Endangered Species Update articles from January - March 2007

Endangered Species Update archives from January - March 2007

Effectiveness of gray wolf (Canis Lupus) education programs in the Midwest: a case study of Wolf Park.
January 1, 2007... Abstract With an increase in wolf population, public attitudes toward wolves in Michigan are deteriorating, prompting concerns about the sustainability of wolf recovery (Peyton, 2006; Schanning, 2006). One wolf education facility in the...

Hypothetical relationships between the San Joaquin kit fox, California grizzly bear, and gray wolf on the pre-European California landscape.
January 1, 2007... Abstract Predator dynamics and other community-level interactions more than 200 years ago within California's Central Valley would likely have been emphatically different with grizzly bears and wolves as an important part of the landscape....

The role of the Florida Park Service--Florida Atlanta University "Parknership" Research Program in wildlife biology in setting endangered species conservation policy.
January 1, 2007... The Florida Park Service District 5 "Parknership" Research Program is a multifaceted wildlife biology research collaboration. The program's objective is to provide wildlife biology research opportunities in District 5 (southeast Florida) state...

Species at risk baiji (lipotes vexillifer).
January 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] An animal once revered in Chinese culture has become functionally extinct, according to reports from a recent expedition in China to monitor the baiji dolphin's population. Although the decline of the species was...

Focus on nature[TM].(Lahotan Cutthroat Trout)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Currents of cool, clear water caress an 18-inch, black-spotted LAHONTAN CUTTHROAT TROUT (Oncorhynchus clarki henshawi) as she guards her newly-deposited eggs. As an insectivorous and piscivorous species, her mate is...

AZA-accredited Monterey Bay Aquarium helps consumers make fish-friendly choices.(News From Zoos)(Association of Zoos and Aquariums)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... In 1997, Monterey Bay Aquarium launched Seafood Watch. Recently updated for 2007, this program raises awareness of sustainable seafood and helps consumers make choices that protect the environment. Consumers can also pledge to become "Seafood...

Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration dives into the secrets of the Gulf.(News From Zoos)(Gulf of Mexico)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... AZA-accredited Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration recently partnered with the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, the University of Rhode Island and the U.S. Navy to explore the underwater landscape and habitats of the...

New England Aquarium conducts innovative research on endangered right whales.(News From Zoos)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The New England Aquarium, an AZA-accredited institution, has been researching the world's rarest large whale in an effort to save this species from extinction. Decimated by hunting until the 20th century, there are less than 350 North Atlantic...

Overcoming challenges to species recovery.
January 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] In 1973, when the Endangered Species Act (ESA) became law, the endangered and threatened species list numbered only 77 species, none of which were invertebrates or plants, and iconic species such as the bald eagle...

Multispecies recovery planning: benefits and challenges.( Tidal Marsh Ecosystem recovery Plan )
January 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A California clapper rail (Rallus longirostris obsoletus) passes warily under the boardwalk while a salt marsh harvest mouse (Rallus longirostris obsoletus) clings to a clump of pickleweed just a few feet away. A...

Reversing a textbook tragedy.(mussel restoration )
January 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A recent sunny morning along the Clinch River was the setting for a homecoming years in the making. Local children, media, Fish and Wildlife Service staff, and conservation officials from Virginia Tech University and...

The public role in conserving species.
January 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Conservation biology is a field that requires the melding of biological and social sciences. This is particularly true when considering the conservation of organisms in areas with high human populations. Although...

Whooping crane population reaches record high.
January 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] A record 237 endangered whooping cranes (Grus americana) arrived in their Texas wintering grounds in 2006-2007. This is likely the highest number of whoopers wintering in Texas in the past 100 years, and it exceeds...

Defense and conservation: compatible missions.(Department of Defense )
January 1, 2007... The Department of Defense (DoD) manages approximately 29 million acres (12 million hectares) of land throughout the nation. Access limits due to security considerations and the need for safety buffer zones have shielded these lands from...

Wildlife conservation and the U.S. Army.
January 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Conservation of natural resources on the Army's 15 million acres (6 million hectares) has long been part of its heritage. In the 1870s, the Army sent cavalry troops to what are now Yosemite National Park and other...

Desert tortoises get help from the Marines.
January 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Desert tortoises (Gopberus agassizii) have crawled the Mojave Desert since California's southern interior was covered with green ponds and wetlands. Millions of years have altered the landscape dramatically, turning...

Eggert's sunflower prospers at Arnold AFB.
January 1, 2007... For more than seven years, the Eggert's sunflower (Helianthus eggertii) was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. In 2005, however, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed this plant from the list, recognizing that it no...

In defense of coral reefs.(Department of Defence)
January 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Coral reefs are the world's most biologically diverse marine ecosystems. They consist of a vast assemblage of plants, animals, and microbes, many of which are still scientifically unknown. Reef ecosystems provide...

Army National Guard discovers a tough little shrimp.
January 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Idaho National Guard biologists Jay Weaver and Dana Quinney recently made a memorable discovery: a new species of giant predatory fairy shrimp. This crustacean lives in the waters of two desert playas (temporary...

Compatible land use partnerships.(United States Army)
January 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] There was a time when many military installations were considered remote. They had few neighbors, generated few complaints, experienced few environmental restrictions, and conducted their business relatively...

States working together for wildlife.
January 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] American wildlife conservation has reached a historic milestone: the completion of statewide wildlife action plans in every state and territory. Continuing the long tradition of state-federal partnerships, the...

Saving Saipan's white-eye.
January 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The little known Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) is an archipelago of 14 tiny islands in the mid-Pacific region of Micronesia. Nestled just north of Guam and south of Japan, the entire Mariana...

Planning for wildlife in the lone star state.
January 1, 2007... In September of 2005, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), along with myriad conservation partners, completed its first comprehensive strategy for the recovery of nongame species and their associated habitats. The strategy focuses on...

Building on a conservation legacy.(1938 Pittman-Robertson Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act)
January 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It can take years, sometimes decades of perspective to gain appreciation for some of history's greatest moments. So it was with passage of the 1938 Pittman-Robertson Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act. While the name...

Tree farmers help grow the Oregon Conservation Strategy.(Ken and Karin Faulk )
January 1, 2007... Ken and Karin Faulk have a vision for their land, one that allows them to meet a variety of management objectives while making a real difference fur wildlife. It is a vision shared by the Oregon Conservation Strategy. The Faulks are...

The conservation of pollinating species.(PARTNERS FOR POLLINATORS)(North American Pollinator Protection Campaign)
January 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Pollinating animals are critically important to the maintenance of virtually all terrestrial ecosystems, yet the population status of most pollinating species often goes unnoticed. Butterflies, moths, bats, birds,...

Polar bear proposed for listing as threatened.(LISTING ACTIONS)(Cover story)
January 1, 2007... On December 27, 2006, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced its intent to propose listing the polar bear (Ursus maritimus) as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. At the same time, it initiated a comprehensive...

Forging partnerships for habitat restoration.(PARTNERS FOR FISH AND WILDLIFE)
January 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The majority of our Nation's fish and wildlife resources are found on privately owned lands. Because the habitat needs of most endangered and threatened species cannot be met solely on public lands, voluntary...

Box score.(recovery plans)(Table)
January 1, 2007... BOX SCORE Listings and Recovery Plans as of March 19, 2007 ENDANGERED THREATENED GROUP U.S. FOREIGN U.S. FOREIGN [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...