House GOP Targets Manatees, Sea Turtles, Prairie Chickens

You're looking at the latest threat to American freedom.

We already know that the Tea Party-powered House has been working hard to derail several decades of environmental accomplishments.  You’ve probably heard that the debt ceiling deal not only cut holes in the social safety net, but also defunded environmental protection.

HR 2584, the Interior and environmental appropriations bill, continues this trend. The bill’s title shows its real purpose. It’s not called the Funding the Interior Department Act or anything like that; no, it’s the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2011. Among those burdens are the usual scourges of liberty–the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts.

But there are also some surprising culprits: Sea turtles, manatees, and dunes sagebrush lizards, for example. These seemingly innocent creatures are apparently part of the sinister big-government scheme that the GOP is on a mission to thwart.

You can laugh, but I’m only half joking. Take a look at some HR 2584 amendments reported by Defenders of Wildlife  (and if that’s not enough for you, Rep. Jim Moran and Mother Jones have lists of anti-environment riders on the bill).

• Representative Steve Pearce (NM) has introduced an amendment to end lobo recovery efforts, essentially dooming the 50 remaining Mexican gray wolves in the wild to extinction.
• Representative Blake Farenthold (TX) has proposed blocking efforts to reduce the speed limits on beaches where threatened and endangered sea turtles nest.
• Boat strikes are one of the leading causes of death for Florida’s threatened manatees, but Representative Richard Nugent (FL) wants to block a Fish and Wildlife Service rule to prevent boat collisions with these gentle sea cows.
• Representative Jeff Denham (CA) has introduced an amendment to block restoration of salmon in the San Joaquin River.
• Representatives Pearce and Randy Neugebauer (TX) are fighting to prohibit Endangered Species Act protections for lesser prairie chickens and dunes sagebrush lizards.
• Representatives Paul Gosar (AZ) and Rob Bishop (UT) have proposed amendments that would exempt the border patrol from laws and regulations that protect imperiled wildlife and federal conservation lands like our national parks and wildlife refuges.

I know that predatory animals aren’t very popular among the ecologically-unconcerned. In an extreme case, Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association argued that grizzly bears should be eradicated and that Tilikum, the Sea World orca who killed his trainer, should be stoned. And on a more mainstream level, ranchers have always harbored a resentment toward wolves.

But manatees? What harm have they ever caused? Edna Mattos, leader of the Citrus County Tea Party Patriots in Florida, lent some insight in the St. Petersburg Times:

“We cannot elevate nature above people. That’s against the Bible and the Bill of Rights.”

The Florida Tea Partiers took issue with sea cows when the Fish and Wildlife Service proposed to make Kings Bay a wildlife refuge. Parts of the bay have been protected since 1980, and the FWS says that the current population of 550 manatees needs more space. But the Patriots aren’t falling for that garbage.

“We believe that [federal regulators’] aim is to control the fish and wildlife, in addition to the use of the land that surrounds this area, and the people that live here and visit.”

So I guess that explains Rep. Nugent’s amendment (he was elected by these people, after all). But what about the other assaults on wildlife? Normally, the argument for axing regulations is that regulations kill jobs. How does that philosophy apply to sea turtles and lesser prairie chickens? That’s hard to say. If you go to work one day and find that a prairie chicken has taken over your job, let me know. Same goes for when your new boss has flippers and smells like seaweed.

All these anti-wildlife amendments have two things in common (besides being ridiculous). They would all have serious consequences, yet they would not do anything meaningful to reduce the deficit or create jobs. Although the proposals may be laughable, their authors are dead serious. But they need your votes to keep their agenda rolling.

When election season comes, remember the manatees.

Federal protections restored for Northern Rockies wolves

Image credit: dalliedee on Flickr

In May ’09 I blogged about the threats facing wolves in Greater Yellowstone, the Northern Rockies, and (famously) Alaska.  This week, wolves gained a moderate victory, something I thought you might want to hear about.  Here’s the press release from Defenders of Wildlife:

On August 5, 2010, a federal judge overturned a decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to remove gray wolves from the Endangered Species Act (ESA), paving the way for these critical predators to rebuild their numbers to ecologically sustainable levels. This ruling is the result of a lawsuit brought against the FWS in 2009 by Defenders of Wildlife and other conservation organizations….

After Defenders of Wildlife led efforts to restore the gray wolf population in the Northern Rockies in 1995, this great success was dealt a serious setback when Interior Secretary Ken Salazar approved a plan from the Bush administration era to delist gray wolves from the ESA. Once off the list, the wolves were quickly approved for hunting in Idaho and Montana, where more than 350 wolves—almost 20% of the total population—were killed in 2009….

One of the immediate impacts of the ruling is that the hunting seasons in Montana and Idaho, originally planned to begin this fall, will be canceled.

Good news if you’re a wolf — or someone who recognizes that wolves are an important part of the ecosystem.

More than 1,000 wolves could die. Join the campaign to save these magnificent members of the ecosystem!!

Image credit: Flickr: Tambako the Jaguar

Wolves, integral members of North American ecosystems, are under attack as ranchers, hunters, and politicians seek to eradicate them.

From Defenders of Wildlife:

The wolf is a remarkable species that symbolizes all things natural, wild and free. Wolves once reigned atop magnificent and diverse ecosystems across North America, helping to maintain nature’s critical balance on this continent.

The war on wolves is taking place on several fronts:

In Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies
On March 6th, 2009, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar approved the Bush Administration’s discredited plan to eliminate Endangered Species Act protections for wolves in Idaho and Montana — a decision that could lead to the deaths of more than 1,000 wolves!

In Alaska

More than 900 wolves in Alaska have been killed by aerial gunning since 2003, and Governor Palin is pushing to kill even more wolves this year using aerial gunning, poison gas and snares.

In fact, Governor Palin has proposed a $150 bounty on each severed leg of a dead wolf.  She also advocates gassing wolf pups in their dens with carbon monoxide.  Can you imagine the outcry if such a thing were done to domesticated animals?

In the Southwest
Misinformation and anti-wolf sentiment runs high, with the few remaining wolves in Arizona and New Mexico at risk of extinction. With only two breeding pairs of Mexican wolves left in the wild, we need sensible, science-based wolf management to ensure the “lobo” will survive — and thrive — in the wilds of the Southwest.

The turning point in this war is right now. Because of our “responsible wildlife management” delusions, the lives of thousands of wolves are at stake.  While they may not be animals you want to hang out with, wolves are actually social beings, who live in close-knit families and care for their young.  They are every bit as intelligent as your dog.

Click here to learn more about wolves, and take action now to protect these magnificent creatures.  You can also watch moving videos here.