Wednesday, September 03, 2003

Imagine a Future without Off Road Vehicles Susan Cerulean writes: Recreational vehicles are wreaking havoc on wildlife habitats in water and on land. Thrill-seeking operators of snowmobiles, swamp buggies and personal watercraft are trammeling our last silent spaces on ever more powerful breeds of off-road recreational vehicles (ORVs), impairing habitat and wildlife populations from California to the Florida Keys. You probably can't name a public landscape that doesn't have a species compromised by this newest bully on the block. ORVs are out of control, which is exactly what they are designed and marketed to be. In the name of extreme sport or adventure "play," including mudbogging, mudslinging, winching and enduro-racing, ORV users pit their machines against the living landscape and wreak significant, severe havoc. In the few decades since ORVs have been on the market and at our disposal, they have motored far out in front of our collective ability to implement sensible protective measures, or even to fully catalog the damage they inflict. Twenty-eight million Americans ride ORVs roughly 685 million times per year; in 1960, so few people used these machines, they were not even addressed in a National Park Service survey on outdoor recreation. In addition, more than 1.3 million personal watercraft are currently in use in the United States, accounting for the fastest growing segment of the recreational boating industry, according to a report published by the Izaak Walton League of America. Numerous reports demonstrate that ORVs directly kill individual wild animals, disturb species' critical life processes, and fragment and damage habitat, undermining ecosystem function at microscopic levels scientists are just beginning to understand. ORV activity can increase wind and water erosion, which in turn removes soil nutrients and destabilizes soil structure. Moreover, these vehicles often alter the configuration of the ground surface, thus affecting water runoff patterns. (09/03/03) Defending Alaska from the Politicians Deborah Williams writes: Alaska's wolves and other wildlife are confronting alarming new threats. Last December, former U.S. Sen. Frank Murkowski became governor of the last frontier and, with single-minded determination, he and his administration are jeopardizing the future of Alaska's wildlife. To flourish naturally, wildlife needs thoughtful oversight, independent regulatory protection and intact habitat. In less than three months, Murkowski has begun undermining each of these requirements. He has appointed six members to Alaska's seven-member Board of Game — all of whom share his philosophy of managing game populations for the highest sustainable human harvest. The new members include the past president of the Alaska Trappers Association; a big game guide; a board member of the Territorial Sportsmen, an outspoken hunting advocacy group; and well-known supporters of state wolf kills. As one appointee, who has been active in past efforts to allow land-and-shoot wolf hunting as a game-management tool, stated, the board will now "get back to managing game instead of making everybody feel good about it." But Murkowski is not stopping with stacking the Board of Game. He is also gutting independent regulatory protection. Filled with dedicated biologists, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has had the responsibility since statehood of reviewing proposed development permits for their impact on habitat. Where appropriate, these biologists have recommended critical mitigation measures to protect wildlife. (09/03/03) Black-footed Ferrets Get a Helping Hand DEFENDERS -- Thanks to a generous donation by Earth Friends, Defenders has been able to help support recovery of the rare black-footed ferret, America's most endangered land mammal, on the Northern Plains. Once thought to be extinct, the black-footed ferret is slowly making a comeback. Conata Basin, on Buffalo Gap National Park, is the one place where reintroduced ferrets are actually thriving, but a few years ago the program's budget was severely cut. Thanks to the dedication of a few individuals, as well as a three-year commitment of funds from Earth Friends to assist in monitoring the population, the program was able to continue. As a result, the ferrets are doing well and biologists took wild-born ferrets from Conata Basin to start a new ferret population on the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation, where they are also doing remarkably well. (09/03/03) Defenders win Victory for Lynx DEFENDERS -- Thanks to court action by Defenders of Wildlife, the Canada lynx is getting a better chance for survival. A federal judge has ruled that the Interior Department improperly applied the Endangered Species Act when it listed the lynx as merely threatened, not endangered. The judge restricted federal activities in the lynx range until critical habitat for the species is designated. "This is a huge victory for all species in our northern forests, and could slow the Bush administration's headlong rush to undermine wildlife and environmental protections in our national forests," says William Snape, vice president and chief counsel for Defenders. A medium-sized cat characterized by its long ear tufts and bobbed tail, the lynx historically was found throughout much of the lower 48 states. But lynx today are known to occur only in Maine, Minnesota, Wyoming, Oregon, Idaho and possibly in Michigan. A recent reintroduction program has begun in Colorado. (09/03/03) 9:46:34 PM

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