The Wildlife Information Centre – SBIF Conference 2015

Posted on March 11, 2015 by GarryRogers

“If you record or are interested in recording wildlife then we would love to hear from you. We can offer advice and support, access to some training and help with managing data and providing data to TWIC. If you would like maps, data or any other information to help you with your recording work then get in touch and we will see how we can help.

“Every year we organise survey work at a number of sites and are always looking for more recorders to help. We also organise public surveys, to encourage as many people as possible to get involved in recording. See the link to recording events to see reports of recent meetings and find out what is going on in the near future. We also occasionally put out special requests for sightings of particular species – see the Request for Data page.

“For help with the identification of particular groups see the ‘List of Local Experts’.”

Source: www.wildlifeinformation.co.uk

GR: Scotland has a smaller population than Arizona, my home state. Yet I am not aware of a comparable program here. If any of you Arizona readers know of a state supported program like this, please add a comment. Thank you.

P.S. Note that none of the wildlife information being collected could be acquired from space.

Protect Native Plants and the Wildlife They Support

Posted on March 9, 2015 by GarryRogers

HB2570 municipalities; vegetation requirements; prohibition (Mitchell) prohibits cities from requiring native plant salvage and also from requiring the planting of native vegetation.

There are many reasons this is a bad idea. Encouraging the salvage and planting of native plants can help save water and ensure more resiliency in the vegetation. Some non-native plants contribute to public health problems, such as severe allergies. Limiting these plants is an important goal of local communities. Further, it is critical that non-native invasive plants be limited as these can cause harm to neighbors’ private property and to our parks and wildlands, plus harm agriculture, wildlife, and more by spreading to create unnatural fire conditions and out competing native plants.

Please modify and send the message below and ask your representatives to oppose this ill-conceived bill to limit local communities’ ability to protect native plants. . . . Source: secure.sierraclub.org

GR: Ignoring the effects of a development would make it cheaper to destroy native habitats. Of course, developers want that. I doubt the savings would amount to much for individuals that use the developments, but the cost in natural vegetation and wildlife will be a lasting expense that we will all feel.

Starving Sea Lion Pups and Liquified Starfish — How We’ve Turned the Eastern Pacific into A Death Trap for Marine Species

Posted on February 27, 2015 by GarryRogers

As of late January, the news reports were coming in hot and heavy. Baby sea lions were dying in droves. More than 15,000 of the pups were already lost due to starvation. And with each passing week, more than 100 of the emaciated, beleaguered, hopeless animals were washing up on California shores.

The pups staggered across beaches, wandered into vacant lots, or tottered, disoriented, along roadways. Refugees all to some unspeakable disaster. Orphans lost or abandoned by parents unable to provide them with even the most basic of sustenance. Source: robertscribbler.wordpress.com

GR: Warming ocean with falling oxygen level may explain this growing disaster. Maps in evidence are included. The author points to a more deadly situation that could arise if atmospheric CO2 levels continue to climb to and beyond 800ppm. Then it’s silo (bunker) time folks.

Urgent: Reserves and parks not enough to protect nature – David Attenborough

Posted on February 20, 2015 by GarryRogers

GR: As the human population and impact grows, wildlife is declining worldwide just as in the U.K. The National Wildlife Federation Backyard Wildlife Habitat program covers basic ideas. Start there. Then, look for opportunities to recommend other sites. As Attenborough says, many other places that we modify and use can be habitat.

“Broadcaster calls for radical new approach to conservation, urging people to use all spaces from gardens to roadside verges to help wildlife.

“Speaking at the RSPB’s Conference for Nature in London, Attenborough said it was now understood that British wildlife was in grave peril of disappearing. “50% of the hedgehog population has gone in 25 years, 90% of the wildlife meadows have disappeared in 100 years; 60% of all wildlife is diminishing and in danger, with 10% doomed to disappear in the next decades. Nowhere in Britain is unsullied, is unaffected by human action. We now have a huge population living cheek by jowl with nature.” Source: www.theguardian.com

The Effects of Noise Pollution on National Parks and Wildlife

Posted on February 19, 2015 by GarryRogers

Think your neighborhood in the city is too loud? Do you ever get woken up at night by the sounds of traffic or airplanes or trains?

Source: www.ecorazzi.com

GR: Noise is one of the reasons we must keep recreation out of important habitats.

English Ivy: Good for birds

Posted on February 19, 2015 by GarryRogers

Shelter, foodstuff, pollen source … ivy is so valuable to wildlife, even though it is maligned by many a gardener
On Sunday I watched a blackbird almost strip an ivy of its berries, gobbling each one whole in a few, satisfying gulps.

Source: www.theguardian.com

GR: Of Eurasian origin, English Ivy grows well in the arid climate in central Arizona where I live. There were several patches climbing on walls and trees when I moved to Coldwater Farm. The Ivy requires supplemental water, and cannot spread at the expense of native plants. Pollinators like the flowers, and several sparrow species roost beneath the leaves and try a berry now and then. Red-winged Blackbirds like the berries, and Northern Flickers eat them when it’s too cold for ants to be out.

Commentary: A salmon’s incredible journey through Edmonds and how you can help – My Edmonds News

Posted on February 14, 2015 by GarryRogers

“In downtown Edmonds, many residents have creeks running through their yards. Trickling down from natural springs in the earth, they all lead to the Puget Sound. These creeks do much to improve the beauty of a homeowner’s property, but as Edmonds resident Jenny Anttila found out recently, they can prove valuable in other ways, too. Last fall, while clearing debris away from the rebar installed at the end of the stretch of Shellabarger Creek that runs through her yard on its way to the Edmonds Marsh and, ultimately, Puget Sound, Jenny was startled to find a fish trapped among the leaves. The rebar had done its job of preventing leaves from clogging the culvert into which the stream feeds, but in doing so it had inadvertently put an end to this fish’s upstream journey. Jenny touched the fish, surprised to find it was still alive, but it slithered from her hands and into the creek, its tail thrashing audibly against the sides of the culvert as it slipped back downstream.”

Source: myedmondsnews.com

Slave ants and their masters are locked in a deadly relationship

Posted on February 12, 2015 by GarryRogers

Ants have a reputation of being industrious hard-working animals, sacrificing their own benefit for the good of the colony.

Source: phys.org

GR: Ants are a critical component of the earth’s terrestrial ecosystems. They consume and break down large amounts of material, they control the populations of numerous species, and they provide food for many others. For instance, ants make up 40% of the diet of the Northern Flicker, a common Arizona bird. Despite being small and not so visible, ants account for 15% to 25% of all animal biomass on our planet’s land surface—far more than any other animal group. Read more.

Free UW wildlife course would please Aldo Leopold

Posted on January 31, 2015 by GarryRogers

Online class explores hunting and role in conservation. Source: www.greenbaypressgazette.com

GR: I’m thinking Leopold would be appalled. Like many of us, Leopold grew more protective of wildlife as he aged. He proposed the “land ethic” not long before his death. He concluded that Earth ecosystem stability requires that we treat animals as our equals, not our resources. This course description suggests the course content will focus on ideas that Leopold left behind as he saw nature succumbing to relentless pressure of the exploding human population. Please convince me it isn’t so.