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A PUBLICATION OF THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE HSUS WILDLIFE LAND TRUST Volume 6, Number 1, Spring, 2003

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Double-Crested Cormorants: AC

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How dare they eat “our” fish? ARRY

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kay, I admit that there are a lot of contenders, but I would like to propose that the most absurd of all U.S. government wildlife management initiatives may well be a ludicrous scheme to systematically reduce the North American Ocontinent’s population of double-crested cormorants by ten percent.1 There is something about cormorants that seems to trigger cerebral meltdown and irrational hatred. In part, it is because these birds—there are 39 species world- wide, plus one species that became extinct around 1850—are obligate fish eaters. As the commercial demand for ever greater amounts of fish puts endlessly increasing pressure on remaining (and mostly diminishing) fish stocks, commercial and sport fishing interests become ever more resentful of other species eating “their” fish. The double-crested cormorant is the most widely distributed and best known of North America’s six remaining species of cormorant. There is growing public appre- hension that double-crested cormorants have dramatically increased in numbers, See Inside particularly in eastern parts of their range; however, at least part of this increase can be attributed to population recovery after a crash brought about by the devastating Yellowstone Buffalo 7 effects of DDT and related compounds. As a breeding species in the Great Lakes and Protecting Urban Wildlife 11 adjoining waterways, the birds are feared to be competitors against commercial and sport fishers. Concerns of varying degrees of validity are voiced that the cormorants Green Pages 14 deplete fish hatcheries and fish farm stocks, displace less common native birds, and

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H E L P I N G G R O U P S B E C O M E M O R E E F F E C T I V E I N P R O T E C T I N G W I L D L I F E A N D T H E I R E C O S Y S T E M S 1 Wildlife Tracks Mission and Goals: Over 5,000 wildlife and habitat pro- tection organizations nationwide are working to stop the rapid disappearance of wildlife and the destruction of their habitat. Wildlife Tracks combines the power of information, the power of net- working and the power of people to strengthen local, state and national grassroots movements to preserve and re- Letter from the Editor store wildlife and the ecosystems they need for their survival. Bette Stallman facing imperiled populations, species, or eco- Goals: systems; lethal control of species that are un- • To expedite the exchange of expe- ildlife Tracks is returning to print! After justifiably pegged as “nuisances;” the conse- rience and information between wildlife and habitat organizations, a healthy six-year life as a print publica- quences of habitat loss or fragmentation; wild- while increasing the efficiency and Wtion, we considered shifting to online- life management on public lands; the welfare effectiveness of their efforts. only publishing. But that didn’t work out, for ethics surrounding captive wildlife issues; and • To empower the grassroots by shar- ing the successful efforts to preserve various reasons, and reader responses and human-wildlife conflicts that are specific to wildlife and ecosystems and to in- other indications have shown us that the the urban and suburban landscapes. The ar- spire them to expand their vision and strategy to achieve long-term printed newsletter is still the preferred format ticles will provide scientific and policy back- solutions. for the in-depth articles that Wildlife Tracks ground on wildlife issues, as well as useful in- • To assist in building responsible and (WT) was created to provide for activists. Web formation on tactics that concerned citizens credible organizations by providing information and guidance. publishing does offer other advantages, of can use in wildlife advocacy, such as educa- course, which we will also employ on tional outreach, legal and legislative strategies, Staff: www.hsus.org/wildlifetracks, but we are back in and other basic tools that should save activ- John W. Grandy, Senior Vice President, Wildlife Programs, HSUS print, with recycled paper and soy ink! ists from having to reinvent the wheel. Bette Stallman, Senior Editor When I first began working at The HSUS as In the present issue, Dan Brister revisits the Debra Firmani, Managing Editor a wildlife scientist, I had just completed my Yellowstone bison issue and finds that the con- Tanya Mulford, Associate Editor Andrea Cimino, Editorial Assistant dissertation on the behavioral ecology of mar- troversy is stagnating—and the bison slaugh- Jenni Haas, Designer mots. While a background in science and field ter is continuing—for lack of public aware- research has been helpful in many ways, it re- ness. Barry Kent MacKay provides an in-depth Board of Advisors: Danielle Bays, Kevin Bixby, ally did very little to help prepare me for the assessment of a conflict between fish-eating Henry Brzezinski, David Carle, tactics used in advocacy work. Luckily, I found birds and fish-eating humans; a conflict that Linda Hatfield, Anne Miller, in some cases is nonexistent and, in others, Ruth Musgrave, Diane Nixon, a stack of back issues of WT in my office and Allen Rutberg, Louisa Willcox immediately pored over many of the articles could be resolved with a little ingenuity. Fi- to get up to speed on wildlife protection and nally, John Hadidian and Nancy Perry provide Wildlife Tracks Office: conservation advocacy. I liked the straightfor- the rationale behind our model legislation for The Humane Society of the United States ward, thorough, and practical nature of the the regulation of nuisance wildlife control Wildlife and Habitat Protection articles, and, because of the excellent authors, operators, as well as resources and suggestions 2100 L Street, NW for activists interested in addressing this prob- Washington DC 20037 I felt confident about the accuracy of the in- Phone: 301-258-3147 formation. For example, I found the in-depth lem. Fax: 301-258-3080 article on the Yellowstone bison controversy We would love to hear your suggestions and E-mail: [email protected] to be a helpful introduction to an extremely comments as we chart the course for the next © The Humane Society of the United States and The year or so. And if you have a topic that you HSUS Wildlife Land Trust, 2003. To reprint any or all of complicated issue. In addition, I frequently Wildlife Tracks, please contact Bette Stallman at The Hu- turn back to the articles addressing endan- think would be interesting and useful for WT mane Society of the U.S. at the above address. Permis- sion will generally be granted if credit is given to The gered and threatened species, as well as articles readers and you are willing to write about it, Humane Society of the United States. on habitat loss and degradation, such as those please contact us by phone, email, or regular The views expressed in these articles represent those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of addressing factory farm runoff and urban mail, using the contact information below. The Humane Society of the United States or those of The HSUS Wildlife Land Trust. The HSUS and The sprawl. Articles like these are timeless primers Bette Stallman HSUS Wildlife Land Trust encourage the grassroots use of all actions that educate and encourage the humane for activists, as are the “how to” articles for [email protected] and proper treatment of human and non-human ani- mals; however, we do not promote or support the use which WT has always been known. The Humane Society of the United States of any action that violates federal, state, or local laws and regulations in this process. In future issues, you can expect to see cov- 2100 L Street, NW erage of topics across the spectrum of wildlife Washington, DC 20037 werty protection and conservation, including threats phone: 301-258-3147 fax: 301-258-3080 e

W I L D L I F E T R A C K S • S P R I N G 2 0 0 3 2 CORMORANTS, cont. from front page much evidence is provided to support the any decline in fish of any species. Some- destroy woody vegetation supportive of fact that the birds have virtually no signifi- times it has been argued that if cormorants other colonial nesting bird species. Many cant or lasting impact on stocks of fish, it don’t directly impact on the “desirable” spe- see the birds as physically unappealing; seems not to matter. In a recent article,2 cies, they do so indirectly by significantly although, as an artist, I must confess that Linda Wires, author of Status of the Double- reducing the prey species that the desir- my own bias goes the other way. I think crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) in able fish eat. But proof of that allegation they are uncommonly beautiful creatures North America, released by the University is also missing, despite exhaustive efforts whose sinuous contours, glowing dark of Minnesota’s Department of Fisheries, to find it. In fact, the presence of cormo- plumage, and startling green eyes suggest Wildlife and Conservation Biology, in Janu- rants clearly indicates a robust and healthy unbroken linkages to ancient times before ary, 2001, is quoted as saying, population of whatever fish they are eating. birds had evolved and reptiles ruled the I don’t know why the bird is so So, if cormorants are eating the would-be land. maligned…I almost want to give up on food of bass, trout, walleyes, whitefish, and biology…Nobody’s listening. You other commercial or game species, their present the biological evidence, and presence means that there is a huge AS THE COMMERCIAL DEMAND FOR EVER people say, “I don’t care. I know what amount of such prey available. Long be- GREATER AMOUNTS OF FISH PUTS ENDLESSLY those birds are doing.” fore a substantial decline in their food spe- INCREASING PRESSURE ON REMAINING FISH The New York State Department of En- cies would occur, there would be a collapse STOCKS, THE COMMERCIAL AND SPORT vironmental Conservation (NYSDEC) has in the population of cormorants. FISHERY BECOMES EVER MORE RESENTFUL OF blamed cormorants for a decline in age OTHER SPECIES EATING “THEIR” FISH. classes of smallmouth bass (i.e. a decline in INVITING CONFLICT WITH numbers of fish that are large enough to ARTIFICIAL CONDITIONS gratify sport anglers) in the eastern end of Cormorants can cause problems in A LOOK AT THE BASIC FACTS Lake Ontario, where there is a major cor- highly artificial or contrived situations, Put simply, cormorants cannot literally morant nesting area. I reviewed an Envi- such as occurs when a river is dammed. eat “too many” fish. Cormorant plumage ronmental Impact Statement (EIS) pre- Fish, blocked by the dam, may become so is not as strongly water proofed as that of sented by NYSDEC to justify killing off a concentrated and trapped that they be- other fish-eating birds, such as loons, percentage of cormorants and found it come easy pickings for cormorants and grebes, mergansers, gannets, puffins, and badly flawed for lack of consideration of other fish-eating species. Cormorants may the like. Thus, while they are expert swim- other factors that would contribute to the hamper the efficacy of releasing fish fry to mers, cormorants cannot stray far from age-class reduction of concern. Even supplement stocks where the catch of fish haul-out locations, as they would become NYSDEC admitted that the bass were still by anglers or commercial fishers is not waterlogged and drown, and when they do the most abundant game fish in the region. sustainable. Often there is a simple solu- land on deep water, they cannot stay. Cor- Far more significant than any opinion I tion to such problems. For example, re- morants must be able to eat enough fish might hold, Wires, in her profoundly com- leasing fry at night allows the tiny fish to to balance, through metabolism, the loss prehensive cormorant study, opined that disperse enough so that, by the time there of energy required to catch fish. This is the NYSDEC’s work was not rigorous is enough light for the cormorants to hunt, particularly true with regard to waters ad- enough, as the method of determining consumption by cormorants is no longer joining nesting colonies, where energy diet (examination of fish ear bones in pel- an issue. demands are maximized by reproduction lets regurgitated by the birds) can lead to and parental care efforts, including the uncertainty and errors. Also, she found sharing of fish (i.e. energy) with depen- that NYSDEC used data on smallmouth IN NATURAL SITUATIONS, NO CORMORANT dent young. As fish numbers decline, en- bass growth and mortality rates that were SPECIES ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD HAS EVER ergy expenditure in pursuit of fish in- from different times and places, thus com- WIPED OUT ANY FISH POPULATION. creases, to a point of diminishing returns promising the validity of conclusions de- that will inescapably reduce the cormorant rived from the work. As she noted, a Ca- population long before fish declines be- nadian study indicated that it was changes The most concentrated numbers of fish, come significant. Fish replace their num- in water temperature, not cormorants, that of course, generally occur in fish farms. bers at ratios hundreds, thousands, or even was most likely the major factor influenc- Artificially large numbers of fish confined tens of thousands of times greater than ing smallmouth bass population fluctua- in shallow water represent a highly con- cormorants. In natural situations, no cor- tions.3 trived environment that can be found in- morant species anywhere in the world has Cormorants are scapegoated wherever creasingly as fish farms multiply to meet ever wiped out any fish population. they occur, no matter how many studies an insatiable human demand for a decreas- So what’s the problem? No matter how exonerate them as a significant factor in ing product: fish.

H U M A N E S O C I E T Y O F T H E U N I T E D S T A T E S A N D T H E H S U S W I L D L I F E L A N D T R U S T • S P R I N G 2 0 0 3 3 In the United States, catfish farming has The exact details of how effective cor- assumed they were eating. “Observation brought new income sources to relatively morant management is conducted vary of birds in a specific pond (and knowing impoverished regions of the southeast, from region to region, but the basics re- what is stocked in the pond) is no proof and with the profits comes political clout main constant. Each place where farm of food preference,” wrote Nemtzov. This that finds official sympathy from legisla- ponds are stocked with fish, the birds are is, of course, true with regard to the ap- tors. Therefore, any negative ecological harassed if they draw near. Shooters clad pearance of double-crested cormorants impact that the farms may have—such as in bright yellow jackets and pants initially where commercial and sport fishers access harbouring disease, parasites, or genetic employ limited lethal culling with shot- wild fish stocks. “Mostly,” continued disorders inimical to native fish—is likely guns. The birds quickly learn to equate Nemtzov, “they eat small fry that shouldn’t to be overlooked. However unwelcome the yellow-clad humans with lethal con- be in the ponds anyway (they prefer Tila- other fish-eating birds (or mammals) may trol. One region has gone further, also pia to carp for some reason). This analy- be, cormorants, because of their size and equipping all vehicles employed in harass- sis has shown the farmers (actually they numbers, are the most abominated of un- ment or patrols with large yellow flags. showed themselves) that killing the birds invited fish farm visitors. All birds that are shot are dissected was unnecessary.” Of course, the aquacul- (with the fish farmers present, to see the turists are still intolerant of the cormo- results) to determine stomach contents. rants, but at least they now have less fear LETHAL VS. NON-LETHAL CONTROL Lethal control permitting is contingent on that the few birds they see will do any real stomach analysis being done. Later, real- damage to the fish species they produce All indications are that, at fish farms, istic scarecrows are similarly clad in bright and market. non-lethal “winter roost control” achieves yellow and variously distributed. The But even the Israeli model would be resolution of fish farming concerns more scarecrows are periodically altered, and a unnecessary if entrepreneurial ingenuity effectively than lethal control methods (ie., real person, who will non-lethally fire a were applied to the task of providing cost- shooting roosting birds). Other than kill- real gun if the birds draw near, is occa- effective, long-term solutions, such as net- ing those birds that die between the mo- sionally substituted. ting and automated harassment technol- ment when shooting commences and the The birds do learn to stay away, and cur- ogy and, most important, alternative food moment fleeing surviving birds are out of rently, none are killed. Bird chasers are co- and roost sites, as part of the price tag of range, there is no net gain to be had in ordinated with radios, so that nowhere in doing business. shooting over more effective dispersal tech- the region of concern are the birds allowed to settle in and feed comfortably. One re- ALL INDICATIONS ARE THAT, AT FISH gion carries this to the point of preventing ASSESSING COMPETITION FARMS, NON-LETHAL “WINTER the birds from night roosting in the vicinity WITH OTHER BIRDS ROOST CONTROL” ACHIEVES of the fish farms, by use of a gas-fired “can- RESOLUTION OF FISH FARMING non” timed to disperse the birds. Other concerns about cormorants seem CONCERNS MORE EFFECTIVELY THAN Key to success is the provision of alter- more contrived and are reflective of a gen- LETHAL CONTROL METHODS. native feeding and roosting locations with eral ignorance of ecology. Double-crested niques, such as lasers, cracker shells, real clearer water and adequate fish. In Israel, cormorants have been blamed for destroy- or mechanical falconry, conditioning, and great cormorants will fly tens of kilome- ing nesting trees used by other more “de- so forth. There is, however, a far greater ters to access the alternate feeding sirable” species, such as egrets and night potential to cruelly wound cormorants and grounds. The same technique worked to herons. Cormorants will preferentially to strike other birds, including protected prevent 75,000 migrant pelicans from nest on isolated cliff ledges. If they have species, while also depositing toxic lead feeding on fish farms. Now, none do. to, they can nest on the ground. But if a waste. The benefits of such lethal control protected cliff ledge is not available, a tree are more psychological than real. may be the next best thing. They make Dr. Simon C. Nemtzov, Wildlife Ecolo- SEEING IS BELIEVING their nests from branches that they strip gist and Scientific Authority for the Con- from living trees. That practice, plus the vention on International Trade in Endan- The reason it is so important to dissect accumulations of high nitrogen loads from gered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora stomach contents in front of the con- accretion of excrement, can kill off the (CITES) for the Israel Nature and Parks cerned fish farmers (apart from the obvi- trees. Ironically this can be a limiting fac- Authority, in Jerusalem, kindly provided ous benefit in learning what the birds eat tor in cormorant population size, as me with information on that country’s for better understanding of the issue) is ground nesting is much more vulnerable ability to co-exist with an important fish- that it tends to graphically demonstrate to egg and nestling loss; but the problem farming industry and wintering flocks of to the fish farmer that the great cormo- is that those trees may also be nest sites of great cormorants. rants are not necessarily eating what it was more highly valued birds, such as herons.

W I L D L I F E T R A C K S • S P R I N G 2 0 0 3 4 In the scheme of things, such losses are naïve, at best, to temporary, and vegetation will return think that, even if ten more robustly in the somewhat enriched percent of that popu- soil left behind. But that may not meet lation could be killed politically driven local management off, it would placate goals. Cormorants have shared nesting the cormorant hat- space with egrets, herons, ibises, and ers. Does anyone other species since long before the last think a fisher vexed series of ice ages commenced. There is by a flock of a hun- scant evidence, even with such habitat dred cormorants greatly reduced, of a problem. would be happy if But near my home, there is a place there were only where loss of trees could cause the loss of ninety? It is a little a major black-crowned night-heron nest- like trying to prevent ing colony. While the night herons are blue jays from visiting certainly not an endangered species, their feeders in Alabama presence in large numbers gives the site by reducing their politically important status; thus, the numbers in Pennsyl- management goal is to maintain them. vania and Ohio, but To do that, no cormorants are being not New York or Illi- killed, but there is a fine-tuned effort be- nois – when it is actu- ing made to control their breeding suc- ally the feeders that cess by oiling eggs and disrupting early are the attraction. nesting attempts. This is a compromise between the desire of the cormorant-hat- ers to kill as many cormorants as they can SEEKING A BALANCED VIEW tions of numerous non-native fish species, and that of many of us who would prefer plus alterations in the very nature of the to simply allow nature to take its course In North America, there are between environment, as a result of changes in cli- while reducing our own negative impact two hundred and three hundred people mate, sediment loads, changes in water for every double-crested cormorant. Most levels, and pollutants, and there are com- of those people eat fish from North Ameri- plexities far beyond anything that the U.S. CORMORANTS . . . SHOULD NOT BE can waters. While very few individuals con- government has addressed in seeking to SCAPEGOATED FOR THE HORRENDOUS sume the number of fish per day that a determine population sizes of any given IMPACT WE HUMANS HAVE HAD ON FISH. cormorant does, humans live more than fish or other wildlife species. ten times longer than do cormorants, and Without denying that there are valid lo- some North American wild and farmed fish cal concerns about cormorants as a result on the environment and its ability to sus- also feed people elsewhere in the world. of highly contrived conditions, to attempt tain all life, including cormorants, her- Like cormorants, humans are undergoing a continent-wide reduction in cormorants ons, egrets, fish, and humans. an exponential growth curve, but unlike in the belief that it will resolve sport and The compromise is not good enough cormorants, human energy is fuelled from commercial fishers’ desire for more fish for the U.S. government; it wants to kill non-biotic sources, thus the energy con- in any given location is absurd. It does not off ten percent of all double-crested cor- sumption curve (including food, which is address the very real and specifically iden- morant. animal- and plant-based) exceeds the hu- tified causes of various fishery reductions, The double-crested cormorant is a man growth curve. which (not to over-simplify) can be attrib- highly mobile species that nests in Brit- The majority of fish consumed by cor- uted to environmental degradation and ish Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, morants are species not favored by com- over-fishing. It certainly would not appease Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland and La- mercial and sport fisheries. Some of the catfish farmers if one out of every ten cor- brador, New Brunswick, and Nova species consumed by cormorants may be morants were suddenly to vanish. Scotia—all outside U.S. jurisdiction, as a food base beneficial to commercial and If, based on the U.S. government’s own well as many U.S. states from coast to sport fish stocks, but others may consume data, we estimate interior and Atlantic coast, including Alaska. The species win- such fish, displace them, compete with populations of cormorants, combined, to ters in a broad swath across the U.S. and them, or otherwise limit them. Add to that be approximately 340,000 birds, even a parts of Mexico and the West Indies. It is the accidental and intentional introduc- 50 percent decrease would still leave over

H U M A N E S O C I E T Y O F T H E U N I T E D S T A T E S A N D T H E H S U S W I L D L I F E L A N D T R U S T • S P R I N G 2 0 0 3 5 170,000 birds with the poten- source. Most governments pay tial to visit fish farms. It may be lip service to sustainable use, argued that not all Atlantic and but they do not practice it, and interior population birds the U.S. is no exception. would find the fish farms, but I believe that the combina- neither has the government in- tion of non-lethal dispersal dicated what number of cor- technology6 on breeding morants eating farmed catfish grounds, when possible, and would be acceptable to the fish winter roosting sites, exclusion farm owners. In personal com- technology at hatcheries and munications with catfish farm- fish-farms, and egg control ers, I have found that the tol- would, in fact, reduce the over- erance for cormorants is ex- all ability of the environment tremely low. Killing cormo- to sustain cormorants on a site- rants will satisfy a political de- specific basis (the only effective mand, but unless the slaugh- basis there is, short of massive ter is extensive enough to es- killing), just as an effective dis- sentially remove most cormo- persal program—minimally, if rants from the continent, it at all, lethal—connected to won’t resolve concerns about conditioning the birds and pro- fish depletion. And, again, the viding alternative feeding and point must be made that a fish roosting sites would resolve vir- farmer distressed by five hun- tually all fish farming concerns. dred cormorants nearby is un- Let’s not punish cormorants likely to be placated if, by some for being cormorants. It is their miracle, the number becomes planet also, and, unlike us, they four hundred and fifty. have not harmed it or its abil- ity to sustain life. If we must im- pose upon them, let us do so MAINTAINING PERSPECTIVE gently and effectively. Other- wise, leave them be. Cormorants are obligate fish eaters and are, thus, dependent on the ex- Unlike the cormorant, a bird with physi- Barry Kent MacKay istence of robust stocks of suitable fish– ological limitations imposed on its ability Senior Program Coordinator they have no other options. They are also to capture fish, the human fishery is fu- Animal Protection Institute vulnerable. The double-crested cormo- elled by economic and technological sub- 1 This management plan is described in a Draft rant colony of San Martin Island, Baja Cali- sidy, to devastating effect, particularly Environmental Impact Statement, Double-crested fornia, Mexico, once hosted 1,800,000 when coupled with overall environmen- cormorant management, prepared jointly by the birds. Thus, one colony within 150 miles tal degradation. This is a distinction the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wild- life Service and by the U.S. Department of Ag- of the U.S. had close to what the govern- federal government shows little indication riculture, APHIS Wildlife Services in 2001. To ment now claims is the approximate popu- of understanding. I do not suggest that date, the Final EIS has not been released. 2 Hunter, Douglas. Devil Bird? Seasons, Vol. 42, lation for all of North America, and yet it there can be no problems involving cor- No. 4, Winter, 2002. Federation of Ontario was subsequently reduced to nearly no morants, but rather that cormorants are Naturalists. 3 birds.4 On a much smaller scale, and far never the cause for destruction of any co- Ibid. 4 del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. eds (1992). to the north, the Rose Islets, British Co- existing native fish stock under natural Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 1. Lynx lumbia colony went from 111 pairs in conditions. They should not be Edicions. p. 343. 5 5 Ibid. 1977, to only two pairs ten years later . Dis- scapegoated for the horrendous impact 6 According to J. F. Glann (2000, Comparison of turbance from boaters and domestic ani- we humans have had on fish. pyrotechnics versus shooting for dispersing mals is the probable main factor in the The United States has failed its com- double-crested cormorants from their night roots, pp. 44-48. In Proceedings of the 19th Verte- decline of those birds, underscoring my mitment to sustainable use to the degree brate Pest Conference, Salmon, T.P. & Crabb, A.C., own concern that colony control be con- that it has had to rely on the National Fish eds, University of California Press, Davis), the use of non-lethal pyrotechnics in dispersing sidered only where there is specific need, Hatchery System to attempt to meet insa- cormorants from night roosts in Mississippi was and then, carried out only with great care. tiable demands for a finite “renewable” re- just as effective as shooting. e

W I L D L I F E T R A C K S • S P R I N G 2 0 0 3 6 When snow and ice encrust the grass in Yellowstone, the bison have no choice but to move to lower elevations across the Montana border, unwittingly stepping into a conflict zone. The Yellowstone Buffalo Slaughter

ellowstone, the world’s first Like their 19th century BFC community is com- National Park, is home to the last wild ancestors, today’s buffalo prised of volunteers who bison in America. When millions are being slaughtered at an have come together to Yof bison—popularly referred to as alarming rate. Nearly 1,100 protect the buffalo and to buffalo—were wiped out in the waning buffalo were shot in the field share their plight with the days of the 19th century, a remnant herd or sent to the slaughter- world. Volunteers brave of just two dozen held on in the Park’s house during the winter of America’s last wild some of the continent’s remote Pelican Valley. The only buffalo in 1996-1997, making it the coldest temperatures to bison are hazed from North America with continuously wild single bloodiest year for buf- stand with the buffalo snowmobiles, ancestry, the Yellowstone herd is a thin falo since the 19th century. when they leave the park, thread, tenuously linking the present-day Unsettled by such a helicopters, and monitor herd movements, with our continent’s rich and wild past. heavy slaughter, concerned ATVs; trapped and and document every move Tragically, hundreds of these buffalo are citizens organized the Buf- confined in cattle made against them. Since killed each winter and spring when they falo Field Campaign (BFC) 1997, more than 1,500 vol- pens; and shot dead migrate across the Yellowstone boundary the following winter to pro- unteers have joined BFC on their native range. in search of the vegetation they need to tect the buffalo and advo- on the frontlines. survive. cate on their behalf. The (See sidebar page 10)

H U M A N E S O C I E T Y O F T H E U N I T E D S T A T E S A N D T H E H S U S W I L D L I F E L A N D T R U S T • S P R I N G 2 0 0 3 7 Invisible boundaries, ATVs, snowmobiles, and he- unfounded fears licopters. They are pressed on During severe winters, for miles through deep snow, snow and ice encrust the grass until they are herded into in the park, and hunger capture facilities. Once cap- pushes the buffalo to lower el- tured, bison are subjected to evations across the Montana a test for brucellosis antibod- border. When they cross this ies. Presence of these antibod- invisible line in their search ies does not indicate that an for food, buffalo unwittingly animal is infected, only that, step into a conflict zone. at some point in its life, it was America’s last wild bison are exposed to the bacterium, hazed from snowmobiles, he- Brucella abortus. The presence licopters, and ATVs; trapped of antibodies does not indi- and confined in cattle pens; A bull buffalo is silhouetted against the sunrise on Fir Ridge. The Yellowstone herd cate whether the animal is and shot dead on their native is the only one in North America with continuously wild ancestry. currently infected; however, range. The Montana Depart- this is the test that determines ment of Livestock (MDOL), an agency since 1997, there are no cattle present which bison will be released and which will charged with protecting the interests of during winter and spring months, when be sent to slaughter. Based on post-mortem the livestock industry, dictates the bison’s bison are out of the Park. This temporal tissue culture tests done on slaughtered buf- fate. and spatial separation between wild bison falo, we know that the field test the MDOL uses gives a false positive about eighty per- cent of the time. Buffalo who are released, the “lucky” ones, frequently suffer severe, potentially lethal injuries sustained during capture operations and while held at capture fa- cilities. As with any wild animal, buffalo do not respond well to being herded and housed as if they were domesticated live- stock. Injuries are sometimes incurred as the bison attempt to escape. If several bi- son are crowded into a small pen, some animals are gored. It is also common for yearling bison, not yet weaned, to be re- leased as orphans while their mothers are shipped to slaughter. BFC patrol witnesses the MDOL hazing bison on horse Butte. Standing with the buffalo when they leave the park, monitoring herd movements, and documenting moves made against the buffalo, volunteers have been on the frontlines every year since 1997.

Blaming the slaughter on their fears and domestic cattle that buffalo will infect cattle with the bo- greatly minimizes the al- vine reproductive disease brucellosis, the ready remote possibility MDOL kills bison that exit Yellowstone. that cattle would be ex- This practice makes little sense for a num- posed to disease. Never- ber of reasons. First, there has never been theless, the agencies con- a documented case of transmission of bru- tinue to harass and kill bi- cellosis from wild bison to livestock. Sec- son, and they do so at a ond, elk and other wildlife are also known tremendous expense to to carry brucellosis, but currently only bi- taxpayers.

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son are targeted for hazing, shooting, and Under current manage- K slaughter. Finally, on the west side of the ment policies, buffalo in Park, where all killing has taken place Montana are hazed by Bison are seen trying to escape hazing by snowmobiles (upper right corner).

W I L D L I F E T R A C K S • S P R I N G 2 0 0 3 8 A lack of accountability There has never been The current bison man- a documented case of agement plan, signed into transmission of effect in December of 2000, brucellosis from wild and set to be in place until bison to livestock. 2015, is costing American taxpayers more than 2.5 mil- lion dollars a year to “protect” fewer than

A History of the ONSENTINO 2,000 cattle. The plan mandates that a host Yellowstone Buffalo C

RANK of government agencies participate in F This wild Yellowstone buffalo and her calf show the close buffalo hazing, capture, and slaughter. Pre–1800 An estimated 30 to 60 mil- family bond typical of these animals. Buffalo Field The U.S. Forest Service, National Park Campaign volunteers have videotaped the capture lion wild buffalo in the United operations and recorded many incidents of abuse, Service, and the Animal and Plant Health States including the separation of calves from their mothers. Inspection Service are federal agencies 1850–1880 Millions of buffalo shot; their mandated to assist Montana in buffalo remains left to rot on the prairies management under the plan. 1872 Yellowstone National Park established Nearly every week, a posse of snowmo- 1895 800 buffalo remain in the United States, most in captivity biles, helicopters, and law enforcement ve- 1896 23 buffalo left in Yellowstone National Park; wild buffalo on the brink of hicles descend on the Madison River to extinction chase, shoot, or capture bison. This sensi- 1902 21 buffalo reintroduced to Yellowstone from herds in Montana and Texas tive river corridor provides vital habitat for 1907 Bison Ranch established in Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley elk, moose, bald eagles, grizzly bears, wolves, 1917 Brucellosis discovered in Yellowstone buffalo, (introduced by cattle) trumpeter swans, and myriad other species. 1952 Bison Ranch ceases operations By disturbing this habitat in the heart of win- 1954 1,500 buffalo in the park; park officials, deciding Yellowstone can only sup- ter, these invasive bison management opera- port 400 bison, start shooting bison inside the park tions threaten all native wildlife. 1966 397 Buffalo left in Yellowstone; park implements policy of natural population The winter of 2001–2002 was BFC’s fifth regulation; shooting stops in the field. A cold and snowy winter gave 1985 Montana Legislature enacts buffalo hunt way to a brutal spring, and more than a 1988 2,750 buffalo in Yellowstone hundred Yellowstone buffalo were slaugh- 1989 Buffalo hunt stopped due to public opposition tered by the MDOL during the last week 1991–1995 Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks shoot buffalo leaving park in of April. The agency killed thirty-two bi- winter son on April 25 and seventy-two on April 1995 4,500 buffalo in Yellowstone; Montana legislature gives control (shooting and 30. None of these animals were tested for capture duties) to the Montana Department of Livestock (MDOL) brucellosis, the ostensible reason for the 1996–1997 During a severely harsh winter, MDOL and Park Service kill 1,084 buffalo; an slaughter. estimated 1,800 die from the severe winter; herd reduced by two-thirds 1997–1998 Buffalo Field Campaign (BFC) formed—volunteers protect bison leaving the Documenting the cruelty park; Montana MDOL kills 11 bison BFC volunteers videotaped the capture 1998–1999 MDOL slaughters 94 buffalo; 22 BFC volunteers arrested while protesting operations and recorded many incidents capture and slaughter operations of abuse. Whole herds were chased 1999–2000 For the first winter since 1983–1984, no Yellowstone buffalo slaughtered by through barbed-wire fences, slammed into Montana; state and federal agencies sign “Interagency Bison Management the steel gates of the trap, and abused in Plan” confinement. Many pregnant buffalo were 2001–2002 202 buffalo slaughtered by MDOL, Forest Service, and Park Service person- tirelessly hazed and captured, and one nel; for the first time since the signing of the Interagency Bison Management gave birth inside a bison capture facility Plan, 135 buffalo killed without first being tested for brucellosis. at Duck Creek. After sending its mother 2002–2003 (As of press time) 244 buffalo killed, including 231 buffalo slaughtered after to slaughter, MDOL agents released the being captured inside Yellowstone National Park by Park rangers and MDOL calf, which repeatedly returned to the trap agents; none of these buffalo were tested for brucellosis before being shipped in search of its mother. Being orphaned to slaughter. Six buffalo attempted to escape from a slaughterhouse in Co- at such a young age, its chances of survival lumbus, Montana, and were shot by state officials. would be slim, unless, by chance, another female were to adopt it.

H U M A N E S O C I E T Y O F T H E U N I T E D S T A T E S A N D T H E H S U S W I L D L I F E L A N D T R U S T • S P R I N G 2 0 0 3 9 TACTICS BEING EMPLOYED TO HELP SAVE THE LAST WILD BUFFALO In communities across the country and around the world, people are rallying be- hind the buffalo. Citizens are organizing marches, public presentations, letter writ- The spring slaughter brought last year’s ing campaigns, drum circles, concerts, death toll above 200, the most buffalo and various other forms of non-violent killed in a single year since 1997; 135 of action to raise awareness of the buffalo’s these animals were killed without being plight. tested. Twenty BFC activists were arrested, • On April 4th 2002, in Washington, DC supporters (including concerned citi- some for performing nonviolent civil dis- BISON CONTACT LIST zens, individual activists, and represen- obedience, others as part of an increas- Letters or calls to the following key tatives from several conservation and ing campaign of persecution and intimi- decision-makers would be helpful: dation at the hands of law enforcement animal protection organizations) officers. dressed in buffalo costumes and led a DALE BOSWORTH: Chief stampede from the U.S. Department of BFC remains committed to gaining United States Forest Service Agriculture to the U.S. Department of permanent protection for the Yellowstone 4NW Yates Federal Building the Interior, drawing national media buffalo and their critical habitat. The 201 14th Street, SW at coverage. Yellowstone National Park herd should be Independence Ave, SW • In Boulder, CO, last spring, buffalo sup- managed by trained wildlife biologists, not Washington, DC 20250 porters gathered at a downtown city livestock inspectors. Buffalo should be Tel: (202) 205-1661 park to draw attention to the plight of given the respect afforded other fax: (202) 205-1765 these sacred animals. Yellowstone wildlife. Using tactics ranging email: [email protected] from public process, outreach and edu- •A Memorial Day concert last year in cation, videography, scientific documen- Northport, NY, raised money to support GALE A. NORTON BFC’s front-lines presence. tation, litigation, and non-violent civil dis- Secretary, United States • Others are urging public officials to obedience, BFC volunteers remain com- Dept. of the Interior stop killing the last wild buffalo mitted to gaining lasting protection and 1849 C Street, NW through letters, calls, and emails. The respect for Yellowstone’s native buffalo. Washington, DC 20240-0001 most effective way to let public officials While BFC’s actions have made a huge Tel: (202) 208-7351 know how you feel is to send letters, difference, they have yet to stop the sense- fax: (202) 208-6956 faxes, phone calls, then emails, in that less bloodshed. Hundreds of buffalo will email: [email protected] likely leave the park in the coming order.) months. The Buffalo Field Campaign is a • Supporters in a congressional district ANN M. VENEMAN can organize a visit to either a district true grassroots effort whose survival de- Secretary, United States office of a member of Congress or to pends on volunteer efforts and contribu- Dept. of Agriculture their Washington, DC, office. Call the tions from all who support the protection 14th & Independence Ave, SW Member’s office to schedule a meeting. of wild bison. For more information on Washington, DC 20250 the Yellowstone population and the work Quick References Tel: (202) 720-3631 of the BFC, contact: fax: (202) 720-2166 Contact information for representatives: Buffalo Field Campaign email: [email protected] PO Box 957 http://www.house.gov/writerep/ West Yellowstone, MT 59758 Contact information for senators: http:// FRAN MAINELLA www.senate.gov/senators/index.cfm 406-646-0070 Director, National Park Service Tips and samples for writing to members www.wildrockies.org/buffalo 1849 C Street, NW of Congress: http://congress.org/ [email protected] Washington, DC 20240 http://legislators.com/c-span/ Tel: (202) 208-6843 contact.html Dan Brister fax: (202) 208-7779 http://www.cfsi.org/ Project and Communications Director email: [email protected] Buffalo Field Campaign writingcongress.html e

W I L D L I F E T R A C K S • S P R I N G 2 0 0 3 10 WE TOOK THE VERY BEST PRACTICES THAT WERE

REVEALED BY OUR NATIONWIDE SURVEY AND

BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER INTO A “MODEL” FOR

REGULATORY OR STATUTORY LANGUAGE. THE

DRAFT LEGISLATION CAN BE USED AS A SOUND

STARTING POINT BY THOSE WHO SEEK TO IMPROVE

THE PROFESSIONALISM, EFFECTIVENESS, AND HU-

MANENESS OF THE WILDLIFE CONTROL INDUSTRY

IN THEIR OWN STATE. THE TEXT IS ONLINE AT

WWW.HSUS.ORG/ACE/14354, OR CONTACT

ADIDIAN BETH ROSEN AT 202-955-3672.

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J Protecting Urban Wildlife: The Next Frontier

very year, the fates of tens of thou- fessional approach to dealing with domes- tinction returned. Meanwhile, American sands of wild animals are decided tic animals. Through the work of research- lifestyles underwent dramatic change as by an almost whimsical process, ers such as Yale University’s Steven Kellert, we moved from farm to city. Esimply because they are considered we know that American attitudes toward Today eight of every ten of us live in “nuisance” wildlife. The lack of public animals are changing toward ever-greater suburban or urban areas. As we have been awareness and understanding of humane understanding and compassion. And engaged in this dramatic shift, so have a options to dealing with wildlife conflicts, through the efforts of a growing field of host of wild animal species. Less noticed coupled frequently with a lack of interest animal protection organizations, we can until recently, as we adapted to urban life, from state and federal agencies in the see glimmers of that compassionate inter- raccoons, deer, geese, opossums, skunks, needs of the urban populace, often results est broadening, as issues involving the and many other forms of wildlife were fig- in suffering and unnecessary deaths for right and wrong treatment of animals are uring out the angles and adapting, as well. many wild animals. Many wildlife species, increasingly recognized and addressed. Having found city and suburb agreeable— including raccoons, squirrels, pigeons, Today, when cruelty to domestic or wild and in some cases preferable—habitats in starlings, and others, are harmed or killed animals is exposed, there is generally which to live and raise young, many of the merely because an animal found an un- strong public outcry. While we do live in a wildlife species we only recently fought to capped chimney or an opening into an better world, by some measures, there is restore to our lives have come to be attic and was drawn to a “safe” and warm still much to be done. deemed “nuisance” animals by some. place to den and raise young. The plight When Henry Bergh was stalking the Where they come into conflict with of urban wildlife is similar to the situation streets of New York for those who would homeowners, businesses, and municipali- that existed over a century ago with re- practice outrageous acts of cruelty against ties, these animals are often “controlled,” spect to our companion animals, whose animals, particularly the ubiquitous draft using techniques and approaches that care today ranks highly among people’s animals upon whom commerce once de- hearken back to the days before Henry concerns for a humane world. pended, the majority of Americans still Bergh and the start of the ASPCA. For lived outside metropolitan areas and were urban wildlife, the compassion and re- CHANGING ATTITUDES AND LIFESTYLES dependent upon agrarian pursuits. Wild spect we show for other animals in our Just a little over a hundred years ago, animals were pursued and persecuted for lives is all too often lacking, and the world the first organized effort to deal compas- the commercial value they would yield. seems to be arrested in a Victorian twi- sionately with domestic animals in the Market hunting brought many popula- light, where ignorance and cruelty rule United States had risen from Henry tions to all-time lows. Combined with those over understanding and compassion. It is Bergh’s initiative in founding the Ameri- impacts, the destruction of habitat resulted past time that twilight ended. can Society for the Prevention of Cruelty in a landscape in which animals such as to Animals (ASPCA). Where they once deer, beaver, and geese were simply not to EXPLOITING A REGULATORY VOID were afforded little or no protection, the be found. Laws were enacted against the In many ways, urban wildlife is affected efforts of Bergh and other pioneers led wanton destruction, and slowly, the ani- by what could be called the benign neglect to today’s more compassionate and pro- mals that had been nearly driven into ex- of historic coincidence. State and federal

H U M A N E S O C I E T Y O F T H E U N I T E D S T A T E S A N D T H E H S U S W I L D L I F E L A N D T R U S T • S P R I N G 2 0 0 3 11 wildlife agencies have traditionally been 76% of the animals focused on the restoration, and then rec- that permittees reational pursuit, of the wildlife commonly handled were termed “game” species. Wildlife damage killed. More than management has often fallen to state and 67,000 animals federal agricultural agencies, whose pri- were reported as mary interest lies in protecting crops and having been livestock. This has led to a void in which handled. Michigan those who live in cities or towns appear to also has summa- be left, without anywhere to turn when a rized information raccoon or squirrel moves into the attic, or concerning wildlife when deer come into the yard to help them- control activities. selves to the smorgasbord planted there. From 1995 through 1999, as one example, Or, so it might seem. The entrepreneur- an average of about 10,000 raccoons were ial spirit of the United States would hardly trapped in steel leg-hold or cage traps, with allow such a vacuum to exist for long. In about half killed and half relocated and fact, the last two decades have seen the rise released, a practice that is coming under of a private industry that has focused on increasing scrutiny as a questionable “so- providing services for those who need help lution” to human-wildlife conflicts. Like- and don’t know where to turn. A “nui- wise, the summary statistics for Michigan sance” wildlife control industry has risen ADIDIAN

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OHN in the United States, as a business enter- J prise, and has grown significantly in the Programs such as GeesePeace® past few years. Its practitioners, often (www.geesepeace.com) are addressing called NWCOs, as shorthand for Nuisance larger and more complex issues with urban wildlife by creating positive Wildlife Control Operators, may have no solutions and fostering community background in wildlife beyond that gained involvement. These programs often work because volunteers are willing to do what through recreational trapping or hunting financially motivated NWCOs won’t do – experiences. State wildlife agencies often take the time to use effective, non-lethal have no licensing or testing requirements, methods in resolving problems. demand no training, and allow anyone who wants to practice this trade to engage in it freely. Worst of all, very few states have in 1997 indicate that 993 bats were caught selves. Nothing at all is known of how of- any regulations or laws on how these in steel traps, while another 360 were ten individual homeowners freelance their NWCOs can dispose of wildlife, allowing caught in cage traps. Notwithstanding the own humane, or inhumane, “solutions” to inhumane, inappropriate, and ineffective fact that bats should not be cage trapped, conflicts with wild animals, but it is likely practices to occur. except under extraordinary circum- to dwarf the activity of the businesses when stances, the report does little to explain it does become known. ASSESSING THE EXTENT OF THE PROBLEM what sorts of devices are being used. A year Using the data we collected from the In 1998, The Humane Society of the later, the report lists no bats as being states, two studies have been prepared1,2. In United States (HSUS) began to collect and trapped in steel traps and 441 in cage the first1, we identified ten areas of concern analyze data on exactly what the states were traps, while 922 were taken using “other” and gave states a score of “1” if they had and were not doing to oversee wildlife con- methods. passed regulations or statutes to address trol activities, and from that effort, we have Such inconsistencies raise serious ques- these. For some activities, such as translo- developed a disturbing picture of their ac- tions about how trapping activities are cation, we did not expect to find regula- tivities. To begin, we must mention the regulated, but Michigan at least tries to tory or statutory oversight, so we gave par- sheer volume and extent of the issue. Very collect information. Few other states do. tial scores where we knew policies existed. few statistics are kept concerning the num- Whatever the extent of business involve- It is often very difficult to determine what bers of animals that are deemed “nui- ment in the trapping of “nuisance” wild- state policies are on given issues, and, of sance” wildlife and trapped and killed ev- life, it may just be the tip of the iceberg if course, policy recommendations do not ery year by business interests. A report we consider what undoubtedly are the carry the force of regulation or statute. from the Illinois Department of Natural much more common and frequent efforts Under the scoring system that we adopted, Resources, issued in 1999, indicated that of homeowners to solve problems by them- a state that scored perfectly for each of our

W I L D L I F E T R A C K S • S P R I N G 2 0 0 3 12 ten categories would receive a “10.” When THE CHALLENGE AHEAD we actually tallied our findings, we found a The very tip of the ice- mean state score of slightly more than “2,” berg has been exposed. The while the modal number (that is, the most growing private industry is frequently occurring score) was “0.” No only one aspect of human- state scored as high as “7,” but several scored wildlife conflicts in urban “5” or better. areas. State agencies them- selves have become heavily DEVELOPING MODEL REGULATORY vested in programs to “con-

LANGUAGE trol” deer herds; federal ADIDIAN

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OHN We then looked at the very best prac- agencies are increasingly J tices that we could find in any of the states involved in the “control” of Successfully captured in a humane live trap, this raccoon will be released Canada geese, and indi- unharmed, and the entry point in the structure it occupied will be securely and brought these together into a “model” sealed. Such non-lethal methods need to become standard. for regulatory or statutory language that vidual homeowners, in all we felt represented the best current ideal likelihood, outweigh all other interests by rehabilitators in your area, as they are if the states were to change the way they participating in their own form of “con- likely to hear first about any question- regulated the growing industry. We pre- trols” when wildlife conflicts occur. The able practices. sented that model before the attendees at obvious first step for anyone who is con- • Consider creating a community-based the 20th Vertebrate Pest Conference in cerned about the treatment of urban wild- program in your area to bring in volun- 20022, the largest gathering of all of the life is to become better educated about the teers to help wildlife. You can truly see various interests involved in wildlife dam- issues. The HSUS has resource information results with these programs. age management, including private prac- that can help in this regard. A next step • Get in touch with your legislators and titioners, state and federal agencies, and would be to get involved. This can be done urge them to pass legislation to pro- university professionals and researchers, as in any number of ways, and it is likely that mote humane methods for resolving well. From that, a flurry of activity ema- grassroots and community involvement will conflicts with wildlife. Contact The nated, with calls for “clarification” from be the most important element in any ef- HSUS government affairs department Critter Control, the largest franchising forts to recognize and deal with the many for pertinent information (Beth Rosen: business for wildlife control work in the facets of urban and suburban wildlife con- 202-955-3672). U.S., as well as from the National Wildlife flict resolution. Control Operator’s Association Nancy Perry (NWCOA). These interests felt, among TO START, CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING: Director of Government Affairs, The HSUS other things, that The HSUS was attempt- •Track relevant issues. Monitor the John Hadidian ing to “micromanage” their activities and HSUS website and www.wildneighbors.org Director, Urban Wildlife Programs, The HSUS that we would seek to impose severe re- for background information. strictions on what was and was not allow- • Familiarize yourself with our model leg- SOURCES OF INFORMATION HSUS website: www.hsus.org able, in essence, putting humane concerns islation and other written materials (see Model regulatory or statutory language: ahead of business interests. reference list below). www.hsus.org/ace/14354 • Contact your state wildlife agency and Contact [email protected] if interested in the In part, such concerns have to be traced following documents: to the historical antipathy between tradi- ask them to put the humane treatment 1 Hadidian, John, Childs, Michele R., Schmidt, tional trapping interests and the animal of wildlife on the front burner. Robert H., Simon, Laura J., & Church, Ann (2002). Nuisance wildlife control practices, protection community. Strong feelings • Attend your state wildlife agency’s pub- policies and procedures in the United States. about what are often called the “antis” lic meetings. To find out when they are In Wildlife, Land and People: Priorities for the 21st occurring, check the website for the Century, eds Field, Rebecca, Warren, Robert J., come from many of those who are NWCOs, Okarma, Henryk, & Sievert, Paul R., pp. 165- who see efforts to stop recreational and agency or call them. 68. Proceedings of the Second International commercial fur trapping as a threat to “nui- • Request to be placed on the list of those Wildlife Management Congress, Valko, Hungary: The Wildlife Society. sance” wildlife work. The political reality who receive notice for state agency ac- 2 Hadidian, John, Simon, L.J., & Childs, M.R. of this situation may often demand a cer- tions affecting wildlife. This will enable (2002). The “nuisance” wildlife control you to receive studies and other docu- industry: animal welfare concerns. Proceedings, tain level of compromise for both sides, 20th Vertebrate Pest Conference, eds Timm, R.M. but one thing is certain. The humane treat- ments that will outline projects that are & Schmidt, R.H., pp. 378-382. University of ment of animals, as well as the protection likely to harm wildlife. In many cases, California, Davis. 3 Hadidian, John & Childs, Michele (2001). Oversight of the public from unscrupulous practices, these notices will solicit public com- of the wildlife control industry: regulatory and will be jeopardized until lines of ments on proposed actions. statutory standards as recommendations to the states. The Probe, 219: 1-4. communitcation improve. • Familiarize yourself with wildlife e

H U M A N E S O C I E T Y O F T H E U N I T E D S T A T E S A N D T H E H S U S W I L D L I F E L A N D T R U S T • S P R I N G 2 0 0 3 13 Wildlife Green Pages ert

Reports y National Forests to roads and ORVs. mental protections, national forest policy, Online at www.defenders.org/habitat/florvs/ Department of Defense environmental Paving the Way to Water Shortages: How exemptions, and so forth. Online at Sprawl Aggravates Drought, a report re- Fragmenting Our Lands: The Ecological www.stopextinction.org; PDF at http:// leased by American Rivers, the Natural Footprint from Oil and Gas Development, by resourcescommittee.house.gov/resources/demo- Resources Defense Council, and Smart Chris Weller, Janice Thomson, Ph.D., Pete crats/hot2002/weirdscience.pdf Growth America, assesses the effect of Morton, Ph.D., and Greg Aplet, Ph.D., as- paving over land upon groundwater sup- sesses the wide-ranging Biodiversity in the plies and makes the case for adopting disturbances that oil and National Parks: Loom- “smart growth” policies to reign in sprawl. gas extraction and trans- ing Threats to America’s Online at www.americanrivers.org; addi- mittal typically cause in Most Valued Plants and tional smart growth/sprawl information the landscape. Methodi- Animals, published by available on www.nrdc.org and www.smart cal spatial analyses of Big the National Parks growthamerica.com. Piney-LaBarge oil and gas Conservation Associa- field in the Upper Green tion, outlines threats Return the Great Forest: A Conservation River Basin of Wyoming, to the plants and ani- Vision for the Southern Appalachian Region, a region where more mals making up the a plan developed by the Southern Appa- than 3,000 oil and gas biological diversity of lachian Forest Coalition, sets forth guide- wells have been drilled, the national parks and lines for connecting key segments of na- demonstrate significant offers recommenda- tional forests in the Southern Appala- fragmentation of habitat tions for protecting chians and to shield them from logging, and make the case for park biodiversity. road-building, and other development. better planning. Online Online at www.eparks. Included in the plan are 2.8 million acres at The Wilderness Society org/biodiversity of sensitive natural areas, old-growth for- site: www.tws.org/news- ests, biological hotspots, and special wa- room/report_fragmenting101402.htm Winged Messengers: The Decline of Birds, tersheds. Online at www.safc.org. Worldwatch Paper 165, a new report by Endangered Species: Research Strategy and Howard Youth, explores bird declines Long-Term Monitoring Needed for the Mohave around the world and the various threats Desert Tortoise Recovery Program, published facing birds and other wildlife sharing by the General Accounting Office, reports their habitats. 72 pp. $5 + S/H. www.world that the effectiveness of government ac- watch.org/pubs/paper/165/ tions to protect desert tortoise habitat re- mains “unknown” and that the status of Books y desert tortoise populations remains un- clear, because of insufficient data to dem- Science Under Siege: The Politician’s War onstrate population trends. The Decem- on Nature and Truth, by Todd Wilkinson, ber 2002 report is online at www.gao.gov/ profiles governmental whistleblowers cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-03-23; highlights are at whose struggles to protect natural re- www.gao.gov/highlights/d0323high.pdf . sources offer support and hope for oth- ers. $18; $16 to PEER members; includes The Impacts of Off-Road-Vehicles and Weird Science: the Interior Department’s S/H. www.peer.org/publications/books.html Roads on Wildlife Habitat in Florida’s Na- Manipulation of Science for Political Pur- tional Forests, a report by Defenders of poses, prepared by the House Resources Wildlife Wars: The Life and Times of a Fish Wildlife, addresses the impacts of ORVs Committee Democratic staff, explores and Game Warden, by Terry Grosz, re- on both wildlife and habitat, as well as the how sound science has been sublimated counts illicit wildlife trade battles from his Forest Service’s ineffective response to the in regard to the Arctic National Wildlife 32-year career as a special agent veteran problem thus far. Recommendations for Refuge, Powder River Basin, Klamath river of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and moderating ORV and road impacts are Basin, snowmobiles in Yellowstone, the En- a California state fish and game warden. included, along with an assessment of the dangered Species Act, the Everglades res- $17; $15 to PEER members; includes vulnerability of Listed species in Florida toration, marine mammals and environ- S/H. www.peer.org/publications/books.html

W I L D L I F E T R A C K S • S P R I N G 2 0 0 3 14 Blue Frontier: Saving America’s destruction caused by public lands Living Seas, by David Helvarg, ex- ranching. PB, over 400 pp. $37.00 plores the impact of history, com- + $3.00 S/H. Free to professors, merce, and policy on marine life educators, legislators, serious ac- and profiles the growing number tivists, journalists, agencies, and of coastal citizen-activists, local gov- scientists. Go to www.biologicaldiv ernments, and waterfront commu- ersity.org, and click on “store” to nities. $24.95; $22 for PEER mem- order a copy with a credit card. If bers; includes S/H. www.peer.org/ you qualify for a free copy, please publications.books.html call 520-623-5252 X314.

The Empty Ocean, by Richard Other References y Ellis, discusses the many forms of sea life Chesapeake Bay ecosystem with an assess- that humans have fished, hunted, and col- ment of developments over the last de- Ethics for a Small Planet: A Communica- lected, providing natural history, the cade. New case studies, updated maps, tions Handbook on the Ethical and Theologi- threats these creatures face, and the losses charts, and graphs build upon the analy- cal Reasons for Protecting Biodiversity, pub- they have suffered. Species that have been sis, and science-based recommendations. lished by the Biodiversity Project, details helped and are making comebacks are PB, 352 pp. $40.00. www.islandpress.com the ethical and religious frameworks in also discussed, as well as recommenda- which biodiversity issues are discussed to tions for helping species that are in peril. The State of the Nation’s Ecosystems, Mea- help those who communicate with the Illustrations are by the author. PB, 375 suring the Lands, Waters, and Living Re- media and the general public strengthen pp. $26.00. www.islandpress.com sources of the United States, published by their presentations. Topics include: Why the H. John Heinz III Center for Science, should we talk about ethics, values, and From Conquest to Conservation, Our Pub- Economics and the Environment, pre- biodiversity; Origins and Roots: Theologi- lic Lands Legacy, by Michael P. Dombeck sents a collective vision for periodic re- cal and Ethical Perspectives on (former chief of the Forest Service and porting on the condition and use of the Biodiversity; Applying Ethical and Reli- former director of the BLM), Christopher nation’s waters, lands, and living re- gious Perspectives to the Biodiversity Cri- A. Wood, and Jack E. Williams (these lat- sources. It identifies specific indicators for sis; Thinking Locally, Acting Globally: ter two also both spent their careers work- health of ecosystems, provides data on Steps Toward an Ethic for the Biosphere; ing to steward public resources), exam- current conditions and past trends, and and Communications Tips and Tools: ines the history of public lands in the U.S. highlights gaps in our ability to assess Talking about Biodiversity, Ethics, and and discusses environmental and social these systems. Link to flexible hypertext Faith. Details online at www.biodiversity problems facing public lands. Specific format, download all or parts of the re- project.org/EthicsForASmallPlanet.htm. near-term and long-term suggestions are port, or view or download a summary of given. PB, 232 pp. $22.50. www.islandpress. the report at www.heinzctr.org/ecosystems/ Conservation Directory 2003: The Guide com index.htm. Also in HB, 288 pp., $25.00, to Worldwide Environmental Organizations, Cambridge University Press. http:// produced and distributed by the National The Land We Share, Private Property and us.cambridge.org/titles/catalogue.asp? Wildlife Federation and Island Press, is the the Common Good, Eric T. Freyfogle, dis- isbn=0521525721 most comprehensive annual listing avail- cusses provocative questions at the heart able of government agencies, nongovern- of ownership of nature, using history, law, State of the World 2003, Worldwatch mental organizations, and colleges and philosophy, and ecology to examine both Institute’s 20th annual report, documents universities, as well as more than 18,000 the foundations of and the changing successes that prove humanity is capable officials concerned with environmental ideas about private ownership of land in of making needed changes and identifies conservation, education, and natural re- America. Accounts of actual disputes over serious global threats still undermining so- source use and management. Add your land-use issues are used to develop a vi- cieties and ecosystems around the world. group to the Directory or search the 2002 sion of what a fair private ownership sys- PB, 241 pp. $16.95 + S/H. www.worldwatch. edition online at www.nwf.org. tem might look like. HC, 256 pp. $25.00. org/pubs/sow/2003/press.html or phone e www.islandpress.com 202-296-7365. you have a publication or Turning the Tide: Saving the Chesapeake Welfare Ranching: The Subsidized Destruc- If website announcement, please Bay, Revised Edition, by Tom Horton, tion of the American West, published by Cen- phone (301) 258-3147 or e-mail updates the 1991 examination of the ter for Biological Diversity, documents the [email protected].

H U M A N E S O C I E T Y O F T H E U N I T E D S T A T E S A N D T H E H S U S W I L D L I F E L A N D T R U S T • S P R I N G 2 0 0 3 15 EMILY ARGO Researcher

JACKIE CIANO Researcher In Memoriam

The wildlife conservation community suffered a great loss on January 26, 2003, when a plane carrying three researchers and their pilot crashed into the MICHAEL NEWCOMER waters off Fernandina Beach, Florida. Emily Argo, Jackie Ciano, Michael New- comer, and their pilot, Tom Hinds, lost their lives during an aerial survey in Researcher the calving grounds of North Atlantic right whales–the most endangered large whale species. Dr. Mary Pearl, Director of the Wildlife Trust, for which the researchers worked, stated, “Lives can be measured in days but they can also be measured in significance. The work that they accomplished on behalf of whale survival and their devotion to the cause of marine conservation will always stand as an inspiration.” The HSUS shares this sense of loss, and we offer our deepest TOM HINDS condolences to their families and friends. e Pilot

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