Climate change requires landscape-level conservation plans

Posted on March 9, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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Mountain goats may need a far-reaching conservation strategy to survive global warming. Photo courtesy Colorado Division of Wildlife.

New protected areas between Banff and Glacier national parks could help maintain wildlife populations

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — Species vulnerable to climate change impacts in the Canadian Rockies will need room to roam, according to a new report from the Wildlife Conservation Society Canada.

The report outlines a safe haven strategy designed around an assessment of six iconic species: Bull trout, westslope cutthroat trout, grizzly bears, wolverines, mountain goats and bighorn sheep — five of which were ranked as highly vulnerable to projected changes.

The area in question is located between Glacier National Park in Montana and Banff National Park in Canada, supporting one of the most diverse communities of carnivores and hoofed mammals in North America. (more…)

Filed under: biodiversity, climate and weather, endangered species, Environment, global warming | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

Study: Some European wolves prefer pork over venison

Posted on December 23, 2012 by Bob Berwyn
Gray wolves are making a comeback in Europe. Photo courtesy USFWS.

Gray wolves are making a comeback in Europe. Photo courtesy USFWS.

New data to help manage predator-prey relationships

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — With European wolves slowly recovering from centuries of persecution, researchers have found distinctive feeding patterns that could help wildlife bioogists manage both prey and predator species.

Some European wolves show a clear preference for wild boar over other prey, according to a new study by scientists from Durham University, UK and the University of Sassari in Italy, who found that the diet of wolves was consistently dominated by the consumption of wild boar which accounted for about two thirds of total prey biomass, with roe deer accounting for around a third.

The study analyzed the remains of prey items in almost 2000 samples of wolf dung over a nine year period and revealed that an increase in roe deer in the wolf diet only occurred in years when boar densities were very low. In years of high roe deer densities, the wolves still preferred to catch wild boar.

The research team related the prey remains in wolf scat to the availability of possible prey in part of Tuscany, Italy – an area recently colonized by wolves.

“Our research demonstrates a consistent selection for wild boar among wolves in the study area, which could affect other prey species such as roe deer,” said lead author Miranda Davis, from the School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences at Durham University. (more…)

Filed under: biodiversity, endangered species, Environment, wildlife | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Florida panther deaths reach record high in 2012

Posted on December 16, 2012 by Bob Berwyn
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Florida panther. Photo courtesy Mark Lotz, Florida Fish and Wildlife via the Creative Commons.

Conservation advocates call for new introductions in northern Florida and Georgia

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Wildlife conservation advocates say the record number of Florida panther deaths due to collisions with vehicles highlights the need to protect more habitat in Southern Florida.

Two more panthers were killed this past week, bringing the total for the year up to 26, or one every other week, on average. (more…)

Filed under: biodiversity, endangered species, Environment | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Key federal wildlife funding measure turns 75 this month

Posted on September 3, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Pittman-Robertson Act crucial to maintaining Colorado game herds

Funding derived from the Pittman-Robertson Act helped Colorado establish a moose population. Photo by Bob Berwyn.

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — Without much fanfare, wildlife managers around the country are celebrating a milestone this month, as the Pittman-Robertson Act turns 75.

If you’ve never heard of the Pittman-Robertson Act, you’re probably not alone, but if you value wildlife, you’ve probably benefited from what might is probably the single most effective funding tool for wildlife management and restoration.

Along with a companion measure — The Dingell-Johnson Act — passed several years later, the 11 percent excise tax on firearms and ammunition has helped restore charismatic species like wild turkeys, bald eagles and peregrine falcons. In Colorado, the funds have also been used to help pay for management and operations at 300 state wildlife areas. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, Colorado Division of Wildlife, Colorado State Parks, federal government, fishing, hunting, recreation, wildlife | Tagged: , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Feds hand Wyoming wolf management to state

Posted on August 31, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Gray wolf in the winter woods. Photo courtesy USFWS.

Feds say species is recovered; wildlife advocates claim decision violates the Endangered Species Act

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — After several years of legal battles and political negotiations, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says it will hand over management of Wyoming wolves to the state.

According to the agency, the biological goals of the recovery have been met, and Wyoming has committed to maintaining 100 wolves and 10 breeding pairs in the state to maintain a healthy population.

But that number is not adequate for the long-term preservation of the species, according to conservation advocates, who say it’s like managing wolves on the knife-edge of extirpation.

Wyoming’s wolf managment plan is far from fulfilling Endangered Species Act requirements for adequate regulatory mechanisms to maintain species.

“They are incredibly weak, at best,” said Earthjustice attorney Jenny Harbine, explaining that the state law allows wolves to be shot on sight as unwanted predators across 85 percent of the state.

“It’s unprecedented from a species to go from full ESA protection to being designated as a predator, essentially as vermin,” Harbine said. “It’s not just the predator status that we’re concerned about. The Wyoming law allows people to kill wolves they feel are harassing wildlfie,” she said. (more…)

Filed under: Environment, federal government, biodiversity, endangered species, wildlife | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Feds finalize endangered species grants

Posted on August 20, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Grant funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will help Hawaii better protect endangered monk seals. Photo courtesy USFWS.

Funding helps with conservation planning and to acquire important habitat

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — The latest round of habitat conservation grants from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — totaling about $33 million — will help protect hawksbill turtles and monk seals in Hawaii, bull trouts in Washington, endangered bats in Pennsylvania and other endangered species.

The grants are awarded through the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund, helping states to work with private landowners, conservation groups and other government agencies to initiate conservation planning efforts and acquire and protect habitat to support the conservation of threatened and endangered species. (more…)

Filed under: biodiversity, endangered species, Environment, federal government, wildlife | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

New forest planning rule may be challenged in court

Posted on March 24, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

The U.S. Forest Service hopes a new planning rule will help restore ecosystems and protect wildlife.

Conservation advocates want stronger protections for wildlife

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — With more than half the country’s 155 national forests operating under outdated management plans, the U.S. Forest Service is eager to start implementing a new planning rule that was finalized March 23.

But like several previous attempts to revise the existing 1082 rule, this latest version may face a legal test. Now that the rule is final, the Center for Biological Diversity is evaluating whether to pursue a courtroom challenge, said Taylor McKinnon, public lands campaign director for the organization.

McKinnon said his organization is scrutinizing the rule for compliance with the National Forest Management Act and will also take a close look at the biological opinion accompanying the rule to see if meets federal standards for protecting plants and wildlife.

“This rule reflects the work of a lot of federal lawyers,” McKinnon said, referring to the perception that the rule was designed at least in part with the idea of repelling potential legal challenges. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, Environment, Forest health, forests, public lands, Summit County Colorado, Summit County news, US Forest Service | Tagged: , , , , | 19 Comments »

Conservation a legacy of Great Depression

Posted on October 3, 2010 by Bob Berwyn

A cypress tree casts its reflection through the fall mist onto Buck Lake, part of White River National Wildlife Refuge in Arkansas. The refuge is one of 27 celebrating their 75th anniversaries this year. Photo by Richard Hines, USFWS

27 national wildife refuges celebrating their 75th anniversary this year

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — In 1935 land prices were low, the need for conservation apparent, and the nation was laboring to recover from the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. This helps explain why it was a banner year for the establishment of national wildlife refuges. Twenty-seven refuges, most of them in the country’s midsection, mark their 75th anniversaries in 2010.

Some, like White River National Wildlife Refuge in Arkansas, celebrating with an open house on Saturday, October 16, see parallels between those times and now.

In the 1930s the Civilian Conservation Corps played a “significant role,” says refuge manager Dennis W. Sharp, building roads and structures on the refuge, established for the protection of migratory birds. Today, during another economic downturn,  stimulus funds have helped repave six miles of gravel road on the refuge and repair CCC structures including a dam, a garage and a pipe storage building. (more…)

Filed under: Environment, Summit County Colorado, Travel, wildlife | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Western governors pledge cooperation on wildlife

Posted on July 9, 2010 by Bob Berwyn

Western governors have pledged to cooperate on trans-boundary wildlife conservation issues. PHOTO COURTESY GARY KRAMER, U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE.

Wide-open West no exception to global biodiversity and extinction crisis


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By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Governors from western states offered plenty of feel-good environmental messaging after their recent summit meeting, but it remains to be seen whether the promised steps will do much to stem the loss of wildlife habitat across the region.

Despite its reputation for wildness and wide-open spaces, the American West is no exception when it comes to species extinction and the global biodiversity crisis. More and more plants and animals are threatened and endangered across the region. While their have been a few high-profile restoration success stories, the political will to protect nature in a meaningful way is not always there.

Through a wildlife council, western governors have been working to conserve crucial wildlife habitat and corridors bringing states together for the first time to coordinate data and produce more accurate wildlife counts and maps. The governors committed their state agencies to complete wildlife decision-support systems within the next three years. (more…)

Filed under: biodiversity, endangered species, Environment, forests, public lands, Summit County Colorado | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Bear Blog: The tragi-comedy of Yogi Bear

Posted on April 28, 2010 by Bob Berwyn
A brown bear in the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska.

A brown bear in the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska. PHOTO COURTESY U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY.

Colorado bears may be changing hibernation patterns due to irresponsible human behavior

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — In our Bear Blog searches, we recently came across the Great Bear Foundation, a great clearinghouse for all sorts of bear conservation and recovery projects around country and world.

We also came across the very first episode of the Yogi Bear cartoon series on YouTube, which we’ve embedded in this post for your viewing pleasure. When I watched this show as a youngster, it seemed pretty funny. It wasn’t until much later, when I started visiting Yosemite, that I began to see the tragedy in the interaction between bears and humans, particularly in the way irresponsible human behavior affects the animals, which are basically just doing what comes naturally, which is to say looking for food.

That point was underscored last week when I interviewed Shannon Schwab, the Colorado Division of Wildlife manager for Summit County. Schwab has been responding to bear reports in the county for several years, sometimes as many as 20 to 40 per week, at all hours of the day and night.

The problem, of course, is that when bears start getting used to those sources of food, they start hanging out around people. Sooner or later, they make an aggressive move toward some humans, and they only get one chance. When they get in trouble a second time, state policy calls for the bears to be killed, and it’s not the best part of the job for the biologists. They didn’t get into the business to kill bears.

Based on what she’s seen, she suspects that local bears have changed their hibernation patterns significantly because of the easy availability of human sources of food, and it’s a source of frustration for her and other wildlife managers, because the solution is so simple — remove the attractive nuisances and the bears will stay away. Read the full story here.

Please click on the “read more” link to get all the information you need to be part of the solution, rather than part of the problem, as provided by the Colorado Division of Wildlife. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado Division of Wildlife, Summit County Colorado, wildlife | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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