Hopeful Snippets

last updated 06/03/04

Successful breeding season for red wolves

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports some hopeful signs for the reintroduction and recovery efforts on the red wolf in North Caroline, U.S. FWS, 5/28.  Two captive bred red wolf pups with good genetic diversity were adopted into two separate packs by “foster moms.”  In addition, a zoo-born red wolf that was released to a foster pack in the wild established himself as the alpha-male of another pack and this year sired a litter of 8 pups.  In addition, Red Wolf Recovery Program biologists found a record 55 pups in 11 litters.

June 2, '04 GREENlines

Rare Miami blue butterflies returned to wild

Scientists in long pants and thick mosquito netting braved 90 degree heat to reintroduce Miami blue butterfly caterpillars to Everglades National Park this weekend, says the Miami Herald, 6/1.  The small black caterpillars were placed on budding nickerbean plants far from human disturbance and the spraying of harmful pesticides.  The rare butterfly was thought to be extinct, but was rediscovered in 1999 and only 50 were found.  John Capinera, chairman of the Entomology Department at University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences said, “The problem with most wildlife is disturbance with people.  We don't share our environment very well with other animals.'' 

June 1, '04 GREENlines

From mechanic to sea turtle savior

Richie Moretti used to run an auto shop that specialized in repairing VW Bugs.  Now he focuses his energy on saving and rehabilitating sea turtles in the Florida Keys, says the Orlando Sentinel, 5/30.  Mr. Moretti “retired” to the Keys in the mid-1980’s.  He soon developed a fascination and deep concern for the sea turtles he saw turning up sick and dead.  He bought a dilapidated building that is now The Turtle Hospital.  It is “the only facility of its kind in the world, it is outfitted with an impressive array of medical equipment, from ultrasound to sub-zero freezers to endoscopes.” The hospital has saved more than 700 sea turtles since 1986.  Mr. Moretti uses the proceeds from a motel he owns next door to run the hospital.

June 2, '04 GREENlines

Right whales rebound

"There is growing optimism that the endangered North Atlantic right whale can come back from the edge of extinction," after surveys of their only known winter calving area off the coast of Georgia and north Florida  discovered that "a previously undocumented group of as many as 17 female right whales have started using the calving grounds" says the Washington Post, AP 3/15.  Although scientists are unsure of why the new group started using the calving grounds or how something so big has escaped detection, but are "encouraged" by the 13 newborn calves seen so far this year and the shorter calving intervals among the whales." \

GREENlines, 3/22/04

Restoration paying off for butterfly

Efforts to restore native grasslands in Oregon's Willamette Valley are paying off for the endangered Fender's blue butterfly, "with new surveys in a few sites showing its numbers at some of their highest levels yet" says the Oregonian 3/17.  The butterfly was believed to be extinct until it was "rediscovered in 1989" and listed as an endangered species in 2000 and "biologists credit the upswing to years of work resurrecting pieces of native open prairie near Salem and Eugene."  Over 99% of the valley's native grasslands have been lost, but the areas of "revived prairie offers the species a healthier outlook than it has had in decades." 

GREENlines, March 19, 04

Pinnacles condors doing well

Six California condors released in Pinnacles National Monument in December and January are "adjusting well, exploring distinctive rock outcroppings" says the San Jose Mercury News 3/2.  Two more birds have arrived at acclimation pens and four more are expected by the end of March as part of "the ongoing effort to restore 12 of North America's largest bird species back to the 24,000 acre national park by year end."

GREENlines 3/5/04

Kittens survive winter

Tracks indicate that at least six of the 16 lynx kittens born in southwest Colorado are alive and well, buoying hopes that "the once controversial reintroduction effort is working" says the Denver Post 2/10.  Other kittens may have survived in remote, inaccessible areas as all but two of the 33 lynx released last year are still alive.  Another 27 lynx from Canada are "fattening up in Alamosa holding pens for a spring release" and biologists maintain that "If we can see a repeat of kitten survival in the next couple of years, I think we might be able to say we're on the road to recovery." 

GREENlines, 2/19/04

Pesticides banned to save salmon

In a "sweeping prohibition," a federal judge has banned the use of dozens of common pesticides "along thousands of miles of rivers and streams" in Oregon, Washington and Northern California in order to protect endangered salmon says the Oregonian 1/23.  The ruling which prohibits aerial spraying within 100 yards, and ground spraying within 20 yards of any streams designated as important to salmon or steelhead, "sets a precedent for several related lawsuits nationwide seeking to impose
strict limits to pesticides under the federal ESA."  The decision "grants nearly all the immediate protections for fish sought by conservation and fishing groups" and also requires point-of-sale warnings that pesticides may harm salmon and can pollute urban streams. 

GREENlines, Jan. 26, 2004

30 ESA success stories profiled

In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act a coalition of groups working to defend imperiled species have released fact sheets profiling 30 species "that would most likely be extinct but for the protections afforded by the law" says U.S. PIRG 1/7.  Because of continued loss and degradation of habitat, invasive species and other escalating threats many of the profiled plants and animals continue to require ESA protection and the factsheets "demonstrate that numerous species are
making steady progress toward recovery that would otherwise be impossible without the ESA."  The complete set of 30 factsheets are available at http://www.uspirg.org/esa .

Locals want grizzly recovery

A survey of local residents of two counties in Washington's North Cascade Mountains found that "76% supported grizzly bear recovery," even if it means bringing in more bears says the Skagit Valley Herald 1/12.  Only 16% of the residents oppose grizzly recovery and according to the Grizzly Bear Outreach Project, "In the past, a vocal minority has been effective in shouting down attempts to promote grizzly bear recovery" and the survey "shows those people are in a true minority."  The survey also found that most people "don't know much about the bears and what it would take for them to recover." 

(Jan. 14, 2004 GREENlines)

Green Sea Turtle comeback

According to researchers, after 25 years of protection under the ESA, Hawaiian waters now boast "as many as 35,000 mature green sea turtles and perhaps 250,000 juveniles age 6 or under" says the Honolulu Star-Bulletin 1/5.  Most credit one marine biologist, George Balazs, for the comeback.  His research raised concerns that people were harvesting the sea turtles at a rate faster than the animals could replace themselves, information that led to their 1978 listing.  Today, their recovery is "significant enough that if the trend continues" ESA protection may ultimately be removed.

source: GREENlines, Jan. 8, 2004

Road Closed for Snakes and Frogs

Yes, Illinois there is one, and only one, federal road that "closes to vehicle traffic - twice a year, during migration season -to protect reptiles and amphibians says CNN.com 10/23.  The Forest Service has been closing FR 345 every spring and fall for some 30 years and as a state herpetologist observing an endangered water snake make its way across the road noted, "Had a car come by just then, that would have been one fewer female green snake."

(GREENlines, Nov. 4, 03)

Ferret Count Strong

August surveys in Wyoming's Shirley Basin have "found more than 50 of the endangered ferrets in the area where they first reintroduced to the wild" says the Ravalli Republic, AP 9/27. Biologists are "overjoyed at the tally," which is up from 5 in 1997, 15 in August 2000, and 19 in 2001.  Between 1991 and 1994 228 captive-born black-footed ferrets were released and biologists says "When you look at the bottlenecks of disease, drought and flash floods this population has endured and overcome, this year's discovery helps confirm that the Shirley Basin is very suitable habitat."

GREENlines Oct. 6, '03

And the Golden Poppy Goes To:

California has given its "Golden Poppy" award for outstanding volunteer service to a Castro Valley couple, Donna and Bill Lauenroth, for their efforts to protect endangered snowy plovers on San Mateo County beaches says the Oakland Tribune 9/9.  The
retirees are founding members of the "Snowy Plover Patrol" and over the last decade have braved "sun and storm, rain and wind, to track and protect the tiny birds.  At first they were the only ones on weekend watches but have seen their group grow to 43 volunteer watchers.

Court rules for sea turtles

A federal appeals court has overturned a lower-court ruling and ordered the NMFS to assess the impact of California's long-line fishing fleet on endangered sea turtles and birds, especially the critically imperiled leatherback, before issuing any permits allowing fishermen "to continue unfurling lines that stretch 20 miles or more with baited hooks" says the L.A. Times 8/23. Most of the long-line fishing fleet used to operate out of Hawaii but were "shut down a few years ago" when a similar lawsuit lead to a review that found the practice "too destructive" to the sea turtles and birds.  "Scientists fear that leatherback turtles will go extinct in the Pacific within 10 to 30 years unless long-line practices are changed." 

GREENlines 8/26/03

ESA credited with recovery

Thanks in part to over "$200 million in alterations to dams and irrigation pumps" prompted by ESA protection, one of the most unique species of salmon has made a remarkable comeback in California's Sacramento River says the San Jose Mercury News 8/10. Most salmon have one to three runs, but this southernmost population of chinook has four runs, "each with its own life cycle and spawning habitat."  In 1994, the winter run was down to just 186 adult salmon and "all but extinct" until environmental groups "filed a then-unusual" lawsuit to protect the salmon under the ESA.  "Their victories forced the government" to install a temperature control device; fish screens over irrigation intakes; open an irrigation dam that blocked migration, and clean up pollution.  As result 7,500 and 8,100 winter run salmon returned in 2002 and 2001 respectively.

(from GREENlines, 8/14/03)

Kirtland's warbler increasing

The Michigan DNR's annual summer census of Kirtland's warbler has "found 1,202 singing males, up from 1,050 last year," indicating that the small bird, "one of the most endangered species in North America," is "making a comeback" says milive.com, AP 8/2.  The birds, which winter in the Bahamas, "nest only in 5-20 year- old jack pine forests in northern Michigan, and parts of Wisconsin and Ontario."  Fire suppression had reduced the number of young trees the bird's needed to successfully breed and counts in 1974 and 1987 "showed only 167 males."

from Aug. 11, 03 GREENlines

Volunteers protect endangered plovers

Volunteer docents, such as retiree Charlie Brunt, are part of an effort to protect a pair of nesting western snowy plovers says the L.A. Times 7/9.  For the first time in over two decades a pair of plovers have nested and laid eggs on Oxnard, California's Hollywood Beach.  The nest was discovered by a 14 year old surfer, Zak Ziv, and within a "few hours" local conservationists helped him erect signs and protective fencing.  "He recruited his neighbors and by Monday had a staff of about 30 people ready for plover duty."  Further north at Santa Barbara "about 50 volunteers clock 100 hours every week standing guard over another group of plovers."  In 2001, there was one chick, the next year 16 chicks and this year 27 chicks on that section of coast.

July 16, 2003 GREENlines, Endangered Species Coalition

Plant recovering nicely

Nebraska's only federally listed plant, the blowout penstemon, is making a nice recovery due to ESA protection, a sound recovery plan and "thanks mostly to transplanting efforts" says the Casper Star Tribune, AP 7/6.  The Sandhills plant, thrives in "wind-created depressions known as blowouts" was believed to be extinct until 600 plants were found two decades ago.  Last year, the plant's population exceeded 15,000 the recovery plan goal for delisting.

GREENlines, July 18, 2003

A-73 and Family are Back

According to scientists, the sighting of Canadian orca A-73, a.k.a. Springer, "safe and sound with her family off northern Vancouver Island," is "proof positive that she has successfully reunited with her pod" after last summer's rescue and reintroduction says the Seattle Times 7/11.  With the "unprecedented success" of the rescue, rehabilitation and return of Springer, "advocates are pushing to have another orphaned whale [L-98] brought back from Canada to the U.S."  Since 2001, L-98, or Luna, a young male orca has been "swimming alone" on west side of Vancouver Island but Canadian officials say that it would be "too risky to try reuniting L-98 with his pod since he is "healthy, active, eating well and in a good clean environment with plenty of food."

(July 15, 2003 GREENlines, Endangered Species Coalition

The eagle has nested

For the first time in over 70 years, bald eagles have successfully bred in Southern California says the San Jose Mercury News, AP 6/24.  In March, "two eaglets were discovered halfway up a tall pine tree" some 100 miles southeast of Los Angeles and last week "biologists saw the large, brown eaglets, about 9 weeks old, taking short flights out of their nest near man-made Lake Hemet."  Wildlife officials are "hopeful that if the eaglets survive, the birds will have begun repopulating the southern end of their historical nesting range." 

(June 26, 2003 GREENlines)

AZ biologists watch condors

Although biologists have confirmed that California condors nesting in Arizona have produced three eggs, attention is focused on one pair that may have produced "the first condor to hatch and survive in Arizona in decades" says the USFWS 6/9. Nests with two of the eggs have been abandoned but the behavior of Condors 123 and 127 indicates that they could have a nestling that could be as old as three weeks.

(from June 12, 2003 GREENlines, Endangered Species Coalition)

Ten-fold condor increase

The California condor population, including those in captivity, has climbed to 222 birds, "a greater-than-tenfold increase from the historic low of 22 of the endangered vultures in 1982" says the San Diego Union-Tribune 5/22.  With 81 condors living in the wilds of Southern California and Arizona and 29 chicks expected to hatch this season, "this is the greatest the population has been probably since the 1950s" says the recovery program coordinator.

(from June 12, 2003 GREENlines, Endangered Species Coalition)

Lynx Habitat

Lynx reintroduction still on

A federal judge has denied a request by the Mountain States Legal Foundation for a restraining order "to stop the April 3 release of the first four of 32 lynx trapped in Canada and brought to Colorado" to boost the species recovery says the Boulder Daily Camera 3/28.  While "the state is trying to restore the lynx to Colorado after trapping, poisoning and development wiped out the native population," the MSLF fears the reintroduction could hamper logging on public lands.  According to Sinapu, a conservation group "focused on restoring carnivores and their habitat, "Within the blink of geologic time, humans have ripped out the heart of wild America.  We owe it to our grandchildren to weave those big carnivores back into wild nature."

Lyn Habitat Logging Nixed

A federal judge has stopped a number of timber sales on Oregon's Wallowa-Whitman N.F. and ordered the Forest Service to revise its protections for lynx says American Lands Landscope 3/14.  After the lynx was listed in March 2000, the Forest Service changed its mapping of lynx habitat in Oregon and Washington national forests, reducing the recognized habitat by thousands acres. The Western Environmental Law Center represented the Oregon Natural Resources Council and Hells Canyon Preservation Council in the lawsuit which successfully challenged several timber sales on lynx habitat.

From GREENLines, Monday, March 31, 2003, Issue 1832 - A daily news digest about endangered species, biodiversity related issues and the people working to stop extinction from the Endangered Species Coalition.For more on what you can do http://www.stopextinction.org

Religious Leaders Urge Conservation:

A broad coalition of U.S. religious leaders representing Evangelical Christians, mainline Protestants, Jews, Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholics has called on President Bush to "hold off global warming, stop the slide toward massive species extinction and protect the public's forests through an end to commercial logging on national forests" says the Religious Campaign for Forest Conservation 5/22.  The first in a series of meeting with the White House Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives sought to begin a process of  resolving  administration "contradictions" between "its promises and actions" on protecting the environment and God's creation. (From Greenlines, Friday, May 31, 2002, Issue #1637)

Mexico Creates World's Largest Whale Sanctuary:

Mexico has signed an accord protecting over 1 million square miles of its waters says Reuters 5/28.  According to Greenpeace Mexico's biodiversity campaign, the sanctuary is the "largest protected area for whales in the world," benefiting some 39 whales species that inhabit Mexican waters. (From Greenlines, Friday, May 31, 2002, Issue #1637)

Good News for Loons - 
New York State Bans Sale of Lead Sinkers:

New York State recently passed legislation that bans the sale of lead sinkers in New York State. The ingestion of lead sinkers by birds causes mortality, prevalent in common loons and other waterfowl. The ban will go into effect in 2004.

Forest Service Law:

Shoshone N.F. has "canceled its largest timber sale in years" in response to a threatened lawsuit by the Wyoming Outdoor Council and American Wildlands who said that the logging would harm grizzly bear, wolf and lynx habitat and was prepared without opportunity for public comment says the Billings Gazette 5/15. Forest Service lawyers who reviewed the sale's environmental assessment "concluded that there were potentially claims that they would have a difficult time defending in court."

On Second Thought:

Under "mounting pressure" and the threat of a lawsuit, Oregon's Willamette N.F. has canceled a timber sale in a roadless area that is a "key spawning and rearing ground for bull trout" says the Biodiversity Activist No. 303, 5/15. The Forest Service agreed to reexamine the sale after the Center for Biological Diversity, Oregon Natural Resources Council and Cascadia "formally" threatened a lawsuit and decided that indeed the logging would have harmed the endangered bull trout.

Last Wild Condor Going Home:

The last wild California condor captured in 1987 for a captive breeding program to save the species is about to be released back into the wilds of California's Los Padres N.F. says SF Gate, AP 4/10. The condor will spend several weeks in an acclimation pen prior to a release around May 1. Another "milestone in the condor's recovery" may occur soon if one of several eggs "expected to hatch in the next few days" results in the "first condor conceived, hatched and raised successfully in the wild since a recovery program began." 
GREENLines, Friday, April 12, 2002, Issue #1603

Whoopers Migrating Solo:

Five highly endangered whooping cranes who made national headlines when they migrated to Florida following humans in ultralight airplanes last fall, have responded to their own biological clocks' orders to fly home.  Biologists report that on Monday the birds stirred and fluttered around, and Tuesday took flight heading north, covering 220 miles in less than 7 hours, reports the St. Petersburg Times, 4/11.  Scientists will be tracking the cranes, hoping they will return to their summer home in Wisconsin. Tracking information is available at: http://www.operationmigration.org and http://www.bringbackthecranes.org
GREENLines, Friday, April 12, 2002, Issue #1603

Culverts Need Big Fix:

Congressional appropriators learned that "federal land managers need to fix as many as 5,500 culverts in Oregon and Washington to enhance passage of endangered fish and comply with the ESA" says the Oregonian 4/11. A Forest Service biologist testified that "culvert improvements are a cost-effective method of restoring habitat" because they can open access to healthy streams at much less expense in time and money than trying to rehabilitate streams with degraded habitat.
GREENLines, Friday, April 12, 2002, Issue #1603

Global Warming Unbalances Ecosystems:

A new climate change model that looked at the impacts on "more than 1,800 species of mammals, birds, and butterflies in Mexico" concludes that it will "throw delicate ecosystems off balance, reduce the geographical range of many species, and bring new predators and prey together" says ENN, Reuters 4/11.  The research reported in the journal Nature also found that "fewer species than expected will become extinct, but their distribution could be radically different."
GREENLines, Friday, April 12, 2002, Issue #1603

Refuge and Religion No Longer a Private Matter

Religious leaders from across the country are "engaged in an aggressive lobbying campaign to influence the nation's energy policy" says the Oregonian 2/26. The effort includes Christians, Jews, and Muslims who oppose drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and support greater fuel efficiency and use of renewable energy sources.  Including the refuge in the national energy debate has marked "the first time many faith groups have stepped forward and voiced religious and moral arguments for specific public policies." From GREENLINES, Feb. 27, 2002

A Very Good Year for Kakapo Parrots

With only 62 of New Zealand’s “large, flightless, nocturnal parrots left in the world,” conservationists were heartened by a “record egg laying season” says Reuters 2/19. Biologists expect a 50% survival rate for the 52 eggs found on a “predator-free islet” and are optimistic that in 3 to 5 years they will be able to “reduce the human intervention needed to ensure the survival of this species.”

From GREENLINES, Feb. 22, 2002

Pelican Success Story

"Forty years after DDT wiped out brown pelicans in the Pelican State, the species has made a strong comeback and "may soon be removed from the endangered list" in Louisiana says the Baton Rouge Advocate, AP 1/22. Thanks to ESA habitat protection, over "16,000 pairs are expected to nest on Louisiana's barrier islands," descendants of the "1,276 fledglings" reintroduced from Florida. The USFWS is working on a delisting proposal for both Louisiana and Texas where 2,400 pairs nested last year. The California subspecies could be down-listed but with only 5,000 nesting pairs "they will still need some protection." The eastern subspecies was delisted in 1985.

EPA Stays the Course on Cleaning up the Hudson River

In a major victory for advocates of cleaning New York's Hudson River, the EPA finalized its plans Friday to clean up tons of toxic PCBs.  The chemicals, dumped in the river over decades by General Electric, have badly damaged the once-vibrant ecosystem of the Upper Hudson, and pose grave risks to human health.

There's still a long way to go before the upper Hudson is clean, but as Chris Ballantyne of the Sierra Club said, "This decision means that the real hard work of cleanup and restoration begins."

 In moving forward with the plan, EPA Administrator Christie Whitman resisted a multi-million dollar advertising campaign and high-powered corporate lobbying efforts by GE.  Maybe she could teach the rest of the Bush Administration a thing or two!

For more information on this victory, go to http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/substory.asp?storyKey=76045&BCCode=H

Restoration Paying Off

In what is being described as a  "renaissance of one of California's most threatened species of fish," several creeks in Northern California's Marin County are seeing "huge" numbers of coho salmon returning to spawn says the S.F. Chronicle 2/14.  "After more than a century of abuse," local stream restoration efforts began in the 1980s, and the returns of not just coho but chinook and chum are all the more remarkable considering that some 3,300 people live adjacent to the spawning areas. The recovery efforts have the support of "almost everybody" and the streams have "become a statewide model for fisheries  restoration."

From: GREENLines, Tuesday, February 19, 2002, Issue #1565

               From The Endangered Species Coalition
      A daily news digest about endangered species, biodiversity
       related issues and the people working to stop extinction.
                        www.stopextinction.org