The Birders Report

The U.S. House of Representatives Declares War on Wildlife and the Environment

by Larry Jordan on February 27, 2014

Black-footed Ferret (Endangered) Photo Credit: J. Michael Lockhart / USFWS

Can the second session of the 113th U.S. House of Representatives be any more harmful to wildlife and the environment than the first session of 2013? It appears that they can! On January 3, 2014, the U.S. House of Representatives convened to start its second session of the 113th Congress. By the end of the first week of February the House had embarked on what the National Audubon Society and several other environmental groups consider a War on Wildlife.

Under consideration were three severe anti-wildlife bills, covering a wide range of issues that would impact species protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), undermine National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) safeguards, and cripple key restoration programs.

Unsportsmanlike Conduct

Under the guise of expanding hunting and fishing access on public lands, H.R. 3590, so-called “sportsman’s legislation,” undermines the Wilderness Act and environmental reviews on national wildlife refuges. This bill would permanently exempt all national wildlife refuge management decisions from review and public disclosure under the National Environmental Policy Act. In one fell swoop, this exemption would waive environmental reviews for the entire National Wildlife Refuge System, an enormous and dangerous loophole that would have tremendous consequences for hundreds of imperiled species on more than 150 million acres of federal land and water. The bill could also be interpreted to authorize activities currently prohibited in Wilderness, including the use of mechanized equipment and construction of temporary roads and permanent structures.

Gutting Environmental Protections

H.R. 3964 is a radical and unjustified response to California drought that is intended to override Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections in the Bay-Delta and shut down the San Joaquin River Restoration Program. The bill uses the drought to attack these important programs and make them scapegoats for the water crisis in California. In fact, this bill would dramatically weaken or eliminate federal laws protecting salmon and other native fish in California, which protect thousands of fishing jobs in California and Oregon and protect water quality for Delta farmers. The bill would also gut the San Joaquin River Restoration Program, an important habitat and wildlife restoration project. Existing restrictions are not in place because of the ESA and waiving them will not make it rain.

Greater Sage Grouse Photo USFWS Wilipedia Commons

Irresponsible Lands Management

H.R. 2954 includes a number of environmentally destructive public lands bills, including ones that would overturn existing wildlife conservation protections at Cape Hatteras National Seashore (HR. 819) and eliminate or delay timely reviews of grazing leases necessary to ensure sound conservation of species like the imperiled greater sage-grouse (HR. 657). The bill would overturn a multi-year National Park Service process at the National Seashore that balances the economic health of the region and the conservation and recovery of threatened piping plover shorebirds and endangered nesting sea turtles. The bill’s grazing provisions would prohibit public protest of grazing decisions and frustrate the ability of the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service to implement new conservation measures under consideration as part of their joint National Greater Sage-Grouse Planning Strategy. This bill also accelerates salvage logging in the Rim Fire burn area, putting numerous species at risk.

While all three of these potentially harmful bills passed the House, none are expected to move through the Senate without significant reform. For instance, Senator Feinstein (D-CA) has introduced her own Sacramento-San Joaquin bill to address the serious drought issues in the state, but does so without taking it out on wildlife and other environmental concerns. Don’t let this week become the worst yet for wildlife—call your member of Congress today and tell them to oppose all three bills.

References: National Audubon Society Action Alert, National Wildlife Federation

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Stop Wildlife Killing Contests in California

by Larry Jordan on February 21, 2014

California Fish & Game Commission Votes Unanimously to Consider Statewide Ban on Wildlife Killing Contests

February 5, 2014 – Sacramento, CA – Today the California Fish & Game Commission voted unanimously 4 to 0 to consider a statewide ban on wildlife killing contests at the request of Project Coyote. After Project Coyote representatives made the case for a ban, newly elected Commission Vice President Jack Baylis put forth the motion to move forward on a formal rule making process to consider prohibiting wildlife-killing contests statewide. Speaking in favor of the motion Commission President Michael Sutton stated, “I’ve been concerned about these killing contests for some time. They seem inconsistent both with ethical standards of hunting and our current understanding of the important role predators play in ecosystems.”

The move comes two days before “Coyote Drive 2014” is to take place in Modoc County Feb. 7-9th offering prizes to the contestants who kill the most coyotes and the largest. Last year Project Coyote and allies submitted a letter to the Commission on behalf of 25 organizations representing more than one million Californians asking that wildlife-killing contest be stopped based on ecological and ethical concerns. In addition more than 20,000 letters and emails were submitted to the Commission and the Department. The groups also argued that predator killing contests posed a threat to OR-7 (aka “Journey), the lone gray wolf who at the time had been tracked in Modoc and surrounding counties.

“What’s at issue, is the wanton waste of wildlife and the awarding of prizes and inducements to kill as many individuals as possible- and the largest,” stated Camilla Fox, founder and executive director of Project Coyote. “This is obviously not about sport or fair-chase. Wildlife killing contests are conducted for profit, entertainment, prizes and, simply, for the ‘fun’ of killing. No evidence exists showing that such indiscriminate killing contests control problem animals or serve any beneficial management function. Moreover such contests perpetuate a culture of violence and send the message to children that life has little value and that an entire species of animals is disposable.”

In addition to “Coyote Drive 2014” Project Coyote has discovered a number of other wildlife killing contests throughout the state. However, the state does not monitor such contests nor the species killed. “As a scientist, I’m here today to express my support for California’s efforts to reform predator management and to bring the state’s regulations and policies inline with three standards: current science, conservation biology, and ecological principles,” said Dr. Robert Crabtree, Science Advisory Board member of Project Coyote and Chief Scientist of the Yellowstone Ecological Research Center. “As such, I believe the first and most logical step is to do away with what we know violates these standards: wildlife-killing contests.”

Chief Caleen Sisk of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe also testified in support of greater protections for coyotes, wolves and other wildlife stating that like predators, Native Americans were also persecuted and bountied in California.

“Killing random predators is about as effective at protecting livestock as bailing harder is at saving a sinking boat,” said Keli Hendricks, Petaluma-based cattle rancher and Project Coyote Advisory Board member who also testified before the Commission. “It might help for a short time, but the only real solution is to fix the hole in the boat. The way to fix that hole is to implement one or more of the many non-lethal livestock protection methods available to ranchers today. There are ranchers raising sheep and cattle successfully in challenging areas and around predators ranging from mountain lions to wolves using only non-lethal protection methods.”

Speaking for youth, 17 year-old Grant McComb, founder of One Planet One Chance stated “Wildlife killing contests that involve the mass slaughter of any animal is a blatant insult to future generations- my generation.” McComb traveled from Los Angeles to testify on the issue before the Commission.

“We urge you to use your authority to regulate and restrict take by initiating a rulemaking process to prohibit wildlife killing contests — thus modernizing predator management, conservation and stewardship statewide- and setting the trend for the rest of the nation — as we do so well here in California,” stated Fox.

As a result of today’s vote, a formal rule-making process will commence and the issue will be agendized at the April 16th Fish and Game Commission meeting in Ventura for a full public vetting before the Commission votes on whether to permanently ban wildlife killing contests statewide.

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Project Coyote (ProjectCoyote.org) is a national non-profit organization promoting compassionate conservation and coexistence between people and wildlife through education, science, and advocacy.

View Project Coyote’s petition to prohibit wildlife-killing contests in California here.

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Mating and Feeding Behavior of the Northern Shoveler

by Larry Jordan on January 29, 2014

Check out my latest West Coast Beat Writer post over at 10000 Birds! I’ve got this video plus two others and several photos of the beautiful Northern Shovelers that were taken at our National Wildlife Refuges.

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An American Bittern at Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge

by Larry Jordan on January 22, 2014

American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus) photos by Larry Jordan

I have seen quite a few American Bitterns (Botaurus lentiginosus) over the years but most I didn’t spot until they were startled into flight. That all changed last November when I spotted this bird out in the open at Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge.

The American Bittern is a solitary, secretive, cryptically colored heron that breeds in freshwater wetlands from the mid-United States to northern Canada¹. Range Map courtesy of South Dakota Birds and Birding.

They usually frequent freshwater wetlands with tall, emergent vegetation but this particular bird was stepping out into the open, probably foraging for amphibians or small fish in the flooded marshy area near the end of the auto loop of the refuge.

When approached the American Bittern often stands rigid with their bill pointing up creating excellent camouflage in the reeds with the vertical stripes on their breast.

I was able to snap off a couple of in flight shots of this bird as it took flight to another part of the refuge.

Note the distinctive “hump” of the back of the American Bittern in flight.

Even more distinctive of this species is their call. They communicate throughout their visually restrictive habitat with a low, deep, resonant pumping sound accomplished through inflation of the esophagus, during which the bird contorts itself violently. Check out this video of the American Bittern creating this call.