Predator recovery brings new conservation challenges

‘in protecting one species you have to be thinking ahead to account for cascading effects that may impact other species too’ Staff Report FRISCO — The recovery of major predators in ocean and land ecosystems is leading to new challenges for wildlife managers, as animals like seals and sea lions take a toll on other

Biodiversity: Louisiana black bear recovery hailed as endangered species success story

Recovery goals met, USFWS proposes delisting Staff Report FRISCO — In a textbook case of endangered species conservation,  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists last week said they’ve met their recovery goals for the Louisiana black bear and moved to take the species off the endangered species list. The subspecies of black bear lives only

Wildlife advocates back in court on behalf of wolverines

Groups say federal agency erred by denying Endangered Species Act protection Staff Report FRISCO — Wildlife advocates are once again heading to federal court to seek Endangered Species Act protection for rare wolverines, a species deemed as vulnerable to global warming because of its dependence on deep spring snow cover for denning and breeding. Wolverines

Arctic rain-on-snow events tilt the ecological playing field

Norwegian researchers document cascading environmental impacts By Summit Voice FRISCO — Norwegian scientists say they’ve observed how climate-linked extreme weather events have affected not just single species, but an entire ecological community in the Arctic. Rain-on-snow events caused synchronized population fluctuations among all vertebrate species in a relatively simple high arctic community, the scientists said

Oceans: Study says sharks get a bad rap from media

Sensationalized shark attack stories favored by mass media outlets By Summit Voice SUMMIT COUNTY — Sharks have always been seen as the big, bad wolves of the sea, and despite their critical ecological role as apex predators, they’ve been treated especially harshly by the media. A new study by Michigan State University researchers shows that

Biodiversity: Lead poisoning still plagues condor recovery

Failure to reduce lead exposure may lead to end of condor restoration effort in Arizona And Utah By Summit Voice SUMMIT COUNTY — Government conservation biologists say California condors are slowly recovering in Utah and Arizona, with more breeding pairs and consistent use of seasonal ranges — but exposure to lead contamination associated with big

Global warming: California salmon under the gun

Warmer stream temps could force resource managers to choose between fish and hydropower By Summit Voice SUMMIT COUNTY — Global warming may soon force resource managers in California to choose between maintaining salmon populations or producing hydropower. That’s because warming streams could spell the end of spring-run Chinook salmon in California by the end of

Study pinpoints key ocean conservation areas

Protecting just 4 percent of the ocean would protect 84 percent of marine mammals worldwide By Summit Voice SUMMIT COUNTY — Targeted conservation efforts could pay off for marine mammals like  blue whales and sea otters, according to researchers with Stanford University and the National Autonomous University of Mexico, who identified areas off the coasts

Biodiversity: Northern Rockies seen as key refuge

Report outlines need for habitat connectivity By Summit Voice SUMMIT COUNTY — Remote mountain terrain in the northern Rockies could serve as a critical refuge for vulnerable species like wolverines,  grizzly bears and mountain goats, according to a new report by the Wilderness Conservation Society. The independent assessment of the Crown of the Continent area

Wildlife: Republicans try to undermine Mexican wolf recovery

Will politics prevail over science? By Summit Voice SUMMIT COUNTY — Even as federal conservation biologists work to develop recovery goals for Mexican wolves, once plentiful in the Southwest, a group of Republican lawmakers from the West and Midwest is conspiring to prematurely remove Endangered Species Act protections for the rare species. The introduction of