CLEAR March 2014

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11 Amazing Women Who Made Wilderness Conservation History | EcoWatch
by Duane 30 Mar '14

30 Mar '14

http://ecowatch.com/2014/03/26/women-made-wilderness-conservation-history/ 11 Amazing Women Who Made Wilderness Conservation History The Wilderness Society, March 26, 2014 Often working in the shadows of better-known male conservationists, female conservation leaders helped drive the twentieth century conservation movement. In celebration of Women’s History Month, here are 11 of those women who have made a difference to America’s wild lands: 1. Margaret “Mardy” Murie (1902—2003) Mardy Murie worked hand-in-hand with her husband Olaus Murie to accomplish important wilderness victories like the establishment and expansion of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Mardy Murie witnessed first-hand the signing of the Wilderness Act fifty years ago. She continued to fight for wilderness until her death at age 101 in 2003. Mardy and Olaus Murie at their home, Grand Tetons, 1953. Photo credit: Wikimedia commons “I hope the United States of America is not so rich that she can afford to let these wildernesses pass by, or so poor she cannot afford to keep them,” Murie once said. 2. Celia Hunter (1910—2001) Celia Hunter fought alongside Mardy and Olaus Murie to safeguard the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and became the first female president of a national conservation organization—The Wilderness Society. She played a major role in the passage of legislation that protected over 100 million acres in Alaska. On her dying day she wrote a letter to Congress urging the protection of the Arctic Refuge from oil drilling. 3. Rachel Carson (1907—1964) Rachel Carson was employed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1943, and resigned to continue her writing career in 1952. Her bestselling book Silent Spring remains a environmental classic for it raised public health concerns and highlighted the need for regulation, inspiring grassroots movements that led to the development of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). There is a wildlife refuge named for her in Maine. Rachel Carson and Bob Hines conducting research, Atlantic coast, 1952. Photo credit: USFWS “Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.” 4. Terry Tempest Williams (1955— ) Terry Tempest Williams is a contemporary author who writes about wilderness. She received The Wilderness Society’s Robert Marshall Award in 2006, our highest honor given to citizens. When President Clinton dedicated Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah in 1996, he held up a book she’d edited—Testimony: Writers Speak On Behalf of Utah Wilderness—and said, “This made a difference.” 5. Hallie M. Daggett Hallie Daggett learned how to hunt, fish, ride, trap and shoot early in life, skills which served her well as the first woman employed by the Forest Service. She worked as a lookout for 15 years beginning in 1913 at Eddy’s Gulch Lookout Station atop Klamath Peak in California’s Klamath National Forest. It was almost a hundred years later before the Forest Service appointed their first female chief Abigail R. Kimbell in 2007. Hallie M. Daggett. Photo credit: USFS 6. Marjory Stoneman Douglas (1890—1998) Marjory Douglas worked to protect the Everglades and wrote the iconic book The Everglades: River of Grass in 1947—the year Everglades National Park was established. The park contains a wilderness areas named for her legacy. Marjory Stoneman Douglas in Florida, 1985. Photo credit: Wikimedia commons “It is a woman’s business to be interested in the environment,” said Douglas. “It’s an extended form of housekeeping.” 7. Herma Albertson Baggley (1896—1981) Herma Baggley was the first female naturalist who worked for the National Park Service. She was a pioneer in botany and natural education at Yellowstone National Park starting in 1929. She paved the way for Fran P. Mainella, who became the first woman director of the National Park Service in 2001. 8. Bethine Church (1923—2013) Bethine Church was as politically active as her husband U.S. Senator Frank Church—no small feat. Her husband sponsored the passage of the Wilderness Act 50 years ago, and she also supported the passage of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act four years later. In their home state of Idaho, they worked for the protection of Hells Canyon National Recreation Area, Sawtooth Wilderness, and the now-named Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness. 9. Rosalie Barrow Edge (1877—1962) Rosalie Edge was a suffragist and advocate for the preservation of birds. In 1934 she founded the first preserve for birds of prey at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in the Appalachian Mountains and she led campaigns to protect Olympic and Kings Canyon National Parks. Rosalie Barrow Edge. Photo credit: HawkMountain.org “The time to protect a species is while it is still common.” 10. Anne LaBastille (1935—2011) Anne LaBastille was an ecologist who authored scientific papers, popular articles and books like the Woodswoman series and Women of the Wilderness. She led backpacking and canoe trips in the Adirondacks as well as wilderness workshops and lectures. She also photographed the outdoors as part of the EPA’s Documerica project in the 1970s. 11. Mollie H. Beattie (1947—1996) Mollie Beattie was the first female director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In her short term there from 1993 to 1996, she oversaw the reintroduction of the gray wolf into the northern Rocky Mountains and the addition of 15 national wildlife refuges. A wilderness area is named for her in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Mollie Beattie. Photo credit: USFWS “In the long term, the economy and the environment are the same thing. If it’s unenvironmental it is uneconomical. That is the rule of nature.” Also, several federal lands preserve the legacies of American women and their lasting contributions, such as: Adams National Historic Site, MA (Abigail Adams), Clara Barton National Historic Site, Washington, D.C., Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site, NY, Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site, VA, Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site, Washington, D.C., Sewall-Belmont House National Historic Site, Washington, D.C. (Alice Paul), Whitman Mission National Historic Site, WA (Narcissa Prentiss Whitman). ——— Related Content: 10 Wilderness Protection Bills Stalled by Congress 10 National Parks You’ve Never Heard Of Wild Places Destroyed in the Name of Progresss

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Top 10 Ways to Help Birds This Spring | EcoWatch
by Duane 22 Mar '14

22 Mar '14

http://ecowatch.com/2014/03/20/10-ways-to-help-birds-this-spring/ Top 10 Ways to Help Birds This Spring American Bird Conservancy, EcoWatch.com, March 20, 2014 Despite persistent late-occurring snowstorms, average temperatures are starting to climb, soon to be followed by the most deadly period of the year for birds: springtime. Although spring means new life and hope to many people, billions of birds face the tribulations of a perilous migration followed shortly by breeding and the production of scores of newborn birds that will spend several highly vulnerable weeks as they grow and fledge. According to Dr. George Fenwick, president of American Bird Conservancy (ABC), “Spring is a deadly time for birds for three big reasons. Scientists estimate that 300 million to one billion birds die each year from collisions with buildings, many during arduous migrations in unfamiliar environments. Up to 50 million die from encounters with communication towers and up to six million may die each day from attacks by cats left outdoors. These deaths occur year-round, but many occur during spring and fall migration.” Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock “Some studies suggest that perhaps as many as half of all migrating birds do not make it back home,” he said, “succumbing to various threats on either end of the journey.” One in five Americans engage in bird watching, so after months of waiting for migrants to return, many people turn to emails, phone lines and social media to ask ABC a dozen variations on the same question: “How can I help the birds?” Here is our answer to that question, just in time for spring. The top 10 ways to help birds this spring are the following: 1. Keep your cat indoors. This is best for your cat as well as for the birds, as indoor cats live an average of three to seven times longer. Cats are responsible for an estimated 2.4 billion bird deaths each year. In the spring, young birds or nestlings often end up on the ground, attracting the fatal attention of a nearby cat. Ground nesting species that are especially vulnerable include Killdeer and Wood Thrush, but all baby birds—from ducks to warblers—will be on the ground for a critical period of time. 2. Prevent birds from hitting your windows. As many as one billion birds die each year after colliding with glass in buildings. You can reduce this problem at your home by applying a variety of window treatments. For example, ABC BirdTape is a proven solution that is inexpensive and long-lasting. (See a short video here.) Birds most prone to fatal collisions at home windows or glass doors include Ruby-throated Hummingbird and Wood Thrush. 3. Eliminate pesticides from your yard. Even those pesticides that are not directly toxic to birds can pollute waterways and reduce insects that birds rely on for food. For rodent control, seal cracks, remove food sources and use snap and electric traps rather than rodenticides, which can poison raptors such as hawks and owls as well as young children. And be sure not to garden with neonicotinoid-coated seeds, or neonics, which are lethal to songbirds as well as to bees and other invertebrates. Learn more here. 4. Buy organic food and drink Smithsonian-certified Bird Friendly Coffee. Going organic helps to reduce pesticide use on farms and increases the market for produce grown without the use of pesticides, which can be toxic to birds and other animals, and will help to reduce the use of these hazardous chemicals in the U.S. and overseas. Shade coffee farms have been shown to provide far superior habitat for birds than coffee grown in open sun. Buying coffee that is certified Bird Friendly is one of the easiest ways to help migratory birds. 5. Create backyard habitat using native plants. When you garden with plants that evolved in your local habitat, you supply native insects and their larvae with food, which in turn are an irreplaceable food source provided by birds to their nestlings. Yards both large and small can benefit birds and other wildlife. Create a diverse landscape by planting native grasses, flowers and shrubs that attract birds. You will be rewarded by their beauty and song, and will have fewer insect pests as a result. Read more here. 6. Reduce your carbon footprint. While all forms of energy use impact birds, small individual actions can add up and make a difference. Use a hand-pushed or electric lawnmower, carpool and use low-energy bulbs and Energy Star appliances. Less energy used means less habitat destroyed for energy production. 7. Donate old bird-watching equipment. Binoculars or spotting scopes will be appreciated by local bird watching groups—they can get them to schools or biologists in other countries who may not have the resources they need. More people studying birds means more voices for bird conservation! 8. Keep bird feeders and bird baths clean. If you feed the birds, make sure you aren’t accidentally allowing the spread of disease. Disinfect feeders and bird baths, and change water regularly or use a drip system to prevent mosquitoes from breeding. 9. Support bird-friendly legislation. U.S. policy makers frequently make decisions that affect birds. For example, decisions are now being made that will impact the survival of the imperiled Greater Sage-Grouse. By raising your voice, you can help to influence the outcome for birds on this and other important issues. 10. Join two bird conservation groups—a local one and American Bird Conservancy. Your support will provide needed dollars for bird conservation, enabling you to help achieve more than is possible through individual efforts. Membership also enables you to become more informed and involved in the issues you’re concerned about. “Protecting and helping birds is not only the right thing to do,” said Fenwick. “It is also good for the economy and the future of our environment. Birds are invaluable as controllers of insect pests, as pollinators of crops and as dispersers of native plant seeds. They also generate tremendous economic revenues through the pastimes of bird feeding and bird watching.” A federal government study reports that about 20 percent of the U.S. population—47 million people—participates in bird watching. About 30 percent of all people over 55 enjoy this pursuit. About 40 percent of birders (18 million people) actually travel to see birds and spend about $41 billion annually in pursuit of their pastime. The top five birdwatching states by percentage of total population are: Vermont (39 percent), Wisconsin (33 percent), West Virginia (33 percent), Wyoming (31 percent) and Alaska (30 percent). The states with the greatest raw number of birders are: California (4.9 million), New York (3.3 million), Florida (3.0 million), Pennsylvania (2.7 million), and Texas (2.3 million). Visit EcoWatch’s TIPS and BIODIVERSITY pages for more related news on this topic. Duane Nichols, Cell- 304-216-5535. www.FrackCheckWV.net

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Could This Winter’s Harsh Weather Wipe Out Invasive Insects? | EcoWatch
by Duane 04 Mar '14

04 Mar '14

http://ecowatch.com/2014/03/04/winters-weather-wipe-out-invasive-insects/ Could This Winter’s Harsh Weather Wipe Out Invasive Insects? From Yale Environment 360 | March 4, 2014 As a frigid winter takes a toll on the U.S. and Canada, invasive insect populations are also taking a hit. The U.S. Forest Service estimates that up to 80 percent of emerald ash borers, which have been decimating ash tree populations, were killed by long stretches of bitter cold in the the upper Midwest this year. Damage on ash tree from an emerald ash borer. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons Several other insect pests, many of which have migrated northward because of milder winters in recent years, also are faring poorly this winter, including corn earworms and gypsy moths. Researchers remain skeptical, however, that the die-offs will have lasting effects on pest populations. Emerald ash borers in Chicago, IL, for example, survived the sub-zero weather because Chicago temperatures fell only to -17 degrees Fahrenheit, rather than Minnesota’s -20 degrees Fahrenheit, which seems to be a critical temperature threshold for the pests. The effects of this winter are “more like a reprieve,” one entomologist told the Washington Post, and an opportunity to study whether large numbers of invasive insects can be killed off to make problems more manageable in the long-run. Visit EcoWatch’s BIODIVERSITY page for more related news on this topic. Duane Nichols, Cell- 304-216-5535. www.FrackCheckWV.net

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CLEAR March 2014