Environmentalists sue for more rules to protect sage grouse

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BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — “Environmental groups sued Thursday to force the Obama administration to impose more restrictions on oil and gas drilling, grazing and other activities blamed for the decline of greater sage grouse across the American West.

“A sweeping sage grouse conservation effort that the government announced last September is riddled with loopholes and will not be enough to protect the bird from extinction, according to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Idaho.

“It follows several legal challenges against the same rules from the opposite end of the political spectrum. Mining companies, ranchers and officials in Utah, Idaho and Nevada argue that the administration’s actions will impede economic development.

“The ground-dwelling sage grouse, known for their elaborate mating ritual, range across a 257,000-square-mile region spanning 11 states.  From: bigstory.ap.org

GR:  Once again, private funding is required to force a public agency to do its job.  Human land use has already damaged much of the sage grouse habitat.  This lawsuit is particularly important, because protecting the bird’s full range will protect the remnants of habitat needed by it and many other species.

One of the first human land uses that will have to end is cattle grazing.  More lawsuits paid by private citizens will likely be required, but destructive grazing has already diminished the carrying capacity of the land so much that the number of cattle has declined substantially.  Wildlife has declined even more.  The reduced cattle production will dampen the desires of the livestock industry and their public government officials to fight to retain the right to continue the destruction.  One day, sage grouse and other members of its ecosystem might be safe at home on the range.

Zimbabwe Park to Cull 200 Lions, Cites Lack of Hunters

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One of Zimbabwe’s largest wildlife reserves, the Bubye Valley Conservancy, recently announced that it was considering culling up to 200 lions as the c… From: www.outdoorhub.com

GR:  Too many people; no place for lions.

Global Forest Watch Interactive Map

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GarryRogersThese interactive maps show carbon emissions associated with clearing of above ground live woody biomass across the tropics.  You can use the map layers to create custom maps of forest change, cover, and use.  This is a great resource!  Recommended.

rainforest-fire“GFW Climate provides interactive and high resolution (30 meter) maps of both the carbon stored in forests and the carbon dioxide emitted to the atmosphere when forests are cleared. It also offers a customized user experience through the creation of on-the-fly maps and analysis, interactive country dashboards, customized reports and data downloads. The result is decision-relevant information that is transparent, easy to understand, and available to all who want to mitigate climate change through the implementation of better forest policies and programs. The entire GFW platform is free to use and follows an open data approach.

“At this time, GFW Climate focuses only on estimating emissions from tropical deforestation, and does not include emissions or removals from other land use activities such as forest degradation or carbon stock enhancements from forest gains. Methods and data for these activities are generally less developed than those for deforestation. Given the recent momentum behind global and regional restoration initiatives, future versions of GFW Climate may expand to include other activities as new data become available.

“GFW Climate is supported by a diverse partnership of organizations that contribute data, technology, funding, and expertise. The GFW partnership is convened by the World Resources Institute. See a full list of partners below.” —Global Forest Watch.

 

The Owl Massacre of 2016: Proposed Timber Sale to Take Over 100 Northern Spotted Owls

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In the past year, EPIC has talked a lot about the proposed Westside Project—a massive logging project on the Klamath National Forest. In case you haven’t heard, the Klamath National Forest has proposed logging approximately 6,800 acres of clearcuts near the Klamath River. The majority of these clearcuts—upwards of 70%—are scheduled for northern spotted owl critical habitat and/or “Late Successional Reserves,” lands set aside for northern spotted owls. You can find more at our archives, located here.

On Friday, February 19, 2016, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued its Biological Opinion on the Westside Project which detailed the amount of carnage this logging project would cause to northern spotted owls. The numbers are grim. All told, the Westside Project would “take” up to 103 owls; 74 adults and between 12–24 juveniles.

To put this number in perspective, this represents 1–2% of all northern spotted owls left. While this might not seem like a lot, rangewide populations of northern spotted owl are in increasingly steep decline. A recent demographic study estimates that northern spotted owl populations have declined by 3.8% per year from 1985 to 2013 and suggests the rate of decline appears to be increasing. You can read more about the plight of the northern spotted owl and EPIC’s efforts to help save the owl on our new blog post, located here.  From: www.wildcalifornia.org

GR:  The U. S. Forest Service strikes again!  Simultaneous deforestation and attack on an endangered-species.

Drought Adds Fuel to Fire as Zambia Loses Battle to Save Forests

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Despite concerted efforts to reduce deforestation, this season’s poor rainfall is causing food, power shortages that could force more Zambian villagers to turn to forests for fuel and income.  From: www.voanews.com

GR:  Population is a bit like impulse spending.  Out of control, it leaves no savings, no cushion to carry us through hard times.  And as Earth’s human populations grow, more of nature must be sacrificed for food, fuel, and fiber.

Nitrogen is a neglected threat to biodiversity

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Habitat destruction and the direct exploitation of species often occupy center stage in discussions of biodiversity perils. However, indirect harms, such as that posed by nitrogen pollution, remain underappreciated and poorly …From: phys.org

GR:  Nitrates from farm fertilizers have polluted freshwater in many regions across the Earth.  Nitrogen is particularly dangerous for babies and for the eldery of all species.  Where I live, downstream from a farm, we have always filtered the water.  Sadly, the fish, amphibians, birds, and mammals that live here must drink the polluted water to live.  We understand the toxic effects of nitrogen, but we can only guess at how much this one human waste has changed and shortened wildlife lives.

Grassland harvest could conserve resources, benefit farmers, and curb government spending

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The USDA’s Farm Service Agency established the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) 30 years ago in an effort to improve water quality, reduce soil erosion, and increase habitat for sensitive wildlife species. The program pays rent to farmers in exchange for land to be taken out of row crop production and planted with species that improve environmental quality. Thereafter, the land and its cover crop are to be left essentially untouched for the duration of the 10- to 15-year contract. But what if the biomass from CRP land could be harvested as a source for bioenergy? A team led by University of Illinois researchers set out to determine potential biomass yield and economic benefits of using CRP land to meet government mandates for ethanol production.

“In 2008, we started long term research at the field scale. We wanted to estimate CRP biomass yield and best management practices, including nitrogen application rates and harvest timing, to maximize yield,” notes the study’s principal investigator, U of I agronomist D.K. Lee.  From: phys.org

GR:  Jeeze!  Here is another example of the never-ending search for a way to make a profit off the land without regard for wildlife or soil ecology.

Improving Agriculture for Human Food Production (Dax Olfindo, Philippines)

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“The Philippines is at the forefront when we talk about biodiversity, as it is one of the Megadiverse Countries; countries that are inhabited by most of the earth’s species. Location, climate and topography are the key factors as to why this country is abundant with life; and we’re not talking about plants and animals alone. Ranked 9th (for countries with population exceeding 10 million) and 38th overall, this Southeast Asian nation is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. With great number of people, comes great responsibility; feeding them.

“Blessed with conditions that are favorable to a wide host of species, this country has failed to take advantage of this fact; lagging behind in food production. Most of our farmers dream of moving closer to the city in order to find better paying jobs. This has resulted to untended lands, that otherwise could have been producing food. Some of these farmers have found success, most of them however fail. I know that this phenomenon is not unique to the Philippines and we need to reverse this trend soon. If we don’t do anything about it, there will be no more farmers left and we will all face a major crisis.”   From: blog.gfar.net

GR:  The lofty goal to produce more food could have short-term benefits for people.  Long term, however, population growth, land degradation, and climate change will destroy any hope for a better life.  What is important now for the Philippines and all other countries is to stop (yes, that’s stop) greenhouse gas emissions, and start reducing the human population and its need for food.

Feds outline plan to curb invasive species

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“Early detection and response, partnerships across jurisdictions seen as critical measures

“The spread of invasive species has been identified as the second-leading cause of extinctions among all plants and animals worldwide — and the problem is getting worse in the era of global trade. Just a few months ago, scientists warned that North American amphibians are at risk from an invasive fungus. White-nose syndrome, which has wiped out millions of bats, may have also spread to the U.S. from Europe.

“Federal officials now say they have a plan to try and curb the proliferation of invasive species by focusing on early detection and swift response. The measures are outlined in a report released by the Interior Department: Safeguarding America’s Lands and Waters from Invasive Species: A National Framework for Early Detection and Rapid Response.

“Invasive species pose one of the most significant ecological threats to America’s lands and waters,” said U.S. Department of the Interior Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Kristen J. Sarri. “Early detection and rapid response actions can reduce the long-term costs, economic burden, and ecological harm that they have on communities. Strong partnerships and a shared commitment to preventing the spread of invasive species can lay the foundation for more effective and cost-efficient strategies to stop their spread.”  From: summitcountyvoice.com

GR:  Though the invasive-species threat is real and much damage has already been done, the U. S. land management agencies do very little to control the problem.  Every few years, the agencies repeat the ideas covered in this post and then don’t act.  In fact, the USDI already has policy guidance on the books that include Early Detection and Rapid Response (EDRR), and it has plans drawn up for weed control in specific areas.  However, it never implements the plans.  The problem is that true invasive-species management would require changes in the way the land is used.

Land-use changes required for effective invasive species control would be expensive, but more importantly, they would lower the profits of the mining, logging, and grazing industries using the land.  Because the U. S. government is more concerned with corporate profits than with sustaining the land, executive, legislative, or judicial action blocks attempts by agencies to perform effective invasive species control.  The same shameful behavior occurs in every government on Earth.  Thus, we are not surprised to learn that the spread of invasive species and many other destructive human practices are eliminating forests, wild animals, and the crucial top layer of soil.

These are not new problems, people have commented on them for thousands of years.  As the human impact has grown, the comments have grown more detailed.  Alexander Humboldt, for instance, after touring South America in the first years of the 18th Century, wrote extensively about the abuse of the land for the sake of profit.