Seven years’ work on satellite crashes and burns in 12 minutes.
| Safer Fencing Can Help Save Western Birds In 2009 the Obama Administration will decide whether to propose to add the greater sage grouse, and its cousin the lesser prairie chicken, to the nation’s endangered species list. Endangered species listing could hurt economiesFew decisions under the Endangered Species Act are likely to be as consequential for the West. The listing of either bird could have far-reaching economic and developmental consequences and stir up a cauldron of controversy.Our experts’ new analysis [PDF] shows that one significant threat to these birds, dangerous wire fencing, could be dramatically reduced by adding simple, inexpensive reflectors or flagging to the fences. Reflectors could be added for a cost of about $200 per mile of fencing, only two percent more than the current cost.Unfortunately, the two federal agencies that finance and build the fencing—the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)—have been inadvertently making the problem worse by creating unadorned fences that the birds can’t see. Safer fencing would have quick effectsReducing the hazard from fencing can produce immediate benefits for sage grouse and lesser prairie chicken conservation.Few conservation actions can produce benefits as quickly, and few conservation actions could demonstrate any more clearly that the time has come to move from talking about reducing threats to these birds to actually doing it. Greater sage grouse facts
Lesser prairie chicken facts
Right strategy to protect Western birds and economiesReducing the frequency of collisions with fences is not likely to be sufficient by itself to guarantee the security of these two iconic Western birds, but it is an action that will have quick results.Restoring degraded habitat in the semi-arid West will take years to produce results, but reducing the hazard from fencing can produce immediate benefits for sage grouse and lesser prairie chicken conservation. Download our complete analysis [PDF] » |
Source: Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Conservation Assessment of Greater Sage-grouse and Sagebrush Habitats (2004)
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2008 Candidate Assessment – Lesser Prairie Chicken (2008)| Press Release: Fences Putting Imperiled Western Birds at Greater Risk
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Sharyn Stein, 202-572-3396, sstein@edf.org
Michael Bean, 202-572-3312
Theodore Toombs, 303-440-4901
(Washington, D.C. – January 27, 2009) Two species of Western birds that are teetering on the edge of being added to the U.S. endangered species list could be helped by improving the fence-building practices of two federal agencies, according to Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). The conservation group said today that if the Bureau of Land Management and Natural Resources Conservation Service put inexpensive, easily available reflectors or other markers on wire fences, needless deaths of greater sage grouse and lesser prairie chickens could be avoided.
“Listing these birds under the Endangered Species Act is likely to have far-reaching consequences for livestock grazing, oil and gas development, and wind energy development across much of the country,” said Michael Bean, senior director of the Wildlife Program and senior attorney. “Reducing the hazard from fencing is a practical step that can be taken now to reduce one of the known threats to these birds. It could produce immediate benefits for very little money. This is a smart investment, and one we can afford.”
Several studies have shown wire fencing to be one main cause of death for sage grouse and lesser prairie chickens, which live in a combined 15 states across the West. The birds cannot see the thin wires and fly into them. The collisions are often fatal. A study in Oklahoma found that fence collisions caused an astonishing 39.8 percent of lesser prairie chicken deaths from known causes, and a similar study in Utah found fence collision responsible for 18 percent of sage grouse deaths.
EDF combed through government and academic data looking for ways to help these two birds because both are under active consideration for addition to the federal endangered species list. EDF is now urging the simple action of equipping government-built or government-funded wire fences with reflective devices made from vinyl siding, cloth flagging, or similar markers. It could be done quickly and the cost would be minor compared to the overall cost of fencing. While adding reflective devices will not eliminate all the potential problems for wildlife caused by fences, the change will reduce one of these animals’ most serious problems.
“It’s not often we have an opportunity to help two struggling species with such a simple action,” said Bean. “We should retrofit government-funded fences and ensure that all new fences are built with visibility enhancements of some sort. This action alone won’t reverse the decline of the birds, but it’s a big step in the right direction.”
Two federal government agencies have unwittingly contributed to the loss of these species. Sage grouse live in Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, California, North Dakota and South Dakota. Lesser prairie chickens live in Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, and both birds live in Colorado. Thousands of miles of the deadly wire fences have been built in those states in the last three years – either directly by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) or with funding from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
Since 2005, BLM has built 3,150 miles of fencing in the 15 affected states, at a cost of about $10,000 per mile. NRCS funds more than 1,000 miles of fencing each year in the counties where the birds live, at roughly the same cost. For an extra $200 per mile – or a two percent cost increase — all new fencing could be built with reflectors or flagging so the birds could avoid it and survive. EDF has raised the issue with officials of both agencies and is encouraged that they have been receptive to addressing the problem.
The Bush administration decided against adding the greater sage grouse to the list of endangered species a few years ago, but last year a court found that the decision was tainted by political interference and ordered that it be reconsidered. The new Obama administration will take up the matter sometime this year. The lesser prairie chicken was recently moved to near the top of the list of species that are candidates for possible Endangered Species Act protection.
EDF has state and county-specific data on BLM and NRCS fencing in each of the 15 states listed above. For that, and other related information, click here.
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| United States Considers Ethanol Blend Increase The United States, the world’s largest ethanol producer, is weighing options to boost domestic use of the controversial fuel, according to the country’s new agriculture administrator. U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recommends that a higher percentage of ethanol be blended into gasoline to support the nation’s struggling biofuel industry. The United States currently allows gasoline to contain a maximum of 10.2 percent ethanol, most of which is produced from corn. |
| Press Release: Highway 50 Settlement is Evidence California Can Stimulate Economy without Sacrificing Clean Air (Sacramento - January 16, 2009)—The announcement today of a settlement resolving air pollution concerns related to the Highway 50 expansion in Sacramento is evidence that California can stimulate the economy while also protecting clean air, land and water, according to state environmental groups. The settlement demonstrates that the state’s most popular environmental law, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), can be used to bring parties together to negotiate better projects for Californians.
“We applaud the leadership of Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and all sides for coming together to create a solution that provides more public transit and less pollution,” said Kathryn Phillips, director of the California transportation and air initiative at Environmental Defense Fund.
“This shows that rather than exempting similar transportation projects from environmental review, California leaders should see the Highway 50 resolution as an example of how CEQA can produce better, smarter plans to grow our economy without going backwards on our environmental progress,” said Warner Chabot, CEO of the California League of Conservation Voters. “Lawmakers should take CEQA, which has nothing to do with solving the state budget crisis, off the table.”
During the past several weeks, the environmental concerns about Highway 50 and several other controversial transportation projects have been a leading cause of the budget stalemate, with GOP leaders asking that the projects be exempt from environmental review. The environmental groups are hopeful that a positive settlement of the Highway 50 case will demonstrate the economic and environmental importance of keeping California’s environmental laws intact for the good of all.
“We are pleased to see a resolution that keeps environmental review intact, helps improve air quality and reduces greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming,” said Phillips. “Environmental review delivers a better product that allows California to create a 21st century transportation system.”
Background
Earlier today, a lawsuit between state highway officials and local environmentalists was settled to allow the state to move forward with plans for carpool lanes on Highway 50 in Rancho Cordova. Under the settlement agreement, the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) will contribute $8 million to help the Sacramento Rapid Transit District fund a project to add a second track to the light rail system between Sacramento and Folsom. This project will increase the availability of green transit options and should significantly increase ridership. The project also will include improved pedestrian and bicycle access to the light transit system.
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Woody Biomass Resources Biomass power is the largest source of renewable energy as well as a vital part of the waste management infrastructure. An increasing global awareness about environmental issues is acting as the driving force behind the use of alternative and renewable sources of energy. A greater emphasis is being laid on the promotion of bioenergy [.]Posted in: Biofuels, Industry |
| Seven years’ work on satellite crashes and burns in 12 minutes. A team of scientists at a Scottish university watched in horror as a NASA project on which they had worked for seven years crashed just minutes after its launch. |
Making Bio-based Butanol More Competitive We all want to live in a clean and green environment and leave this planet in a livable condition for future generations. Scientists are continuously trying to find alternative clean and green fuel for our daily use. These days we hear and read about ethanol and biobutanol as alternative fuels. Biobutanol seems [.]Posted in: Biofuels, Ethanol, Inventions |