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Latest Endangered Species Bulletin Focuses on the Challenges to Species Recovery in New Online Format

US Fish And Wildlife Service Announces The Endangered Species Bulletin

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Washington, DC --(Ammoland.com)- Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proudly announces the Endangered Species Bulletin has taken on an online exclusive format that will be updated bi-monthly to ensure timely updates regarding endangered and threatened species issues.

Each edition will include an in-depth feature article coupled with several supporting articles, a live endangered and threatened species news feed, plus other new and social media offerings.

As the principal federal partner responsible for administering the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the Service takes the lead in recovering and conserving our Nation’s imperiled species by fostering partnerships, employing scientific excellence and developing a workforce of conservation leaders. Although we have made significant progress in safeguarding species and the habitats upon which they depend, we face continuing challenges. The road to imperiled species recovery can be a long one, full of twists and turns. A single, catastrophic event — whether natural or human-caused — can quickly undo years of progress and provide a setback to recovery. Some of the devastating flooding and wildfire events of 2011 are testament to this.

The November-December edition of the Endangered Species Bulletin outlines the implications of these extreme flooding, wildfire and drought events and the management actions currently underway to help move impacted species closer towards recovery.

Here is a sampling of more stories in this edition:

Jeremy Voeltz discusses the challenges and opportunities the Wallow fire — a high-intensity wildfire that scorched over half a million acres in the pristine White Mountains of eastern Arizona—has posed on the Apache trout and other rare aquatic species. Christie Deloria, pens a piece on the historical importance of fire in managing healthy jack pine forests in Michigan, which the endangered Kirtland’s warbler depends. Marian Smith, Ph.D., offers her insight to the best management strategies for mitigating the impacts of chaotic flooding events to the decurrent false aster, so that this rare plant may flourish along the Illinois River once again.

The Endangered Species Bulletin is available online at http://www.fws.gov/endangered/news/bulletin.html. To be notified when a new on-line edition has been posted, sign up for our list-serv by clicking on “E-Mail List” on the Bulletin Web page. The Bulletin welcomes manuscripts on a wide range of topics related to endangered species. Please send an inquiry before drafting the article.

The Service is very interested in your comments and suggestions about the Endangered Species Bulletin. Please send them to esb@fws.gov or mail them to Endangered Species Bulletin, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Suite 420, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203-1610. You can also call us at 703-358-2171.

The ESA provides a safety net for fish, wildlife and plants and to date has prevented the extinction of hundreds of imperiled species, as well as promoting the recovery of many others. The Service is actively engaged with conservation partners and the public in the search for improved and innovative ways to conserve and recover imperiled species. To learn more about the Endangered Species Program, visit: http://www.fws.gov/endangered/ where you can download podcasts and find links to follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov. Connect with our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/usfws, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/usfwshq, watch our YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/usfws and download photos from our Flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/usfwshq.

Filed under: Conservation News by Ammoland No Comments »

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Moves to Fight Wolf Lawsuit in Oregon

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation

MISSOULA, Mont. --(Ammoland.com)- The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is seeking to defend the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s authority to manage and control wolves as part of a state-approved plan.

Oregon wildlife officials recently announced the agency would use lethal means to stop two wolves known to habitually kill livestock in Wallowa County.

Animal rights and wolf activist groups sued the state, claiming that any loss of wolves could cause “irreparable harm” to wolf recovery in Oregon. That argument was rejected in a previous lawsuit heard in a Montana federal court.

But an Oregon court granted a temporary stay to stop the search for the two wolves until the legal merits of the case can be considered.

RMEF has filed a motion to enter an amicus curiae brief opposing the plaintiff groups.

If the motion is granted, RMEF documents outlining the need for science-based, state-regulated wolf management will be considered as part of the court’s final ruling.

“Our organization has over 15,000 members in Oregon, including hunters, ranchers and other conservationists. Together we endorse the efforts of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to manage and control wolves alongside other wild species as part of an approved plan,” said David Allen, RMEF president and CEO. “We support the agency’s work to balance the needs of wildlife with the needs of citizens.”

RMEF attorneys also continue to respond to legal wrangling by animal rights and wolf activist groups seeking to foil management plans in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and the Great Lakes states. On Nov. 8, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Pasadena, Calif., will hear arguments from RMEF and others as it considers a lawsuit alleging that Congress’ acted outside the Constitution when it delisted wolves in parts of the West.

In some areas, such as the northern Yellowstone in Montana and the Clearwater National Forest in Idaho, elk calf survival rates are now too low to sustain herds for the future.

About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation:
RMEF is leading a conservation initiative that has protected or enhanced habitat on over 6 million acres–an area larger than Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Glacier, Yosemite, Rocky Mountain and Great Smoky Mountains national parks combined. RMEF also is a strong voice for hunters in access, wildlife management and conservation policy issues. RMEF members, partners and volunteers, working together as Team Elk, are making a difference all across elk country. Join us at www.rmef.org or 800-CALL ELK.

Filed under: Conservation News, Hunting News by Ammoland 8 Comments »