Environmentalists Clash Over Wildlife Conservation vs. Renewable Energy

It was bound to happen eventually. After all, it’s easy to understand why wildlife conservation activists have been quietly worrying about the impact that building new renewable energy infrastructure could have on animal habitats. Meanwhile, proponents of renewable energy feel that if we don’t get solar panels, wind turbines, power lines and other means of clean, green energy installed quickly, all of us – including the animals conservationists are trying to protect – will be much worse off.

It’s come down to environmentalist versus environmentalist, with each group passionately defending and advocating for their respective causes. The question now is, can they work together to ensure that wildlife is protected, but we don’t dally too much in moving forward on renewable energy?

The New York Times has the details:

The conflict began playing out almost a decade ago in places like Cape Cod, Mass., where a plan to place 130 wind turbines in Nantucket Sound has pitted energy-conscious environmentalists against local residents who fear harm to aquatic life and the view.

It has spread west to Mojave-area locales like flatland near the Ivanpah Valley, 130 miles northeast of here, where a proposal to install three clusters of 50,000 solar mirrors has prompted anxiety over the fate of endangered tortoises.

Terry Frewin, a local Sierra Club representative, said he had tough questions for state regulators. “Deserts don’t need to be sacrificed so that people in L.A. can keep heating their swimming pools,” Mr. Frewin said.

In California, many of these conservationists have joined an advisory group to help state regulators determine where renewable energy zones should be created. California is in a particular hurry to find renewable energy sites since a 2006 law requires utilities to produce 20 percent of the state’s electricity from renewable sources by 2020.

That will mean rapid construction of power plants and power lines, which has environmentalists understandably worried about preserving the habitats of endangered species and the state’s beautiful natural lands.

The good news is, it’s likely that the two groups will come together. The trade-offs are difficult and both sides will be forced to make concessions they’re not happy with – but in the end, it will be worthwhile.

Link [The New York Times]

Bye Bye, Birdie: Many Bird Populations in Decline

Many bird populations are in trouble, with Hawaiian birds among the most threatened, according to a new report. Some species are on the brink of extinction, including many ocean birds. The “State of the Birds” report noted that among 800 species of birds in the United States, 67 are in decline or threatened and another 184 are “species of conservation concern” because they have small distribution.

From CNN:

Hawaiian birds, particularly, are in crisis, the report said. More than one-third of all U.S. bird species are in Hawaii. However, 71 species have gone extinct since the islands were colonized about 300 A.D., and 10 more species have not been seen in the past 40 years, contributing to fears they, too, have died out.

Grassland and arid-land birds are showing the most rapid declines over the last four decades, while forest birds are also declining, the report said.

“Just as they were when Rachel Carson published ‘Silent Spring’ nearly 50 years ago, birds today are a bellwether of the health of land, water and ecosystems,” Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Thursday in a statement on the report.

“From shorebirds in New England to warblers in Michigan to songbirds in Hawaii, we are seeing disturbing downward population trends that should set off environmental alarm bells. We must work together now to ensure we never hear the deafening silence in our forests, fields and backyards that Rachel Carson warned us about.”

The most frequent causes for the decline in bird populations cited in the report were agriculture, climate change, development and energy and invasive species. Sprawling urban development in cities like Las Vegas and Phoenix and intensified agricultural practices in grasslands have also had a significant negative impact on bird populations.

Some of the measures called for in the report to turn the problem around include increased monitoring of bird populations, stricter protection laws, sustainable fishing practices and increased education.

Large quantities of birds disappearing would spell very bad news for many species of animals and, eventually, us. Birds play such an important role in their respective ecosystems – if they die out, we risk exploding insect populations and other problems. We can’t afford to let this go on any longer.

Link [CNN]
Photo credit: Animal Pictures Archive

The Animal Odd Couple

If an elephant and a dog can get along this well – what excuse do we humans have?  Let’s take their cue and work to cultivate a more accepting attitude toward people and things that are different from us.

Climate Change Helps Spread Deadly Diseases

The Wildlife Conservation Society said Tuesday that a “deadly dozen” diseases including avian flu and yellow fever are likely to spread more due to climate change.  Closer monitoring of wildlife health is urged by the society in the hopes of getting an early warning of how pathogens might spread with global warming.

From MSNBC:

It listed the “deadly dozen” as avian flu, tick-borne babesia, cholera, ebola, parasites, plague, lyme disease, red tides of algal blooms, Rift Valley fever, sleeping sickness, tuberculosis and yellow fever.

“Even minor disturbances can have far reaching consequences on what diseases (wild animals) might encounter and transmit as climate changes,” said Steven Sanderson, head of the society.

“The term ‘climate change’ conjures images of melting ice caps and rising sea levels that threaten coastal cities and nations, but just as important is how increasing temperatures and fluctuating precipitation levels will change the distribution of dangerous pathogens,” he said.

William Karesh of the Wildlife Conservation Society pointed out that, for thousands of years, people have known of a relationship between health and climate.  The diseases named are already killing millions of animals annually, and all pose a major threat to human health.

It just goes to show the far-reaching effects global warming is having on the earth, and will continue to have in the future.  The time to act is yesterday.

Link [MSNBC]
Photo credit: National Geographic

Scotland Building a 300ft Bridge for Squirrels to Cross Traffic

Poor squirrels. There’s just one example of animals that we’ve displaced with all of our strip malls and highways, but a highly visible one. No wonder they raid our birdfeeders and gardens – we’ve made it a lot harder for them to go about life as they’re meant to. That’s why we’re glad to hear about Scotland’s new squirrel bridge. That’s right: it’s a bridge just for squirrels.

From Scotland on Sunday:

The aim of the Kingcausie Wildlife Overbridge, as it is known, is to give safe passage to the area’s colony of red squirrels and other wildlife as they cross between their newly- divided territory. The animals will be expected to scamper above the heads of motorists as they travel along the bypass in a road cutting below.

The structure – the longest of its type in Scotland – will be similar to a pedestrian footbridge, but ‘planted’ with shrubs to create a natural-looking corridor. Engineering experts said it could cost as much as £100,000.

However, the owner of the Kingcausie Estate says he wants to preserve the red squirrel habitat as it is and the bypass should be re-routed away from the wood.

Scotland officials are determined to save the red squirrel, and are doing what they can to ensure that foraging habitats of the little creature are left intact. They’ll be watching to see how the squirrels adjust to using the bridge.

Look at the picture of this thing. Cuuuuuute!

Link [Scotland on Sunday]
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons