Russ Morgan, ODFW wolf coordinator, with a 97-pound male wolf collared Feb. 12th. Photo from ODFW.
Oregon’s small population of wolves are safe from hunting – for now.
USDA Wildlife Services, which has orders to kill two wolves in Wallowa County, says it will call off the hunt until the end of July.
The decision is the first good news in a long time for the state’s wolf advocates, who filed a lawsuit yesterday to permanently stop the hunt.
Russ Morgan, ODFW wolf coordinator, with the female pup radio collared on Feb. 13, 2010. Photo from ODFW.
Conservation groups finally had enough with what must feel like a never ending hunt for two wolves in Wallowa County.
Today, they filed a lawsuit to block any further hunting, and to protect Oregon’s small population of wolves.
The hunt doesn’t really go on forever. The current expiration date is August 31. But the last time the hunting period was extended, it was extended for more than two months.
That decision is what appears to have led the conservation groups to take legal action.
Several environmental groups say they’re going to court, to make sure the Pacific Fisher gets the protection it deserves.
Photo from National Park Service.Several environmental groups say they're going to court, to make sure the Pacific Fisher gets the protection it deserves.
Accusing the feds of dragging their feet, the Center For Biological Diversity has filed four lawsuits to win Endangered Species protection for 93 types of wildlife and plants.
In Oregon, the Center is seeking protection for the dusky tree vole, the black-footed albatross and dozens of native mollusks.
Courtesy Montana Fish and Wildlife
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will announce tomorrow (Friday) that’s it’s denying endangered species status for the America Pika, a small cousin of the rabbit that goes by the nickname, “boulder bunny.”
The decision is a huge disappointment for environmental groups. They say the pika is danger of going extinct because of global warming. If the feds had agreed, it would have been the first time global warming was the primary reason for listing an animal.
When President Obama arrives at the U.N. Climate Conference in Copenhagen later this month, he won’t be coming empty handed.
The EPA wants to limit greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks. Photo from ODOT.
Today, the Environmental Protection Agency declared greenhouse gases a threat to public health, and will start regulating them as pollutants under the Clean Air Act. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson says the agency will move forward on plans to control greenhouse emissions from cars and trucks, and from large stationary sources such as factories.
The decision is receiving, so far, unanimous praise from Northwest environmental groups.
Environment Oregon calls this the, “Most significant step the federal government has taken on global warming.”
The Center For Biological Diversity, a national group with offices in Portland says, “We applaud the EPA for moving forward to implement one of our nation’s most successful environmental laws to avert catastrophic runaway global warming.”
Seattle based Earthjustice adds, “We are heartened to see that our government is recognizing the global warming threat.”
Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. Photo from U.S. Forest Service.
A coalition of Oregon and Western environmental groups is suing to block the construction of a new road for OHVs in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. Called the Riley Ranch Access Project, this new route would allow off road vehicles into an area of the dunes where they’ve never been allowed before.
“The Oregon Dunes already contain thousands of acres open to ORVs,” says Noah Greenwald, with the Center for Biological Diversity. “Creating a new road in the roadless area is not necessary or in the public interest.”
If you’ve done much mountain hiking, you’ve probably seen these little guys climbing among the boulders.
But the American Pika is in trouble. According to the Center For Biological Diversity, the so-called “boulder bunny” is in danger of going extinct because of global warming.
The pika thrives in the cold temperatures of the high elevations of the Western Mountains. Researchers say global warming is shrinking their habitat, forcing them to move to higher elevations where it’s still cool enough for them to survive. It’s estimated that a third of pikas in Oregon and Nevada are have already disappeared.
Courtesy Montana Fish and Wildlife
“As temperatures rise, pika populations at lower elevations are being driven to extinction, pushing pikas further upslope until they have nowhere left to go,” says Shaye Wolf, a biologist with the Center for Biological Diversity.
Pikas are also disappearing on the southern end of their range in New Mexico, Utah and California.
Which is why the Center and other environmental groups are pleased to see that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says it will now study whether the pika should be added to the endangered species list.
The decision is significant because Fish and Wildlife will investigate findings that global warming has a role in the pika’s decline. If it agrees, then the pika would become the first mammal outside of Alaska to be listed because of climate change. Greg Loarie, an attorney with the legal group Earthjustice says, “The pika’s shrinking habitat is a harbinger of what may happen to many species if we don’t address global warming now.”
Pikas are small, growing to about 8 inches long and are related to rabbits. Their fur coats do such a good job of keeping them warm, that they can survive winters in the high elevations without hibernating. But that makes them especially vulnerable to global warming. Even brief periods of temperatures reaching 78 degrees or higher can overheat and kill them.
Today’s announcement by Fish and Wildlife means it has to make a decision on listing the pika by February of 2010.
