America’s Endangered Species Act … is also an Endangered Species

Readers of the prestigious Washington Post woke to an alarming headline last week announcing the Republican Administration’s intent to gut and/or dismantle the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). This was not sensationalist journalism but, sadly, our new reality. In fact, Senate Republicans held a hearing on February 15, 2017 to effectively begin the process of weakening the ESA, an Act that was first signed into law in 1973. Chairing that hearing was Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming, who has a history of favouring the oil and gas industry over environmental issues. 

   

The Republicans’ war on wildlife is nothing new. They have been waging this war for a very long time. They have always viewed Nature as a direct threat to business, private land ownership and the profitability of resource exploitation industries such as logging and mining. Indeed, “since the Republicans took control of the House of Representatives in 2011, they have made 233 legislative attempts to either dismantle the Act or target specific endangered species.” (Source: IFLScience)

New this time around, however, is the fact that the Republicans are now in full control of the conversation. Politically speaking, that is. The average American, we are told, probably doesn’t agree with too much tampering to the existing ESA. It has been reported that the vast majority of Americans (fully 90%) support the Act, this according to a national poll conducted in 2015.

For more than 40 years America’s ESA has been successfully protecting species, including its iconic national symbol, the bald eagle. It has also brought the American alligator, the Stellar sea lion, the peregrine falcon and many, many other plant and animal species back from the brink of extinction. Data from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service indicates that the ESA has saved 99% of listed species from extinction. In fact, scientists say that some 227 species would already be extinct without it. (Source: Center for Biological Diversity)

What does all this mean for Canada and Canadian wildlife?

We share this beautiful continent with our neighbours to the south, so what happens in the USA unfortunately doesn’t always stay in the USA. Already, biologists have pointed out the sheer lunacy of building a wall between the U.S. and Mexico. Wildlife does not know what a border is and migration routes traverse all three nations on this continent.

Here, around the Great Lakes, we are particularly jittery about the Republicans’ next steps and any successful attempt at destroying their ESA. We share the Great Lakes with the United States, and if biodiversity and the ecological integrity of the Great Lakes region — its watersheds, wetlands and deciduous forests — are in jeopardy to the south of us, it is going to most definitely impact the bio stability of the entire region eventually. Just as frightening would be the concurrent weakening of America’s EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). Increased pollution and contamination, and an uptake in fossil fuel extraction, coal mining and fracking combined with a much-weakened ESA are a recipe for ecological and environmental disaster in the long term.

I don’t believe this is an exaggeration or alarmist rhetoric. So much of wild North America is under threat as it is. Many species are teetering on the brink while others are losing ground – literally – every day. Biodiversity is a fragile and interconnected web, so the loss of just one species affects all others. Those species that are on the brink and losing the battle need even more protection, not less. They will surely falter if protections are pulled.

Then, there is the war that Republicans feel is their right to wage – their manifest destiny – to eliminate any species (humans included) that stands in the way of their worldview, their progress, their profits. Native species in their rifle sights include most notably wolves, coyotes, cougars and bears. We should not forget to add to any list of beleaguered species under attack the west’s wild mustangs and wild burros, regularly rounded up by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

The carnage is going to be gruesome.

North America is one continent. Our mountain ranges, our prairies, our lakes and our forests do not recognize borders. Wildlife crosses freely, oblivious to the politics of their survival or demise. Their only hope is our attention, our awareness and our advocacy. Hands across the border, we must reach out to our fellow environmentalists in the U.S. and show our support for their efforts and for their resistance – organizations such as the wonderful Center for Biological Diversity or the Canadian/American cooperative, Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative – to name but two.

Even as we in Ontario face some battles over Ontario’s ESA in the current climate in which Wynne’s economic woes threaten to outweigh her government’s obligation to the ESA, we must not ignore what is happening in the U.S. Other countries may easily mock the Trump Administration; they can rail and rant and dismiss him as unstable or incompetent. He is. That’s not in question. But Canada is the only other country in the world together with Mexico that will directly bear the brunt of the brutal, short-sighted machinations of the new U.S. Administration. The health and wellbeing of the entire continent is at stake if the ESA and the EPA are vitiated.

We may stand some distance from the border, but we must, however, stand in opposition to any gutting of America’s ESA if we care at all about North American wildlife – indeed,  if we care at all about the future of life on earth. It is incumbent upon us to be vigilant and to work harder than ever as advocates for the voiceless. As my Twitter community of friends and followers would say – it’s time to #resist.

To follow information about Ontario’s ESA visit Ontario Nature.

To follow the USA issue visit the Center for Biological Diversity and check out their #EARTH2TRUMP movement.

A Year in Review Part III: All the “Tiny Green Things”

I’ve always had a profound love for wild things—I’m a big kid really, having never lost that childish instinct to reach out and pet something. It’s like a biological imperative, this need and desire to touch an animal. Silly, I know! Dog, cat, horse, deer, hare, crow…I revel in how animals and birds feel. I love their fur, their feathers, their feet, their hooves, their ears and, most of all, their eyes.

But I seem to have plumbed new depths of awareness and gentleness this year, which has astonished even me. Kneeling on the ground, stretching out in the ticklish grass or on the cool brown earth, just getting down close to the tiniest inhabitants of the wetland has yielded the most extraordinary joy. They have faces! They wear their skeleton on the outside. They have so many intricate moving parts, like marvelous articulated toys.

Only insects are much more precious than any manmade thing because they are living, breathing organisms—right under our feet, near us every day, even though we might not always be aware of their presence. They are indeed the silent majority. We think of them only when they bite us, sting us or ruin our picnics. But they are so much more than pests and pains.

If you say you love wild things, you cannot just love the big, charismatic creatures, like lions and zebras and elephants. No! You’ve got to embrace them all—the small, the pesky, the ugly—the faces only a mother could love. The “bugs” we humans call pests are truly marvels of nature. Even the house fly up close is a wonder of creation. E.O. Wilson knows it. Walt Whitman knew it. Now we all need to acknowledge it. And soon. We have to start valuing every living organism from plankton to polar bears or else we stand to lose them all. Lesson for humanity: the mighty depend on the miniscule.

So now as the snow lays thick and deep all around us, my mind is turning to the coming of spring and summer. I am eagerly looking forward to meeting up with a whole host of new insect buddies, learning more about them and watching them go about their daily, important work. In the depths of winter, I’m dreaming of damselflies and dung beetles.

Yes, 2010 was a good year. I learned that lymantriidae—tussock moths and kin—are no less lovely than a lynx.

Follow news from White’s Wetland on Twitter @tinygreenthings! Check it out from the sidebar...

Of Birds and Bugs and Butterflies: A Year in Review, Part I

What will I remember about 2010? One of the most delightful sights of my year was the daily stroll of the turkey mums with their young. Slowly and with great patience, these ungainly birds would take the kids out for an afternoon “constitutional” along the creek bed under the willows, all in single file. The little ones would straggle a bit from time to time, curious about their surroundings, but then they would hurry to catch up as best they could. But no youngster was ever left behind too long, as the attentive adults would occasionally stop and wait. Then the silent, methodical procession would resume. I counted twenty-six birds winding their way along the creek one day. By autumn, the young birds had grown so much it was hard to distinguish adult from offspring.

By the way, anyone interested in learning about wild turkeys can attend Nature London’s Talking Turkey on Tuesday, January 18, part of the Nature in the City series.

Looking back over 2010, I think I can safely say that, overall, the wild things that call this tract of land home seem to be doing reasonably well and holding their own. Sadly, the number of frogs and turtles was down this summer, yet the number (and variety) of birds observed was up. Birds not observed here in a very, very long time were turning up again, like the Bobolink. And there were birds we had never seen here before, like the Northern Mockingbird. Even now, with winter firmly entrenched and the snowdrifts deep, an Eastern Towhee has opted to stay around and seems to have taken up residence in a spruce tree. This is first time a Towhee has been officially spotted at the wetland and the fact that she is still here in December makes it doubly surprising.

And the butterflies! Giant yellow swallowtails were regular visitors, not to mention the many Red Admirals and more Monarchs than we have seen in years. These are all good signs. But I am still trying to identify one particular butterfly, an almost-black beauty that I caught only a fleeting glimpse of once I’m sorry to say. Hurry, summer!

I'll talk about "my bugs”in the next blog post…

As for the photo of the turkey hens above, I must thank D. Gordon E. Robertson and Wikimedia because I never seem to have the camera handy when I see my turkeys.

The pond "springs" to life ...

Have you ever heard frogs burst spontaneously into song to welcome a spring rain? I have, just this morning. Dark clouds had moved in early and all was quiet. The rain soon followed, like a hail of swift silver arrows. In a matter of seconds though, another sound was distinctly audible. What a thrill to realize that the rising voices were those of frogs. Full chorus now, their joyous song rose up from the pond as if they had all been awakened at the same time from their winter slumber by the warm spring showers. In unison, they sung their grateful appreciation to the universe.

This is Nature's choir. This is the gospel of Gaia.

To hear frogs responding to the rain is an experience everyone should have. It is a privilege we may lose. We live in a magical world—nature's magic kingdom—and we need to experience these moments and allow ourselves to be touched by how other species live in it. It is their world too, and they have their own joys and sorrows.

Humans love Spring. And so do frogs.

To learn more about disappearing frog populations, please visit Save The Frogs and check out their frogblog.

A Word About Whales ...

No, no whales at the wetlands, but here is a distressing bit of news, and it's something that I need to share. I imagine that, like me, you believed the moratorium on commercial whaling was effectively protecting the world's whale populations from being decimated for profit.

Turns out the opposite is true—the number of whales being commercially hunted has actually gone up since 1986, not down. This has led to the concept of an "arrangement" that would allow some commercial whale hunting, since the moratorium doesn't appear to be working.

A good idea, or a really bad compromise? Would the three countries that simply refuse to acknowledge the moratorium even respect the notion of quotas? Call me cynical, but I think that would be highly unlikely. Where there's money to be made ...

Anyway, check out the Time article and see what you think. Either way, it seems to me that the whales will still be the losers in this latest "war."

Maybe the best way to end this post is with the words of Joanna Macy, from her Bestiary:

Dive me deep, brother whale, in this time we have left. Deep in our mother ocean where once I swam, gilled and finned. The salt from those early seas still runs in my tears. Tears are too meagre now. Give me a song ... a song for a sadness too vast for my heart, for a rage too wild for my throat.

We Are The Rocks Dancing...

This is a line from Thinking Like a Mountain, Towards a Council of All Beings, written by John Seed, Joanna Macy, Pat Fleming, and the "father" of the Deep Ecology Movement, Arne Naess. It is a book about ritual and prayer and healing, not only for an ailing planet but for the ailing soul, because those of us who care deeply about our planet's environmental well-being and mourn the loss of wild habitat and the extinction of species due to human folly and ignorance often endure despair and a loss of hope.

It is also a call to move beyond just thinking about nature and to start feeling what it must be like to be another species. "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb into his skin and walk around in it," said the Harper Lee character, Atticus Finch.

Well, this takes it a step further, shall we say. We are asked to put ourselves into the skin of "the others" with whom we share this planet; for example, the Swift Fox, the Bowhead Whale, the Peary Caribou, the Mountain Plover, the Lake Erie Water Snake and the Leatherback Turtle, as well as howler monkeys, hummingbirds, bottle-nosed dolphins, curlews and condors, yes, even the lichen, the weeds, the leaves and the rocks.

"In Geneva, the international tally of endangered species, kept up to date in loose leaf volumes, is becoming too heavy to lift. Where do we now record the passing of life? What funerals or farewells are appropriate?"

If we can inhabit their world in our imagination for only a few moments, perhaps we can feel reconnected to something bigger—and grander—than ourselves. We need to leave our human egos at the proverbial door.

"I find I incorporate gneiss, coal, long-threaded moss, fruits, grains, esculent roots. And am stuccoed with quadrupeds and birds all over" wrote Whitman.

The premise of Deep Ecology is that we are not isolated from nature but very much a part of it. In fact, we are Nature. One and indivisible from it. We're just another mammal here on Planet Earth.

Modern man has suffered a serious disconnect from this fact, this reality. The very real effect of this disconnect is the environmental crisis in which we find ourselves. We have big brains and wield the power, and so we have dominated the earth, but we have behaved with such careless disregard and ignorance that now even we are in peril. The Native way has been the wisest, perhaps, as their spirituality and cosmology have remained deeply respectful and connected to the earth.

Deep Ecology is not just about recycling, reusing and reducing, although these are important activities that deep ecologists engage in. Deep Ecology is about changing one's entire attitude and way of perceiving the world. It is about re-connecting with the world and realizing our role in the great scheme of things. It's about recognizing that we are not separate beings, divorced from nature.

Now, humankind is just as threatened by imminent extinction as the other species. We are just one more species that will not make it if we fail to be wise, right now, at this point in time. So given that we have this consciousness, which is surely itself a product of nature, having emerged and evolved according to the same laws as everything else, we must now use it to make a lasting change, a change that will save our planet, ourselves.

Only we can do this. Yes, we must use our intellects to do the practical work that needs to be done. And there is much work to be done. But today, on Earth Day, feel the connectedness in your bones...

Don't just say, "I am protecting the rainforest."

Be the rainforest.

Awaken your mind to a new way of being in the world.

Remember this: that every atom in your body existed before organic life emerged 4000 million years ago. We share this in common with "them," the other living species of this planet. We are atom, we are mineral, we are water, we are the elements … we are the rocks dancing.

To learn more about Deep Ecology today, please follow the link at the bottom of the blog.

Quoted text above is from Thinking Like A Mountain.

Revel in the joy of being alive today and here on Planet Earth.

More Thoughts on Earth Day

It seems to me that many people associate Earth Day only with climate change and global warming issues. That's too bad, because while world leaders, scientists and citizens debate and argue over the stats, the planet's environmental health coughs and sputters along, wild habitat is being bulldozed and levelled, wetlands drained for development, and more precious species are ending up on endangered lists or lost to us forever.

Earth Day is more than the global warming debate. It's about celebrating this beautiful planet and engaging in efforts to save it on many fronts. And we can each do our part. Don't let the naysayers discourage you. Do what you can. Find something in the natural world that you love and then say—yes—I want to protect that! I want to save that! It can be a tree or an entire woodlot, or a species that you feel passionately about.

What do you love? What fascinates you?

Elephants? Moose? Polar bears? Brown bears? Butterflies? Sumatran tigers? Turtles? Frogs? Warblers? Wrens? Snakes? Salamanders? Owls? Orangutans?

What do you feel passionately about?

Your neighbourhood ravine? A marsh you have visited? A national park? A wildlife sanctuary you saw on the news? The oceans? The Amazon?

It's all important and it all matters. You just need to (a) really care about something and then (b) stand up and be counted.

This week, support what you love about Planet Earth with your actions, your energy, your voice and, where necessary, your dollars.

That’s Earth Day. People everywhere doing something good for the planet.

And believing that change is possible.

What Makes a Healthy Wetland?

There is no one definition that describes a healthy wetland because of the vast diversity of wetland types. However, wetland health can be determined, to a degree, by simply observing and becoming familiar with what is "normal" for your wetland.

We can get very technical and talk about a wetland's structure and function, such as its water quality, soil condition, carrying capacity, surface and ground water storage, sediment retention, nutrient cycling, biomass production, reduction of erosion and purification of water. I am not an environmentalist or a scientist. I am just beginning to learn about the science myself.

What I can talk about is the observation of returning species, and the variety and depth of those species, which is telling us a great deal about the health of White's Wetlands. "Species composition" and "food web support" are terms that we could use to describe these visual observations. What I am really saying is "biodiversity" and "the food chain."

We are seeing species return, creatures that we have not seen for a number of years. The most recent arrival is the muskrat. The muskrat is a natural inhabitant of shallow wetlands, where they feed primarily on aquatic plants, such as cattails, arrowheads and duckweeds. They occasionally eat crayfish, snails, mussels, frogs, insects and slow-moving fish. We have not had muskrat in the wetlands for many years. The reasons for this could be numerous. However, the fact that the muskrat is here does mean that they are finding the food they need to sustain themselves.

This is also their breeding season, so there may be young soon. Since we do have snapping turtles, this could pose a problem later in the season, as the turtles move from their winter home, down the creek and into the pond, where they generally tend to spend their summers, basking in the open, warm water and under a hot sun. Snapping turtles have been known to take young muskrat, so they are potential predators.

We can observe the changing species composition over the spring and summer.

The creek is also populated with suckers this year, and quite an abundance of them too, which is all good because these fish are bottom feeders and do an excellent job of keeping the water clean and clear. They're Mother Nature's clean-up crew!

From songbirds and insects to the larger predators, we are seeing more and more evidence that this is truly becoming a habitat that can cope and manage, a self-sustaining ecosystem that will regulate itself internally with the vegetation and animal life required to maintain balance and biodiversity.

Quite a precious thing, really.

Wildlife Week at the Wetland

It's Friday, but it's still National Wildlife Week in Canada! So get out there and walk for wildlife this weekend. The Canadian Wildlife Federation is trying to get everyone to "clock some kilometres" for wildlife. So rather than me re-explaining everything, just visit their website to learn more. Walk for Wildlife officially kicked off during National Wildlife Week and will end on May 22, International Day of Biodiversity.

Visit the Canadian Wildlife Federation. As they say, "Nature is coming alive again. Migrating birds are returning home. Trees are beginning to bud, animals are coming out of hibernation, and spring flowers are beginning to bloom."

And I think it has finally stopped raining. Or snowing. Or whatever that was. So there's no excuse!

Wildlife Week at the Wetland: Deer!

Spotted yesterday: "our" deer family on the move!

Did you know that white-tailed deer are relative newcomers to much of the range they now occupy in Canada? Long ago, when the first Europeans were exploring this land, this graceful mammal was found only in the most southerly parts of Canada—such as our own southern Ontario region—but not beyond Lake Nipissing to the north. The current range of the white-tailed deer in Canada is quite extensive.

What caused this change in range? Probably a combination of events, but high on the list most likely is the extent of human settlement in southern Canada, pushing deep into every corner of southwestern Ontario and pushing the deer range farther north.

Over time, southern Ontario has become increasingly urbanized, further reducing deer habitat. However, it is still possible to see them in our southern Ontario woods and bush areas. Still, between winter food shortages and the continual loss of habitat, the white-tailed deer, while having greatly expanded its overall range, has also experienced declines in population levels.

There are sixteen sub-species of white-tailed deer in North America. Only three of these species live in Canada.

It's National Wildlife Week: April 4 - 10, 2010

Did you know that National Wildlife Week has been celebrated annually since 1947?

The National Wildlife Week Act was drawn up as a memorial to Jack Miner, in recognition of his outstanding conservation efforts. When the Bill was introduced in the House of Commons on April 18th, 1947, it passed without one dissenting vote. As a matter of fact, it was the first time since Canada's confederation that a Bill was passed unanimously.

That just goes to show you that parliamentarians can set partisan politics aside now and then to agree on something that matters.

While Jack Miner would be thrilled to know that we have been recognizing National Wildlife Week each year, I am not so sure he would be happy about our track record on species protection and habitat conservation. We need to do better, because Canada has far too many species on the endangered list already.

So if "we" all agreed once long ago that a national week to raise awareness for wildlife conservation was a great idea, just maybe we can get everyone to agree again, especially during the International Year of Biodiversity.

So, all in unison now, everyone say it and mean it …

WILDLIFE MATTERS TO ME!

2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity

“Much of the food we eat depends on the services provided by a diversity of pollinating insects and animals.”

The United Nations proclaimed 2010 to be the International Year of Biodiversity and people the world over are starting to realize that biodiversity is crucial to human survival.

But what is meant by “biodiversity,” and why is it so critical to protect, preserve and maintain it?

Biological diversity encompasses all living species on Earth and their relationships to each other. This includes the differences in genes, species and ecosystems. Having many different living things allows Nature to recover from change.

So, if too much biodiversity is lost, there is a problem, because Nature finds it increasingly difficult to compensate and adapt. The web of life is weakened.

Humans depend on Nature to survive. It's that simple. We cannot continue to recklessly and irresponsibly destroy habitat and species. By doing so, we condemn ourselves.

Did you know that Canada has a Biodiversity Strategy? Yes! The vision for Canada?

"A society that lives and develops as a part of nature, values the diversity of life, takes no more than can be replenished and leaves to future generations a nurturing and dynamic world, rich in its biodiversity."

You can read the entire document by visiting Environment Canada’s Canadian Biodiversity Information Network (CBIN). This site offers a wealth of information on Canadian biodiversity topics—documents, reports, news and events. Learn about the factors that contribute to biodiversity loss and the actions that can be taken to conserve biodiversity.

Thanks to Environment Canada and the Canadian Biodiversity Strategy for the above quotes.

Welcome to White's Wetland and to our inaugural post. More pictures, more history, more information and more links will be added in time.

It is summer in southwestern Ontario and that means the trees are green, the vegetation is thick and lush, birdsongs fill the sky during the day, frogs croak a chorus in the summer night, and dawn or dusk brings sightings of deer,coming down to the pond to drink. Turtles bask on the rocks,soaking up the rays after a long winter. Swallows swoop and tease. Hummingbirds gather in the gardens.

Everything seems to be at play, enjoying the sun and the warmth. Animals and birds, reptiles and amphibians - all welcome summer, just as we humans do.

In the days, weeks and months ahead, I hope to share stories about our wetland, introduce you to some of the main characters who share our space and talk about the importance of wild spaces in general. Everyone these days seems to talk about the environment and about being green; but when I come home to the Wetland, I see firsthand why it is so important. It's not just an agenda for me. This is a living, breathing entity, a wondrous space that I want to see preserved. As long as it is in my power to protect the species that also call this tract of land home, I will. They deserve to be here as much as I do.

So I won't be on the pulpit about the environmental movement every day, although I do want to convey the importance of wetlands. Most of all, I want people to feel something. I believe that we have a real chance of saving species and preserving biodiversity the sooner we humans realize that we are all connected.

You have to care about something in order to protect it. The wild world deserves our care, attention ...and respect.

So until the next post.