Pronghorn Migration

Humans Put Squeeze on Ancient Pronghorn Migration
by Nicholas Bakalar [article excerpt below]

Pronghorn—antelope like animals native to the United States—have followed the same migration routes through Wyoming's Greater Yellowstone region for more than 6,000 years. The animals' 100-mile (160-kilometer) seasonal journey is the longest land-mammal migration in the continental United States and is second only to the Arctic caribou's trek for long-distance migration in the Western Hemisphere.

But now the pronghorn's ancient routes between calving and wintering grounds are in danger from human development, and the future of Yellowstone's pronghorn herd is uncertain (pronghorn photo and profile).

Joel Berger, a senior scientist with the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society, recently led a study of changes in the pronghorn's migration routes.

Using global positioning systems, Berger and colleagues tracked the movements of migrating pronghorn. They also estimated the maximum width of geographical bottlenecks along the animals' paths.

Their results, published in the latest issue of the journal Biology Letters, show that six of the eight historical pronghorn routes have vanished, and bottlenecks along the remaining routes have narrowed.

"The issue is critical," Berger said. "Any alteration in the bottlenecks through which pronghorn travel will only have serious negative effects and further squeeze the passage zones."
What's more, the scientists found that when the bottlenecks are blocked, the animals don't seek alternate routes—they just stop migrating.

Experts fear that if further development closes off these migration paths, it will interfere with the pronghorn's life cycle, eventually causing the species to disappear.

For more information:
Biology Letters
National Geographic
North American Pronghorn Foundation
Animal Diversity Web - Pronghorn factsheet
Yellowstone National Park

Photo credit: Raymond Gehman, NGS

Recommendation: New Titles

Recent titles added to our collection:

Facing the Wild: Ecotourism, Conservation and Animal Encounters by Chilla Bulbeck/ G156.5.E26B85 2005

At first glance, Facing the Wild: Ecotourism, Conservation and Animal Encounters appears to be the most recent contribution to the growing literature on the history of sociology of zoos and other places where people watch animals (see Mullan and Marvin 1999; Hanson 2002; Rothfels 2002). However, it quickly becomes clear that Bulbeck, a professor of Women's Studies in Australia, has a greater aim in mind with this fascinating book: her goal is to understand why modern urbanites seek out wild animals in their "natural" environments, and what that says about such visitors and their attitudes towards animals, and indeed, towards nature itself. [Antrozoos, 19(1) 2006]

A Guide to Common Freshwater Invertebrates of North America by J. Reese Voshell, Jr./ QL365.4.A1.V67 2002

A Guide to Common Freshwater Invertebrates of North America meets the needs of naturalists, environmentalists, anglers, teachers, students, and others by providing substantive information in easy-to-understand, nontechnical language for many groups of invertebrates commonly found in streams, lakes, ponds, and other freshwater environments of North America. Section I provides background information on the biology and ecology of freshwater organisms and environments and explains why and how invertebrates can be studied, simply and without complex equipment, in the field and the laboratory. Section II describes nearly 100 of the most common groups of invertebrates, and for each group a whole-body color illustration is provided along with brief text pointing out the most important features that identify members of the group. Section III contains in-depth descriptions of the life history, behavior, and ecology of the various invertebrate groups, and explains their important ecological contributions and relationships to humans.

A Handbook for Stream Enhancement & Stewardship by The Izaak Walton League of America/ QH75.H364 2006

Decades, or even centuries, of changing and competing land uses have left many of the world's streams degraded, in poor health, and out of balance with the ever-shifting dynamics of their watersheds. A Handbook for Stream Enhancement & Stewardship is a basic resource intended to help individuals, groups, organizations, companies, communities, and governments plan and carry out environmentally sound, cost-effective stream corridor assessment, enhancement, and stewardship programs. The handbook will be of value to the myriad of volunteers who devote their time and resources to the study, protection, and enhancement of watersheds and waterways at the local level. It will also be of great value to professional resource or property managers, planners, educators, landscape architects, naturalists, conservationists, and others whose work includes stream management, assessment, or enhancement work, or the mentoring and advising of those who do this work.

Handbook for Wetlands Conservation and Sustainability by Karen Firehock (Izaak Walton League of America) / QH76.H367 1998

Hanbook for Wetlands Conservation and Sustainability explains wetland ecology, functions and values. It provides tips for organizing your community to monitor, conserve and restore local wetlands. Includes monitoring instructions, wetland project ideas, regulatory avenues for wetland protection, case studies and an updated and extensive resource section.

Mass Vaccination of Grevy's Zebra Against Anthrax in Northern Kenya by Thomas Manyibe, Belinda Low, Geoffrey Chege / QL 737.U62.M53 2006

Grevy's zebra is an endangered species and a near-endemic to northern Kenya which holds over 90% of the global estimate of 2,200 individuals. An outbreak of anthrax that was confirmed in the Wamba area of northern Kenya began in December of 2005; it appeared to be disproportionately affecting equines and in particular Grevy's zebra. As of 28 February 2006, 52 Grevy's zebra were confirmed dead; at least 50% of all cases were located therefore the total number of deaths would be estimated to be >100 Grevy's zebra. Although the situation was being closely monitored, consensus among wildlife and anthrax epidemiology experts was that a broader vaccination program for Grevy's zebra should be implemented targeting those populations that were most at risk from the disease. In order to ascertain the safety of the anthrax vaccine in Grevy's zebras, a controlled experimental vaccination trial was done on a small group of animals, with no observed adverse effects. Mass Vaccination is an account of the experiment and provides emergency plan recommendations and an understanding of the ecology of the disease.

Visit Brookfield Zoo's online catalogue, SWAN: http:swan.sls.lib.il.us

Science News

Knight Scientist Journalism Tracker is a relatively new service for science writers and editors, which provides ongoing access to work being done by others in the same field. “Our goal is to provide a broad sampling of the past day’s science news and, where possible, of news releases or other news tips related to publication of science news in the general circulation news media, mainly of the U.S. Our goal is to have a new batch of posts up each day by 1 pm Eastern time.” Here, journalists can “suggest stories and…comment constructively on one-another’s work” — the goal being “peer review within science journalism.”

While this resource specifically targets science journalists, my guess is that you’ll find it useful and/or interesting as well — even if you don’t work with science information.

Each posting here includes “brief descriptions of news stories with occasional commentary, headlines and links to their publishers’ Web sites…. Priority goes to stories that report or analyze new scientific research, and to reports on science policy and issues.”

Assorted stories posted on Knight Tracker at the time of this posting include: stem cell news, global warming, archeological digs, bird reintroductions, Arizona wildlife, Java quake and Tsunami, invertebrate habitats, etc.

Archives here go back to April 2006, and the entire site is keyword searchable. You can browse through a collection of Petit’s Picks — e.g., stories highlighted by the “head tracker.” Links on the right-hand side allow you to view only environmental, health & medicine, or general science stories. An RSS feed is available; RSS is the perfect medium for keeping up with a site like this.

If you wish to post to the site, you must register.

Source:
<http://digbig.com/4maqr>

EarthTrends: Environmental Information

EarthTrends is a comprehensive online database, maintained by the World Resources Institute, that focuses on the environmental, social, and economic trends that shape our world.

EarthTrends gathers data from the world’s leading statistical agencies, along with World Resources Institute -generated maps and analyses, into a single database for rapid searching and retrieving. To facilitate the comparison of data from different sources, EarthTrends supplements its content with detailed metadata that reports on research methodologies and evaluates the information’s reliability. All of these resources are made available to the public at no charge.

Recently, EarthTrends updated a number of indicators in the searchable database, including those relating to income inequality, the number of threatened species, and agricultural production and trade. For a list of database updates, click on Earth Trends Databases.

In addition to databases, EarthTrends offers the following tools: maps, country profiles, data tables, and features (including articles). Their comprehensive themes include: Coastal and Marine Ecosystems; Water Resources and Freshwater Ecosystems; Climate and Atmosphere; Population, Health & Human Well-being; Economics, Business & the Environment; Energy and Resources; Biodiversity and Protected Areas; Agriculture and Food; Forests, Grasslands and Drylands; Environmental Governance and Institutions.

The World Resources Institute is an environmental think tank that goes beyond research to create practical ways to protect the Earth and improve people’s lives. Their mission is to move human society to live in ways that protect Earth’s environment for current and future generations.

Asian Carp: An Electric Hope for the Great Lakes

Imported from China in the '70s, silver and bighead carp have now spread throughout the Mississippi River basin. An electric barrier has so far prevented them from entering the Great Lakes.

An Electric Hope for the Great Lakes by David Schaper
NPR.org, July 11, 2006 ·

The last, best hope for keeping voracious Asian carp out of the Great Lakes appears to be an electric barrier on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, which connects the Illinois River with the Chicago River and Lake Michigan.

Though fast-moving and fast-multiplying (some call carp the "rabbits of the water"), the fish apparently still haven’t advanced past the Brandon Road lock and dam near Joliet, some 50 miles from the mouth of the Chicago River and the entrance into Lake Michigan.

There is real concern that the invasive species could seriously alter the food web and the entire ecosystem of the Great Lakes if they ever get through.

"Asian carp [pose] one of the most serious threats to our way of life in the Great Lakes region in the next 100 years," says Cameron Davis, executive director of the Alliance for the Great Lakes, a non-profit advocacy and educational organization.

Biologists and ecologists say Asian carp consume massive amounts of phytoplankton and zooplankton -- as much as 40-percent of their body weight or more each day. That's the same food source relied upon by many native fish species and other aquatic life.

Competing with carp would put native species at a huge disadvantage. Asian carp can grow to 80 pounds, and they reproduce rapidly: Females can carry up to 2 million eggs.
"If carp get into Lake Michigan, it has the potential to completely undo the food web, much like a computer virus can wipe out a network," says Davis. “We’re like a computer system without an anti-virus."

At stake is a $4.5 billion-a-year fishing industry.

A temporary and experimental electric barrier was put in place four years ago on the canal near Romeoville, about 30 miles southwest of Chicago, in hopes of turning back the Asian carp. It consists of 13 cables across the bottom of the canal that send electric impulses at split-second intervals to startle and turn back fish.

In trial runs with common carp, the experimental barrier has appeared to work well. But it is beginning to corrode, and one of the 13 electrodes has failed. A new, bigger and more powerful electric barrier is being constructed; last month, Congress appropriated $10 million for its completion and operation.

The new, permanent barrier consists of 46 electrodes. It would create a much stronger electrified field, three times larger than the experimental one.

Still, the barrier won't be foolproof. Some observers fear the powerful wake left by big barges could pull fish through the barrier, or that Asian carp larvae could ride along like stowaways in ballast tanks and be discharged into the Great Lakes.

For more information:
National Public Radio
Upper Midwest Environmental Science Center
US Environmental Protection Agency

Illustration by Doug Beach for NPR

Black Rhino Extinction

According to the World Conservation Union (IUCN), the West African black rhino (Diceros bicornis longpipes) appears to have become extinct.

"A mission to their last known habitat in northern Cameroon failed to find any rhinos or signs of their existence, " reports Richard Black for BBC NEWS.

"The sub-species (one of four) has declined in recent decades due primarily to poaching, which has also brought the northern white rhino close to extinction. In East and Southern Africa, numbers of related sub-species are rising with the use of effective protection measures. But after two decades of warnings, the western black rhino has apparently met its final end, according to the findings of an extensive expedition by three specialists earlier this year."

"They mounted 48 field missions, patrolling for 2,500km, working block by block," said Richard Emslie, scientific officer with the African rhino group in IUCN's Species Survival Commission.

The IUCN reports that another sub-species of rhino, the northern white, is also on the brink of extinction. Just four animals were found by ground and air surveys in its last refuge, the Garamba National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

For more information, please visit:
IUCN
IUCN Redlist of Threatened Species
BBC NEWS
Times Online UK
New York Times (story pertains to Javan rhino)

Photo credit: Hubert Planton