Morning photo: Manatee madness

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Florida wildlife

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A manatee comes up for air in Florida’s Crystal River.

CRYSTAL RIVER — Getting a closeup look at marine mammals is always a treat. I believe we have a lot more in common with our ocean-going friends than we realize, and we should be trying to listen to what they have to say. This week, I had a chance to visit the Crystal River in Florida this week to look for manatees. The gentle vegetarians are protected by various federal and state laws, but they are still struggling due to extensive development and other human activities along the Florida coast. One of the best places to catch a glimpse of manatees is at Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park about 45 minutes north of Tampa, Florida. Biologists at the park help rehabilitate manatees that have been injured by boat strikes, and from the park’s manatee observatory, it’s easy to see the deep scars on their backs. We’ve made some progress on protecting these magnificent marine mammals, but there’s more work to be done. (more…)

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Invasive quagga mussels found in Lake Powell for first time

Posted on May 18, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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Quagga mussels growing on a flip-flop. Photo courtesy NPS.

Biologists hopeful that the alien invaders haven’t started breeding yet

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Non-native quagga mussels have gummed up waterworks and fouled ecosystems across the country and now, for the first time, they’ve been confirmed in Lake Powell, the great southwestern reservoir that is a key part overall water storage in the Colorado River Basin.

The National Park Service recently identified 14 adult quagga mussels attached to moored vessels and dock structures at the Wahweap Marina in Lake Powell. None of the adult mussels were close enough together to mate for successful reproduction. All of the mussels were physically removed from the lake. (more…)

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Colorado: River otters, bald eagles move into Summit County

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
One of a pair of dead rivers otters recently found along Dillon Dam Road (foot shown for size).

One of a pair of dead rivers otters recently found along Dillon Dam Road (foot shown for size). Bob Berwyn photo.

Rare species find a home in the heart of a mountain resort community

By Bob Berwyn

FRISCO — Along with the well-documented saga of threatened Canada lynx making a comeback in Summit County, the local mountains are also home to several other rare species that are making comebacks.

It’s a sure sign that Summit County is a key biodiversity crossroads— something worth remembering on Endangered Species Day.

Just a couple of weeks ago, Colorado Parks and Wildlife district manager Sean Shepherd confirmed the first sighting of river otters in the Upper Blue Basin. Unfortunately, the pair of otters was found dead along Dillon Dam Road, most likely hit by cars.

But the fact that they are showing up in new places is nonetheless an encouraging sign, Shepherd said, adding that another otter was also killed recently along Highway 9 north of Silverthorne, near the Blue River campground.

Bald eagles, which can be spotted frequently along the Lower Blue River, have recently been reported around Dillon Reservoir, where a pair is setting up a nest on a platform built for ospreys. A pair of nesting ospreys, meanwhile, has built a nest atop a dead lodgepole pine in the vicinity of Heaton Bay campground. Wildlife biologists say bald eagles will sometimes kick osprey out their nest and take it over. (more…)

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Biodiversity Is commercial fishing altering ocean food webs?

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

New study shows how the diet of pelagic birds has changed over time

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Studying isotopes in the bones of pelagic seabirds helped researchers track changes in thePacific ocean food chain. Bob Berwyn photo.

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — Some in-depth biological detective work suggests there have been drastic changes in open-ocean food webs since the onset of industrial fishing, with potentially significant implications for threatened seabirds.

The key to detecting the changes was analyzing the bones of Hawaiian petrels. The crow-sized oceanic birds range widely over the northeast Pacific, and their diets integrate food webs from that vast area. What the petrels have eaten is recorded in the chemistry of their bones. By extracting protein from bones and feathers and studying stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen in the protein, the scientists were able to assess the birds’ diet and how it changed over centuries. (more…)

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Common species will also be lost with global warming

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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Even common backyard plants and animals will be affected by global warming. Bob Berwyn photo.

New study projects percent of all plant species will lose half their climatic range

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — Plenty of relatively rare plants and animals have already been flagged because of threats from global warming, but even common backyard plants and animals are likely to decline this century as their climatic ranges shift.

Plants — being sessile— reptiles and particularly amphibians are expected to be at highest risk. Sub-Saharan Africa, Central America, Amazonia and Australia would lose the most species of plants and animals. And a major loss of plant species is projected for North Africa, Central Asia and South-eastern Europe, according to new research from the University of East Anglia published May 12 in the journal Nature Climate Change. (more…)

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North Carolina dune buggy advocates try a congressional end run to restore motorized access at Cape Hatteras

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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This image from the NASA Earth Observatory program shows where Hurricane Isabel carved a new channel across Hatteras Island in Sept. 2003.

Measure may get OK from anti-environmental House committee, but is unlikely to pass the Senate

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — Fans of motorized beach access in North Carolina are hoping that Congress will overturn a public National Park Service planning process with a bill that would re-open parts of Cape Hatteras National Seashore to dune buggies and other vehicles.

The House Natural Resources Committe, led by anti-environmental Republican extremists, this week will vote on HR 819, a measure that would roll back some restrictions on motorized access at the popular North Carolina beach.

As written, the bill would void a court-approved agreement that protects nesting and baby sea turtles and birds, as well as pedestrians at the seashore. (more…)

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Coral reefs: ‘Business as usual won’t cut it’

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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Coral reef ecosystems are facing serious threats from global warming as well as local impacts. Photo courtesy Renata Ferrari.

Study says concerted global and local action required

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — A detailed new study supports the idea that protecting coral reefs from local impacts like over-fishing and polluted runoff is a key part of any strategy to try and bolster reefs in the face of climate change.

The researchers concluded that, even though coral reefs are in decline, their collapse can be avoided with concerted global and local action.

“People benefit by reefs’ having a complex structure—a little like a Manhattan skyline, but underwater,” said Peter Mumby, of The University of Queensland and University of Exeter. “Structurally complex reefs provide nooks and crannies for thousands of species and provide the habitat needed to sustain productive reef fisheries. They’re also great fun to visit as a snorkeler or diver. If we carry on the way we have been, the ability of reefs to provide benefits to people will seriously decline.” (more…)

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Conservation groups challenge federal wolverine plan

Posted on May 11, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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Can wolverines survive global warming? Map courtesy USFWS.

More protections needed to preserve North America’s rarest mammal

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — A federal proposal to list wolverines as threatened under the Endangered Species Act doesn’t go far enough to protect the rare species, according to the Western Environmental Law Center, which called on the agency to use a “threatened” listing to ensure survival of North America’s rarest mammal.

The comment letter to the USFWS was submitted on behalf of 26 conservation groups  from across the wolverine’s range in the West. Federal biologists proposed listing wolverines in early February, responding to a court-ordered deadline. Global warming and habitat loss are seen as the main threats.

After being nearly extirpated from the contiguous 48 states by poisoning and trapping, populations started to recover, but there are only an estimated 250 to 200 individuals. (more…)

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Biodiversity: Draft wolverine plan gets mixed reviews

Posted on May 11, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Draft listing proposal ends with mixed reviews

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The USFWS takes another step toward finalizing a wolverine recovery effort. Photo courtesy USFWS/Steve Kroschel.

By Bob Berwyn

*Click here for more Summit Voice wolverine stories

FRISCO —A draft federal proposal to list wolverines as threatened under the Endangered Species Act elicited mixed reviews as the formal comment period ended May 6. Some states  in the northern Rockies opposed the proposal, saying that wolverines don’t need federal protection, but Colorado is generally supportive of the plan. At the same time, coalition of conservation groups asked the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to ratchet up protection with an “endangered” listing.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will now consider all the comments and finalize a listing decision during the next year.

Wolverines are the largest member of the weasel family. They were hunted, poisoned and trapped to near extinction across much of their range in the early 20th century. Since then, populations recovered in the North Cascades, as well the Northern Rocky Mountains in Idaho, Montana, Oregon (Wallowa Range), and Wyoming. (more…)

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Study: Human impacts dominant in most ecosystems

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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Nature unbound — or not? Bob Berwyn photo.

‘Even in protected areas, the influence of humans might be greater than we previously thought … ‘

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — As much as we’d like to believe in nature unbound, a new Canadian study suggests that human impacts are more widespread than we realize, even extending well into protected areas.

The five-year study by University of Calgary ecologists, included monitoring wolves, elks, cattle and humans. The resarchers concluded that human activities dominate all other factors, even in protected areas.

“Our results contrast with research conducted in protected areas that suggested food chains are primarily regulated by predators. Rather, we found that humans influenced other species in the food chain in a number of direct and indirect ways, thus overshadowing top-down and bottom-up effects,” said lead author Dr. Tyler Muhly.

The study was a collaboration between NSERC, Shell Canada, Parks Canada, the Alberta Government and the Universities of Alberta and Calgary. The ecologists used dozens of animal tagging devices and motion sensor-activated cameras to study human, animal and plant distribution throughout southwest Alberta. The research area stretched from Calgary in the northeast, through to the provincial borders with British Columbia in the west and the US-Canada border in the south.

“Understanding the significance of the impact that humans have on ecosystems is a critical component in formulating long-term and effective conservation strategies,” said reseacher Marco Musiani. “Our results led us to believe that ecologists have underestimated the impact of humans on natural food chains. The data we collected shows that humans are deliberately or inadvertently engineering ecosystems regardless of whether they would be naturally pre-disposed to top-down or bottom-up effects. Even in protected areas, the influence of humans might be greater than we previously thought,” Musiani said.

Ecologists have long debated whether natural ecosystems and associated food chains are primarily regulated by predators or by the productivity of plant species, called top-down and bottom-up effects, respectively. With most of the world’s ecosystems now dominated by humans, researchers from the University of Calgary sought to understand how much people influenced food chains in southwest Alberta.

“We painstakingly monitored wolves, elk, cattle and plant species, as well as humans for five years. We evaluated how these species interacted across the landscape and ultimately found that humans dominated the ecosystem,” Muhly said.

“In particular, we found that forage-mediated effects of humans (bottom-up effects) were more influential than predator-mediated effects in the food chain. The presence of humans was most correlated with occurrence of forage (plants). Elk and cattle distribution correlated closely with forage, and the distribution of wolves matched that of the elk and cattle they view as potential prey.

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