Wildlife Weekly Wrap-up

Oil-free Ocean
The Obama administration has abandoned plans to allow drilling in federal waters off the Atlantic coast during the next five-year offshore leasing period, a huge victory for wildlife and marine ecosystems-especially in the wake of the BP oil disaster in 2010. The plan faced opposition from the military, hundreds of coastal communities and from fishing and tourism industries concerned about impacts of drilling on ocean health, as well as the possibility of another oil spill. This is particularly good news for North Atlantic right whales, which travel up and down the coast each year between their calving waters in the south and feeding areas in the north. It’s also a boon in the fight against climate change, which is hindered by opening up more areas to fossil fuel extraction. The Obama administration did allow for lease sales to proceed in the Gulf of Mexico and the Arctic, though, so the fight to protect sensitive ocean ecosystems from the hazards of oil drilling continues.

What Do You Know about Grizzlies?
A new short film asks residents in northern Washington what they know and what they think about grizzly bears. These questions are timely as state and federal agencies evaluate how to help recover the dwindling population of bears struggling to survive in the North Cascades. And, you can be sure that Defenders is heavily involved in this process! We believe the most effective method for recovering North Cascades grizzlies is by adding new bears to help the current, fading population. We’ll keep you updated here as this process moves forward, and in the meantime, happy viewing!

Washington Wolf Population Grows
Annual population counts released this week show that Washington’s wolf population is growing – great news! We’re thrilled to see this rise in overall population, number of wolf packs and number of wolf breeding pairs is coupled with a decrease in livestock-wolf conflict. This trend is possible thanks in large part to Washington’s efforts to manage wolves proactively, putting in place nonlethal conflict avoidance tools (things like strobe lights, electric fencing, range-riders, etc.) to reduce livestock-wolf conflicts before they occur. Although Washington’s growing wolf population is something to celebrate, it is still concentrated in the eastern portion of the state, remaining absent from the vast, historic habitat that exists for wolves in southern and western Washington. Defenders remains committed to partnering with local communities and landowners to continue the success we’re seeing in Washington by expanding the use of on-the-ground tools and strategies to reduce potential livestock-wolf conflict. This will be critical as the species continues to regain its historic habitat in Washington.

What’s an Octopod, You Ask?
This week, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s unmanned “Deep Discoverer” sub uncovered a new species in the deep sea. The new octopod, which is a group of animals related to octopuses, was caught on camera by the roaming submersible 2½ miles underwater off the coast of Hawaii. Earth’s oceans are teaming with life; new discoveries like this one are frequent and underscore just how much we have to learn about what shares this planet with us!

Oregon’s Anti-wolf Bill Becomes Law
We’re very disappointed to see that a bill legislatively removing wolves from Oregon’s state list of protected species was signed into law this week by Governor Brown. With this decision, Governor Brown has opened the floodgates for the Oregon legislature to make politically-driven decisions about the fate of Oregon’s imperiled animals. Science – not politics – should guide species listing and delisting decisions, and decisions about how to manage them! That’s why our northwest team is working closely with the state’s wolf managers as they update Oregon’s wolf management plan. If Oregon wants to continue its role in wolf recovery, the precautionary protections for wolves in the plan must remain – and that’s our top priority.

The Newest Buzz on Bees
In September of last year, Defenders of Wildlife submitted two petitions to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service asking it to launch a scientific review to determine whether the Western bumble bee and yellow-banded bumble bee need federal protection under the Endangered Species Act to survive. And this Tuesday, the Service announced that it will launch a “status review” of these two bumble bee species in response to our petitions! This is grew news for these important pollinators, but we also know this is just the beginning. We look forward to working with our partners and the Service to make legal protection a reality, as bees are a key component of healthy ecosystems, extremely important to our economy and our survival.

Eight Members of Congress Honored for Defending Wildlife
This week Defenders and a host of other national conservation groups honored eight members of Congress for their critical role in protecting the Endangered Species Act. Upholding the ESA is essential on the Hill today as other anti-wildlife members of Congress wage an unprecedented legislative attack on this cornerstone environmental law. Since January 2015, anti-wildlife members have introduced nearly 100 proposals designed to weaken the ESA! Needless to say, our ability to protect imperiled wildlife would be seriously undermined without these eight congressional champions and their continued commitment to conservation. Representatives from the environmental community – including Defenders’ former President and CEO Jamie Rappaport Clark – presented framed photos of imperiled species native to the states represented by these “Champions of the ESA” to thank them for their tremendous work upholding the ESA. We were honored to have former Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt join us as the master of ceremonies. A good time was had by all who attended this week’s event!
Not sure if your representative is a champion? See their votes on key wildlife and environmental issues in our Conservation Report Card.

Stay tuned next week for more of the latest wildlife news!