Climate: Drought conditions edge westward

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Wet, cool spring brings relief to Midwest

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The most severe areas of drought encompass parts of the central-southern plains, spreading southwest into parts of Colorado and New Mexico.

By Bob Berwyn

FRISCO — Drought woes have eased in the Midwest after a wet spring, but the far West,  California in particular, are facing continued dry conditions. California has reported its driest year to-date on record, with only 27 percent of normal precipitation for January through April. That doesn’t bode well for the state’s water supplies, although at least reservoir storage is close to normal in California.

New Mexico and Nevada are in bad shape when it comes to reservoir storage and there’s little relief in sight at the end of the snow season. Forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said dry soil conditions in the southwest could contribute to higher than average temperatures this summer. (more…)

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Endangered species listing sought for boreal toads

Posted on January 25, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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Do boreal toads need immediate protection under the Endangered Species Act? Photo courtesy National Park Service.

Conservation groups say they’ll go to court to force action 20 years after federal biologists first said the species qualifies for protection

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Rare boreal toads need Endangered Species Act protection sooner rather later, according to conservation activists who this week said they will sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over it’s failure to protect dwindling populations of the ampibian.

Although Colorado populations of boreal toads have also declined from historic levels, the state is still somewhat of a stronghold, thanks in part to a state-led restoration effort and other protective measures. Boreal toads exist in less than 1 percent of their historic breeding areas in the southern Rockies. (more…)

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Biodiversity: Can the courts help save Mexican gray wolves?

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Lawsuit seeks to have Mexican gray wolves protected as a separate subspecies

Photo courtesy of the Mexican Wolf Interagency Field Team

A Mexican gray wolf in the wilds of the Blue Range wolf recovery area. Photo courtesy of the Mexican Wolf Interagency Field Team.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Wildlife conservation advocates are hoping to get some help from federal courts in their quest to prevent Mexican gray wolves from falling over the precipice of extinction.

The Center for Biological Diversity this week sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today over the agency’s rejection of a 2009 scientific petition from the center that sought classification of the Mexican gray wolf as an endangered subspecies or population of gray wolves.

Mexican wolves are currently protected as endangered along with all other wolves in the lower 48 states, with the exception of those in the northern Rocky Mountains and Great Lakes region. The lawsuit claims that protection as a subspecies will help ensure Mexican gray wolf recovery. (more…)

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Feds eye endangered species listing for lesser prairie chicken

Posted on December 1, 2012 by Bob Berwyn
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Lesser prairie chicken. Photo courtesy Doug Holt/USFWS.

Cooperative habitat conservation plans could avert final listing

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Endangered species and energy development will clash again in the south-central U.S. as federal biologists this week proposed adding the lesser prairie chicken to the endangered species list.

This decision could trigger new scrutiny by state and federal wildlife agencies on permits and operations for energy developers and ranchers that could impact the bird’s habitat in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Colorado — states that are prime grounds for oil, gas and wind development, as well as farming and ranching. (more…)

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Wildlife: Lawsuit filed to boost Mexican gray wolf recovery

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

A Mexican Gray wolf. Photo courtesy USFWS.

Conservation advocates say lack of releases is threatening genetic diversity

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — Wildlife advocates are going to court to try and boost recovery efforts for the Mexican gray wolf in Arizona and New Mexico by forcing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to release more of the animals into the wild.

Specifically, the lawsuit challenges the agency’s failure to respond to a 2004 petition calling for implementation of sweeping reforms in the management of the Mexican gray wolf population, which has grown by a scant three animals over the past eight years, leaving only 58 wolves in the wild today.

In 2001, a panel of scientists called for an immediate reduction in the number of Mexican gray wolves removed from the wild, as well as an increase in the number released. But faced with intense local opposition to wolf restoration, the agency has failed to act on the recommendations. (more…)

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Feds to kill endangered wolf in New Mexico

Posted on August 12, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Mexican gray wolves are struggling in the Southwest. Photo courtesy USFWS.

Conservation activists say shooting is unnecessary; push for better livestock protection and management

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Bowing to local political pressure, federal biologists say they will shoot an endangered Arizona wolf that has been killing livestock — despite the fact that its pack is surviving mainly on elk, and that ranchers have been fully reimbursed for their losses.

Wolf conservation advocates said the kill order is a throwback to Bush-era wildlife policies that don’t make sense as endangered Mexican gray wolves struggle to hold their own in the Southwest. (more…)

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Cavers explore vast new area of Lechugilla Cave

Posted on June 10, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

The Witch’s Finger at Carlsbad Cavern National Park. PHOTO COURTESY NPS.

Colorado caver leads expedition in new section of renowned New Mexico cavern

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — A team of explorers lead by Colorado caver Derek Bristol have discovered an entirely new maze of passages, pits and large rooms in Lechugilla Cave, part of an extensive ave system in New Mexico’s Carlsbad Caverns National Park.

In early May climbed more than 410 feet into a high dome in Lechuguilla Cave. Near the top, lead climber James Hunter discovered the extension of the cave and named the new area Oz.

One large room is 600 feet long, 100 to 150 feet wide, and 75 to 150 feet tall. It’s now called Munchkin Land. (more…)

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Southwestern gray wolf population growing slowly

Posted on February 4, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Advocates say more releases needed to bolster populations

Mexican gray wolf. PHOTO COURTESY USFWS.

The latest wolf-location map from Arizona and New Mexico.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Taking a small step away from the brink of extinction, the Mexican gray wolf population grew for the second year in a row.

According to the latest census there are now 26 wolves in New Mexico and 32 wolves in Arizona. Most importantly for the success of the recovery program, the number of breeding pairs increased from just two in each of the preceding annual counts to six in 2011.

That increase came despite the fact that the massive Wallow Fire in Arizona burned through inportant denning habitat.

Federal officials say continued collaboration and reduction in livestock losses is key to developing the social acceptance needed for successful long-term recovery.

“Building public tolerance by those who live on the land and must coexist with the wolf is so very important to the success of Mexican wolf recovery in Arizona,” said  Arizona Game and Fish Department director Larry Voyles.

The latest wolf census  shows that 18 pups born during 2011 have survived, boosting the total population to 58, up from 42 just a couple of years ago. There may be other pups living in the wild that weren’t detected in the surveys, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Previous annual reports are online here. (more…)

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Weather: Dry West

Posted on January 14, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Much of the West is dry — bone dry

Total precipitation for the weather year (starting Oct. 1, 2011) to-date across the West, from the Reno-based Western Regional Climate Center.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — If you’re missing the snow in Summit County, don’t feel like you’re being picked on. Much of the West, with the exception of a few pockets in Arizona and New Mexico, have been exceptionally dry so far this fall and early winter, with precipitation in California tracking toward all-time record low levels.

Just off the eastern edge of the map below, there’s a pocket of blue and purple indicating above normal precipitation in the southern high plains, and much of Wyoming is also covered by the cooler colors signifying substantial precipitation. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Environment, La Niña, Summit County news, Weatherblog | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

New Mexico’s Catron County facing fallout from last summer’s illegal bulldozing of the San Francisco River

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Environmental groups ask county to renounce actions

Illegal bulldozing in New Mexico's Dan Francisco River was well-documented by conservation groups and local residents. PHOTO COURTESY CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Last summer’s illegal bulldozing in New Mexico’s San Francisco River has been deemed in violation of the federal Clean Water Act, and the U.S. Forest also outlined how the action by county officials could lead to potential violations of Endangered Species Act, National Historic Preservation Act, Archeological Resources Protection Act, Native Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.

In trying to illegally assert local government rights on federal lands, the county also trespassed on private property along the river, according to landowners who documented the violation of their property.

This week, the Center for Biological Diversity and Western Environmental Law Center today demanded that Catron County commissioners officially denounce the county’s illegal bulldozing of the San Francisco River and formally abandon plans to do so in the future. The groups also want the county to discourage any further motorized use of the area to avoid harm to imperiled wildlife and the river. (more…)

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