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| Huntington Audubon Society -
National/International Conservation News Archive |
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Conservation Group Calls on Federal Agencies to
Protect Critical Canada Lynx Habitat. Corrupt
Political Appointee Undermined Science, Meddled With
Decision |
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WASHINGTON, August 8, 2007 –
Defenders of Wildlife announced today that it is
prepared to bring legal action against the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service if it fails to promptly throw
out a Canada lynx protection plan that the agency
admits was influenced by political meddling. After
admitting that its 2006 decision designating
critical habitat for Canada lynx was politically
influenced, FWS now plans to conduct an internal
review of the designation, but has chosen not to
discard the tainted plan or allow transparent public
participation in the review.
Full story:
http://www.defenders.org/newsroom/press_releases_folder/2007/
08_08_2007_feds_revisit_lynx_decision.php |
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Audubon Releases Common Birds in Decline |
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New York, NY, June 21, 2007 - On June 14, the
National Audubon Society released Common Birds in
Decline, an unprecedented analysis - which was also
published in Audubon magazine - revealing the
startling decline of some of America's best known
and beloved bird species. Species on Audubon's list
of 20 Common Birds in Decline have seen their
populations plummet at least 54 percent since 1967.
The dramatic declines are attributed to the loss of
grasslands, healthy forests and wetlands, and other
critical habitats from multiple environmental
threats such as sprawl, energy development, and the
spread of industrialized agriculture.
Audubon's Common Birds in Decline list stems from
the first-ever analysis combining annual sighting
data from Audubon's century-old Christmas Bird Count
program with results of the annual Breeding Bird
Survey conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey.
As of this June 19, the story has generated in
excess of 500 print articles in major publications
including the New York Times, USA Today, LA Times,
Boston Globe (Front page), Philadelphia Inquirer
(Front page) and Chicago Tribune. Broadcast
visibility included repeated mentions on CNN, along
with numerous local radio and TV news stories.
Common Birds in Decline was among the New York Times
website's most-emailed stories and is currently
mentioned in hundreds of blog entries. A major
opinion piece appeared in the New York Times op-ed
page on June 19, and papers around the country are
using the analysis to anchor editorial calls for
greater conservation.
Much of the coverage across the country combined the
content of the national release and teleconference
with localized information (generated by the
analysis) and comments supplied by state offices and
local chapters.
For more information about Common Birds in Decline,
visit:
http://www.audubon.org/bird/stateofthebirds/CBID/
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California Condor to Benefit from State's First
Voluntary Discontinuance of the Use of Lead
Ammunition |
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Los Angeles, CA, March 1, 2007 - Tejon Ranch Company
joined with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and
Audubon California to further protect the California
Condor by announcing it would discontinue the use of
lead hunting ammunition on Tejon Ranch, the
270,000-acre privately-owned ranch in California's
Tehachapi Mountains that is home to the state's
largest private hunting program.
While tremendous progress has been made in bringing
the California Condor back from the brink of
extinction, poisoning from lead ammunition is
regarded as the single greatest threat to the
continued recovery of the species. Lead ammunition
poses a threat to the condors when the birds eat
carrion containing the bullet fragments. This move
by Tejon Ranch is the latest effort by the Ranch to
help protect the condor, which has historically used
portions of Tejon Ranch for foraging and roosting.
Effective with the 2008 hunting season, only
non-lead ammunition will be allowed on Tejon Ranch,
making it the first major private wildlife
management program in the state to voluntarily
require the use of non-lead ammunition. It covers
all lead ammunition used in hunting. Tejon Ranch
Company worked closely with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Service, California Department of Fish & Game,
Audubon California and several hunting and
environmental organizations to design the new
regulation. To learn more about Tejon Ranch, please
visit
http://www.tejonranch.com. To learn more about
Audubon California, please visit
http://www.ca.audubon.org/index.html.
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FEDERAL
WILDLIFE AGENCY WON’T LIST DISAPPEARING EASTERN
SONGBIRD AS 'THREATENED' SPECIES |
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Without federal protection,
Cerulean Warbler population will continue to plummet
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Asheville, NC - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (FWS), after stalling for six years and
missing numerous deadlines required under the
Endangered Species Act, has issued a decision not to
list the Cerulean Warbler as a threatened species.
The National Audubon Society, Defenders of Wildlife,
and regional conservation organizations that
petitioned the agency in 2000 to list the Cerulean
as threatened expressed grave concerns over the
songbird's future without the comprehensive
protections provided by the Act. For full story
click here....
http://www.defenders.org/releases/pr2006/pr120606b.html |
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Rare Blue Treefrog Discovered at
Audubon of Florida's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary |
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Naples, FL, January 4, 2007 -
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Director Ed Carlson is
proud to announce the discovery of a bright blue
treefrog. Volunteer naturalists noticed the frog
along the Sanctuary's boardwalk trail and quickly
alerted the natural resources manager, Mike Knight,
a Ph.D. candidate in vertebrate ecology who
specializes in reptiles & amphibians. Knight
identified the frog as a Green Treefrog (Hyla
cinerea), a common denizen of Corkscrew Swamp.
Knight explains that the normal green coloration of
frogs is actually the result of overlapping yellow
and blue pigments. Very rarely, a genetic anomaly
results in an absence of one or more color pigments.
In this case, the absence of all yellow pigmentation
has resulted in a totally blue frog instead of a
green one.
Dr. Jerry Jackson, Professor of Environmental
Studies at Florida Gulf Coast University confirms
that the blue frog is a truly extraordinary find.
According to Jackson, the color blue is very rare in
nature but does sometimes occur in frogs, snakes,
and other animals.
Currently, the blue treefrog is being cared for by
Knight, who has extensive experience raising
treefrogs as part of his doctoral dissertation
research. Following acclimatization to terrarium
life, the extraordinary little frog will be
displayed to the general public for a period at
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. Staff and volunteer
educators will accompany the frog, answering
questions and enlightening the public on the
importance of wildlife conservation.
For more information on Corkscrew Swamp
Sanctuary, please call (239)-348-9151 or
http://www.corkscrew.audubon.org. |
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POLAR BEARS TO BE PROTECTED UNDER
ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT |
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Washington D.C. -- The U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service (FWS) has proposed listing
polar bears as a threatened species under the
Endangered Species Act. The proposal indicates that
global warming is melting the arctic sea ice that
polar bears need to hunt prey, resulting in
starvation, drowning and cannibalism among the
world's only marine bear. Please click on
http://www.defenders.org/releases/pr2006/pr122706.html
for full story. |
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