tagged w/ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
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Ocean wildlife off the coast of Oregon are getting a boost with a recent grant from NOAA to remove old crab pots. These pots, which are lost in storms or when propellers cut the lines, often ensnare passing whales, turtles, sea lions, and other creatures.
The state's Department of Fish & Wildlife estimates that as many as 10 percent of the pots are lost, roughly 15,000 of them dropping to the ocean floor each year.
This program, apparently the largest grant ever given to clean up discarded fishing gear, will hire fishermen to retrieve the pots.
While this program, estimated to clean up 4,000 pots, is a good start, there is a lot more to do and no plan to continue the retrieval after the funds run out in 2010.
State officials hope that fishermen will keep the program going once funding runs out, which seems a bit optimistic at a time when catches are dropping.Ocean wildlife off the coast of Oregon are getting a boost with a recent grant from... more
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PLEASE DO NOT DOWNLIST THE MANATEE!
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), after conducting a 5-year review of the manatee’s federal imperiled status, has recommended the manatee for down-listing from “endangered” to “threatened.”
This proposal is an OUTRAGE when the number of mortalities in 2008 for manatee calves is record breaking.
This is all about the $. No one profits by trying to save manatees. However, by saving the manatee, many other species are preserved as well as critical habitat. The conservation of the manatee's ecosystem is good for ALL life.
In the last week, Florida has been whirlwind of devastating political agenda... from offshore drilling to giving a open-range "free pass" to commercial land developers.
These actions are politically driven. With the price of coastal land skyrocketing, powerful groups like the homebuilder’s association and the marine industries have been lobbying for a long time to get the manatee’s imperiled status changed in order to gut protective regulations and increase their profit margins. This is what it’s always been about, no matter how they or the government wildlife agencies try to portray it.
Please sign for the manatees by adding your information to this 'quick sign' letter: http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5215/t/3138/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=491
You will be sending the following online letter to Dirk Kempthorne, U.S. Secretary of the Interior; H. Dale Hall, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and Florida Governor Charlie Crist, to let them know you strongly oppose the manatee’s down-listing at this time.PLEASE DO NOT DOWNLIST THE MANATEE!
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS),... more
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Presidential memorandum initiates review and eventual replacement of Bush administration's eleventh-hour weakening of endangered species conservation
WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama today vowed to let science guide decisions at the Department of the Interior, and recognized the vital role of the Endangered Species Act in protecting America’s imperiled wildlife.
Speaking from the halls of the Department of the Interior, President Obama requested that federal agencies continue to consult with federal wildlife experts at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) or National Marine Fisheries Service regarding actions that might impact threatened and endangered species. Today’s memorandum also requests the Interior and Commerce Departments to review controversial Bush-era regulations that weakened protections for the nation’s most imperiled plants, fish, birds and other animals.
The following is a statement from Jamie Rappaport Clark, executive vice president for Defenders of Wildlife and former director of the FWS.
“It’s refreshing to hear good news for endangered species coming from the White House. By restoring the requirement for federal agencies to get agreement from federal wildlife experts on the effects of their projects, President Obama has begun the process of returning oversight and accountability under the Endangered Species Act. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are the ‘keepers of the flame’ for imperiled plants and animals.
We look forward to working with the administration to permanently withdraw the flawed Bush administration regulations and restore the Section 7 consultation procedures that have been successfully used for more than 20 years.
“President Obama waited less than 6 weeks after taking office to visit the Department of the Interior, declare his support for the goals of the Endangered Species Act, and begin to restore public trust in the Department that manages a 5th of our country’s land.
By contrast, former President Bush waited until the final 6 months of his presidency before visiting the Department of the Interior, after his administration spent years politically manipulating science and decision-making at the Department. What a welcome change!”
Background: 1st proposed by the Department of the Interior in August 2008, the Bush administration changes to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act would have eliminated the requirement that agencies seek advice from expert biologists with federal wildlife agencies in decisions about whether dams, towers, highways and other projects will likely harm imperiled species.
Approximately 200,000 comments opposing the changes were submitted to the Interior Department in the 60 days it allowed for the public to respond to the changes.Presidential memorandum initiates review and eventual replacement of Bush... more
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WASHINGTON - The Bush administration is moving to protect seven penguin species. Three other types, including the stars of recent movies, are being ignored.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to list six species of penguin as threatened and one, the African penguin, as an endangered species.
It has denied protection under the 1973 Endangered Species Act for three others, including the emperor and northern rock-hopper penguins
The penguins live far from the United States but listing the penguins under the act, will raise awareness about the species and could give the United States leverage in international negotiations to protect them from fishing, habitat loss, development and other threats.
Praise and Criticism --
Environmentalists praised the Bush administration's proposal to list fully six penguin species, but criticized its decision not to protect the other three. The emperor penguin is the largest in the world and depends on sea ice for breeding and feeding.
Endangered species advocates also faulted the government for protecting a seventh species, the southern rock-hopper penguin, in only a small part of its range.
"Penguin populations are in jeopardy, and we can't afford to further delay protections," said Brendan Cummings, the oceans program director for the Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity, which requested in November 2006 that the administration protect a dozen penguin species.
-- Greed, Global Warming & the Destruction of the Endangered Species Act --
Recent research has shown that about a dozen species are in decline because of numerous stresses, including climate change. Increasing temperatures could melt ice in Antarctica and diminish populations of the penguin's preferred food.
The Bush administration listed the polar bear as a threatened species this year, the first species to be protected because of the threats of global warming. The administration also has completed regulations to ensure that the law is not used to block projects that contribute to global warming....WASHINGTON - The Bush administration is moving to protect seven penguin species. Three... more
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