On Thursday, Judge Donald Molloy ordered the re-listing of the Gray Wolf in Montana and Idaho as an endangered species; in doing so, he overturned the decision made last year by the US Fish & Wildlife service.

Last year’s decision to de-list the wolf populations of Idaho and Montana led to the opening of wolf hunts in Montana and Idaho that many had hoped to repeat this year. Decisions last month by Montana state officials increased the wolf catch quota by 150%, based on projections of continued growth in the wolf population. However, Judge Molloy’s decision would prohibit the re-opening of a wolf hunt in either state.

The reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone has been a controversial project since its inception in 1995, and state officials, hunters, conservation organizations, and various animal rights and welfare groups continue to debate the particulars of its progress. Last year, US Fish and Wildlife officials submitted the wolf for de-listing in Montana and Idaho, arguing that populations in those states had grown large and viable enough to permit such action without danger of elimination. However, some conservation organizations argue that the populations should not be considered distinct because overlap in habitats, ranges, and resources mean that assessment must be comprehensive. Given that, they argue that wolves in the American west remain endangered, and should retain their protected status. On Thursday, it appears that Judge Molloy agreed.

Alexandra Sutton Uncategorized endangered species, reintroduction, wolf

As oil begins to lap at the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, the second oldest wildlife refuge in the nation has closed its gates to visitors. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced that Breton National Wildlife Refuge—home to populations of endangered brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis), least terns (Sternula antillarum), and piping plovers (Charadrius melodus), as well as many other species of wading birds, sea birds, shorebirds, waterfowl, and other wildlife—is no longer permitting public entry. The closure was instituted “to keep the public safe, to minimize disturbance to nesting colonial sea birds, and to allow personnel conducting cleanup operations and recovery efforts to work safely and efficiently” (Joint Information Center).

A massive oil spill—which began with the April 20th explosion of British Petroleum’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf—has grown and traveled slowly toward the coast of the southeastern U.S. The Coast Guard confirmed late on Wednesday that oil had reached Breton’s Chandeleur Islands, a chain of uninhabited barrier islands surrounded by thick marshlands.

Pelicans in Breton NWR had recently shown signs of recovery from Hurricane Katrina, which took a toll on their habitat in 2005. That storm eroded the refuge’s beaches and marshes. But according to the refuge’s website, as many as 2,000 nesting pelicans have been using the refuge in recent years. Here’s hoping they rebound as ably from this latest onslaught.

Katie Unger Oil, endangered species, energy development, wetlands birds, endangered species, National Wildlife Refuges, Oil Spill

Darryl Walter Human Dimensions of Wildlife Management and Conservation, Human-wildlife conflict, endangered species endangered species

In January, a team from The Peregrine Fund recovered carcasses of three California condors in northern Arizona. Yesterday, they announced that scientists at San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research had performed necropsies and confirmed that fragments of spent lead ammunition found in the birds’ digestive tracts had poisoned the condors.  

The news is a setback for this critically endangered species: Fewer than 200 individuals currently exist in the wild. But the loss also presents an opportunity to expand condor conservation efforts, such as the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s outreach program, which encourages hunters in condor habitat to use non-lead ammunition in condor habitat. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources plans to follow suit later this year by offering free non-lead ammunition to hunters in one of their units in southwestern Utah.

In 2008 TWS published a Technical Review on the effects of lead on wildlife and articles in The Wildlife Professional (v. 3/2) took up this issue last summer–see this piece by the Missouri Department of Conservation’s John Schulz and this one by Adam Keats and Shaye Wolf of the Center for Biological Diversity. Keats and Wolf called voluntary lead ammunition reduction efforts in Arizona “modestly successful,” citing this report, which found more than 80 percent of hunters took steps to reduce lead in the environment during 2007. However, the authors also noted the ”major limitations” of such efforts, notably that “low amounts of noncompliance can still cause harm.” The three poisoned condors–which included a breeding female and her chick from last year–unfortunately provide evidence of this harm.

Katie Unger Environmental toxicants, Human Dimensions of Wildlife Management and Conservation, hunting endangered species, hunting, lead

Jeff Corwin, in the Los Angeles Times, states, “every 20 minutes we lose an animal species. If this rate continues, by century’s end, 50% of all living species will be gone. It is a phenomenon known as the sixth extinction. The fifth extinction took place 65 million years ago when a meteor smashed into the Earth, killing off the dinosaurs and many other species and opening the door for the rise of mammals. Currently, the sixth extinction is on track to dwarf the fifth.”

Read Corwin’s entire column here.

Darryl Walter climate change, endangered species climate change, endangered species

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell says he has the best interest of polar bears at heart, but he doesn’t intend to let the federal government’s expanded protection for bears get in the way of the state’s continued prosperity.

Like his predecessor, Sarah Palin, the governor is suing the federal government to overturn the listing of the iconic symbol of the Arctic as a threatened species, a move made last year that he believes could threaten Alaska’s lifeblood: petroleum development.

“Currently some are attempting to improperly use the Endangered Species Act to shut down resource development,” Parnell says. “I’m not going to let this happen on my watch.”

As Alaska North Slope wells dry up, the state is turning to potential offshore discoveries to refill the trans-Alaska pipeline and ensure the long-term prospects of a $26 billion proposed natural gas pipeline. Protections for polar bears under the Endangered Species Act could thwart that, Parnell says, adding that they’re not needed.

“Alaskans have an excellent track record of both developing our natural resources and protecting our wildlife,” says Parnell, who replaced Palin when she resigned in late July.

That’s a position critics dispute after the 10.8-million gallon Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, a 200,000-gallon North Slope pipeline spill in March 2006, and the state-funded killing of more than 1,000 wolves and hundreds of black bears since 2003 to increase moose and caribou populations.

Polar bears are regulated by the federal government like whales and seals. They spend most of their lives on frozen ocean water, where their main prey, ringed seals, give birth to pups in lairs. Warming of Arctic waters has significantly diminished the sea ice.

Read the complete story here.

Darryl Walter endangered species, wildlife conservation Alaska, endangered species, wildlife conservation

Houston toad (Bufo houstonensis)

Donald Brown, a member of The Wildlife Society, sent in his photo of a Houston toad, above, to help bring attention to the plight of this endangered species. In Brown’s words:

“This male Houston toad (Bufo houstonensis) is calling for females in Bastrop Texas. Endemic to east-central Texas, this toad species has been extirpated from four of the 13 counties it originally inhabited, with continuing population declines apparent in the remaining counties. Habitat loss through development and fire suppression, coupled with several long-term droughts, appear to be the primary factors involved in its decline. Current estimates suggest that less than 500 toads remain in the wild. This Pleistocene relic requires forest and woodland environments with deep sandy soils, reducing its migratory and dispersal potential. Bastrop County is currently implementing a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service-approved Habitat Conservation Plan to help steward the Houston toad in its last remaining stronghold. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Environmental Defense Fund assist by guiding management and working with private landowners. In addition, the Houston Zoo has developed a headstarting program and Texas State University-San Marcos provides research guiding the collaboration of stakeholders and management authorities seeking recovery of this critically endangered species.”

Katie Unger Uncategorized, wildlife conservation amphibian, collaboration, endangered species, Texas

The Wildlife Society is a member organization of Endangered Species Coalition.  This year, Endangered Species Day, which celebrates of our nation’s wildlife and wild places, is taking play May 15.  Endangered Species Day was started in 2006 by the United States Congress, and takes place the third Friday of May.

Visit here and learn more about Endangered Species Day.

Darryl Walter TWS Sponsored Programs, endangered species endangered species

Darryl Walter climate change climate change, endangered species

Malaysia’s Muslim preachers have been enlisted in the fight for wildlife conservation, using passages from the Koran to raise awareness and help protect some of the world’s most endangered species. Read more here.

Darryl Walter wildlife conservation endangered species, poaching, wildlife conservation