Archive for the 'Climate Change' Category

Dec 06, 2011

Chincoteague NWR Conservation Plan

As this blog has reported in the recent past, there is a great deal of controversy at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia regarding the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposed plans to move beach access and parking at the refuge in response to the impact of erosion and sea-level rise. The USFWS has posted [...]

Nov 29, 2011

Drought Impacts Migrating Birds

Seattlepi.com reports that ravaged wetlands and crops throughout Texas and New Mexico are waiting for migratory cranes, geese, and ducks that are making their way south for the winter season.
Buffalo Lake and Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuges are seeing a decrease in birds due to drought conditions:

“I don’t know where our birds are going,” said [...]

Oct 18, 2011

Controversy Brewing at Chincoteague NWR Over CCP

Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, which is located on the southern end of Assateague Island in Virginia and which is part of a popular beach community, is in the process of writing their Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP), which is required of each refuge in the nation.
The difference for Chincoteague is that some of the CCP [...]

May 29, 2011

Republicans Holding Up Dan Ashe Nomination to Head USFWS

Republican senators continue to uphold the nomination of long-time U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employee Dan Ashe to become director of the Service — which has been without a designated leader since February 2010, when former director Sam Hamilton had a fatal heart attack while skiing.
Despite widespread support for Dan Ashe, Republican Senators David Vitter [...]

Dec 16, 2010

Louisiana Berms Did Little to Stop Oil

The Washington Post reports that the presidential commission investigating the BP oil spill response found that the sand berms built off the Louisiana coast did little to stop the oil.
Despite intense pressure from Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal (R) and other state officials demanding that the berms be built, the commission said scientists who predicted [...]

Aug 23, 2010

Video Monday: Sea Level Rise at Cape Romain NWR

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service just posted a video about the problem of sea level rise at Bulls Island, which is a barrier island at Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge in South Carolina. Over the past several years, staff at Bulls Island have seen the beach disappear before their eyes at an alarming rate, [...]

Jul 27, 2010

Protests Over Death of Freshwater Marsh at Prime Hook NWR

On July 23, CapeGazette.com reported on the efforts of Delaware resident Melanie Hoff, who has taken on the task of publicizing the death of the freshwater marsh at Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware.

The change in the refuge near her home inspired Hoff to produce “Death of a Marsh,” a video she uploaded to [...]

May 17, 2010

Video Monday: Climate Change and the Refuge System

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has posted an interesting video that looks at the impact of climate change on the National Wildlife Refuge System and what biologists and refuge managers are doing to prepare for the challenges of a changing environment.

Tags:
National Wildlife Refuge System, climate change, US Fish and Wildlife Service

Apr 21, 2010

Happy Earth Day: Go Zero

The Epoch Times recently reported on The Conservation Fund’s goal of raising $100,000 by April 22 to plant 10,000 more trees in wildlife refuges. To raise awareness, The Conservation Fund has released a micro-documentary about their Go Zero® carbon offset campaign, which has the tagline of “Plant a Tree. Trap a Ton. Go Zero.”
Featured [...]

Jan 30, 2010

NWRA Sets 2010 Priorities for the Refuge System

The National Wildlife Refuge Association has laid out their 2010 priorities in advocating for the National Wildlife Refuge System:
Funding: With a renewed emphasis on reducing the federal deficit, as outlined in the President’s State of the Union, federal programs such as the National Wildlife Refuge System are likely to see reduced or frozen discretionary spending [...]

Sep 25, 2009

Senate Fails to Match House in Refuge System Funding

The National Wildlife Refuge Association has issued a press release announcing the passage of a $26 million budget increase for the Refuge System in the Senate’s FY 2010 Interior, Environment and Related Agencies appropriations bill. Unfortunately this is not the same amount that the House passed earlier.
From the NWRA:
The National Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA) [...]

Sep 24, 2009

USFWS Climate Change Strategy

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has released a proposed strategic plan that will guide the agency’s efforts to respond to the threats posed by climate change.
According to the USFWS:

The Service plan outlines a number of commitments intended to reshape the face of conservation and enable the agency to play a leading role [...]