a travel corridor to travel to and from his home-range each year. The South Rim may represent vital linkage habitat, connecting lynx habitat in the Wyoming Range to suitable habitats with the Wind River Range, the Gros Ventre Range, Yellowstone and other suitable habitats farther north…

(**The project lies in the Bridger-Teton National Forest, so the Forest Service has authority over if and how the drilling is conducted.)

Here is a map of lynx movements through this area from a research project.  The project area is outlined with a white box.

Source: Squires et al. 2003, Distribution of lynx and other forest carnivores in the Wyoming Range, southcentral Wyoming, Final Report. Rocky Mountain Research Station and Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

Hope!

There is still hope that this potentially devastating project can be stopped, or at least scaled way back to ensure minimal harm to lynx and other wildlife.  A unique coalition of conservation advocates like Defenders of Wildlife, plus hunters, outfitters, residents and many others who know and love this area have joined forces to do just that.  Visit www.wyomingrange.org to learn more, and how you can help!

“Fracking” is shorthand for Hydraulic Fracturing: a drilling method used to extract oil and gas by injecting fluids into a deep well. The practice threatens ground and surface water quality, which is particularly worrisome to local landowners and given the project’s location at the headwaters of the Wild and Scenic Hoback River, a tributary to the Snake River.

Lynx could be impacted by undoing oil and gas reforms.

Public lands throughout the country, including more than 245 million acres overseen by the Bureau of Land Management, are some of the last best habitats for wildlife like sage grouse, lynx and more. But some of these special places could soon be the target of a renewed push for oil and gas drilling.

Although wildlife must compete with the habitat degrading activities that traditionally occur on these lands — like mining, grazing and wildfire suppression — we have been very successful at making sure that healthy, intact forests and grasslands on public lands still offer wildlife a safe place to live.

Throughout the West, however, oil and gas drilling stands out as one of the biggest threats to wildlife and wild places. Drilling operations can consume thousands of acres of healthy habitat. Fortunately, the Obama administration has put in place leasing reforms that take into account just how important these lands are for thousands of species. The improved oil and gas leasing process now ensures the conservation of key wildlife and habitat, encourages public input and participation, and reduces conflict among stakeholders.

And while current onshore drilling levels have reached a 20-year high, Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming has introduced a bill that would reinstate the previous “Wild West” system of oil and gas leasing, which mostly ignored impacts on wildlife.

However, Congress is trying to turn back the clock and undo these commonsense reforms despite the risks and dire impacts of drilling in sensitive places. And while current onshore drilling levels have reached a 20-year high, Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming has introduced a bill that would reinstate the previous “Wild West” system of oil and gas leasing, which mostly ignored impacts on wildlife.

The sage grouse is another species that could be put at risk.

What’s worse is that Big Oil is pushing for this bad bill to be tacked onto legislation aimed at improving drilling safety in the wake of BP’s devastating Gulf oil geyser last year.

Don’t let this rollback sneak past, contact your senators today and ask them to vote NO on S. 1027 and vote NO on any amendment to S. 917 (the “spill bill”) that reverses the great progress made by Obama’s oil and gas leasing reforms.

Take Action: Visit Defenders’ Action Center to learn how to get involved.