Loggerhead Sea Turtle Habitat Protected

Of all the sea turtle species, the loggerhead sea turtle makes some of the longest journeys. According to the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), “each year they migrate more than 7,500 miles between nesting beaches in Japan and feeding grounds off the coast of Mexico.” Along the way, they encounter serious threats such as getting caught on longline hooks, entangled in fishing gear, destruction of foraging grounds, and loss of habitat from coastal development and sea-level rise (CBD).

In 2011, the loggerhead sea turtles of the Pacific were reclassified from threatened to endangered but that does not solve the problems they face. In October 2012, the Center for Biological Diversity with Oceana and the Turtle Island Restoration Network “filed suit against the Obama administration seeking to protect critical habitat for endangered Pacific loggerhead sea turtles along the U.S. West Coast and across the Pacific Ocean” (CBD). It wasn’t until March 2013 that “the federal government finally proposed to protect more than 739 miles on both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts” (CBD).

A CBD press release dated March 22, 2013 states that “the proposal [to protect critical habitat] spans from North Carolina to Mississippi and encompasses 84 percent of all known nesting areas.” Jaclyn Lopez, a Florida attorney with CBD emphasized that “The Southeast’s nesting loggerheads swim thousands of miles through an obstacle course of human-made hazards, [but now] protected beach habitat will help ensure that when they reach our beaches, exhausted and ready to nest, they’re met with true southern hospitality: plenty of food, good conditions for nesting, and safe beaches for hatchlings to leave their nests so they may someday return to continue the cycle of life” (CBD press).

This is an historical milestone for loggerhead sea turtle conservation because the critical habitat proposal is the first of its kind along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, outside Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Any new construction occurring in the designated critical habitat will require federal permits and need to be reviewed to prevent harm to nesting areas (CBD press).

The next step, expected later this year, is for the government to designate in-water critical habitat to protect offshore breeding and feeding habitat. Once in-water critical habitat is in place, any “wave-energy, offshore-drilling, or aquaculture projects […] would also require analysis and assessment to ensure that these activities would not compromise their ability to find food, breed, and migrate safely in their ocean home” (CBD press).

A marine scientists at Oceana, Amanda Keledijian, asserted that “the National Marine Fisheries Service must follow upon this action and designate off-shore areas as well as waters directly adjacent to nesting beaches if they want these vulnerable populations to recover” (CBD press).

Public comments will be accepted until May 24, 2013, with the final protections expected to take effect in 2014. If you agree loggerhead sea turtles deserve federally protected habitat be sure to leave a comment telling the government how important this critical habitat proposal truly is to the survival of the species. CBD declares that “species with critical habitat protected under the Endangered Species Act are twice as likely to show signs of measureable recovery compared to those without” (CBD press).

To submit comments, use one of the following methods:

·    Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments to Docket No. FWS–R4–ES–2012–0103; or

·    U.S. mail or hand delivery: Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS–R4–ES–2012–0103; Division of Policy and Directives Management; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, MS 2042–PDM; Arlington, VA 22203. (FWS)

References:

Center for Biological Diversity, Press Release

Center for Biological Diversity, Saving the Loggerhead Sea Turtle

Fish and Wildlife Service 
Photo courtesy of CBD Press Kit

Earth Day 2013

Earth Day is April 22, 2013; it is a day of environmental service and awareness. The best way to celebrate is to get outside and help make a difference for Mother Earth. Ways to get involved include cleaning up at your local river, planting trees at your local park, or volunteering to help animals who depend on the habitats around you. For example, you could help build bird houses or nest boxes for birds during the breeding season. If you can’t get outside, then donate to a favorite environmental organization; donating money enables others at the organization to take action when you can’t take it yourself. Advocacy and donation can be just as rewarding as getting outside because you’re inspiring others to take action.

One of my favorite non-profit organizations is Panthera, an organization devoted to wild cat conservation around the world. They strive to protect lions, tigers, jaguars, snow leopards, cheetahs, cougars, and leopards. In my eyes, big cats are some of the most majestic creatures on earth. And even though I can’t make the journey to help make a difference in person, I can still advocate for and donate money to the numerous Panthera projects targeted at protecting both the big cats and their habitats. The Panthera programs include: Save the Tiger Fund, Tigers Forever, Lion Guardians, Project Leonardo, Pantanal Jaguar Project, Jaguar Corridor Initiative, Snow Leopard Program, Munyawana Leopard Project, California Cougar Project, Teton Cougar Project, and the Iranian Cheetah Project.

The lion is the big cat currently facing the most danger. According to a recent press release, Panthera estimates lions at fewer than 30,000 individuals living in just 25% of their original natural habitat. The press release centers around a newly published report co-authored by “a large team of lion biologists, including Panthera’s President, Dr. Luke Hunter, and Lion Program Director, Dr. Guy Balme, entitled Conserving large carnivores: dollars and fence, published in the scientific journal Ecology Letters, that concludes nearly half of Africa’s wild lion populations may decline to near extinction over the next 20-40 years without urgent conservation measures" (Panthera).

The main conservation measure discussed in the report is the installation of fences in and around Africa’s wilderness. Many scientists believe the best chance lions have to survive is to be separated from humans by wildlife-proof fencing. The largest threats lions face are from “human communities, including retaliatory killing by herders, habitat loss and fragmentation, and overhunting of lion prey” (Panthera). Even though the report shows that fences keep conservation costs lower and more lions survive in fenced-in ecosystems rather than unfenced, Dr. Luke Hunter explained that “No one wants to resort to putting any more fences around Africa’s marvelous wild areas [however,] without massive and immediate increases in the commitment to lion conservation, we may have little choice” (Panthera).

There will never be just one solution, but it’s clear that separating human and lion populations is essential for their ultimate survival. In addition to physical boundaries, Panthera conducts “conflict mitigation initiatives such as Project Leonardo and the Lion Guardians Program” in order to reduce lion-human conflict.

To learn more about all of Panthera’s programs to protect the world’s big cats, please visit Panthera.org.

On Earth Day this year, please remember that it’s not just your actions on this one day that matter, but the actions you take year-round to make a difference for the earth and all animals that call it home.

For more information on Earth Day 2013 and to find an Earth Day celebration in your area, please visit the Earth Day Network. 

Owl News

Owls have always been of particular interest for bird lovers; be it because of their exciting larger size or their simple majestic nature. Owls also occur in numerous children's books, movies, and cartoons. We can't seem to get enough of these beautiful creatures. Scientists are the same way; they strive to gain information regarding their "behavior, biology and sensory prowess" that seem to set them apart from all other avian species (Angier, New York Times).

Recently, researchers discovered that young barn owls can be impressively generous toward one another, regularly donating portions of their food to smaller, hungrier siblings — a display of altruism that is thought to be rare among nonhuman animals (Angier, New York Times).

Click here to read the full article.

Click here to see the accompanying video.

Also, if owls are what interest you, check out The Global Owl Project which is "a long-term, worldwide project to advance foundational aspects of science and conservation for the world’s owls."

Pronghorn Migration vs. Fences: What can we do to help?

AP Photo, Courtesy of The Nature Conservancy

The efficiency of any conservation plan depends on how well it coincides with the movement of wildlife. And what wildlife movement is more common than that of migration? Migration is probably the most basic kind of movement. It’s regular and predictable, season after season. Seasonal migrations are hard-wired in animals such as deer, elk, and pronghorn.  They travel the same paths, to and from the same regions, year after year. According to The Nature Conservancy(TNC)-Montana Director of Science Brian Martin, “They’re willing to push through pretty crummy conditions to get to these well-known destinations.” However, wildlife can reach its breaking point if we put up enough barriers between them and their migration grounds. If that happens, the migration flow will stop abruptly and have serious side effects like the loss of genetic diversity in the population. In order to prevent this, the best option is to identify established migration routes and try to protect them (Wildlife in Motion).

Another important aspect to remember is connectivity. In simple terms, connectivity enables wildlife to move across lands to the places they need for food, shelter, mating, and nurturing their young. What isn’t simple is the task of maintaining connectivity through wildlife and migration corridors (Wildlife in Motion). In Montana, TNC is currently working on a project “documenting barriers conventional fences pose to wildlife [in an attempt] to spur modifications that are more ‘wildlife friendly’” (Puckett). The focus animal for this project is the pronghorn that “have roamed the continent for millennia. They were contemporaries of the long-extinct Wooly Mammoth and Saber-toothed cat.” Scientists theorize that the major trait that allowed them to survive was their undeniable speed. A pronghorn’s “ability to run up to 60 miles an hour makes [them] second only to cheetahs as the planet’s fastest land animals.” It’s because of their speed that they've earned nicknames such as “speed goat” and “sagebrush rocket;” however, they are more commonly referred to as “antelope” (Built for Speed).

An interesting fact not many people know is that “taxonomically, the pronghorn is the only animal left in its family,” according to Andrew Jakes, wildlife researcher and Ph.D. candidate at the University of Calgary. Actually, the “pronghorn’s closest relatives, genetically, are giraffes, not deer, elk, and moose” (Built for Speed).

In addition to the pronghorn’s speed, its ability to travel great distances has served it well since herds migrate hundreds of miles to reach their seasonal grazing grounds. Based on data from his current project, Jakes and his colleagues have discovered that the “longest pronghorn migrations in the world-300-500 miles annually, occur in the Northern Great Plains of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Montana.” And with no current predators, the pronghorn’s greatest threat is human development in the form of “roads, irrigation canals, and hundreds of thousands of miles of fences, which are serious obstacles that pronghorn won’t jump over the way deer and elk will” (Built for Speed).

Many wonder why pronghorn don’t just jump over the fences; well, Jakes says jumping is a learned trait that they’ve never needed before. The terrain the pronghorn call home doesn’t necessitate the need to jump over anything larger than sagebrush (Built for Speed). As a result, the pronghorn crawl underneath the fences instead of jumping over them but in doing so they “often catch their backs on the barbs when they wiggle through. The repeated scratching causes scarring and wears away the fur, which Martin says makes the animals more susceptible to cold weather” (Puckett).

So, how can we help?  

Andrew Jakes and TNC have come up with a plan of action in which small changes to the fencing can make a world of difference to the pronghorn and help make their migration much smoother. It’s completely out of the question to replace all the fencing in Montana, but “switching out or modifying fences so that pronghorn can crawl under” without injury and “leaving certain gates open during times of migration” are better options. Doing this will make pronghorn migration easier because they “naturally follow particular migration corridors and learn where there are breaks in barriers like fences,” knowledge the pronghorn will pass on to their young (Built for Speed).

The guidelines for wildlife friendly fences include making the fences not too tall for animals to jump over, allowing more space between wires so animals don’t get entangled, and making the bottom wire tall enough that animals can successfully crawl under. In more specific terms, “wire fences should be no higher than 40” with 12” between the top two wires and 18” clearance between the bottom strand and the ground. Ideally, the bottom wire should be smooth rather than barbed.” Simply removing the bottom wire and replacing it with a smooth one is an easy way to modify old fences along the migration route. Some fences can even include a gate to be opened during migration season (Built for Speed).

Another aspect of the project includes installing remote cameras placed at fence “modification points to record how animals are using them” (Built for Speed). The cameras are motion activated from up to 21 feet away every second. Even before modifications were made, some fences already had cameras set up to record pronghorn movements, some of which “show antelope standing at the fence[s] or walking along them. Data from Jakes’ pronghorn migration study, which involved tracking animals with GPS collars, showed that antelope sometimes spent a week or longer walking back and forth along fence lines” which uses up valuable energy. “They’re burning a lot of calories, which may not directly kill them but makes their chance for mortality much higher,” Martin said. These pictures show a clear need for wildlife friendly fencing along the migration routes which run north-south so the focus is on fencing that runs east-west (Puckett).

The important thing to remember is that animals were here first and as we encroach on their habitats and make their movements to migration regions more difficult there are small changes we can make to give them an easier and safer commute.

References:

Built for Speed: Pronghorn Migration, The Nature Conservancy-Montana, Alison James and Bebe Crouse

Group documents wildlife barriers: The Nature Conservancy aims to make fences ‘wildlife friendly,’ Karl Puckett of The Great Falls Tribune

Wildlife in Motion, The Nature Conservancy-Montana

Join Project FeederWatch with The Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Have you ever wanted to contribute to bird conservation? If so, did you know you can do just that from the comfort of your own backyard?

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, in conjunction with BirdStudies Canada, runs a program called Project FeederWatch which enables regular, everyday birdwatchers to participate in a national bird count. It began in the mid-1970s with 500 participants and now has over 15,000 participants. According to its website, Project FeederWatch is “a winter-long survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. FeederWatchers periodically count the birds they see at their feeders from November through early April and send their counts to Project FeederWatch.” The data collected “helps scientists track broadscale movements of winter bird populations and long-term trends in bird distribution and abundance.”

Anyone can participate in Project FeederWatch; all that’s required is an interest in birds. People of all birding skill levels participate including children, families, individuals, classrooms, retired persons, youth groups, nature centers, and bird clubs. To join Project FeederWatch, click here. 

There is a small annual participation fee of $15 to join, which helps pay for materials, staff support, web design, data analysis, and a year-end report (Winter Bird Highlights). Project FeederWatch is supported almost entirely by these fees so without the support of its participants, it wouldn't be possible for the project to continue.

Once joined, “participants receive a Research Kit, which contains instructions, a bird identification poster, a wall calendar, a resource guide to bird feeding, and a tally sheet—everything you need to start counting your birds. U.S. participants receive a subscription to the Lab of Ornithology’s newsletter, BirdScope, while Canadian participants receive Bird Studies Canada’s quarterly publication, BirdWatch Canada.” The Research Kits are shipped in the fall unless you sign up during the FeederWatch season, then it is shipped two weeks after you sign up. You must provide your own birdfeeders and birdseed.

Next, you need to designate a “count site” where you’ll consistently observe and count your birds. For your “count site” it’s easiest to choose obvious boundaries like a yard. Once you’ve decided on the “count site,” it’s time to start counting!

To count your birds, you will count birds that appear in your count site due to something you’ve provided such as plantings, food, or water. For each species of bird, only report the highest number of individuals you see in view at one time. By following this procedure, The Cornell Lab of Ornithology trusts that you will be certain to avoid counting the same bird twice. The amount of time you spend collecting data is completely up to you: bird-count days can occur in two consecutive days once every two weeks or once every week; it just depends on your preference. Afterwards, report your data either online on the website or by mail with paper data forms. The counting season runs each winter from the second Saturday in November to the first Friday in April. Sign-ups are accepted until February 28^th for the current counting season and begin on March 1^st for the upcoming counting season.

Project FeederWatch is an excellent way to get involved with bird conservation on the most basic level and have a large impact. The results of the data collected “are regularly published in scientific journals and are shared with ornithologists and bird lovers nationwide.” The data enables scientists to see where birds are as well as where they are not, thereby enabling scientists to generate the most accurate population maps. Furthermore, this data helps scientists track downward trends of birds facing decline and reveal which species may need special protection. So, get outside and get counting!

*All information regarding Project FeederWatch from “About FeederWatch” page. 

The Last Asiatic Cheetahs Of Iran

When we hear Iran mentioned in the news, the images that immediately come to mind are war torn cities and military fighting; however, there is so much more to Iran than we know. Thinking of Iran, the one image that doesn't enter my mind is a cheetah, but there are Asiatic Cheetahs living and surviving in Iran’s “vast central plateau” (Hunter, National Geographic). There are only about 100 individuals left in Iran so they are extreme rarities among the desert landscapes. According to Dr. Luke Hunter, President of Panthera, “Iranian cats are virtually invisible […] intensely shy […] and hovering on the edge of extinction, they are essentially impossible to see” (Hunter, National Geographic).

Recently, National Geographic magazine published amazing photographs of wild Asiatic cheetahs in Iran gathered from those taken by camera-traps.  National Geographic was only able to photograph these rare cats due to an 11-year conservation project by the Iranian Department of Environment. In 2001, the DoE with support from the United Nations Development Programme, began a long-term project to bring the cheetah back from the edge of extinction. The Conservation of the Asiatic Cheetah Project (CACP) provided their own help by labeling five landscapes as specially protected cheetah reserves and provided numerous resources to make them remain safe havens—dozen of cheetah guards, new vehicles, motorbikes, and other materials. (Hunter, National Geographic)

Back in 2001, most Iranians had no idea their country harbored some of the Earth’s last Asiatic cheetahs, but now in cooperation with Panthera and local partners, the CACP sets out to protect the last Iranian cheetahs by

mitigating the direct threats facing cheetahs and their prey; gathering ecological data on existing cheetah, other carnivore and prey populations; enhancing and empowering law enforcement officials to protect cheetahs and their prey, including seeking a reduction in the number of annual gun licenses issued in cheetah range; researching the ecology of cheetahs, other predators and their prey using camera traps and radio-collars; studying cheetah rangelands to determine the extent of competition for land between livestock and the cheetah’s wild ungulate prey; establishing environmental educational activities with local communities to improve attitudes towards cheetahs; and engaging with local communities, conservation organizations and government officials to collaboratively protect cheetah habitat. (Hunter, Panthera)

In the past, the Asiatic cheetah’s distribution “extended across the Middle East, Central Asia, north into southern Kazakhstan and southeast into India;” however, today the cheetah has been pushed from almost its entire Asiatic range except for the “small and critically endangered population in the Islamic Republic of Iran” (Hunter, Panthera). The roughly 100 Asiatic cheetahs left in the wild occupy the “arid, central plateau of Iran” and face major threats which include: “overhunting of cheetah prey, habitat degradation and direct poaching” (Hunter, Panthera).

It’s important to get the word out about these elusive cats and to grab the attention of conservation organizations worldwide; that’s why the camera trap photos are so pertinent to the cheetahs’ survival. Currently, “Iranian cheetahs live at the lowest density recorded anywhere for the species, one to two cats per 1,000 square kilometers; the same-size area on East African plains can hold 100 cheetahs” (Hunter, National Geographic). National Geographic magazine’s article provides “evidence of residency and breeding including terrific pictures of young cubs” (Hunter, National Geographic). So, even though the cheetahs are at exceptionally low numbers, the camera trap photographs of the cheetahs and cubs provide hope for future populations.

Dr. Luke Hunter hopes that “National Geographic’s wonderful photographs bring the predicament of this critically endangered cat to a new audience who, like most Iranians a decade ago, had never heard of the cheetah’s existence in the country” (Hunter, National Geographic).

References

Hunter, Luke, Dr. "Finding the Last Cheetahs of Iran." News Watch. National Geographic, 25 Oct. 2012.Web. 30 Oct. 2012. 

Hunter, Luke, Dr. "Finding the Last Cheetahs of Iran." Panthera, 25 Oct. 2012. Web. 30 Oct. 2012.

Aerial Drones and Conservation

When it comes to wildlife conservation, much of it involves scientists searching through exotic forests and jungles collecting population data, setting camera traps, and surveying the ecosystem. As important as all this is, it takes up a lot of time and money. So the newest option for conservationists is to use aerial drones to assist them in surveying specific areas for wildlife and for human encroachment in the habitat.

By putting ‘an eye in the sky’ it’s easier to view large herds of elephants in Africa or the effects of deforestation on a habitat. A team of scientists working in Indonesia created “inexpensive unmanned aerial vehicles (aka drone airplanes), to study critically endangered Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii) from above the treetops” (Platt). This technology is already being used in other conservation projects around the globe.

Serge Wich, a professor at the Research Center in Evolutionary Anthropology and Paleoecology at Liverpool John Moores University, says “autonomous drones can help scientists and conservationists to inexpensively collect timely, high-resolution data” (Platt). Wich and his partner, Lian Pin Koh, assistant professor of applied ecology and conservation at ETH Zurich, “have developed a lightweight drone system that costs about $2,000—including the batteries, software, cameras and flight stabilizers” (Platt). Other available drones are much more expensive and can cost up to $5,000, but Wich and Koh set up a website, ConservationDrones.org, to help others recreate the same technology around the world.

Wich and Koh first used their drones in Sumatra “to capture video and photographs of orangutans and elephants. The drones also came back with striking images of Sumatra’s deforestation, caused by logging and palm oil plantations” (Platt). They also captured “photographs of orangutan nests high in the trees, information that will help inform future conservation activities” (Platt).

In an interview for the Scientific American blog, when asked what he was trying to solve with these drones, Wich replied that “one of the main problems we have is that we’re almost always behind the facts on the ground.” He goes on to describe how the conservation areas are just so huge and difficult to monitor regularly so the need for drones is high. The drones are available whenever they want to send them out, whereas conducting ground surveys takes time for planning and execution and the cost is considerably higher.

The beauty of the drones is that conservation researchers can choose to fly them as often as they like; for example, drones can fly over the forest every month or every week to see what’s going on. Then if there are any illegal activities or encroachment going on they can inform the local authorities. Wich hopes drones will enable conservationists “to react much faster to changes on the ground” than before (Platt).

Photo of deforestation

Eventually, as the drone technology advances, Wich wants to receive “live feedback from the video” instead of how it is now where he does not get access to video or photos until the drone returns from its flight (Platt). The drones currently operate with an autopilot route, much like Google Maps, that the researcher can plot himself. The next step after live video footage would be thermal imaging attached to the drone software.

Another example of aerial drones used in conservation is the research Panthera is currently conducting for the Jaguar Corridor Initiative. According to Panthera’s September newsletter, “one of the greatest resources shaping [Panthera’s] groundwork is aerial surveys carried out within Panthera’s Jaguar Corridor Initiative—a program working to connect and protect jaguar populations from Mexico to Argentina to ensure the species’ genetic diversity and future survival” (Panthera).

The drones offer “a unique perspective of the jaguar’s range, and a level of detail unmatched by satellite imagery, aerial surveys allow Panthera’s scientists to truly view connectivity of the Jaguar Corridor, identify encroachments on the jaguar’s range and pinpoint habitat in which to focus Panthera’s future conservation efforts.” The main threats targeted by these aerial drones are “habitat loss and fragmentation caused by increasing human populations and developments.” They also supply Panthera scientists with images to “visually demonstrate” to political leaders how the Corridor actually connects the jaguars throughout their range (Panthera).

In addition to population data, habitat status, and the health of the ecosystem, researchers hope drones will enable faster response times for antipoaching patrols. Panthera believes “local communities and local violators are recognizing the potential of aerial surveys to uncover otherwise unidentifiable illegal activities, and allow improved enforcements of forest protection laws.” Drones will definitely have a massive impact on the effectiveness of wildlife conservation around the world.

References:

Platt, John R. "Eye in the Sky: Drones Help Conserve Sumatran Orangutans and Other Wildlife,  Extinction Countdown, Scientific American Blog Network." Scientific American Blogs., 27 Sept. 2012. Web. 28 Sept. 2012. <http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2012/09/27/drones-help-conserve-sumatran-orangutans-wildlife/>.

"September 2012 Newsletter." Panthera. Web. 28 Sept. 2012. <http://www.panthera.org/september-2012-newsletter>.