Sumatran Elephants Status Now At Critically Endangered On List Of Threatened Species

The Sumatran elephant has just moved up in status from ‘endangered’ to ‘critically endangered’ on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) Red List of Threatened Species.

Sumatran Elephant. Photo from World Wildlife Fund-Indonesia/Samsul Komar.

“Nearly 70 percent of its habitat and half of its population have been lost in one generation,” said the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), adding that a major contributing factor has been “the clearing of forests for conversion to plantations.”

The elephant is an Asian subspecies called Elephas maximux and is only found in Sumatra, Indonesia. The WWF estimates that there are currently about 2,600 elephants left in the wild, which is about have the population of 30 years ago.

On an even more localized scale, the WWF said that in the province of Riau – located in the center of Sumatra, along the Strait of Malacca – “elephant numbers have declined by a staggering 80 percent in less than 25 year, confining some of the herds to small forest patches.”

The conservation group attributes much of the blame for the habitat destruction on the pulp and paper industries that make their fortunes by clear-cutting forests and replacing them with pulpwood plantations.

These plantations are composed of trees such as aspen, hemlock, pine, or spruce which are used in making pulp for paper.

The WWF is calling on the Indonesian government to “prohibit all forest conversion in elephant habitats until there is a conservation strategy to save the species.”

Also under threat to deforestation are the Sumatran tigers, which currently number about 400 in the wild.

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White House Supports U.S. State Dept. Decision to Delay Keystone XL Interstate Oil Pipeline

Environmental activists protesting at the White House against the Keystone XL pipeline. Photo courtesy of Bloomberg.com.

With controversy over the route that TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline will take through Nebraska, and fears over the potential threat to the state’s ecologically precious Sand Hills, the U.S. State Department has decided to postpone a presidential permit to the company for construction in the state.

President Barack Obama supports the measure to postpone the permit, saying in a statement, that there is a “need to seek additional information about the Keystone XL Pipeline proposal because this permit could affect the health and safety of the American people as well as the environment.”

The State Department said that it needs to take more time to review potential alternative routes through Nebraska.

The Sand Hills have a unique combination of characteristics, which include a high concentration of wetlands and an extensive area of very shallow groundwater.

Sand Hills Lake. Photo by Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

The Sand Hills sit atop the massive Ogallala Aquifer, creating both temporary and permanent shallow lakes in low-lying valleys between the prevalent dunes. The eastern and central sections of the region are drained by the tributaries of the Loup River and the Niobrara River, while the western section is largely composed of small interior drainage basins.

The World Wide Fund for Nature designated the Sand Hills as an eco-region, distinct from other grasslands of the Great Plains. According to their assessment, as much as 85% of the Sand Hills eco-region is intact natural habitat, the highest level in the Great Plains. This is chiefly due to the lack of crop production. Most of the Sand Hills land has never been plowed.

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Illinois Top Chefs Looking To Turn Asian Carp From Nuisance Threat to American Delicacy

Some of Illinois’ top chefs are working to change the perception of Asian carp from a low-value nuisance fish that’s difficult to prepare to a culinary treat. 

Broiled Asian carp. Photo courtesy of thepickledtounge.com.

Earlier this month, chef Philippe Parola lead the preparations for a ‘Target Hunger Now!’ dinner event featuring Asian carp. The event was part of a humanitarian effort to raise awareness about hunger, hosted by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and Feeding Illinois.

Asian carp is a popular fish in Europe and Asia, but many in the United States consider it a dirty bottom feeder that’s overtaking the Mississippi river system and posing a threat to the Great Lakes.

While it’s true that the Asian carp population has exploded within the river system, it’s a misconception that it’s a bottom feeder. Asian carp actually feeds on zooplankton and algae in the upper water columns of rivers.

“It’s time to change the perception of Asian carp in Illinois and throughout the U.S. I have worked with this fish for many years and can say without a doubt it is delicious and easy to use when prepared properly,” said Parola at the event.

Parola describes it as a “very white, tasty meat that is a cross between scallops and crab” and believes that, “The main reason the fish has not been harvested for consumption in the U.S. is the fact that it is a very bony fish. The floating bone structure of the Asian carp makes it extremely difficult to filet.”

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Hurricane Irene’s Runoff Temporarily Closing Shellfish Harvesting in Major New York Counties

Shellfish harvesting in Nassau and Suffolk County has been suspended, starting today, by the NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation as a precautionary measure to protect the public health.

Photo courtesy of Newsday.

The department is worried that stormwater runoffs associated with the hurricane’s heavy rains may have carried bacteria and pathogens into the nearby natural water systems

There is also the concern that coastal flooding caused by the heavy rains combined with the storm surge and new moon may have inundated low-lying septic systems, potentially impacting and “overwhelming” stormwater and wastewater treatment systems.

If the water in the local creeks, coves, and harbors has been contaminated, the “shellfish in the affected areas may be hazardous” to eat, said the department.

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Damage to Yellowstone’s Ecosystem Expected To Grow As Oil Enters the Food Chain

When Exxon’s pipeline burst in the Yellowstone River earlier this month, the company said that the “pumps were shut down within seven minutes,” but the consequences from the approximately 1,000 barrels of oil that spilled into the river will likely be felt for years throughout the ecosystem.

Pallid sturgeon. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer.

There is also no way to fully appreciate the extent of the long-term financial damages that will be felt by those whose livelihoods depend on the river and the surrounding areas that it irrigates.

The affected section of the river contains highly prized populations of brown and rainbow trout as well as other fish such as the native pallid sturgeon, sauger, goldeye, channel catfish, and non-native fish, including smallmouth bass, and walleye, which are under heavy threat of contamination.

On July 5, the day the pipeline burst, the river was running at just below flood stage, and volunteers from the non-profit Trout Unlimited reported that oil was evident in wheat fields at least 40 miles downriver near a state wildlife management area and the Pompey’s Pillar National Monument.

The non-profit also worries that “as the flooding recedes, this toxic oil could easily be deposited in important shallow-water spawning and rearing habitats. Toxic components of oil, such as benzene could also threaten macro-invertebrates (i.e., crayfish, clams, and snails) and larval fish.”

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