As go whitebark pine, so go grizzly bears?
- Andrew Wetzler
- Director, Endangered Species Project, Chicago
- Blog | About
- Posted April 17, 2009 in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places , Solving Global Warming
Ralph Maughan links to a very important article by the AP's Matthew Brown in today’s Casper-Star Tribune on the connection between increasing human-bear conflicts (guess what, the bear loses) and the decline of high alpine whitebark pine trees.
As the article points out:
Hunters are killing grizzly bears in record numbers around Yellowstone National Park, threatening to curb the species' decades-long recovery just two years after it was removed from the endangered species list.
Driving the high death rate, researchers say, is the bears' continued expansion across the 15,000-square-mile Yellowstone region of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming
Bears are being seen -- and killed -- in places where they were absent for decades. And with climate change suspected in the devastation of one of the bear's food sources, there is worry the trend will continue as the animals roam farther afield in search of food…An epidemic of beetles in Yellowstone's high country has laid waste to tens of thousands of acres of whitebark pine trees, which have seeds that some grizzlies rely on as a dietary staple.
In fact, there’s every reason to believe that this trend will continue. Whitebark pine forests are declining throughout their range because of triple-threat posed by global warming (which is shrinking the whitebark pine’s available habitat), pine beetles, and blister rust.
Here, for example, is a projection of whitebark pine range contraction in response to global warming:
Modeled bioclimate profile of whitebark pine, Pinus albicaulis, for the present (a) and predicted climate for decades 2030 (b), 2060 (c) and 2090 (d) under climate change scenario using an average of Hadley and CCC GCM scenarios of 1% per year increase GGa. Black indicates location of pixels receiving ≥ 50% proportion of votes in favor of being within the climate profile.
That’s why NRDC petitioned to list the whitebark pine as an endangered species. It’s also one of the reasons we’re fighting with Earthjustice to overturn the removal of Yellowstone’s grizzly bear population from the federal list of endangered and threatened species.
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Comments
Jeff Lassle — Apr 18 2009 11:19 AM
Andrew, for a guy from New York and living now in Chicago, you believe you know a lot about the Northwest and its forest issues. You blame everything on global warming yet have no facts or science to attribute your statements to, but rather just spew this nonsense to the gullible public. You did make one good statement as to the demise again of the grizzly bear and pointed out hunting them to extinction is a major cause... you might want to pursue that statement and help stop the decline rather than glorify the liberal money maker of global warming caused by man.
When I worked in the environmental field in Montana as a scientist, we always were disgusted by people from New York and Chicago who would come there to try and find grizzly bears, not knowing how to carry themselves in grizzly country (and many got killed by grizzlies and thus the grizzly had to be destroyed).
The NRDC should worry about the real environmental problem and that is over population of the human species, not a natural cycle of warming. Millions of the so-called environmentalists from the Sierra Club and your organization, those who call themselves members trample the pristeen natural areas of the NW leaving in their wake a lot of destruction.
Andrew, stick to being a lawyer, you can understand that much better.
Charles Curtis — Apr 19 2009 06:04 PM
Jeff,
Why is it that some people continue to be blind to the facts?
Over population is a problem. Is the solution to over population continuing to destroy the atmosphere to the point humanity dies off? Maybe as a society we should finally get a grip on reality and confront our mistakes. I am assuming that you are somewhere in your "mature" years.
What do the future generations of the Lassie family have to look forward to? Unfit drinking water? Carrying around portable breathing machines. Wonder what types of chemicals will be in their food that makes it better, or cheaper to produce?
I am not a bible thumper, but I will say that if God didn't give it to us, it is in some way a poison. How many miracle cures have been found to have harmful effects?
I could go on for days simply because there are people like you that actually think that they informed.
You need to do a few minutes of research and find out what the CO2 levels are now compared to ANY other time in history. I think even someone as "informed" as you would be in shock! The records go back some 600 thousand years from samples taken from arctic ice. Think about that for a quick moment.......what's happening to the polar ice? What's happening to it and WHY??
Because some people are weak minded enough to say so what, that don't effect me, why should I care? You consider yourself a responsible person, and an outstanding person? Well, guess what? Fortunately your voice is not heard by people that have a mind of their own.
I am so thankful to our new leadership. Finally...FINALLY there is leadership for this country that is willing to step on some toes,,,or should I say kick the piles of money to the side and make the right moves to protect the people...ALL the people. It may cost us some money, so what? A billionaire will spend its last dollar to live another day. What is your family worth to you?
You hear every day that this is the greatest country in the world. What is that quote based on? It's time to stand up and show that this country can be what it can be. Lead in something that is worthwhile to humanity. It's time to change the way we consume and pollute.
Maybe your trees will survive, I hear their not doing so well.
Jeff Lassle — Apr 20 2009 12:41 PM
//Over population is a problem. Is the solution to over population continuing to destroy the atmosphere to the point humanity dies off? Maybe as a society we should finally get a grip on reality and confront our mistakes.
Charles, I again say, over population of the human species is the root cause. Global warming or now you people call it climate change is a natural event and the science observations are that CO2 increases follows warming of the earth by natural causes. The sun is the only power strong enough to effect global climate. The scientific assertions of your group are not ratified, nor are they accepted in all or in part. C02 is a minor greenhouse gas and as Man emits 4 gigitons annually from fossil fuels, etc., the natural biosphere emits 40,000 gigitons. CO2 is not a pollutant, it is a necessary compound needed for LIFE. The increased animal population and Man sustains more emission of CO2 and thus increases the plant population (ocean and land) and the cycle continues.
//Because some people are weak minded enough to say so what, that don't effect me, why should I care?
Yes I care and I don't want lawyers and gullible people trying to change what is natural. You might want to read or listen to Dr. Harry Kloor on this subject and maybe he will convince you of the fallacy of this hoax and religion. Dr. Kloor is really nobody other than the only person in history, ever, in the world to get a double doctorate in physics and chemistry simultaneously. I put my money on real scientists, now lawyers wanting to be scientists or those who study the new discipline of climatology. They have a long way to go to prove that manmade computer models are an accurate forecast of things to come. To date, these models are extremely flawed.
Charles, I care for the people whom this hoax is hurting and just like in the 1970's when people like you were crying that the earth was entering an ice age, the fanatism your group portrays in the light of elitism is scary. BTW, this was the first time CO2 entered the picture on warming the earth. A failed scientist recommended this to warm the earth from the so-called ICE AGE that was approaching.
Charles, study science, all disciplines and you may understand what I am saying. You might consider Ockham's Razer.