As a Wyoming Department of Game and Fish official points out in a recent Capser Star-Tribune article, much of the elaborate physical display of the male sage-grouse (what is usually referred to as "strutting") is actually about generating the sound. According to the article, researchers from the University of California-Davis are studying the accoustics of sage-grouse courtship at various lekking grounds in Wyoming. There are previous studies that established that the amplitude of the sounds a male sage-grouse makes is an important factor in mate selection. In fact, some of the "dancing" movements of the males are apparently attempts to focus their sounds in certain directions (i.e towards particular females) and at certain amplitudes (incidentally, one of the ways that Gunnison sage-grouse are distinguished from greater sage-grouse is their different pattern of vocalizations).

All dumb jokes aside about how the right sweet nothings whispered at the right time make all the difference in sage-grouse courtship, this also means that writers attempting to capture the look and feel of a sage-grouse lek site are often left trying to convey some sense of the sounds the males make. Some of those sounds can be powerful and complex. The booming noises males make with their air sacs can be heard a mile away. As the Star-Tribune story points out, the stage upon which the male performs also is also likely a significant influence on the sound quality:

“Environmental acoustics – the soil type and topography of the lek itself – probably play a significant role, too.”

This hints at some reasons why lek sites are so important to protect if we want to conserve this highly imperiled species. As the Star-Tribune story also points out, it may also provide a clue as to why sage-grouse are particularly sensitive to disturbance at these mating sites:

“How the sound carries at a particular site may be a big reason why the birds return to the same lek year after year – or possibly why they abandon a lek if a noisy road or energy development pops up nearby.”

So if the sound of a courting sage-grouse is important, how do those who write about sage-grouse try to capture it?

Well, most don’t. I wouldn’t either, if I could avoid it. The most common sidestep is to refer to it as “booming” (exactly as I did a few paragraphs earlier) or “popping.” A few have even gone so far as to nickname the birds “thunder cluckers.” In general, there is a fine tradition of valiant attempts to characterize the sound of a sage-grouse, often with humorous results:

“a bubbly popping noise…”

“a sort of drawn-out burbling that sounds uncannily like someone gulping underwater…”

“swishing sounds, hoots, and pops. Both sexes makes clucking and cackling noises…”

“when flushed, [sage-grouse make] a course ‘wut’ or ‘kak, kak, kak” call. Males also coo and make popping vocalizations by expelling air through esophageal pouches during courtship…”

This last description is not the most technical out there. That prize has to go to one of the authors of the above-mentioned acoustical studies, who noted that the “explosive use of dual anterior air sacs is unique to the Centrocercus grouse strut display.”

For those brave enough to try to actually spell the sound of a sage-grouse, the results can be wonderful fun. As one author noted dryly after attempting it himself, “it’s a sound not easily put into words.” Among my favorites from articles around the Web:

“Glumph… Glumph… Glumph…”

“Ba-loomp… Ba-loomp… Ba-loomp…”

And my all time favorite: “swish-swish-coo-oopoink!”

As for me, I hope to hear the, er, booming of the sage-grouse myself this spring, but I think I’ll refrain from trying to describe the sound to you.

If you want to hear and see sage-grouse dancing for yourself, try these videos and sound clips (and another).

By the way, given our heavy snowfall this winter, the anecdotal reports from around Colorado are that many lek sites are still under snow and strutting activity may get started a little later this year than usual. We’ll hope that most sage-grouse survived the winter and will still show up eventually, and on the up side the conditions may allow viewing later into the season than is normally possible.

The 'Dear Colleague' letter to the Interior Appropriations Committee leadership that Sen. Salazar signed and Senators Crapo (R-ID) and Lieberman (I-CT) initiated, calls for a modest 2.5 percent increase in funding for endangered species programs over what the President called for in his 2009 budget. According to the letter's cover, "More than 200 already-listed species are on the verge of extinction primarily because too little attention and funding is available for recovery activities." The letter continues, "Failure to provide adequate levels of funding for endangered species operations will only ensure that species slide closer to extinction, decreasing chances for recovery while increasing the costs."

Although underfunding of endangered species programs has been a historic problem, the Bush administration has been overtly hostile to endangered species issues like no other administration: It has extended protections to far fewer endangered species than any other administration, and has then only done so when compelled by courts. It has attempted to undercut effective endangered species policy and hired industry hacks to oversee endangered species programs who then illicitly altered scientific findings to favor industry over conservation. When all these attempts fail or are exposed by the  Washington Post, the Administration's handiest and perhaps most effective tool is failing to fund endangered species programs. We thank  Sen. Salazar, environmental champions like Sen. Wyden (D-WA) and fellow Dear Colleague letter-cosigners (Sens. Crapo, Cardin (D-MD), Lieberman, Kennedy (D-MA), Kerry (D-MA), Sanders (I-VT), Stabenow (D-MI) and Wyden), for their efforts to restore adequate endangered species funding. 

Excerpted from Senate Dear Colleague Letter: "The number of candidate species awaiting protection under the Act, many of which have been candidates for years, totals 280. The number of projects reviewed under the consultation program has increased dramatically, from 40,000 in 1999 to more than 67,000 in 2006. Development and implementation of Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs), which allow activities to proceed while still protecting species, continues to grow, with funding critically needed to help ensure timely and effective development and monitoring of 500 existing and more than 350 new HCPs that together will cover more than 70 million acres when complete."

Core Endangered Species Programs

The four Fish and Wildlife Service endangered species operating accounts are key to effective implementation of the Endangered Species Act. All four program areas are currently experiencing at least a 30 percent staffing shortage due to budget constraints, an unacceptable vacancy rate.

1. Listing – This account funds the protection of new plants and animals under the Endangered Species Act, as well as habitat critical to recovery. Currently, more than 280 species sit on the candidate waiting list for protection. Candidate species wait an average of 19 years to be listed and since 1975, 64 have gone extinct while waiting – seven times the number of speicies that have disappeared under the full protection of the ESA.
2. Recovery - While the Endangered Species Act has been extremely successful at preventing wildlife from going extinct, the purpose of the Act is to protect and recover endangered and threatened fish, plants and wildlife.
3. Consultation – The consultation program is an important part of the checks and balances system to ensure that endangered fish, wildlife, and plants are protected on the ground. There has been a dramatic increase in demand for consultations recently, jumping from 40,000 in 1999 to 67,000 in 2006. Shortage of personnel in this program area causes delays of project reviews thus creating conflicts between agencies. The consultation budget also funds the Service’s work with non-federal entities for permitting and development of Habitat Conservation Plans; lack of funding prevents the Fish and Wildlife Service from ensuring that these plans are properly developed, implemented and monitored.
4. Candidate Conservation - This program protects species before they are actually listed, thus in theory averting the need to ever list them at all. As mentioned above though, fish, plants and wildlife on the candidate list go extinct at a much higher rate than those with full protection – in part because of severe understaffing for this program.

Additional Endangered Species Programs

Cooperative Endangered Species Fund – This fund provides grants to states for wildlife and habitat conservation activities on non-federal lands for listed and candidate species. At least 65 percent of federally listed species are found on non-federal land. Without the proposed increases states will fall further behind in their ability to independently work to protect at risk species. Crucial conservation activities funded by these grants include: research, species status surveys, habitat restoration, captive propagation and reintroduction, planning assistance, and land acquisition by states for Habitat Conservation Plans and recovery.

Landowner Incentive and Private Stewardship Grants – These grants provide funding for voluntary conservation actions taken by landowners to conserve at-risk plants and animals on private lands, which benefits us all. The Landowner Incentive program awards competitive grants to state and tribal conservation agencies for their work with private landowners and tribal lands, while the Private Stewardship program provides funding directly to individuals and groups implementing private land conservation actions. In 2007, funding was awarded to efforts in 46 states. Regrettably, neither program was funded in the FY ’08 Interior appropriations bill due to budget constraints; these important programs should be re-started in FY ’09. The demonstrated need for these programs has far outstripped available funding in the past – the amount requested for worthy projects on average totaled two to three times the yearly available funding.

BLM Threatened and Endangered Species Management – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) controls habitat that supports more than 300 federally listed or candidate species. This program, along with their Fisheries and Wildlife Management program, funds inventory and monitoring, habitat restoration, endangered species recovery, and other proactive conservation activities vital to maintaining healthy, functioning ecosystems and fish, wildlife, and plant populations. Recently, an average of 30 percent of these funds have been used to pay for the compliance activities of the BLM’s energy, grazing, and other non-wildlife related programs.Traditionally, funding for compliance work has come from benefiting programs. In addition, the programs are substantially understaffed. For example, the BLM has only one biologist per 591,000 acres of land, and more than $60 million is needed annually just to implement actions assigned to BLM in recovery plans for listed species.

Many of Center for Native Ecosystems' campaigns have recently made headline news. From the white-tailed prairie dog to the fragile desert  habitat of eastern Utah, lately we've celebrated important milestones for many of our target species and ecosystems. Yet for every high-profile news story there are countless folks behind the scenes, doing the daily work of saving species from extinction. Behind every landmark legal victory we celebrate stands a corps of dedicated activists, donors, pro-bono lawyers, volunteers and staunch supporters that saw the process through to the very end.

Though we could never adequately thank all those who deserve our gratitude, we at Center for Native Ecosystems would like to recognize a few of our own "unsung heroes" - people and organizations without which our work would simply not be possible. We feel so fortunate to be part of a progressive community of conservation-minded individuals and groups, and the below-mentioned people have given their time, energy, expertise and patient counsel to ensure that our work continues in a robust, forward direction.  Thank you all.

Trey Beck - Trey has provided sustained and generous pro bono support on our web site and our computers for as long as we can remember.

Mindy Harm Benson - Mindy was our crackerjack attorney on the legal action that resulted in a huge, precedent-setting oil and gas ruling last December.  Although the ruling was in 2006, 2007 was the year we converted that ruling into hundreds of thousands of acres of important wildlife habitat withdrawn from oil and gas leasing.

Colorado Division of Wildlife  - The Colorado Division of Wildlife has been an incredibly important wildlife advocate over the past year.  They deserve a special mention for their assertive efforts to keep oil and gas drilling out of core habitat for sage-grouse.

 Naseem Munshi and Mike Tupper - Naseem and Mike have been incredible supporters of our conservation work since the early days. We are so completely thankful for their generosity. 

Jeremy Nichols - Jeremy is doing amazing work with his new Rocky Mountain Clean Air Action cleaning up Colorado's air (and reducing pollution impacts to native plants and wildlife along the way).  He also moonlighted as our Staff Biologist Pinch Hitter while Erin Robertson was on maternity leave.

Bob Spertus - Bob and his family's foundation stepped up to help us years ago when we were in a pinch and have been among our best, most consistent, and most gracious supporters ever since. 

Todd Hagenbuch - As the vice president of Rocky Mountain Farmers Union and a rancher in northwestern Colorado, Todd has been a terrific partner in our efforts to enhance incentive programs that help landowners improve conservation practices.  Our relationship has been especially fruitful during the current Farm Bill renewal process. 

Jay Tutchton - Jay has served admirably on our board of directors and has been one of our most fearless, finest, and successful attorneys in our work to protect imperiled species like the white-tailed prairie dog, Graham's penstemon, porter feathergrass, Preble's meadow jumping mouse, boreal toad, Douglas County pocket gopher, and many others.

Alison Wright - Alison is an awesome member of our exceptional volunteer corps. She's reliable, hard-working, and helping us dig through some of the least exciting but most important work in the office.  All of our volunteers deserve a special mention for their dedication and effort. 

Senator Ron Wyden - Senator Wyden was a key hero in our campaign of the past two years to restore integrity to science at the Interior Department.

Other Colorado electeds supporting the Endangered Species Recovery Act (HR 1422) are Senators Salazar and Allard and Representatives DeGette, Udall and Perlmutter. If passed, ESRA wold provide some $400 million a year in tax credits and incentives to landowners to conserve habitat for imperiled species on their land, where the majority of habitat for threatened and endangered species exists in the U.S. The last several years Center for Native Ecosystems has been working closely with Colorado agriculture groups, ranchers and farmers, conservationists and sportsmen to  improve programs that provide helpful support to  landowners in conserving some of our most imperiled wildlife.

Other conservation priorities for the House/Senate 2007 Farm Bill conference include:

Ensuring adequate funding for conservation in the Farm Bill. The $6 billion over six years for conservation programs designated by the Senate should remain in the final Farm Bill. Even with this modest increase, many conservation programs will be funded far below farmer demand. According to the NRCS, only 27% of all conservation contracts in Colorado were funded in 2004. NRCS turned away 3,874 landowners who volunteered to take measures to improve Colorado’s environment. In 2006, 449 Colorado EQIP applications (representing $11,597,495 in requests for cost-sharing to improve the environment) were unfunded. In2005, 123 Grasslands Reserve Program (GRP) easement applications went unfunded, leaving a total of 437,281 acres of Colorado grasslands without the protection of conservation easements.

Keeping the Senate provision that includes riparian areas on the conservation goals of the Wetlands Reserve Program. Given the relatively larger amount of riparian habitat in Colorado versus areas currently considered wetlands under this program, this change could particularly advance conservation in our state.

Keeping the House funding increase for the Grasslands Reserve Program, a vital program in Colorado in the West for preserving shrinking grasslands ecosystems. The House Farm Bill’s funding increase for the Grasslands Reserve Program should be maintained. This is one of the most important conservation programs in Colorado – both for our ranchers and producers and for protecting and restoring grasslands.

Keeping the Senate Farm Bill provision that provides assistance for proactive non-lethal predator deterrence. This provision assists landowners in putting into place proactive, non-lethal predator deterrence measures through the EQIP program. This provision would help such Colorado producers as sheep growers and ranchers, as well as our native wildlife.

Rejecting any proposals that would impose lower Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) eligibility limits on participants in conservation programs. Lowering AGI limits for conservation programs will undermine the ability of these programs to help farmers, ranchers and forest landowners effectively produce environmental benefits by excluding landowners who might be best positioned to have the greatest positive environmental impact from participating in conservation programs.

Clearly the Farm Bill could do much more to ensure that farmers and ranchers in Colorado and around the country are supported when they offer to share in the cost of improving water quality, improving wildlife habitat and becoming better stewards of their land.  Both our landowners and the natural resources that we all enjoy are depending on it.

For the sixth year in a row, conservation organizations like Center for Native Ecosystems and cities in Colorado and New Mexico have celebrated Prairie Dog Day.  Prairie Dog Day is inspired by Groundhog Day, which also took place this year on February 2nd.  While prairie dogs may not be as skilled at predicting the weather as the renowned Punxsutawney Phil, their fate is closely tied to the fate of the entire prairie ecosystem: as the prairie dog goes, so goes the swift fox, the burrowing owl, the ferruginous hawk, and the critically imperiled black-footed ferret.

There are five species of prairie dogs, and all five are keystone species.  The fate of hundreds of other species, in addition to entire ecosystems, depends in complicated ways on the fate of the prairie dogs.  One species, the Utah prairie dog, is already protected under the Endangered Species Act, yet the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service allows the continued destruction of significant numbers of animals and significant habitat every year.  The Mexican prairie dog is also protected under the Act but occurs entirely outside of the U.S.  The other three species, all occurring in the United States, face continued threats and continued declines from oil and gas drilling, overgrazing, and habitat loss.

Joined by Biodiversity Conservation Alliance, the Denver Zoo, Forest Guardians (now WildEarth Guardians), the Prairie Dog Coalition, and others, we hope Prairie Dog Day helps bring increased attention to these ecologically-critical wildlife species and the ecosystems of which they are such a vital part.

In case you missed it, our friend, the black-footed ferret was recently associated with a plagiarism scandal.  No, the black-footed ferret was not the guilty party.  It seems as though romance novelist, Cassie Edwards, used pieces from a story about black-footed ferrets to enhance her novel "Shadow Bear," about a Lakota chief who finds love with a feisty pioneer. 

Okay, so the passages don't actually enhance the story at all.  They are quite scientific compared to the rest of the romantic story line, which only helps to lend credence to the plagiarism accusation.  Judge for yourself.  This is a scene from "Shadow Bear" where the two main characters discuss black-footed ferrets:

"They are so named because of their dark legs," Shadow Bear says, to which Shiona responds: "They are so small, surely weighing only about two pounds and measuring two feet from tip to tail."

Shiona then tells Shadow Bear how she once read about ferrets in a book she took from the study of her father. "I discovered they are related to minks and otters. It is said their closest relations are European ferrets and Siberian polecats," she says. "Researchers theorize that polecats crossed the land bridge that once linked Siberia and Alaska, to establish the New World population."

Not quite the stuff of fairy tales.  Here is the corresponding passage from Paul Tolme's article entitled "Toughing It Out in the Badlands":

Black-footed ferrets, so-named because of their dark legs, weigh about two pounds and measure two feet from tip to tail. Related to mink and otters, they are North America's only native ferret (and a different species than the ferrets kept as pets). Their closest relatives are European ferrets and Siberian polecats. Researchers theorize polecats crossed the land bridge that once linked Siberia and Alaska to establish the New World population.

Hmm... Either way, all of us at Center for Native Ecosystems are just happy that one of the most endangered mammals in North America is getting the attention it deserves.

Listen to as interview with Paul Tolme on NPR's Talk of the Nation.

Taking a look back, here are some of the highlights of our most effective and successful year so far!

•    Protecting the Preble’s Meadow Jumping Mouse and its Front Range Streamside Habitat.  Because of our relentless efforts to force the Bush administration to rely on good science in its decision about Endangered Species Act protection, the Preble’s meadow jumping mouse enjoyed more than two years of additional protection across its entire range and will remain fully protected throughout the Colorado portion of its range.  As a result of our campaign the Department of the Interior also admitted to political meddling in key Preble’s meadow jumping mouse decisions.  This protection is critical, especially in the face of continuing sprawl across Colorado’s Front Range.

•    Defending the Endangered Species Act and Improving Conservation of Endangered Species on Private Land.  Center for Native Ecosystems is building on our tremendous success last year – with the rest of the conservation community – defending the Endangered Species Act against the fiercest attack in at least a decade.  We led the defensive effort in Colorado last year, and while we remain vigilant for signs of renewed attacks we’ve been able to focus instead on advancing Farm Bill provisions and other legislation that improve private land conservation of endangered species.  We are simultaneously building on our impressive network of relationships in the farming and ranching communities.

•    Unmatched Legal Prowess.  We are currently involved in six lawsuits to protect endangered species, including litigation on behalf of white-tailed prairie dog and Gunnison sage-grouse.  When forced to go to court as a last resort, our litigation record is 25-3 – we almost never lose.

I was out on maternity leave August 11-November 5.  It’s interesting to be an outsider for a few months and then reenter the inner workings of CNE and endangered species conservation.  Here’s my take on the big things that happened.

More Bush Administration Mixed-Bag Decisions

Two big decisions affecting species we’re working on were announced.  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agreed with our argument that Pariette cactus is a separate species, and proposed to treat it as such.  Yay!  Of course, this was something that they first proposed to do 11 years ago, and the Service authorized tons of oil and gas drilling in its habitat since then, but, hey, better late than never.  The Service also agreed that the very drilling that the agency has allowed over the past decade threatens the cactus with extinction, and found that our petition was correct – the cactus needs to be protected as Endangered rather than Threatened.  But in usual Bush administration fashion, they refused to actually make the change – that will take yet another lawsuit on our part.  Instead, they found that the cactus warranted additional protection but that they were precluded from adding it to the Endangered list now because of higher priority actions.  Such as?  I guess we’ll need to ask them in court.

And the Service also announced that they have officially decided that the Preble’s meadow jumping mouse is indeed a valid subspecies that warrants continued protection under the Endangered Species Act.  Yay!  But there’s the usual catch – now they’re claiming that the mouse only warrants protection in Colorado.  The mice in Wyoming are on their own.  There was a public hearing in Lakewood about this on December 10^th, and one in Wheatland on December 12^th.  Written comments can also be submitted until January 22^nd.

More Movement on Making Oil and Gas Leasing Accountable 

The Bureau of Land Management in Utah suspended their quarterly oil and gas lease sale in large part because of our successful appeal of previous leasing in black-footed ferret habitat.  The Interior Board of Land Appeals agreed with us that the BLM must do additional environmental analysis before signing over drilling rights on public lands, and now it seems like they are scrambling to start actually assessing potential impacts before ceding these areas to industry.  This is a straight out yay.

Climate Change Awareness Continues to Mount

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and Al Gore received the Nobel Peace Prize, which is totally amazing.  My husband was a grad student at CU’s Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research in the late 1990’s, and collected lake sediment cores and ice cores in Greenland and Labrador, and modeled the impacts of volcanic eruptions on past climate.  His advisor, Jonathan Overpeck, was one of those honored.  CNE has always included the threat of climate change in our Endangered Species Act listing petitions, even though at first our attorneys recommended against doing so.  Now acknowledging that climate change may exacerbate other threats to imperiled species is mainstream.

Staff Updates

Three months speeds by, yet some changes were registered.  Brian helped sea turtles in Costa Rica.  Megan finished the hopefully final draft of her thesis.  Melissa oversaw the publication of our first print newsletter.  Josh fought off mono while running the office.  Jacob ran for mayor of Golden (and won the day after I returned!), and announced that he will be leaving CNE.  And I am feeling incredibly lucky because I’m able to do what I love by working at CNE half-time and yet still spend lots of time with our new little boy, Owen.

The only real mention of our work that I remember seeing while I was out was an AP article on the Preble’s decision, so that was a good reminder about how much of what we do goes on behind the scenes.  But please know that we are all busy plugging away wrapping up the last deadlines for 2007 and planning for our 2008 campaigns, hoping that all the imperiled critters and plants emerge from their winter slumbers to a more secure future.

The Fish and Wildlife Service's letter largely confirms what everyone already knew by now:  political appointees in the Interior Department (most notably former Deputy Assistant Secretary Julie MacDonald) had interfered with dozens of agency decisions in the last few years, and that this interference led to many deserving species being precluded from the Endangered Species list or receiving less habitat protection than they needed.  The letter is news, however, in its ostensible commitment to fix at least seven of those decisions.  The vigor behind that commitment and the will to right these wrongs in a timely fashion is another story.

Congressman Nick Rahall (D-WV), chair of the House Natural Resources Committee, released the November 23rd letter on Tuesday, saying the cases of interference it cataloged were examples of "this Administration's penchant for torpedoing science."  The letter committed the Service to reversing most of the decisions in question, including the negative initial finding on our petition to protect the white-tailed prairie dog, but it only offered specific dates for the proposed corrective actions in two cases (the proposal to remove protections for the Preble's meadow jumping mouse and the denial of appropriate critical habitat to the Canada lynx).  In both of these cases, the Service was already under court order to offer these corrected decisions by these dates.  So much for the agency jumping of its own accord to fix its past errors.

Because of this lack of commitment to take prompt action, we have sued the Service over the white-tailed prairie dog finding.  Our intention is to secure a date certain to which we can hold the Service legally accountable.  Unfortunately, given the state of the Service's budget and internal priority setting, this is the only way to ensure that the white-tailed prairie dog, which every day faces more and more oil and gas wells in its habitat, will see the protection it needs anytime this decade.

The Service's letter caused a big media splash, aided largely by Congressman Rahall's news release.  The Washington Post reported on the letter as well as our lawsuit.  The Jackson Hole Star Tribune, Denver Post, and Rocky Mountain News also ran stories.  The L.A. Times' story included an astute observation from Kieran Suckling, Policy Director at Center for Biological Diversity, that the Service has been politically calculated in narrowing down their list of tainted decisions to the seven in their letter.  While referencing the dozens of other species decisions that groups like CBD, Union of Concerned Scientists, and Center for Native Ecosystems have already exposed as politically tainted, Suckling said "[t]hey [the Fish and Wildlife Service] are not giving anything up. . . . They're desperately trying to contain a public scandal rather than investigate the depths of corruption at Interior."

Indeed, Union of Concerned Scientists lists at least thirty endangered species decisions from the past several years that were manipulated by political appointees who forced staff scientists to alter or ignore scientific findings.  CBD has filed at least six other lawsuits on species affected specifically by Julie MacDonald's meddling, and Center for Native Ecosystems and others are continuing to pursue legal redress for the Gunnison sage grouse,  greater sage grouse, and Gunnison's prairie dog, all of which were influenced by Julie MacDonald.

We have been saying for long time now that two things need to happen in light of the Julie MacDonald scandal.  First, the specific decisions that she and others like her tampered with need to be corrected, and second, the internal workings of the Interior Department need to be reformed so that such corruption of science-based decision-making cannot happen again.  Yesterday's revelation from the Fish and Wildlife Service only addresses part of the first of those need.  Clearly, much more needs to be done before our at risk wildlife and plants will be safe and our confidence in the federal body charged with protecting species on the brink of extinction is restored.

Thanks to a 1986 international moratorium on commercial whaling, populations of one of the world's most beloved animal, the humpback whale, have rebounded.  While estimates put the humpback's numbers at around 30,000, much better than the historic low of 1,000 in 1960, officials still consider the whale to be at high risk of extinction.  Japan is about to test that assertion by conducting an organized hunt, under the guise of scientific research, to harvest fifty humpbacks along with 1,400 whales among seven species.

Japan has been one of the most outspoken, and rebellious opponents of the whaling moratorium, filing protest after protest and claiming whaling as an important part of its culture.   Japan has actually been conducting these "research" hunts for nearly 20 years, but this is the first time they have targeted the endangered humpback.  Supporters of the humpback believe that this hunt is a way for Japan to test the resolve of conservation groups and those who protest whaling.  If there is little or no protest of this hunt, the flood gates may open, leaving Japan to harvest the endangered humpback to historic lows yet again.

Listen to their haunting songs.

Breaking news: Australia may use military forces to monitor Japan's whale hunt.

On Thursday the Senate Agriculture Committee finished its two-day mark up of the 2007 Farm Bill, which contains the single-largest source of conservation funding in the U.S. It includes many of the conservation incentive programs that assist landowners in protecting our natural resources such as soil, water and wildlife habitat.

Lacking reform

The Senate Agriculture Committee's Farm Bill includes enough funding to keep important programs open such as the Grasslands Reserve Program, Wetlands Reserve Program and, my own favorite, the Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program, open to new enrollments for the next five years. However,  it excludes many reforms of inequitable commodities and direct payments to wealthy farmers earning more than a million dollars a year, and improved funding improvements that that were being called for, such as the Denver Post ("Millionaires don't deserve subsidies," 10/23/07 ) and Rocky Mountain News ("Maybe the worst farm bill ever," 7/10/07)

Senator Salazar Speaks Up

At one point, Colorado's Senator Salazar introduced and then immediately withdrew an amendment that would  have increased funding and enrollment of the Grasslands Reserve Program and Farmland Protection Program. These programs are designed to assist landowners in preserving our fragile shrinking grasslands and farms from urban sprawl. They are also important programs in Colorado. After an eloquent speech, the Senator withdrew his amendment stating lack of necessary funding for them. In order for this to move beyond good politics, the Senator should work with Senate leadership in the coming days before the Farm Bill makes its way to the Senate floor for debate by the full Senate to ensure adequate funding and support for his amendment.

Why the Farm Bill and Landowners are Important to Endangered Species Conservation

• The majority of threatened and endangered species habitat in the U.S. exists on private land;
• More than half of the land in America is managed by ranchers, farmers and foresters; and
  
• Two-thirds of landowners who offer to conserve and protect natural resources like wildlife habitat are turned down due to lack of funding.

Take Action

Email Senator Salazar today and ask him to work with Senate leadership to find adequate funding and support of his Wetlands Reserve Program/Farmland Protection Program amendment. He should introduce his amendment when the 2007 Farm Bill hits the Senate floor for full Senate vote sometime in the next two weeks.

Who would've thought it could start in Kansas?

Last week, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment announced it denied a permit for a massive coal burning power plant to be built in Holcomb, a town made famous by Truman Capote's book, In Cold Blood.

The reason?  It wasn't because of mercury, although coal burning power plants spew large amounts of the potent neurotoxin.  It wasn't because of nitrogen oxide pollution, which forms acid rain and smog.  No, it was because of carbon dioxide.

That's right, carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, the reason our climate is changing.  It also happens to be the most abundant byproduct of fossil fuel combustion.  And the decision by the state of Kansas represents the first time ever that a coal burning power plant has been stopped because of greenhouse gases.

But it's only a start.

Scientists report we need an 80% reduction greenhouse gases by 2050 to effectively combat climate change.  So while stopping a new coal burning power plant is a big step forward, we can't stop there.  We need real reductions if we're going to save the planet.

The good news is, if we can stop a coal burning power plant from being built because of carbon dioxide emissions, we can do anything.  This monumental step forward gives us the momentum we need not just to keep greenhouse gases from increasing, but to reverse the trend of global warming.  The tide is turning and Kansas is leading the charge.

The Denver Post editorial captures well the diverse constellation of voices that are increasingly being raised against the too-much-too-fast oil and gas leasing program on federal lands which the Bureau of Land Management administers.

Not only is Center for Native Ecosystems represented, but a spokesperson for the Colorado Division of Wildlife is also quoted about the state agency's "serious concerns" with the oil and gas leases being offered.  In addition, the mayor of Granby highlights local worries about increased traffic congestion from oil and gas drilling activity in the area.  Even U.S. Representative Mark Udall (D-CO) has asked the BLM to postpone leasing in the area, the Post editorial notes.

For our part, Center for Native Ecosystems was able to highlight the large number of leases being offered in sage grouse "core areas," those places identified by the Colorado Division of Wildlife as most important for greater sage grouse survival.  "From a biological perspective, it is not appropriate to lease in those areas," we offered.

The Post ended its editorial by rightly pointing out that postponing oil and gas leasing in Grand County until the BLM finishes its new management plan for the area would "give local residents and other parties an opportunity to comment on how the land has been used — whether it is recreation or conservation — and be heard on how it may best be used in the future."

Let's hope the BLM hears this message coming from so many different sources.

In writing about the cancellation of the November lease sale in Utah, the Salt Lake Tribune noted that the Bureau of Land Management in that state has grown more cautious about leasing acreage in sensitive wildlife habitat after a ruling by the Interior Board of Land Appeals brought about by Center for Native Ecosystems last year.

Originally, we protested the leasing of land in a white-tailed prairie dog colony where the highly endangered black-footed ferret is being reintroduced.  Black-footed ferrets are North America's most endangered mammal, one that almost went extinct in the wild and is slowly being reintroduced in places like eastern Utah, where there are still prairie dog colonies intact enough to sustain it.  The BLM offered its oil and gas leases without considering what drilling would do to the ferret reintroduction program, and the land board's ruling to that effect has implications for all of the BLM's analysis of drilling impacts to wildlife. 

CNE Staff Biologist Megan Corrigan appears in the Salt Lake Tribune story with this apt assessment of the situation:  "It makes sense for the BLM to take time and do a good, thorough analysis that looks at the impacts on the fragile wildlife of the lands they are considering for leasing... Once that property gets turned over to the energy companies, it is too late."

High Country News also wrote about the ruling and specifically investigated how much of a precedent the Utah lease sale cancellation could set for other BLM offices.  This question was most pointedly raised by other outlets in Colorado, in part because the upcoming Colorado oil and gas lease sale includes many parcels in habitat for at-risk wildlife, such as the greater sage-grouse.

The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel considered quite directly the notion that the BLM in Colorado was subject to the same interpretation of their duty to protect wildlife habitat from drilling impacts.  The opening paragraph notes that the Utah lease sale cancellation "gave conservationists reasons to object to next month’s Bureau of Land Management oil and gas lease sale in Colorado, which promises to auction large swaths of sensitive wildlife habitat statewide." 

A few days later, the Denver Post weighed in as well.  The Post's story highlighted the opposition to leases offered within its borders b Grand County, which is following in the footsteps of San Miguel County, the city of Grand Junction, and other state and municipal entities around Colorado who have been forced to speak out against BLM leases offered in places near and dear to them.  Most importantly, however, the Post highlighted the concerns of the Colorado Division of Wildlife, which has been developing a statewide plan to conserve the greater sage-grouse and is rightfully upset about leases being offered in prime habitat for this and other wildlife species it manages.  Ron Volarde at the Division of Wildlife told the Denver Post, "The Colorado Division of Wildlife has several concerns to the impact on wildlife and habitat within and surrounding the proposed lease area... Fragmentation of the habitat will have a negative impact to many wildlife species."

It's not a pretty sight, but it's a reality in many wetlands across the United States these days.  Deformed frogs, struggling to survive and scientists struggling to find out why.

Today though, scientists from the University of Colorado-Boulder announced they've found the culprit--runoff from farms and ranches.  According to the latest research, which was just published in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences, nitrogen and phosphates create a parasitic infection cycle that leaves northern leopard frogs deformed in unimaginable ways.

It's not easy being green, but imagine how difficult it is being green and deformed.  Not surprisingly, deformed populations of northern leopard frogs are in decline.  While deformed frogs have been reported in many parts of the United States, the heart of the phenomenon is in the upper Midwest of Minnesota and Wisconsin.

As alarming as these deformations area, even more alarming is the link to our own health.  According to an article in the Rocky Mountain News, runoff from farms and ranches can increase the risk of malaria and West Nile virus.  The northern leopard frog is considered an indicator of clean water throughout its range, so deformations are a disturbing sign of declining water quality.

The good news is that Center for Native Ecosystems is working to save the northern leopard frog, especially in the western United States, from continued declines.  Last year, Center for Native Ecosystems spearheaded an effort to protect the northern leopard frog in the western United States under the Endangered Species Act.  Here in the west, the frog faces an onslaught of threats, including habitat loss, overgrazing, oil and gas drilling, pesticide use, climate change, and yes, even deformations.

How bad are things for the northern leopard frog in the western United States?  Well, throughout its 18 state range, it's declined on average by more than 65%.  The frog has disappeared entirely from three states, including California, Oregon, and Texas.  Even here in Colorado, the frog has declined by as much as 85%.  Although considered "widespread," the northern leopard frog is becoming scarce throughout its entire western range.

Our future doesn't just need healthy northern leopard frogs, it needs clean water, too.  With the science continuing to mount in support of protecting the northern leopard frog under the Endangered Species Act, hopefully it won't be too late for our future.