Archive | Conservation

Nearly Half of Our Birds Are at Risk of Extinction This Century

By Larry Jordan on September 9, 2014 in Conservation

Common Loon (Wikipedia Commons)

The National Audubon Society’s Birds and Climate Change Report should give us all deep cause for concern. The findings are heartbreaking: Nearly half of the bird species in the United States will be seriously threatened by 2080, and any of those could disappear forever.

For the first time, Audubon scientists have analyzed decades of historical bird and climate data to understand how 588 species of North American birds will fare as the climate changes. More than half of species studied (including the Bald Eagle and nine U.S. state birds, from Idaho to Maryland) are at serious risk – some are forecast to lose more than 95 percent of their current ranges.

While some species will be able to adapt to shifting climates, many of North America’s most familiar and iconic species will not. The national symbol of the United States, the Bald Eagle, could see its current summer range decrease by nearly 75% in the next 65 years. The Common Loon, icon of the north and state bird of Minnesota, may no longer be able to breed in the lower 48 states by 2080.

The study predicts that 314 North American bird species face the risk of extinction before the end of this century. They have separated those 314 species into two groups: climate threatened (may lose over 50% of its range by 2080) and climate endangered (may lose over 50% of its range by 2050).

American Avocet

Ten birds that could lose 99% or more of their current range by 2080:

Rufous Hummingbird Male

Some bird species will be able to adapt to new climatic conditions, but certainly not all. And while many people assume that climate change will simply shift habitats farther north or to higher elevations, for the 126 climate-endangered species, including the Burrowing Owl, their climatic ranges are not only shifting but also dramatically shrinking. If we stay on our current carbon-spewing path, some of those species may have nowhere to go.

Burrowing Owl Family

We do have hope. This science is a very serious warning, but we know that birds are resilient and that people have and can again come together to create significant positive change. And that’s what we’ve got to do – band together and build a brighter future for ourselves and our birds, drawing on our American ingenuity and determination.

In order to give our birds a chance, we need to do two things: Let’s protect the places on the ground that we know birds will need today and in the future, and let’s work together to reduce the severity of global warming.

Go to the Audubon Climate Report page to see what you can do to help protect birds.

Last Known Passenger Pigeon Martha Died 100 Years Ago

By Larry Jordan on August 30, 2014 in Conservation

Passenger Pigeon (image from Wikipedia Commons)

The Passenger Pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius) was once the most abundant bird in North America, and possibly the world. These seemingly numberless flocks were considered an infinite resource and exploited so drastically that the species was driven to extinction in mere decades.

One flock in 1866 in southern Ontario was described as being 1 mile wide and 300 miles long, took 14 hours to pass, and held in excess of 3.5 billion birds.

Lewis Cross: Passenger Pigeons in Flight, painted in 1937

The extinction of the Passenger Pigeon had two major causes: commercial exploitation of pigeon meat on a massive scale and loss of habitat. Large flocks and communal breeding made the species highly vulnerable to hunting. As the flocks dwindled in size, populations decreased below the threshold necessary to propagate the species.

Naturalist Paul R. Ehrlich wrote that its extinction “illustrates a very important principle of conservation biology: it is not always necessary to kill the last pair of a species to force it to extinction.”

The story of the Passenger Pigeon is a poignant reminder of the need for effective conservation. The 100th anniversary of the species’ disappearance reminds legislators and people everywhere of the importance of protecting endangered wildlife before it’s too late.

Protecting endangered wildlife is part of Audubon’s Mission: “To conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity.”

Endangered Species Act Protections for the California Gnatcatcher

By Larry Jordan on July 17, 2014 in Conservation

California Gnatcatcher Photo By Peter Knapp

Recent study challenging genetic distinction of bird isn’t sufficient to overturn massive amount of research supporting its protection

Published: Jun 25, 2014
San Francisco, CA –
The latest attempt by southern California developers to remove the California Gnatcatcher from the protections of the Endangered Species Act is based on inadequate data and should be rejected by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, said representatives of Audubon California today. Years of peer-reviewed research and the predominant conclusion of biologists is that the California Gnatcatcher is a distinct subspecies that must be protected.

The delisting petition relies on recent research claiming that the California Gnatcatcher is not a genetically unique subspecies, but a number of avian experts note that the referenced study does not analyze enough genes to make that determination and that it downplays plumage variation among the three subspecies that can only be explained by genetic differences.

“The fact that the California Gnatcatcher is a distinct subspecies worthy of protection was established in 1993, and there’s nothing in this latest petition that casts doubt on that determination,” said Brigid McCormack, executive director of Audubon California. “The California Gnatcatcher is emblematic of the rich ecology of southern California, an enduring remnant of our wild coast that has been lost to such a great extent.”

The California Gnatcatcher is a small blue-gray songbird with dark blue-gray feathers on its back and grayish-white feathers on its underside. Its long tail is mostly black with white outer tail feathers. Since the 1980s, at least, experts have considered the California Gnatcatcher rare. A survey conducted at the time of its listing in 1993 estimated the number of California Gnatcatcher pairs in the Golden State at about 2,500 (although there is reason to believe that numbers could have been higher). The coastal sage scrub habitat upon which the bird depends has been in rapid decline for decades, due both to development and habitat conversion caused by repeated, intense fires. Some researchers estimate that as little as 10 percent of California’s original coastal sage scrub habitat remains today.

The California Gnatcatcher was designated as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1993, after an extensive review by federal agencies determined that the rapid loss of coastal sage scrub habitat made the bird worthy of protected status. Coastal sage scrub habitat is particularly in high demand for development, as it tends to occur in low-lying areas close to the ocean. It remains one of the most endangered habitat types in North America.

This is the second time in five years that the Pacific Legal Foundation has petitioned to delist the California Gnatcatcher, and the second time it has relied on research from the same source. In 2011, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service rejected a similar petition challenging the genetic distinction of the California Gnatcatcher, citing overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary. McCormack added that Audubon California is looking forward to hearing more from experts at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and other scientists as they carefully review the delisting petition.

Listing of this species has lead to protection of coastal sage scrub habitat and many associated species in southern California, providing residents and visitors with many opportunities for parklands for wildlife viewing and recreational opportunities.

“The California Gnatcatcher represents an entire suite of species that rely upon coastal sage scrub for survival, and deserve to be protected for future Californians,” added McCormack. “With the rapid decline of these ecosystems, the gnatcatcher will be in even greater peril in the future, and now is the wrong time for this petition.”

About Audubon California

Audubon California is building a better future for California by bringing people together to appreciate, enjoy and protect our spectacular outdoor treasures. With more than 50,000 members in California and an affiliated 48 local Audubon chapters, Audubon California is a field program of the National Audubon Society.

More information is available at www.ca.audubon.org.

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Now in its second century, Audubon connects people with birds, nature and the environment that supports us all. Our national network of community-based nature centers, chapters, scientific, education, and advocacy programs engages millions of people from all walks of life in conservation action to protect and restore the natural world. Visit Audubon online at www.audubon.org.

Proposed Hotel Resort Threatens Western Snowy Plovers!

By Larry Jordan on April 4, 2014 in Conservation

A large hotel and condominium complex sited on beach and dune habitat on Monterey Bay in Sand City is seeking approval by the California Coastal Commission on April 9 in Santa Barbara (see Commission staff report). The developer calls this 360-unit complex, with parking for almost 1000 cars, the “Monterey Shores Eco-resort.” Unfortunately it will be sited inside formally recognized USFWS critical habitat for Western Snowy Plovers. Western Snowy Plovers, a federally threatened species, have nested as recently as last year and raise their broods here.

Monterey State Beach just South of Proposed Development

While this resort complex has been proposed for decades, recent decisions in state court have paved the way for the Commission’s approval, despite the damage it will cause to local recovery prospects of Federally protected plovers.

If you want to see this threatened shorebird succeed, write a comment letter to the California Coastal Commission.

California Fish & Game Commission Votes Unanimously to Consider Statewide Ban on Wildlife Killing Contests

By Larry Jordan on February 21, 2014 in Conservation

February 5, 2014 – Sacramento, CA – The California Fish & Game Commission voted unanimously 4 to 0 to consider a statewide ban on wildlife killing contests at the request of Project Coyote. After Project Coyote representatives made the case for a ban, newly elected Commission Vice President Jack Baylis put forth the motion to move forward on a formal rule making process to consider prohibiting wildlife-killing contests statewide. Speaking in favor of the motion Commission President Michael Sutton stated, “I’ve been concerned about these killing contests for some time. They seem inconsistent both with ethical standards of hunting and our current understanding of the important role predators play in ecosystems.”

We wish to commend Michael Sutton, Vice-President of the Pacific Flyway with Audubon California, for setting an example, hopefully to be followed by other states across the country.

You can read the full press release here and sign their petition here.