Protecting Endangered Species from Congress

Of course we here at the Sierra Club love animals. To help share that love, we put together this amazing slideshow of endangered animals in photos by Joel Sartore. Some are cuddly-looking, some, even I admit, are slimy – all deserve protection.

The Endangered Species Act is regarded as one of the strongest conservation laws the world has ever seen, and it has had an astounding effect bringing species back from the edge of extinction and preserving biodiversity in this country. Its power lies in sound, science-based management, free from political interference.

Yet as this slideshow notes, “this lifesaving legal protection continues to face political attacks. Joel Sartore's photographs remind us that if we do not protect rare species, we'll be left with only frozen mementos of the beautiful creatures we allowed to slip away.”

Study Projects Significant Decline of American Trout Habitat

  
Cutthroat trout, a species already eliminated from much of its historic range, faces new threats. (Image: CO Division of Wildlife/North Park Anglers)

The cold streams of the western United States are home to a species with an evocative name: cutthroat trout, the official fish of seven states, is so called for the often brilliant red streaks across its lower jaws and gills. Once widespread across western North America, pockets of the fish evolved into a dozen subspecies isolated by the rugged geography of the Rocky Mountain and Cascade ranges. Around the turn of the twentieth century, the introduction of nonnative species like the brook, brown, and rainbow trout—with whom cutthroat compete for resources and sometimes interbreed—wounded the native populations, even driving two subspecies to extinction.

America's Last Great Wilderness

The Arctic Refuge is really amazing.  It's spectacular, breathtaking, and vast.  I've always believed that from what I'd heard.  But now I know for myself.  

My visit to the Arctic Refuge will not be forgotten. 

USDA Pledges $100 Million for Everglades Watershed Conservation

 
Expanses of the Northern Everglades will be protected under permanent conservation easements  (Image: USDA/Lance Cheung)

USDA officials arrived in the heart of Florida last week to announce a significant conservation commitment: the administration has offered $100 million toward a program benefiting Florida’s distinct landscapes, farmers and ranchers, and drinking water quality for millions of Americans. Water scarcity coupled with the program’s success last year led the USDA to strengthen its efforts to preserve the Northern Everglades watershed on privately-owned lands. Florida leaders have lauded the funding as a gain for both economy and ecology. “This is a win-win that helps restore the Northern Everglades while allowing Florida ranching traditions to continue,” said Senator Bill Nelson.

Shell Could Drill in Arctic by Next Summer

 
Mother polar bear and cubs along the Beaufort Sea (Image: USFWS)

Last Thursday, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (BOEMRE) provisionally approved a proposal from Shell that would permit exploratory drilling in the Beaufort Sea as soon as next summer. The authorized plan is part of the most aggressive oil venture ever launched in the Arctic, and comes after a recent failure to pass industry safety reforms in the Senate. Conservation groups have condemned the approval, citing the scope of Shell’s proposal, the fragility of the ecosystem, and the lack of increased standards as a disastrous combination.

A Huge Win for Salmon and Jobs!

Just last week - Tuesday, August 2nd - US District Court Judge James Redden again ruled illegal the federal government's management plan for salmon and steelhead in the mighty Columbia and Snake Rivers. The ruling marks a huge win for wild salmon and the communities and ecosystems that depend on these magnificent fish.

 

Three plans from three administrations – Clinton, Bush, and now Obama - have been ruled illegal for similar reasons. The message is clear: the government’s old efforts have failed. We need a new approach.

Take Action: Send a message of solutions for wild salmon to President Obama.

Salmon advocates, the state of Oregon, and the Nez Perce and Spokane Tribes who opposed the administration's plan are cheering this crucial ruling and stand ready to move forward. The court’s decision presents a tremendous opportunity for the businesses, fishermen, and citizens who have been working for years to restore healthy wild salmon and steelhead populations, invest in clean energy alternatives, and save taxpayer dollars.

The real work, however, is just beginning.

My business has joined with over 1,200 businesses from across the country to call for decisive policy change in a letter to President Obama and Members of Congress.  The letter urges the administration and members of Congress to work with affected stakeholders to chart a new course for wild salmon and salmon-dependent communities that provides solutions based on good science and economics.  Read more about the national Salmon Mean Business letter here, check out the letter and signers here.

Please stand with businesses and advocates nationwide by sending a message to President Obama now.

Click here to take action to protect Wild Salmon.

Wild Pacific salmon and steelhead are among America’s greatest natural resources. Fighting hundreds of miles upstream and thousands of feet in elevation, against obstacles natural and human, to their natal streams to spawn their next generation, salmon inspire us for their persistence and determination.

And the Washington, Idaho, and Oregon mountain habitat of this one-of-a-kind species is also unique.  Standing between 4,000 to 7,000 feet, the Snake River basin is home to the largest, wildest, and best-protected salmon habitat remaining in the "Lower 48" states.  Sierra Club Chairman Carl Pope has called the Snake River Basin the "Noah's Ark" for salmon.  If they can reach this habitat, wild salmon and steelhead will thrive once again.

Once the most productive salmon landscape on the planet, the Columbia-Snake Basin’s fisheries have suffered dramatic declines in the last several decades now reaching barely 1% of historic levels.  Unfortunately, federal agencies have done everything in their power to avoid the biggest roadblocks to long-term recovery: the four lower Snake River dams. This path has been expensive - over $10 billion in public money spent on failed efforts - and has held back the Northwest region from creating thousands of jobs with a restored salmon economy.  The limited services these dams provide can be replaced with effective, affordable, and salmon-friendly alternatives.

Right now, the Obama administration has an opportunity achieve sustainability in the Northwest: abundant wild salmon, productive farms, and a healthy economy with new clean energy investments.  The best way to achieve a successful, practical, science-based, job-creating solution in the Columbia and Snake Rivers is through a multi-stakeholder collaboration with a look at all options, including alternatives to the four lower Snake River dams.

My job and thousands of others depend on your help.  Again, please take a moment, and click here, to send a message today.

Thank you,

Jeff Hickman

August 9^th, 2011

Jeff Hickman is renowned fly fishing guide throughout the Columbia-Snake Basin and Alaska, has served as an advocate for the Sierra Sportsmen Network, and was a former Sierra Club Organizer.  He lives in Eagle Creek, Oregon.

Photo Credits: Top:"Snake River salmon migrating at Dagger Falls, Snake River Basin" © Neil Ever Osborne Middle: "Little Redfish Lake, Idaho © Neil Ever Osborne"