Zen for Rhinos

Posted on August 14, 2015 by GarryRogers

Vietnam is the country responsible for the most demand in rhino horn.

75% of Vietnam is Buddhist.

Recently the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) announced they would actively promote guidelines and awareness toward the illegal and immoral use of rhino horn.

According to the IBC newsletter, “We should move from Compassion to Action…putting forth the need for a pioneering Buddhist initiative that translates Buddha’s teachings of compassion and wisdom into action for the good of all sentient beings.”

Vietnam’s Buddhist leadership has agreed to launch a comprehensive public outreach campaign against the use of rhino horn on the grounds that it is steeped in violence towards animals, biodiversity and human beings (poachers, rangers, and the victims of illegal trafficking in drugs, arms and people).

It’s consumption therefore is unacceptable for any Buddhist and has to stop. Sourced through Scoop.it from: fightforrhinos.com

8 incredible animals being hunted into extinction

Posted on August 7, 2015 by GarryRogers

Along with habitat destruction, hunting and the wildlife trade could put an end to the existence of these great creatures. Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.treehugger.com

Wildlife Weekly Wrap-Up

Posted on August 7, 2015 by GarryRogers

Idaho Says It Won’t Kill Wolves in the Frank Church this Winter: Yesterday, the Forest Service announced that Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) will not engage in any wolf killing in the federally-protected Frank Church-River of No Return… Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.defendersblog.org

Endangered and Threatened Arizona Species Qualifying for Endangered-Species-Act Protection

Posted on July 22, 2015 by GarryRogers

A Small Subset of Arizona’s #EndangeredSpecies

The Arizona Game and Fish Department provided this photo of an endangered ocelot.

Many Arizona species with shrinking populations will never receive protection under the U. S. Endangered Species Act. Some are doing well outside Arizona, but the principal reason for the absence of protection is that many Arizona species have not been identified. Of those that biologists have identified, most have not been studied in enough detail to know how well they are doing. This tragic lack of data is true of most wild species worldwide.

Click here for lists of some of Arizona’s other endangered species.

According to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the list below, updated 02/13/2015,

shows listed species or populations believed to or known to occur in Arizona
does not include experimental populations and similarity-of-appearance listings.
includes species or populations under the sole jurisdiction of the National Marine Fisheries Service.

The list includes 21 plants and 44 animals. The links for the species scientific names connect to official details for the listing. The linked pages include maps and some photos. More species photos and other information are found at: FWS Digital Media Library. However, the best resource for photos is a simple Google Image search.

E = Endangered

T = Threatened

Arizona #Endangered and #Threatened Animals (44)

	..
E	Ambersnail, Kanab Entire (Oxyloma haydeni kanabensis)
E	Bat, lesser long-nosed Entire (Leptonycteris curasoae yerbabuenae)
E	Bobwhite, masked (quail) Entire (Colinus virginianus ridgwayi)
T	Catfish, Yaqui Entire (Ictalurus pricei)
E	Chub, bonytail Entire (Gila elegans)
E	Chub, Gila Entire (Gila intermedia)
E	Chub, humpback Entire (Gila cypha)
T	Chub, Sonora Entire (Gila ditaenia)
E	Chub, Virgin River Entire (Gila seminuda (=robusta))
E	Chub, Yaqui Entire (Gila purpurea)
E	Condor, California Entire, except where listed as an experimental population (Gymnogyps californianus)
T	Cuckoo, yellow-billed Western U.S. DPS (Coccyzus americanus)
E	Ferret, black-footed entire population, except where EXPN (Mustela nigripes)
E	Flycatcher, southwestern willow Entire (Empidonax traillii extimus)
T	Frog, Chiricahua leopard Entire (Rana chiricahuensis)
T	gartersnake, northern Mexican (Thamnophis eques megalops)
E	Jaguar U.S.A(AZ,CA,LA,NM,TX),Mexico,Central and South America (Panthera onca)
E	Minnow, loach Entire (Tiaroga cobitis)
E	Mouse, New Mexico meadow jumping (Zapus hudsonius luteus)
E	Ocelot U.S.A.(AZ, TX) to Central and South America (Leopardus (=Felis) pardalis)
T	Owl, Mexican spotted Entire (Strix occidentalis lucida)
E	Pikeminnow (=squawfish), Colorado Entire, except EXPN (Ptychocheilus lucius)
E	Pronghorn, Sonoran Entire (Antilocapra americana sonoriensis)
E	Pupfish, desert Entire (Cyprinodon macularius)
E	Rail, Yuma clapper U.S.A. only (Rallus longirostris yumanensis)
T	Rattlesnake, New Mexican ridge-nosed Entire (Crotalus willardi obscurus)
E	Salamander, Sonora tiger Entire (Ambystoma tigrinum stebbinsi)
T	Shiner, beautiful Entire (Cyprinella formosa)
T	Snake, narrow-headed garter (Thamnophis rufipunctatus)
E	Spikedace Entire (Meda fulgida)
T	Spinedace, Little Colorado Entire (Lepidomeda vittata)
T	springsnail, San Bernardino Entire (Pyrgulopsis bernardina)
E	Springsnail, Three Forks Entire (Pyrgulopsis trivialis)
E	Squirrel, Mount Graham red Entire (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus grahamensis)
E	Sucker, razorback Entire (Xyrauchen texanus)
E	Sucker, Zuni bluehead (Catostomus discobolus yarrowi)
E	Tern, California least (Sterna antillarum browni)
E	Topminnow, Gila (incl. Yaqui) U.S.A. only (Poeciliopsis occidentalis)
T	Tortoise, desert U.S.A., except in Sonoran Desert (Gopherus agassizii)
T	Trout, Apache Entire (Oncorhynchus apache)
T	Trout, Gila Entire (Oncorhynchus gilae)
E	Vole, Hualapai Mexican Entire (Microtus mexicanus hualpaiensis)
E	Wolf, Mexican gray Entire, except where an experimental population (Canis lupus baileyi)
E	Woundfin Entire, except EXPN (Plagopterus argentissimus)

Arizona Endangered and Threatened Plants (21)


E	Blue-star, Kearney’s (Amsonia kearneyana)
E	Cactus, Acuna (Echinomastus erectocentrus var. acunensis)
E	Cactus, Arizona hedgehog (Echinocereus triglochidiatus var. arizonicus)
E	Cactus, Brady pincushion (Pediocactus bradyi)
T	Cactus, Cochise pincushion (Coryphantha robbinsiorum)
E	Cactus, Fickeisen plains (Pediocactus peeblesianus fickeiseniae)
E	Cactus, Nichol’s Turk’s head (Echinocactus horizonthalonius var. nicholii)
E	Cactus, Peebles Navajo (Pediocactus peeblesianus var. peeblesianus)
E	Cactus, Pima pineapple (Coryphantha scheeri var. robustispina)
T	Cactus, Siler pincushion (Pediocactus (=Echinocactus,=Utahia) sileri)
E	Cliff-rose, Arizona (Purshia (=Cowania) subintegra)
T	Cycladenia, Jones (Cycladenia humilis var. jonesii)
T	Fleabane, Zuni (Erigeron rhizomatus)
E	Ladies’-tresses, Canelo Hills (Spiranthes delitescens)
E	mallow, Gierisch (Sphaeralcea gierischii)
E	Milk-vetch, Holmgren (Astragalus holmgreniorum)
E	Milk-vetch, Sentry (Astragalus cremnophylax var. cremnophylax)
T	Milkweed, Welsh’s (Asclepias welshii)
T	Ragwort, San Francisco Peaks (Packera franciscana)
T	Sedge, Navajo (Carex specuicola)
E	Water-umbel, Huachuca (Lilaeopsis schaffneriana var. recurva)

Extinction Resources: Information, Opinion, Ideas, & Questions

Posted on July 22, 2015 by GarryRogers

Extinction Information Resources

Passenger Pigeon

Stopping human-caused extinction of Earth’s plant and animal species is the greatest challenge of our time. This post provides access to the latest articles on extinction. The first item (Ceballos et al. 2015) is the latest detailed report on what we know and how we acquired the information.

Ceballos, Gerardo, Paul R. Ehrlich, Anthony D. Barnosky, Andrés García, Robert M. Pringle, and Todd M. Palmer. 19 June 2015. Accelerated modern human–induced species losses: Entering the sixth mass extinction. Science Advances Vol. 1, no. 5 (e1400253, DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1400253). Corresponding author. E-mail: gceballo@ecologia.unam.mx.

More than a thousand recent articles are linked to my blog (http://garryrogers.com/blog):

Causes of Extinction

My blog covers the things that people do to cause extinctions and reduce biodiversity. These deeds of ours are woven into individual and our collective habits and beliefs. Stopping them will alter our society and our culture. It will be difficult. Our population must be reduced, our food choices must change, and our resource harvest must decline. Nothing less will succeed. Search the blog using the following terms for recent reports: Burning, Coal, Construction, Deforestation, Desertification, Energy, Farming, Fishing, Fracking, Grazing, Hunting, Invasive Species, Logging, Mining, Oil, Pesticides, Pet Trade, Pollution, Population, Roads, and Soil.

Climate change will become the major cause of extinction. Here’s its search link on my blog: Climate Change.

For more reading, my Internet newsletters include a wider variety of articles than my blog.

Sightings of Australia’s common birds are declining

Posted on July 16, 2015 by GarryRogers

Sightings of some of Australia’s most common birds, including those that have inspired folk songs and become mascots of football teams, are decreasing in parts of Australia, according to a major report on the health of the country’s bird population.

Among the species for which fewer sightings have been recorded are the laughing kookaburra, magpie and willie wagtail.

Released by Environment Minister Greg Hunt on the eve of Thursday’s Threatened Species Summit at Melbourne Zoo, the State of Australia’s Birds 2015 report’s surprise finding was that it was the country’s “common birds” that weren’t faring so well.

Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.theage.com.au

GR: This is being reported around the world, and not just for birds; most species are declining.

Arizona #Endangered Species: River Otters

Posted on July 11, 2015 by GarryRogers

Credit: painting by Consie Powell from Kays and Wilson’s Mammals of North America, © Princeton University Press (2002)

The North American River Otter (Lontra Canadensis) is a dark brown, long-bodied, web-footed, big-whiskered mammal weighing between 10 and 30 pounds. Otters live in burrows beside streams, lakes, swamps, and ponds. They are superb fishermen, but they also hunt frogs, turtles, crayfish, small mammals, and birds.

Importance

Like other predators, Otters help control the numbers of their prey species. They happily take introduced alien species along with natives. In a few instances, people have complained that River Otters might be eating trout introduced to Arizona waters for sport fishing.

Otters often eat and sleep floating on their backs. In the picture, a mother is holding her big-nosed child on her stomach.

Habitat

River Otters live where there is permanent food and water. They prefer riparian communities dominated by willows, cottonwoods, birches, and spruce, cattails, red-osier dogwood, black hawthorn, common snowberry, grasses, horsetails, bulrushes, and sedges (Tesky, 1993).

Conservation

River Otters lived throughout Arizona. Unfortunately, their thick fur made them a favorite of 19th Century fur trappers. It takes 20 to 30 otters to make a fur coat. By 1900, most of the Otters were gone and the fur coats had worn out. During the 20th Century, water pollution and stream diversion for irrigation, flood control, and recreation eliminated most of the best habitat. Today there are few if any Otters left in the State. Ponds and pools along the Agua Fria River near my home in central Arizona might be suitable for otters, but it is unlikely that any live here.

The State of Arizona Game and Fish Department conservation status ranking for otters and many other wildlife species is included in the species checklists on this website.

Bringing Otters back to Arizona: Reservoir Dreams

Returning Otters to Arizona would be difficult. Otters are sensitive to water pollution, and could not survive in many of the State’s streams and lakes. Moreover, the banks of irrigation canals and reservoirs aren’t suitable for Otter burrows. We can imagine that we might set aside one of our reservoirs for Otters. Stocked with native fish, protected from pollution and recreation, and planted with preferred vegetation, Otters brought to the reservoir from other locations might set up a colony and the species might once again live in Arizona.

The header image is from Animal Photos.

Resources

Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD). List of “nongame” species includes bats: http://bit.ly/YOa6og.
Arizona Game and Fish Department. 1995 (Second Draft). Animal Abstracts Lontra Canadensis sonora. PDF. Unpublished abstract compiled and edited by the Heritage Data Management System, Arizona Game and Fish Department, Phoenix, AZ. PDF.
Hoffmeister, D.F. 1986. Mammals of Arizona. The University of Arizona Press. Tucson. Pp. 515-517.
Jones, et al. 1987. North American Mammals North of Mexico. Texas Tech Univ.
Kays, R.W., and D.E. Wilson. 2009. Mammals of North America (second edition). Princeton Univ Press, Princeton, NJ. 248 p.
National Wildlife Federation: www.nwf.org.
NatureServe. http://www.natureserve.org/explorer.
Navajo Nation Fish and Wildlife Department. 2000. Navajo Endangered Species List. Navajo Nation Fish and Wildlife Department. 2005. Navajo Endangered Species List. P. 2.
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History: http://www.mnh.si.edu/mna/image_info.cfm?species_id=142.
Tesky, J.L. 1993. Lutra canadensis. In U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station Sciences Laboratory (2002, September). Fire Effects Information System, http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/animals/mammal/luca/all.html.
Endangered Species Act. 1973. The act and related laws discussed at: http://www.fws.gov/laws/lawsdigest/ESACT.html.
U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service: http://www.fws.gov.
USDA, Forest Service Region 3. 1999. Regional Forester’s Sensitive Species List. The latest update (2007) does not list the River Otter.

I am beginning a series of short articles about the state’s endangered species. For species that the Department considers Critically Imperiled (S1), Imperiled (S2), or Vulnerable to Extinction (S3). Please send me your comments and suggestions or bring them to a meeting. The inaugural meeting is at 10:00 am, August 15, 2015, at the Dewey-Humboldt Historical Society Museum on Main Street in Humboldt.

US REFUSES BRITISH MUSEUM’S IVORY ART

Posted on July 2, 2015 by GarryRogers

British Museum’s ivory icons denied US entry for loan show
by VICTORIA STAPLEY-BROWN, The Art Newspaper
1 July 2015

The US Fish and Wildlife Service blocked the importation of six Byzantine ivory pieces due to come to the US on a loan from the British Museum for the travelling exhibition Saints and Dragons: Icons from Byzantium to Russia. The show, currently on view at the Museum of Russian Icons in Clinton, Massachusetts and due to travel to the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Virginia, this autumn, centres on icons that are normally hidden away in storage at the London museum.

Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.amaraelephantblog.com

GR: Perhaps historically and artistically important ivory artifacts should be duplicated and then destroyed.

Speak for Wolves

Posted on May 25, 2015 by GarryRogers

On August 7-9 2015, Americans of all-walks-of-life will meet in West Yellowstone, Montana to tell our elected leaders that we need to reform wildlife … Source: www.speakforwolves.org

GR: We could choose to maintain intact ecosystems. There are so many species threatened now that it’s hard to decide where to spend efforts. Wolves are a pretty good choice. For them to flourish much will have to change in the ways that people live with the land. To prevail on behalf of wolves will benefit many other species. The gathering in West Yellowstone concerns all wildlife species. Let’s go.

See on Scoop.it – GarryRogers NatCon News