Author: Lauren

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A Weakening Reign: The King of the Jungle

Platt, J. R. (2014, October 27). African Lions Face Extinction by 2050, Could Gain Endangered Species Act Protection | Extinction Countdown, Scientific American Blog Network. Scientific American Global RSS. Retrieved February 24, 2015 from <http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2014/10/27/african-lions-endangered-species/>.

 

The African Lion is on the road to going extinct by 2050, according to the Fish and

Wildlife Service.  There are only 34,000 lions left, in only 10 stronghold locations

in Africa.  The decline in population is due to habitat loss, loss of their prey base to

the bush meat trade, human-lion conflict, and predominantly sport hunting.  The

lion is being placed on the endangered species list for certain protection.

 

This article relates to environmental science because this lion is endangered due to human disturbances and conflicts.  It makes me so sad to think that this beautiful cat would be gone by 2050, and I really hope that we will find a way to coexist with the animal.  I’d love to see the ten places where the lions are living at the moment turn into preserves of some sort where the lions can roam freely and without danger of being hunted.

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Where’s the oxygen in the Missouri River?

ENN. (2015, January 24). Wildlife and Habitat Conservation News: Missouri River Sturgeon Need More Oxygen to Reproduce. Dead Zones, Dams Implicated: ENN. ENN: Environmental News Network — Know Your Environment. Retrieved February, 2015 from  <http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/48208>.

 

It has been decades since the Pallid Sturgeon has been able to produce young that lived to adulthood in the Missouri River. Scientists suspect that there is a dead zone in the river, in which there is lack of oxygen.  With this new discovery, it will be possible to find the source of the problem and possibly fix it.

 

This relates to environmental science because dead zones affect the creatures in the river, and the cause for the dead zone is usually external.  I think it is very important that the cause of the problem is found soon so that it can be solved before the Sturgeon species can survive.  If one species in the river goes extinct, it could alter the entire ecosystem around the river as well.

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Captive Kitties

Connor, N. (2015, February 12). China Tiger Farms Put Big Cats in the Jaws of Extinction: Science X Network. Science X Network. Retrieved February, 2015 from <http://phys.org/news/2015-02-china-tiger-farms-big-cats.html>.

 

The Siberian Tiger Park in China, along with other breeding centers and farms in the country, breed tigers in order to sell their body parts for money after they die. China’s tiger farm industry says the trade in captive animals helps preserve the cats, but wildlife groups argue that it is actually increasing the amount of poaching of these animals.

 

This article relates to environmental science because human poaching and the Chinese economy are greatly interfering with the survival of this tiger species. I am quite disturbed by this article because these wild cats are being used for money instead of living freely like they are supposed to.  I think this is terrible and we need to do something to protect these endangered tigers.

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Marvelous Monarchs

Baddour, D. (2015, February 11). Disappearing Texas Monarch Butterfly Will Get Federal Assistance: Houston Chronicle. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February 24, 2015 from  <http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Disappearing-butterfly-will-get-federal-assistance-6074876.php#texasendangered>.

 

The Monarch butterfly is being considered for being placed on the endangered species list. The butterflies are being affected by the genetically modified, herbicide-resistant crops that farmers put on their fields as weed poison. It prohibits the growth of native plants that the butterflies use to eat and lay eggs. 3.2 million is being funded for habitat restoration projects in which more milkweed will be planted for the butterflies.

 

This article relates to environmental science because these butterflies are being affected by human disturbances and are being put in danger.  The modern farming techniques are unnatural is foreign to the surrounding wildlife.  I dislike that farmers use genetically modified herbicides because there are always consequences that people cannot control.  I am glad that the habitat restoration project is attempting to help fix the problem though.

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Puerto Rico Parrots

The Associated Press. (2015, January 21). 15 Endangered Puerto Rican Parrots Released Into Wild: The New York Times. The New York Times. Retrieved February 24, 2015, from <http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/01/21/world/americas/ap-cb-puerto-rico-saving-parrots.html>.

 

In Puerto Rico on January 21, a group of scientists let 15 endangered parrots into

the wild after being kept in a preserve with 204 other parrots.  It is the only native

parrot Puerto Rico has left. The 15 parrots were one to two years old and lived in a

cage separated from the other parrots for a year.  In that time they were fed local

fruits and taught to recognize natural predators, in preparation for their release.

 

This article relates to environmental science because these scientists are helping to preserve the biodiversity of their native species. I think it is really great that Puerto Rico has created a program that will allow the parrots to reproduce their population so that they can slowly release them back into the wild.  I hope that the preparation for those fifteen birds was enough to allow them to survive now that they are on their own.

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New Habitat for Two

Sommer, K. (2014, November 8). Cats and Birds: Land Granted for Protection of Endangered Species: Valley Morning Star. Valley Morning Star. Retreived November 12, 2014 from

http://www.valleymorningstar.com/news/local_news/article_1a648cc0-67c3-11e4-be0f-c7217357fd4f.html

 

In Raymondville, Texas, the ocelot and Aplomado falcon have been given a

7428-acres plot of protected land from the Yturria ranch.  The area was designated

by the Conservation Fund and the US Fish and Wildlife Service to keep the two

species from going extinct.  The falcon disappeared from South Texas 50 years ago

due to widespread habitat destruction, and there are only 50 ocelots left in the US.

 

This is an interesting article because it shows just how desperate species can

really become, and how close they are to extinction.  I think it is really great that this ranch is willing to give up their land to create this falcon and ocelot preserve. I love that it is combining the two species into one area so that they can live in a more natural environment. This idea should be used for many other creatures, even those that aren’t endangered, so that biodiversity is increased in the nation and around the world.

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Indiana Otters: Repeating Mistakes

Sabalow, R. (2014, November 12). Should Hoosiers Be Allowed to Trap River Otters for Their Fur?- Indy Star. Indy Star. Retrieved November 12, 2014 from http://www.indystar.com/story/news/2014/11/12/hoosiers-allowed-trap-river-otters-fur/18936123/.

 

In the 1940s, the Indiana river otters almost went extinct due to trapping for the

fur trade, a significant contributor to the American economy.  They were reintroduced and

protected, however, which allowed them to rebound enough to be removed from the

endangered species list in 2005.  Now, wildlife officials are proposing that the otters can be

trapped again, but with stricter limitations to make sure the species can still thrive.

 

This article is interesting because it shows how destructive humans are to the

environment and how much of an impact their actions have on endangered species. I think

its horrible that people are so determined to trap and kill these otters because of the

economic benefits.  Although the wildlife officials are hoping to compromise between both

the economy and the environment in order to avoid conflict, simply having limitations on

the activity will not stop it from harming and endangering the species.

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A Call to Help the Mexican Grey Wolf!

Center for Biological Diversity. (2014, November 12). Lawsuit Fights 38 Years Of Delay In Recovering Southwest’s Mexican Gray Wolves: KRWG. KRWG. Retrieved November 12, 2014 from

http://krwg.org/post/lawsuit-fights-38-years-delay-recovering-southwests-mexican-gray-wolves.

 

 

The Mexican grey wolf is one of the most endangered mammals in North America, and a recovery plan for the species had been created 38 years ago that has yet to be put into action.  With only 83 individuals left, some environmental conservation groups in Arizona sued the US Fish and Wildlife Service for delaying the process of saving the animal. They are concerned that if the organization does not act soon, it will be too late.

 

I found this article particularly interesting because it not only relates to the environment, but also to the politics around the environment. The fact that the US Fish and Wildlife Service still has not acted on the promise that they had made to protect the wolf shows how difficult it is to preserve endangered species through law and regulation. It is great that people have realized this and are pushing to get them to do something, but I feel like there must be some other way to more effectively preserve biodiversity and protect endangered species without having to set so many limitations and regulations.

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Breeding Amargosa Voles

CDFW. (2014, October 23). Scientists Work to save Endangered Desert Mammal: Imperial Valley News. Imperial Valley California News Source. Retrieved November 12, 2014 from

http://www.imperialvalleynews.com/index.php/news/california-news/11890-scientists-work-to-save-endangered-desert-mammal.html.

 

The Amargosa vole that lives in the rare marshes of the Mojave Desert has been threatened in recent years by loss of habitat, extreme drought, and climate change. There are only a few hundred left in California, making the creature one of the most critically endangered mammals in North America. However, a research team at UC Davis has begun a captive breeding program with ten males and females in an attempt to save the species.

 

This is a perfect example of how a species becomes endangered due to habitat destruction.  I found the breeding program very interesting and I greatly appreciate the effort the university is putting into saving the vole. I think it is really important that people at colleges and universities work to preserve species because then the young people at the colleges can become more aware of environmental issues and have a better understanding of how to solve them.

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Southeast US Wood Stork

Beasley, D. (2014, June 26). Wood Stork Removed from Endangered Species List: Scientific American. Scientific American Global RSS. Retrieved November 12, 2014 from

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/wood-stork-removed-from-endangered-species-list/.

 

The American wood stork had been added to the endangered species list in 1984 when its wetlands habitat was threatened in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Alabama. Since then, there has been a successful conservation effort that has spread the population through the Southeast, and has brought the bird above the 6000 average for it to be removed from the endangered species list.  However, the species will still be listed as threatened because the goal of having an average of 10,000 nesting pairs has not yet been reached.

 

This article relates to environmental science because it shows the effects of human activity on species biodiversity on the planet.  It has taken a very large amount of time for the wood stork to be removed from the endangered species list, and it is all because of their habitat being threatened by human intervention.  Even still, the species is fragile and not fully recovered. I hope that more people can become aware of the environmental impact that we have so that all of these species can co-exist with humans instead of becoming threatened of extinction.