Ecological Health News

The Breathtaking Effects Of Cutting Back On Meat

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 18:43:31 -0400

The Breathtaking Effects Of Cutting Back On Meat:

My favorite statistic is this: According to Environmental Defense, if every American skipped one meal of chicken per week and substituted vegetarian foods instead, the carbon dioxide savings would be the same as taking more than half a million cars off of U.S. roads. See how easy it is to make an impact?

In Our Nature

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 09:51:31 -0500

In Our Nature:

A look at our primal connection to the natural world and the surprising psychological consequences of not getting enough time in the great outdoors.

Millions of animals feared dead in Australia

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 00:09:46 -0500

Millions of animals feared dead in Australia:

Did you see this?
Terrible story. Now think about Indonesia, which is deliberately cutting and burning down most of the country’s rainforest - tens of millions of acres— to make industrial palm oil plantations, causing catastrophic pain, suffering and death to hundreds of millions of animals.

The Australian fires burned some 1200 square miles, a huge area, 770,000 acres. This story really personalizes the intense pain and suffering and death of the fires (for both people and animals). We can’t help thinking how many times exponentially that pain, suffering and death is being caused — deliberately, for quick money — in Indonesia, as tens of millions of acres are being killed.

Wildlife trade creating "empty forest syndrome" across the globe

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:18:05 -0500

Wildlife trade creating "empty forest syndrome" across the globe:

For many endangered species it is not the lack of suitable habitat that has imperiled them, but hunting. In a talk at a Smithsonian Symposium on tropical forests, Elizabeth Bennett of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) outlined the perils for many species of the booming and illegal wildlife trade. She described pristine forests, which although providing perfect habitat for species, stood empty and quiet, drained by hunting for bushmeat, traditional medicine, the pet trade, and trophies.

Who killed Flipper?

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 14:19:10 -0500

Who killed Flipper?:

“The Cove” is about the issue of dolphin captivity first and foremost. But secondarily it’s a movie about you and the journey that you’ve gone on.

Where the buffalo roam, so may brucellosis

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:50:09 -0500

Where the buffalo roam, so may brucellosis:

Paying ranchers to let bison roam in areas typically used for cattle grazing — rather than killing the giant animals — could reduce the risk that the bison will transmit a bacterial disease to cows, ecologists say. READ MORE

Federal officials says prairie dogs might need protection

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:37:59 -0500

By MIKE CORN

mcorn@dailynews.net

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service once again has determined it might be prudent to include the black-tailed prairie dog on the federal endangered species list.

The finding is preliminary, but sets the stage for a full-fledged investigation that could result in the animal receiving some type of protection.

While the finding was hailed by environmental groups, prairie dog opponents decried it.

Ironically, the determination — made public Tuesday as part of a legal settlement — was made in part because local, state and federal agencies have done little to ensure survival of the animal.

Also Tuesday, Logan County started the process to once again begin poisoning land where 48 endangered black-footed ferrets have been released.

Tuesday’s determination by the federal wildlife agency found that since black-tailed prairie dogs were removed as a candidate for the endangered list in 2004, an all-out war has been waged against the animals by ranchers with the aid of state agricultural departments, which have approved a variety of chemicals to use.

While those chemicals were mentioned in the 9-page finding published in Tuesday’s Federal Register, it was the sale of zinc phosphide from South Dakota alone that was used to demonstrate the assault being waged on prairie dogs.

“To provide some prospective,” the determination states, if the United States has 2.1 million acres of prairie dog-inhabited land, “enough poison has been sold by this single facility since 2004 to poison all occupied habitat in the United States with enough remaining to poison an additional 1 million acres.”

It’s not known how much Rozol — largely the poison of choice in Kansas — with its active ingredient of chlorophacinone or pesticides containing diphacinone has been sold.

The direction of Tuesday’s announcement came as something of a surprise to people on both sides of the prairie dog issue.

“Wonderful,” said Ron Klataske, director of the Audubon of Kansas.

He took particular aim at Logan County’s long-running battle against prairie dogs on the ranch complex where the highly endangered ferrets have been released.

Logan County, Klataske said, has “indirectly, if not directly, been a party to the inclusion of prairie dogs on the endangered species list.”

That’s so, he said, because “virtually nothing has been done to follow up on implementation” of a prairie dog plan adopted by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.

Formulation of that plan came in the wake of an earlier determination by federal wildlife officials that prairie dogs were endangered. The committee creating the plan included environmentalists as well as members of the ranching community.

One of those members was Mike Beam, senior vice president of the Kansas Livestock Association.

While he opposes putting prairie dogs on the endangered species list, he said several proposals in the plan have not taken place.

One of those was a change in state law, which currently requires eradication of the prairie dogs as a pest. Efforts to change the law came in 2002, but language inserted into the House bill served as a poison pill that prevented a conference committee from even meeting, Beam said.

Beam said he and the KLA would “absolutely” oppose the listing of prairie dogs as endangered.

“We’ll do all we can to keep that from being done,” he said.

Logan County threatens to start poisoning

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:37:35 -0500

By MIKE CORN

mcorn@dailynews.net

Just hours after federal wildlife officials said prairie dogs might be endangered, several Logan County landowners were given an ultimatum.

” … Unless within the next 15 days you endeavor to exterminate the prairie dogs on your land, the county prairie dog director will be advised to proceed to eradicate the prairie dogs thereon,” the letter from Logan County Attorney Andrea Wyrick states.

Identical letters were sent to Larry and Bette Haverfield and Gordon Barnhardt. A similar letter likely was sent to Maxine Blank, a Utah resident, who owns land the Haverfields lease.

For the Haverfields, the letter listed 13 sections of land. The Haverfields only own 6,720 acres. Barnhardt owns about 1,500 acres next to the Haverfield complex, and Blank owns 1,740.

“There’s about 7,000 acres of prairie dogs here,” Haverfield said this morning. “And about 48 ferrets.”

While the letters target prairie dogs, the reintroduction of endangered black-footed ferrets has exacerbated the tension between Haverfield and Barnhardt, their neighbors and the Logan County Commission.

Those ferrets are at the heart of Larry Haverfield’s concern.

“The point I want to make is we have 48 ferrets,” he said. “It would appear to me that they may be in jeopardy.”

The letters to Barnhardt and the Haverfields were delivered Tuesday, the same day as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agreed black-tailed prairie dogs might deserve protection under the federal Endangered Species Act.

Barnhardt this morning said he has been in contact with Randy Rathbun, the Wichita attorney he and Haverfield have consulted with in the battle to keep the county at bay.

While Barnhardt said he was unsure of what legal steps Rathbun might take, he was confident a Shawnee County judge’s decision last year would be at the forefront.

In that ruling, District Judge Charles Andrews granted a request by Logan County for a restraining order preventing Haverfield from moving cattle into areas where the county wants to poison. But, the judge also limited Logan County’s poisoning efforts to a 90-foot barrier that surrounds most of the 10,000 acres.

Logan County’s weed director poisoned some of those barriers earlier this summer, without much success, and a federal employee of the U.S. Department of Agriculture has been poisoning remaining barriers.

“I think it’s economics,” Barnhardt said of the county’s letter to start poisoning. “I think they’re hoping to recoup their investment. These guys walk around wearing Rozol caps and shirts. I suspect they have bought a lot of Rozol from this company.”

The Green Space Equalizer

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 20:56:49 -0500

The Green Space Equalizer:

A new study from a team of UK researchers shows that access to green space is an important factor in reducing health inequities between the haves and have-nots. The study, published in the prestigious peer-reviewed British medical journal The Lancet, found that the so-called “health gap” between the richest and poorest people across the UK was about half as large in areas with lots of parks, forestland and open space than in the least “green” areas.

Urge the Bush Administration to Protect the U.S. Pacific waters

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 12:04:52 -0400

Urge the Bush Administration to Protect the U.S. Pacific waters:

On August 25, 2008, President Bush signed a memorandum directing his administration to develop a plan for protecting the U.S. waters around the Northern Mariana Islands, including the Mariana Trench; Rose Atoll in American Samoa; and seven remote islands in the Central Pacific Ocean. Designating these areas as marine national monuments with permanent, full protection would establish the largest conservation area in history - larger than all our national parks combined - and make the U.S. the world leader in ocean conservation!

This mountain lion is stymied by the border wall between US and...

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 23:03:00 -0400

This mountain lion is stymied by the border wall between US and Mexico. This wall is 7 miles long crossing the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge.

Will the U.S. be a desert in 50 years?

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:42:53 -0400

Will the U.S. be a desert in 50 years?:

Our work in rebuilding the soil and grassland will allow us to make it through — but if we dont recover and protect the grasslands, yes desertification disaster is guaranteed. It’s already happened in places, and will get worse if we dont act now. This is one more argument for our work.

Bison advocates aim to seed West with new herds

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:51:52 -0400

Bison advocates aim to seed West with new herds :

“Buffalo have always been a part of us, for our culture and a lot of our spirituality,” Carlson said. “I’d like to see them just like other wildlife. They’d be able to roam free just as other wildlife are able to do.”

Once the bison are placed, the bison will be designated as wildlife and fall under state regulation. If one migrates off the reservation, it will still be considered wildlife and can be hunted only under state regulations.

Western governors discuss Wildlife Corridors Initiative

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:05:47 -0400

Western governors discuss Wildlife Corridors Initiative

Minnesota tribe buys up land to restore prairie

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 21:58:41 -0400

Minnesota tribe buys up land to restore prairie:

By Patrick Condon — Associated Press

One million vow to reduce carbon by being vegetarian

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 21:56:36 -0400

One million vow to reduce carbon by being vegetarian

"Recent studies have shown prairie dog shooting contests have a ‘residual, negative physical..."

Tue, 20 May 2008 13:54:00 -0400

“

Recent studies have shown prairie dog shooting contests have a ‘residual, negative physical and ecological effect’ on prairie dog colonies, and feeding and reproductive behavior, Short said in a phone interview.

‘The bullets used are also typically non-jacketed, hollow-point, exploding bullets designed to ‘mist’ the prairie dog, which is a pretty despicable practice,’ he said.

”

- Duane Short, wild species program director for the Laramie-based Biodiversity Conservation Alliance

"This is not one single herd. This is a unique population of animals with various sub-populations. ..."

Sat, 17 May 2008 22:00:09 -0400

““This is not one single herd. This is a unique population of animals with various sub-populations. When you kill more than 1,600 animals you affect the genetic integrity of this incredible species in ways which you can’t understand. Extinction is forever! Enough is enough! Please, if you are able, come here and reconnect with your wild and stand with the buffalo.””

- Roman, volunteer for Buffalo Field Campaign www.buffalofieldcampaign.org

Why I join Ann on some Saturdays at Cherry Creek FUR!

Mon, 05 May 2008 21:49:34 -0400

….at least ONE of the reasons. I try to attend as often as possible … she has a protest each Saturday (11:30AM) at Marks-Lloyds Furs in Cherry Creek. This is just a “FYI” for you acquaintances, friends and family who live outside of the Denver area. There are many other reasons to speak out and act-out against the use and wearing of fur-bearing animals, but this is one of the more revolting reasons that was written about in the Denver Post on Thursday:

N.Y. The FIRST STATE To BAN ELECTROCUTION On FUR FARMS

Albany, N.Y…..New York has become the first state in the nation to ban the electrocution of animals in a particularly gruesome way to harvest their fur. The law bans the practice of anal and genital electrocution of fur-bearing animals, including mink, foxes, chinchillas and rabbits. The misdemeanor is punishable by up to a year in jail. National animal-rights advocattes Wednesday said they hope it will force similar measures in other states. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wants to use the law to push other states to ban similar practices on farms.

“Anal electrocution is common practice in fur farms across the world,” said Melissa Karpel of the Norfolk, VA-based PETA. “A lot of these methods aren’t effective, and these animals will wake up while they are being skinned.” There is no similar law or pending bill in any other state, said janna Goodwin of the National Conference of State Legislatures. Most established fur farms adhere to American Veterinary Medical Assn. standards, said Teresa Platt, executive director of the Fur Commission USA, a trade association with members on 330 farms in 28 states.

Those can allow for use of electricity to kill some animals, although mink are usually killed by gas, she said. Platt said that the practice is not as common as the animal-rights advocates contend. She said there are rogue fur suppliers, but she doubts there are many because they risk their farms and imprisonment on cruelty charges if caught.

WildEarth Guardians is trying to obtain a prairie dog shooting ban in Colorado.

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:32:00 -0400

It is hard to believe that it’s legal to use live animals as target practice. But “shooters” (you can’t call them hunters) regularly aim high-powered rifles at endangered, ecologically vital prairie dogs and celebrate when they explode these small animals into “red mist” or kill three or four hugging prairie dogs with one shot. The prairie dogs don’t have a chance: they are often gunned down from hundreds of yards away as they emerge from their burrows.

In disgust at this activity and out of recognition that shooting threatens all three prairie dog species that inhabit Colorado, WildEarth Guardians launched an effort in January to outlaw all prairie dog shooting in the state. In response, the prairie dog shooters and the National Rifle Association are mobilizing, and mobilizing quickly. We need your help to show the Colorado Wildlife Commission that banning prairie dog shooting is the right thing to do. Here are actions you can take:

It takes less than a minute to sign a petition in support of our effort. [link to http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/colorado-petition-to-ban-prairie-dog-shooting]
Better yet, please attend the Colorado Wildlife Commission meeting from 8:30am-noon on Thursday May 1^st in Grand Junction, Colorado. [link to meeting detail page below]
Contact the Colorado Wildlife Commission and urge them to adopt a full ban on prairie dog shooting in the state. [link to form letter below]

This is not an anti-hunting campaign. Rather, many hunters consider prairie dog shooting as unethical given that shooters don’t use any part of the prairie dogs they kill, there is no fair chase, and shooters can instead use pop cans or other inanimate objects for target practice.

Prairie dogs are ecologically important and imperiled members of Colorado’s environment. They should be treated with respect and not blown to bits by people who derive a perverse pleasure from prairie dog shooting. Prairie dogs aren’t pop cans.

[form letter]

Email to: wildlife.comm@state.co.us

Dear Wildlife Commissioners,

Please ban prairie dog shooting in Colorado. Prairie dogs should not be killed for target practice. They are important to Colorado’s natural environment, providing prey and creating habitat for diverse wildlife, including hawks, eagles, owls, foxes, songbirds, and many others.

Prairie dog shooting is cruel and wasteful. Please send a clear message to your constituents – including both hunters and wildlife-watchers – that you recognize that prairie dog shooting is offensive and unacceptable to people from a variety of backgrounds.

While some of the opponents of the petition to ban prairie dog shooting may tell you so, a prohibition on shooting will not limit prairie dog poisoning or the use of fumigants to kill prairie dogs. Outlawing the use of prairie dogs and other live animals as shooting targets will also not affect the majority of hunting activities in Colorado, including hunting of elk, deer, pronghorn, and other wildlife.

Please support a ban on prairie dog shooting in Colorado. Thank you very much for your time.

Sincerely,

Name

Street Address/PO

City/State/Zip

[meeting detail page]

The Colorado Wildlife Commission will discuss our petition to ban prairie dog shooting at its May 1^st meeting in Grand Junction, CO. The meeting begins at 8:30am, and the item should be heard before noon. Please plan on attending for as much of the morning (and possibly afternoon) as you can. The meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn at 755 Horizon Drive in Grand Junction.

Please be respectful and, if you choose to provide a public comment, remember:

Stress that prairie dogs should not be used as live targets and that prairie dog shooting is cruel and wasteful.

Thanks for your help!