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Harriet Rauenzahn: Alaska, Cool Cities, Endangered Species, Parks
Persons charged with informing others of the plight of endangered species face an unhappy task. The situation is very troubling, very troubling indeed. First of all, many animals are in danger from global warming. Among them , besides the polar bear, are the gray wolves of Isle Royale, Michigan (because the moose they feed on are going extinct from global warming) Penguins are dying in droves because the krill they feed on cannot survive in the warming ocean. Pikas, a rabbit-like animal in the Sierra Nevadas cannot adapt to rising temperatures and hence are dying. The desert tortoise in the Southwest , already stressed by heat, will not survive rising temperatures. And the hawksbill turtle, a sea creature is in danger.
Replace your incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent
bulbs if you haven't already done so. That is one thing you can do
to help. President Obama's recent better mileage standards for cars and trucks should really have been a lot better.
Then there are the wolves. When I think of what is happening to the wolves at the hands of our stupid Fish and Wildlife Service I could lie down on the floor, beat my fists on the floor and scream! Wolves in Idaho and Montana are now off the endangered species list, and these states plan to resume hunting them in the fall. It would be okay if they were removed from endangered species protection but not then hunted. These states are full of wolf-hating, trigger-happy people who want to kill wolves just because they are wolves. There is plenty of game out there to satisfy both hunters and wolves; in fact, where
wolves are there is more game available to hunters, but they don't think so.
Wolves are loyal, intelligent animals who live in a well-organized family structure. They only kill what they need to eat and they almost never attack humans. Secretary Salazar should not be leaving the wolves to the mercy of these "game management" plans of the individual states, since the wolf-hating population there holds sway. It is a very tragic, sad situation. Environmental groups are suing to have wolf protection restored. My prayers are with them.
Take care. See you soon, HarrietKEEP ALASKA WILD
Two bills under consideration in Washington are S231, in the Senate, and HR39 in the House. This legislation would permanently protect the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge so that it will not be subject to unrelenting attempts to drill there for oil and gas. The Arctic Refuge, the nursery and breeding ground for countless animals, deserves the strongest possible protection. Most of our congressional representatives can be persuaded to vote for these bills. Please call your congresspersons in support of these bills.
Environmental organizations are desperate to protect polar bears from the twin threats of global warming and oil and gas development. Two opportunities to take action are as follows:
At AlaskaWild.org you may email the Obama Administration to protect the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas of the Arctic Ocean from oil and gas development. These areas, on the northern border of Alaska, are home to many of the world’s polar bears.
Further help for the bears—and other creatures being harmed by global warming-- is outlined in the article Global Warming Primer. Thank you for your support.
Harriet Rauenzahn, Alaska Issues and Endangered Species Chair, kojak1415@verizon.net, 610 478-7663
OUR FINE FEATHERED FRIENDS
Take a look at the penguins of Punta Tombo, Argentina. Since 1982, Dr. P. Dee Boersma, a University of Washington biologist, has been studying these Magellanic penguins ( a subspecies).Following the showing of “The March of the Penguins,” these birds have been a favorite animal for many people. They walk upright, they dress well, they’re very social, they know their neighbors, they mate, and some of them even get divorced.(Some penguin pairs stay together for many years, but if the couple has failed to raise a chick, they frequently move on to another mate.) Penguins are humanlike and have fascinated Dr. Boersma and many of us as well.
Unfortunately, the sad fact is that these animals are being harmed by global warming.
Through tagging, the research team has been able to show that the birds are swimming about 25 miles further in search of food. They’re having trouble finding enough fish to eat. This costs them energy and time while their mate is sitting on the egg ,starving. They arrive back to the nest in poor condition; then their mates have to go on an exhausting search for food. Moreover, commercial fishermen are eating into the penguins’ supply of fish.. And oil pollution in the South Atlantic is causing the death of many penguins.
These problems can be resolved by setting aside zones in the ocean free of commercial fishing and oil pollution, but the penguins are taking longer and longer migrations in search of available food. As the birds look for new sources of food, they might end up colonizing private beaches. Then what will happen to the birds?. They are trying to adapt to changing climate conditions but cannot do so fast enough. The conclusion of Dr. Boersma and the researchers is that people will have to safeguard the penguins’ food supplies and stabilize the climate for these birds to survive over the long term. Penguins are one endangered species that mankind can help.
Adapted from the New York Times, March 31, 2009
Harriet Rauenzahn, Endangered Species Chair, April 2009
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