Polar Bear = Endangered Species?
The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service is expected to make a decision soon on whether the polar bear should be listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The proposal was initiated over a year ago due to concerns that melting ice is threatening polar bear habitat and their ability to hunt for food.
Filed under Endangered Species, Hot Topics | Comment (0)”A species can be listed under the Endangered Species Act under one of two categories, endangered or threatened. An endangered species is likely to go extinct within all or a significant portion of its range in the foreseeable future. The polar bear was petitioned to be listed as a threatened species, defined as a species likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future,” according to F&WS - Alaska
A day in the life of a polar bear
The Polar Bear International Web site allows you to track polar bears that have been collared, including around the Chuckchi Sea. It is an awesome tool!
Data is provided to the site by the the U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center.
Polar Bear International has teamed with more than 35 Zoos to organize the “Year of the polar bear,” which began January 1, 2008. “PBI’s two-pronged mission is to support conservation measures through scientific research and to educate the public about issues relating to the polar bear and its habitat.”
Filed under Hot Topics | Comment (0)Administration says drilling not a threat to polar bears
The leasing of the Chuckchi Sea sale is necessary step towards increasing the domestic supply of energy, wrote the director of the Minerals Management Service on the government agency’s Web site.
Among their primary arguments is that oil drilling can occur while protecting the habitats of polar bears and other animals.
“Our decision comes down to the bare necessities: Where do we want to get our energy? Having a domestic supply is far more reliable and secure than relying upon foreign sources. Can we develop domestic supplies and provide protection for the environment and wildlife, including polar bears? Yes, we can and should.”
The director says that oil spills are extremely unlikely, and that any drilling plans undergo rigorous scrutiny before being implemented. He also notes that Congress did not take any actions to disapprove of the proposed plans.
It will be very interesting to see where this goes from here and what new information comes from the lawsuit. This is one component of a long standing struggle between environmental groups and the Bush administration who already faces a great deal of criticism about his lack of action on environmental issues.
Filed under Hot Topics | Comment (0)Alaska’s protected areas
For most of Bush’s presidency, there has been some debate over what should be done with protected forests in Alaska. Conservationists would like to protect these areas to maintain wildlife habitats and keep roads from being built for loggers. Other interest groups would like to see increased opportunities for logging and for oil drilling to help these industries and some say, support communities whose economy relies on these jobs.
According to a Natural Resources Defense Council press release, “The Bush administration’s just-released management plan for the Tongass National Forest in Alaska puts millions of pristine acres in this ancient rainforest on the auction block to the timber industry, yet will raise no revenue for the U.S. government, as the U.S. taxpayers themselves will have to pay to build the roads the timber companies need to access the forest. The Tongass is the largest national forest in the country.”
According to an article in the L.A. Times, “At 17 million acres, roughly the size of West Virginia, the Tongass National Forest in southeastern Alaska is the country’s largest national forest and the world’s largest intact coastal temperate rain forest. It contains grizzly and black bears, wolves, eagles and five species of wild Alaskan salmon.
Under the new plan, about 3.4 million acres of the forest would be open to logging and development. Of this acreage, about 2.4 million is in roadless areas, and about 663,000 acres is considered to have trees valuable for timber production.”
This post is to provide a little background on a complex issue, that I will continue to address in future posts.
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