Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit

Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit

 By: Julia Nurse

 

Who is the Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit?

The Pygmy Rabbit is the smallest and quite possibly the cutest rabbit in North America.

It can fit into the palm of your hand as they usually weigh less than a pound. They are one of two North American Rabbits that dig their own burrows which are very extensive, having interconnecting chambers with multiple entrances. The entrances are usually located at the base of sagebrush shrubs which are very important to their survival as they are the pygmies main source of shelter and food. The Pygmy Rabbit hunted by weasels, coyotes, foxes, and occasionally hunters who mistake them for other rabbit species.  

 Their Geography and Population Over Time

There are other species of pygmy rabbits across the West, but the Columbia Basin species has been geographically separated from them and is genetically distinct. Ten thousand years ago, glacial

movement isolated the Washington population and made them unique and distinct subspecies from other North American rabbit populations. Today, Pygmies are located in the Columbia Basin ecosystem which stretches from Northern Oregon to Central Washington. Sadly, in 2001, a statewide survey found that there were less than 30 Pygmies left in the Columbia Basin.

After it was found that there were only 30 Pygmy Rabbits left in the wild they received an emergency listing as endangered species in 2001 and were fully listed in 2003.

You can read more about their habitat from from the National Wildlife Magazine here.

Main Threats

A main threat to the long-term decline of the Pygmy Rabbits is the on-going conversion of its food and shelter into land for agriculture development. The Sagebrush-steppe habitat once spread over 155 millions acres. It it is estimated that of the original shrub steppe habitats in the Columbia Basin, 60% has been converted! 
Although, this is likely not the only reason for its decline. In 2001 the Pygmy Rabbits became much more vulnerable because of their low population size. Once a species reaches a certain threshold of low population numbers it is much more vulnerable to catastrophic natural events, disease, etc. The west has experienced more wildfires in recent years and this has likely contributed to their decline as well as a loss of genetic diversity and inbreeding of the Columbia Basin Pygmies.   

Click here learn more about the Sagebrush Steppe habitat.  

Pygmy Rabbit Breeding Program

In 2001, the Washing Department of Fish and Wildlife began a captive breeding program with 16 of the last 30 Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbits. The captured pygmies were put in breeding programs in the Oregon Zoo, Washington University and Northwest Trek Wildlife Park. The remaining Pygmies left in the wild were not considered essential to the captive breeding program and efforts to manage them in the wild were continued. The breeding programs were largely unsuccessful due to their short breeding season and that they only produce one to three litters a year. 

Since the breeding of the pure Columbia Basin Pygmy was unsuccessful, they were cross bred with the Idaho Pygmy Rabbits in 2003. They were deemed compatible as the cross-breeding was

successful and it became an integral part of the rescue plan. Between 2007 and 2011, more than 70 captive-bred rabbits were released to the Sagebrush Flat Wildlife Area in Washington. They were placed in a 6 acre mesh enclosure to protect them from predators and to help with their transition back into the wild. 

For the first time in a decade the Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit bred and produced offspring in its original range in 2011. It was a big achievement in the already 12 year recovery process! However, the Pygmies are still endangered and the Washington Fish and Wildlife Service is monitoring the population in the wild as well as more populations that are being bred in captivity.

  

How and Why to Help

You can help the Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit by raising awareness of the destruction and

fragmentation of their habitat, the Sagebrush shrub-steppe. Rabbits play a critical role in their habitat as they are a source of food for many species, such as, owls, coyotes, hawks, foxes, etc. More importantly we have a responsibility to help the pygmies recover because we as humans have played a role in their decline. Besides, who wouldn't want to help these adorable little creatures? 

You can support the Oregon Zoo which has made huge contributions to the conservation of the Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit! 

Sources:

http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/Columbia%20Basin%20Pygmy%20Rabbit%20Final%20RP.pdf

http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Brachylagus_idahoensis/

http://www.oregonzoo.org/conserve/fighting-extinction-pacific-northwest/columbia-basin-pygmy-rabbits

http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2013/01/columbia_basin_pygmy_rabbit_re.html

Brachylagus idahoensis

Brachylagus idahoensis Brachylagus idahoensis

Blue Whales

The Largest Whale

By: Tony Nguyen

 WOW! They are humongous!

The blue whales are the largest whales and animals that have been known to exist.  They can weigh up to 180 tons (WOW!), which makes them the heaviest known animal as well.  The blue whales are part of the rorqual family, which is a family that consist of baleen whales that have pleated throat grooves. These throat grooves expand when the whales are eating.  Blue whales grow up to be this ridiculously large size just from eating krill, which are small animals that look like shrimp.  It’s surprising that these whales can reach with a diet that is much smaller than them.  The pleated throat grooves above actually help these whales consume a large amount of krill.  The blue whales take in a large amount of water into their mouth with the help of their pleated throat grooves, and then afterwards force all the water out using their tongue.  This process leaves behind lots of krill, which allows the blue whales to sustain its life.  The blue whales normally have a life span of 80 to 90 years, which is a pretty long time for most animals.  The blue whale gives birth to an offspring every 2 to 3 years, which adds to why they are currently endangered.  Though they do not have many predators the occasional shark attacks (Ouch!) and collisions with ships have greatly affected their numbers.

Where do these large animals even fit on this planet?

The blue whales are located in every ocean of this planet.  This can make it a bit difficult to protect since the location in which they can be found is so large.  These large animals mainly travel either by themselves or as a pair.  They swim towards the polar waters during the summer to feed and then back to the equator during winter, which is pretty far.  This may be due to the temperature change throughout the year.  The blue whales' location can be seen in the yellow region marked on the map.                                          

When did the blue whale become listed?

Blue whales have been around on this planet for the longest time, but when did they become endangered?  In 1970, the blue whale was listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Conservation Act, and in 1973 the Endangered Species Act (ESA).  Even with the Endangered Species Act the blue whale are still threatened because of their low reproduction rate.  Also, shark attacks and ships are a problem to the blue whale’s existence.

 How could such a large animal be endangered?

Blue whales have become greatly endangered because of their large size. Their large size makes them easy targets for sailors back in the 1800s and the 1900s.  The blue whales were driven to near extinction due to sailors hunting them for their oil.  With the help of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) this issue has diminished, but the blue whales are still endangered.  This is due to whales getting injured from ships and shark attacks.  The blue whales occasionally get stuck in fishing gear as well.

What is being done to save these whales?

There is a recovery plan to help the blue whale recover its numbers.  The hunting of whales have been banned, which has greatly helped them to recover.  There are also regulations on whale watching now as well, which has sort of helped the blue whale.  Regulations on whale watching helps to prevent collision with ships.  Although there are regulations and banning on the hunting of whales, it is very difficult to protect them as they travel throughout many oceans.  Therefore, this must become a multi-national issue.  Also their large size makes them very hard to protect.  The actions that are being taken to protect these whales is by monitoring human impacts on the whales.  By reducing human-caused injury and mortality of blue whales, the recovery of blue whales may be possible.  This reduction of human-caused injury and mortality includes collision of ship vessels.  Scientist are also maximizing their efforts to study and gain information of dead blue whales in order to implement further recovery actions.

How can I help such a large animal?

Though the blue whale is very large and located in the ocean, there are many ways in which you can help save them.  Writing a simple letter to a person within the government can greatly help them without actually having to go into the ocean.  You can also adopt a blue whale (you don’t actually get to take it home) by going to us.whales.org or pacificwhale.org and donating to them.  With your help we can protect blue whales, the largest animal in the world, from becoming extinct.

References

http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/whale_blue.pdf

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/blue-whale/

http://www.worldanimalfoundation.net/f/whale.pdf

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=specialstatus.fedsummary&species=bluewhale

Pictures

www.wildlifeextra.com

adventure-journal.com

serendivus.com

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PbcFJUG-65E/hqdefault.jpg

The Leatherback: An Ancient Giant on the Brink

The evolutionary lineage of leatherbacks has been the topic of much debate amongst scientists [1]. It's a species distinguished from other sea turtles by the strange nature of its skeletal structure, partially endothermic body temperature, and highly unusual external features, namely the leather-like "shell" for which it was named [2]. However to call it a shell would be a mistake, instead its carapace is covered by skin and oil flesh making it very hydrodynamic [2]. Leatherbacks have existed for about 100 millions years, however they are the last species left in their family (dermochelyidae), others of its kind went extinct around 50 million years ago making it the largest sea turtle alive today [1]. Adults average about 1.3-2.7 meters (4-9 feet) and 300-500 kg (660-1100 lbs) [2]. The largest ever measured in at 916 kg (2019 lbs) and 3.1 meters (10 ft) [2].

Feeding Habits [3]

The leatherback sea turtle (dermochelys coriacea) is thought to spend the most of its time in the open ocean making it the most pelagic of all the sea turtles. Yet in spite of this, they forage close to shore and over continental shelves. The distribution of leatherbacks generally depends heavily on the distribution of their food sources – jellyfish and other gelatinous organisms. These creatures that leatherbacks depend on tend to accumulate near convergent zones or water mass boundaries from the surface to great depths. Thus leatherbacks can be found throughout the water column, some having been found at depths of 1.2 kilometers.

The exact eating habits of most sea turtles are not well understood, however for leatherbacks, the prevailing theory is that they specialize in gelatinous species. This line of thought has developed through the stomach contents of the animals which almost always is composed of jellyfish, with the occasional shrimp or small crustaceans.

Migratory Behavior

Hatchling sea turtles undertake amazingly long-distance migrations to reach offshore nursery areas. Upon entering the ocean many species, of which the leatherback is one, undergo a period of hyperactive swimming in which they may swim for the entirety of their first day and night [3]. Unlike most reptiles they can sustain vigorous activity for extended periods of time [3].

As adults, leatherbacks have the widest migratory range, swimming to the highest latitudes and furthest longitudes of any sea turtle species [2]. A feat which is largely aided by their endothermic ability to maintain high body temperatures.

Map of Pacific Leatherback Sea Turtles Migration:

Leatherbacks in the pacific typically travel from tropical nesting beaches in the western pacific to areas rich in food in the northeastern pacific. Making this 11000 km journey takes roughly 10-12 months [2].

Listing Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)

The leatherback is currently listed as endangered (seriously at risk of extinction) throughout its range and was first protected under the ESA on June 2 1970, however the most recent recovery plan for the United States was established in January of 1998 [4].

Changes in Distribution

In 1982 the global population of leatherbacks was estimated to be 115,000 adult females. However by 1996 that number had been driven down to around 30-40,000. The Pacific population has been hit the hardest. One nesting site, which in 1968 had seen more then 3,000 females had, by 1993, been reduced to just 20. But, as the species which spends most of its time in the vastness of the open ocean, the specific changes in range and distribution of the animals are difficult to determine when they are not nesting.

Thankfully though, not all populations of leatherbacks have declined. Those in the Atlantic, though impacted have faired much better. In southern Africa three decades of firmly enforced protection of have quadrupled the size of some small nesting sites.

How Did It Come To This?

The recovery plan described for leatherbacks states that the threats are varied and change from place to place. Various island groups have been evaluated individually to determine a total of 22 separate dangers. The primary threats to the animal's continued survival remain incidental capture by coastal and Open Ocean fishing operations, and the killing of nesting females on the beaches. More specific problem range from light pollution in which hatchling lose their sense of direction on their way to the ocean, all the way to entanglement in or ingestion of debris (plastic bags pose a serious threat due to their similar appearance to jellyfish in the water).

Why Do They Matter To Us?

Aside from the intrinsic value of retaining such an ancient and majestic animal, many commercially lucrative fish species have been impacted by unusually high numbers of jellyfish [5]. Since leatherbacks are a natural predator of jellyfish, they play a critical role in controlling their populations, and thus maintaining fishing industries around the world [6].

What Must We Do To Help?

Ultimately, the hope is to delist leatherbacks from protection under the ESA however, the number of solutions matches the number of problems the animals face. To see that the animal recovers [4]:

1. Incidental take by fisheries must be eliminated
2. The United States must support efforts to protect nesting sites, eggs, and females.
3. Determine population size and movement patterns in foraging areas (like those in the U.S.) to determine further threats.
4. Identify stock home ranges using DNA

What Can You Do To Help?

One of the most transformative experiences I ever had in high school came when my class was given the opportunity to go to Costa Rica to aid with conservation efforts for sea turtles. We stayed in a small town where, during the day where we relaxed and helped locals make additions to their hatchery, but at night we ventured out on to the beach to collect the eggs of laying females so that the eggs could be monitored until they hatched. All of the turtles I saw were green sea turtles, save the one leatherback that came ashore to lay her eggs, which was an absolutely incredible sight. I highly recommend this excursion for your next vacation. But on the day to day, simply ensuring that your used plastic bags end up where they belong (in the trash), might be enough to save the life of a sea turtle.

- - - - - - - - - -

Works Cited

1.
Kennedy, Jennifer. "How Did the Leatherback Sea Turtle Evolve?" About.com Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2015.

2.
"Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys Coriacea)." :: NOAA Fisheries. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 11 June 2015. Web. 04 Dec. 2015

3.
"Recovery Plan for U.S. Pacific Populations of the Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys Coriacea) /." (1998): n. pag. Recovery Plan for U.S. Pacific Populations of the U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Leatherback Turtle. Pacific Sea Turtle Recovery Team. Web.

4.
Musick, John A. "The Biology of Sea Turtles." Ed. Peter L. Lutz. CRC Press, 1997. Web. 3 Dec. 2015.

5.
"Jellyfish Taking over Oceans, Experts Warn - CNN.com." CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2015.

6.
"Rising Jellyfish Populations: Can Leatherback Sea Turtles Come to the Rescue?" Rising Jellyfish Populations: Can Leatherback Sea Turtles Come to the Rescue? N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2015.

Polar Bears: A Threatened Species

Polar Bears

By: Rayann Metteer

Taken from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Polar Bear Draft Conservation Management Plan.
http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/Polar%20Bear%20Conservation%20Mgmt%20Plan.pdf

What About Polar Bears?

Polar Bears live in the Arctic region of the North Pole and can be found in five countries worldwide. These countries include the United States, Russian, Denmark (specifically Greenland), Norway, and Canada. Within these five countries there are many subpopulations that occur in four ecoregions. These four ecoregions include the Archipelago Ecoregion, the Seasonal Ice Ecoregion, the Polar Basin Divergent Ecoregion, and the Polar Basin Convergent Ecoregion. All of the Polar Bears that are located in the United States live in Alaska. There are two subpopulations located in Alaska, which are the Chukchi Sea and the Southern Beaufort Sea subpopulations. These two subpopulations are part of the Polar Basin Divergent Ecoregion, which means that sea ice is formed annually and then moves towards the basin. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

Taken from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Polar Bear Draft Conservation Management Plan.
http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/Polar%20Bear%20Conservation%20Mgmt%20Plan.pdf

Polar Bears are the largest member of the bear family in the world. They can be as large as 11 feet tall when standing upright, and can weigh up to 1400 pounds. The males are the ones that are this large, and the females are generally about half the size of males. The males’ paws can be the size of dinner plates. Polar Bears are made for extremely cold weather, and cold water. They have two types of fur. One type keeps them warm and the other types makes it easier for them to float in the water while swimming. They also have partially webbed feet that help them swim in the Arctic temperatures (Oregon Zoo).

Polar bears are K selected meaning that they have few offspring at a time, and spend much time nurturing those offspring. They also are much older when they have their first offspring. Female Polar Bears generally give birth for the first time when they are five or six years old. Their minimum amount of time for having another liter of pups is three years. One litter will generally consist of two cubs, but occasionally a female will have three cubs at one time. Cubs are typically weaned at 2.3 years of age. To keep populations stable, Polar Bears need high survival rates, especially of females, since they invest so much into raising their young (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

 

How Has Their Population and Region Changed?

It is estimated that there are currently between about 20,000 and 25,000 Polar Bears worldwide (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). It is estimated that the population of Polar Bears in the 1950’s was as low as between 5000 and 8000 (Polar Bears International). Prior to 1973, fur trappers unsustainably hunted Polar Bears. In 1973 however, the United States, Canada, Russia (then the USSR), Denmark, and Norway entered into the International Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears and their Habitat. Polar Bears are one of the few large carnivores that still can be found in the majority of their original region. This will change though as the ice around the North Pole continues to melt, and they are forced to retreat to any area that still has ice for their survival (World Wildlife Fund Global).

How Are They Listed?

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Polar Bears are a threatened species, meaning that they are likely to become endangered in the near or foreseeable future throughout their range of inhabitance. The listing also states that the area where Polar Bears are considered threatened is anywhere that they are found. The species was first listed on May 15^th of 2008. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). The ICUN Red List also lists the Polar Bear as vulnerable, as far back as 1982. In 1965 they listed the species as “Less rare but believed to be threatened-requires watching” (ICUN Red List). The Maine Mammal Protection Act also protects Polar Bears from “take” which includes killing, harassing or harming them, or their habitat (The Marine Mammal Center).

Why Were They Listed?

The main reason that Polar Bears have been listed under the Endangered Species Act, and by the ICUN Red List, is because of climate change caused by emission of greenhouse gases. Climate change is having an affect on the habitats that Polar Bears occupy, and making their continued survival as a species difficult. Global climate change has caused melting of much of the ice at the poles, which is where Polar Bears live.  This reduction in ice has made it hard for the Polar Bears to find food since they rely on ice fishing to catch ice seals, and has also imperiled their dens, which are necessary for raising cubs. Other very minor threats to Polar Bears are defense killings by people working for oil and gas industries in Alaska, and some subsistence hunting by Native American tribes due to ancient traditions (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service).

What is the Recovery Plan?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released the Polar Bear Draft Conservation Management Plan on July 6^th of 2015. The plan details what actions the USFWS believes they can take to help conserve and recover Polar Bears. The plan is broken down into six sections, including: Background, Conservation Strategy, Management Goals and Criteria, Conservation Management Strategy, Literature Cited, and Glossary. The Background is an overview of the species, and their range, which was covered previously. The Conservation Strategy goes into what they plan to do to help Polar Bears. The downfall is that the USFWS cannot actually implement any law to reduce greenhouse gas emissions so they have to rely on other agencies and countries to do that. They do however focus on specific ways to protect Polar Bears form other threats. The aim is to improve the Polar Bear’s ability to survive once greenhouse gas emissions are taken care of. They are dedicated to managing subsistence harvest, contact of bears with humans, and protecting the species from oil spills.

Taken from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Polar Bear Draft Conservation Management Plan.
http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/Polar%20Bear%20Conservation%20Mgmt%20Plan.pdf

The third section, Management Goals and Criteria, covers the goals of the Recovery Plan and the criteria to meet those goals.  It includes six subsections, which are: Fundamental Goals, Conservation Criteria Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, Recovery Criteria Under the Endangered Species Act, Other Measures of Achievement, The Population Dynamic of Conservation, Recovery, and Harvest, and Uncertainty, Assumptions, and the Need for Adaptive Feedback and Management. This section of the plan states the species recovery criteria, which is “Recovery Criterion 1: the worldwide probability of persistence is at least 95% over 100 years. Recovery Criterion 2: the probability of persistence in each recovery unit (ecoregion) is at least 90% over 100 years” (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). The Conservation Management Strategy is broken into two parts. Those parts being Collaborative Implementation, and Conservation and Recovery Actions. This section has more detail on how the USFWS will help and manage the different aspects of the conservation plan. The aspects such as managing subsistence harvest, mentioned above, are broken down step by step and in more detail in this section of the plan.

Literature Cited is a reference section that gives credit to all sources that were used in the creation of the document. The Glossary, the last section, provides key words that were used in the document along with definitions. This is especially helpful for those that are not familiar with many scientific terms. The full Recovery Plan can be found on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Website, and can be accessed here: http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/Polar%20Bear%20Conservation%20Mgmt%20Plan.pdf.

What Can You Do?

There are many ways in which you can help save Polar Bears. Since the main reason for their listing is the melting of sea ice due to climate change, we can all help by finding ways to reduce our personal emissions of greenhouse gases. There are simple ways to this and the great part about reducing greenhouse gas emissions is that it not only helps Polar Bears and many other species, but it also helps you, and will likely save you money in the long run. These two website offer many tips and ideas for reducing greenhouse gas emissions:

• ·     http://www.eastgwillimbury.ca/Services/Environment/Ten_Ways_to_Reduce_Greenhouse_Gases.htm?PageMode=Print
• ·      http://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/

Another way to help Polar Bears is to donate. The World Wildlife Fund offers a monthly donation plan where you can sponsor a Polar Bear. You can either receive a kit with information, pictures, and a stuffed Polar Bear, or you can opt to have all of your contribution go towards helping the species. This page can be found here:  https://support.worldwildlife.org/site/Donation2?df_id=10500&10500.donation=form1&s_src=AWG1308SSGC0&gclid=Cj0KEQiAyvqyBRChq_iG38PgvLgBEiQAJbasd0c-iLYOXJHSIPIcdp2oQJ5VBaND1NssFb2mihsoe8IaAi4_8P8HAQ

Lastly, another resource for learning about animals and ways to conserve wildlife are zoos. The Oregon Zoo has a great page with lots of information about animal conservation. Under their “Conserve” page is a section titled “Small Actions”. This section is especially interesting because it allows you to browse small actions to help by species, or you can look at actions and then see which species that action will help. You can find the Oregon Zoo Conserve page here: http://www.oregonzoo.org/conserve.

This is a photo from the Oregon Zoo Instagram page, of Polar
Bear twins born on December 1st, 1984. The twins still live
at the Oregon Zoo and are named Conrad and Tasul.
https://www.instagram.com/p/-wehnGNPmL/?taken-by=oregonzoo

References:

"Are Polar Bear Populations Increasing: In Fact, Booming? "Polar Bears International. Polar Bears International, 2015. Web. 29 Nov. 2015. <http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/about-polar-bears/what-scientists-say/are-polar-bear-populations-booming>.

"Conserve." Oregon Zoo. Oregon Zoo. Web. 1 Dec. 2015. <http://www.oregonzoo.org/conserve>.

"Make a Difference With a Monthly Donation." World Wildlife Fund. World Wildlife Fund, 2015. Web. 2 Dec. 2015. <https://support.worldwildlife.org/site/Donation2?df_id=10500&10500.donation=form1&s_src=AWG1308SSGC0&gclid=Cj0KEQiAyvqyBRChq_iG38PgvLgBEiQAJbasd0c-iLYOXJHSIPIcdp2oQJ5VBaND1NssFb2mihsoe8IaAi4_8P8HAQ>.

"Oregon Zoo on Instagram." Instagram. 1 Dec. 2015. Web. 2 Dec. 2015. <https://www.instagram.com/p/-wehnGNPmL/?taken-by=oregonzoo>.

"Polar Bear." Oregon Zoo. Oregon Zoo. Web. 1 Dec. 2015. <http://www.oregonzoo.org/discover/animals/polar-bear>.

"Polar Bear Status, Distribution & Population." World Wildlife Fund. World Wildlife Fund, 2015. Web. 30 Nov. 2015. < <http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/arctic/wildlife/polar_bear/population/>

"Ten Ways to Reduce Greenhouse Gases." Ten Ways to Reduce Greenhouse Gases. Web. 2 Dec. 2015. <http://www.eastgwillimbury.ca/Services/Environment/Ten_Ways_to_Reduce_Greenhouse_Gases.htm?PageMode=Print>.

"The Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, Amended 1994."The Marine Mammal Center. The Marine Mammal Center. Web. 21 Nov. 2015. <http://www.marinemammalcenter.org/what-we-do/rescue/marine-mammal-protection-act.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/>.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife. 2015. Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) Conservation Management Plan, Draft. U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Region 7, Anchorage, Alaska. 59 pp.

"What You Can Do." United States Environmental Protection Agency. United States Environmental Protection Agency, 4 Nov. 2015. Web. 1 Dec. 2015. <http://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/>.

Wiig, Ø., Amstrup, S., Atwood, T., Laidre, K., Lunn, N., Obbard, M., Regehr, E. & Thiemann, G. 2015. Ursus maritimus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T22823A14871490.http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T22823A14871490.en. Downloaded on 19 November 2015.

Polar Bears

By Britney Moore

Polar Bears are one of the largest carnivores on land, standing as high as eleven feet tall and can weight up to 1,400 lbs. These k-selected mammals depend on floating ice as a stopping ground for hunting, mating, and swimming long distances. They spend over 50% of their life hunting, but only 2% of their hunts are successful. The primarily consume ringed and bearded seals. Read more facts about polar bears here: http://www.defenders.org/polar-bear/basic-facts

 

Where are Polar Bears?

Polar Bears are mainly in the artic and subarctic, with a total population of 22,000-25,000 bears. But with melting polar ice, there is a decline of ringed seals (the main food source for polar bears). This causes the bears to swim farther and exhaust more energy (and if they are mothers with young, FORGET ABOUT IT). While the Polar Bear’s population seems to be steady, climate change, habitat degradation, and over-harvesting are threats to the conservation of these furry friends.

If there population is steady, then why are they listed under the ESA?

Polar bears were listed under the ESA on July 8, 2015 as a threatened species. They were listed because of the melting sea ice caused by global warming. This melting sea ice, also affects polar bear's main prey; ringed seals. While currently the polar bear population is steady, if the survival rate of female bears drops below 93%, then the reproductive rate would decline in response.

So, help them!

In Alaska, the Marine Mammal Protection Act outlaws the “take” of polar bears. There is also the Polar Bear Recovery Team to create a Conservation Management Plan to work toward preserving polar bear’s habitat as well as conserving this species. The current conservation plan is to manage human-bear conflicts, protect denning habitat, minimize oil spills, support international conservation efforts, and to do more monitoring and research.

What can the public do?

WE, the public, can start in our home. Turn off your lights! SO SIMPLE! Use natural light during the day; use a minimal amount at night and simultaneously you will be reducing your electric bill! Awesome right? Well so is car pulling… to work, to school, to go shopping, to anywhere you can! But going beyond that, if you’re a teacher make an extra credit assignment for students to write to a local politician to make local changes involving our community and wildlife habitat. But if you’re not a teacher, write a letter anyway! To a local politician, to state politician, or even to the president. However, lets say you don’t enjoy writing but you still want to help. Start a gofundme.org and advertise it! Once you reach your desired goal, donate it to the recovery of polar bears.

References:

http://www.fws.gov/alaska/fisheries/mmm/polarbear/pbmain.htm

http://ecos.fws.gov/tess_public/pub/speciesRecovery.jsp?sort=2

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/03/us-usa-polarbears-idUSKCN0PD08A20150703#2XOJMtZTBo67bFaA.97

http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/polar-bear