Moving Turtles to Safety
Among the videos on National Geographic’s website is a Gulf Turtle Eggs Relocated video about volunteers moving loggerhead turtle eggs to a new, safe location. I’m so glad that biologists have agreed to move the turtles rather than let them hatch and swim into the oil spill.
As well, the video shows 22 Kemp’s Ridley turtle babies that were released into a safe part of the Atlantic shore. As I wrote in this blog’s May 5th article Conserving Turtles, Kemp’s Ridley turtles are the world’s most endangered turtles/tortoises, and live only in the Gulf of Mexico.
Altogether, over 700 turtle nests are to be relocated. The turtle rescue group is represented on the video by volunteers and a couple of spokespeople from the US Fish & Wildlife Service and the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies. The video is an interesting inside look at a conservation operation, thanks to National Geographic and Videographer and Field Producer Fritz Faerber.
Tags: Conservation, eggs, endangered, Gulf of Mexico, Institute for Marine Mammal Studies, Kemp's Ridley, loggerhead, National Geographic, oil spill, turtle, US Fish and Wildlife, video
Creating Wetlands for Birds
The U.S. Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative has announced that they are willing to pay up to $20 million to Gulf of Mexico area landowners to flood their fields in hopes of attracting migrating birds to the clean water. An estimated 1 billion birds will soon be migrating through the oil polluted area, and the land lakes would give them safe rest and nesting grounds.
The Initiative will pay for up to 150,000 acres of farm and ranch lands along the southern border of the US that lines the Gulf of Mexico, advises the LA Times. Landowners are being asked to flood their fields and promote bird-friendly plants, or improve any wetlands they have on their property.
The farmers who are already participating in conservation programs such as soil erosion control, pest management and water quality improvement, are expected to lead the sign ups. Hopefully other farmers/ranchers will also sign up for the program, which is expected to last for 3 to 5 years.
The Migratory Bird Conservation Commission is part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and is involved with establishing new waterfowl refuges as well as setting the price for any land and/or water areas that the Service is interested in purchasing.
One example is on June 16th, the US government announced that the Commission has approved a total of $35.7 million for acquiring over 319,000 acres of lands and wetlands in the United States and Canada. In addition to protecting birds, preserved wetlands provide storm protection and prevent flooding, cleanse water, and provide people with recreation and wildlife viewing arenas.
Tags: Conservation, Gulf, habitat, Migratory Bird, oil, US Fish and Wildlife, Wetlands
Conservation at Stanford
Good for Stanford University! They care about conserving the endangered species on their lands, which include the California tiger salamander, steelhead, California red-legged frog, Western pond turtle and San Francisco garter snake.
The University, with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Service, has developed a plan to conserve the species. The plan will be open for public comment from May 25 to July 15.
As with most habitat conservation plans, which are supported by the U.S. Endangered Species Act, the plan is comprehensive. 50 years for a land conservation plan apparently is considered long-term.
Over 1,000 habitat conservation plans have been granted by the U.S. federal government. Their purpose is to ensure that operations are done in a way that is thoughtful about protected species.
Some ideas as to what this looks like in Stanford’s case are:
- Based on almost ten years of conservation biology surveys, monitoring and enhancements, Stanford’s lands will be divided into 4 habitat zones, each with a conservation program and efforts
- a 315-acre California tiger salamander reserve will be established in the lower foothills
- ponds will be created together with tunnels across a nearby major street
- impeding structures in streams that impact steelhead migration will be removed
- basking platforms will be created for Western pond turtles
If Stanford decides to develop any area within the habitat zones, the land must be offset with easements that are three times the amount of the developed land.
They’re also doing some interesting research at Stanford. A geologist is participating in a National Academy of Sciences study that found that increased acidity of seawater and higher carbon dioxide in the atmosphere wiped out 90 percent of marine species and three quarters of land species 250 million years ago. And that’s similar to the conditions that are being created on Earth today.
Even though such developments may make today’s habitat conservation plans obsolete, such plans are key to helping species survive. As long as we still have viable populations of species, we can help them survive in the future.
Tags: acidic oceans, Conservation, Endangered Species Act, habitat plan, National Oceanic, Stanford, US Fish and Wildlife
State of the Birds
Nearly a third of the United States’ 800 bird species are endangered, threatened or in significant decline, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and several leading conservation organizations.
The organizations recently released a report (The State of the Birds: 2010 Report on Climate Change) showing that climate changes will increasingly disrupt bird species in all habitats. The report, as with many like it, was the outcome of inter-organization collaboration – which in science and in conservation is so often one key to success.
Hundreds of species of birds, already in trouble from habitat loss, invasive species and other environmental concerns, now are finding their habitat and food supply threatened. Oceanic and Hawaiian birds are likely to suffer the most. Migratory birds are also likely to be negatively impacted. Can you imagine driving or bussing home from work tomorrow and finding your street has been significantly flooded or destroyed?
Just as Rachel Carson forecast in her classic book Silent Spring, birds are excellent indicators of the health of our environment, and right now they are giving us an alarming message about the health of our planet.
The report goes beyond the problem and offers a few solutions. One key, as usual, is that organizations and individuals can positively influence this situation by working together. When lands are managed in such a way that it’s good for the wildlife, including birds, it can help ease the pressures that climate change is causing. One example of this is establishing incentives to preserve forests and wetlands, which both reduces carbon emissions and provides good habitat for animals.
Also, the U.S. Department of the Interior is planning to open eight regional Climate Science Centers that will help scientists learn more about the effects and implications of global warming. Land, natural, and cultural resource managers will examine impacts and design adaptation strategies, and deliver public education. The first Climate Science Center is being established in Anchorage, linked to the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
To access the report on line and for more information visit www.stateofthebirds.org.
Tags: Climate Change, Climate Science Center, Conservation, Hawaiian birds, migratory birds, Rachel Carson, Silent Spring, State of the Birds, US Department of the Interior, US Fish and Wildlife
