Hawaiian monk seal mom and pup by NOAA

The letter, signed by 26 local and national organizations representing more than four million members from Hawai‘i and across the United States, encouraged the Hawai‘i congressional delegation to support federal funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to recover the seal.

Our Greatest Hope

Though its numbers total fewer than 1,100 individuals—and the species is in decline overall—the Hawaiian monk seal is the greatest hope for preserving the genus Monachus. That’s because the Caribbean monk seal is now extinct, and the Mediterranean monk seal population hangs by a thread, with less than 500 individuals remaining. Recent counts indicate that a subpopulation of Hawaiian monk seals is increasing in the main Hawaiian Islands, which is great news for the future of the species. However, this increase will likely result in the rise of human-seal interactions, such as unintentional hookings and entanglement in fishing gear and seal disturbances from residents and visitors. Therefore, additional education and outreach efforts are needed.

Plan for Recovery

NOAA’s Hawaiian Monk Seal Recovery Plan identifies funding needs totaling $36 million over five years, or approximately $7 million per year, for efforts ranging from reducing shark predation and providing emergency care for injured or malnourished seals, to removing hazardous debris and regulating human interactions with seals. But funding for the species has been severely reduced in recent years (a level as low at $2.7 million in 2011), disproportionately when compared to other marine mammals under NOAA’s jurisdiction. The letter urges the Hawai‘i delegation to provide unified support for the appropriation of $5.7 million for the Hawaiian Monk Seal Line—a step toward the $7 million recommended—and $3.3 million for NOAA’s Species Recovery Grants to States Program in 2014. These federal government grants help states to implement priority recovery actions for marine species listed under the Endangered Species Act.

Strengthening the National Voice

NWF affiliates in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, along with the National Aquarium (NWF’s Maryland affiliate), were among the groups that signed onto the letter. The National Aquarium is a strong advocate for ocean health, marine mammals and other sea life. And the Virgin Islands Conservation Society and Sociedad Ornitológica Puertorriqueña Inc. know all too well what’s at stake, having lost their own Caribbean monk seal when it was officially declared extinct in 2008.

To my way of thinking, it is, as our Native Hawaiian colleagues would say, the kuleana, or responsibility, of all Americans to make sure this rare tropical seal, the most endangered marine mammal found exclusively in U.S. waters, is protected and recovered for future generations and for the health of the marine ecosystem surrounding the greater Hawaiian Islands.

Donate today and help NWF continue to fight for wildlife — like the Hawaiian monk seal — across the country>>

Courtesy of Conservation Council for Hawai’i

Advocating for Native Species

Guided by a dedicated board and led by a dynamic and deeply committed executive director, CCH has launched numerous campaigns over the years seeking to protect imperiled native species, including coral reef fishes, marine mammals such as the ilioholoikauaua (Hawaiian monk seal) and kohola (humpback whale), seabirds such as the ‘a‘o (Newell’s shearwater) and ‘ua‘u (Hawaiian petrel), and forest birds such as the palila.

CCH served as the lead plaintiff in three successful lawsuits under the federal Endangered Species Act that not only led to the listing of more than 250 Hawaiian plants and animals as threatened or endangered but secured designation of critical habitat for dozens of these species. CCH was also one of the lead organizations on the E Ho‘omau! Campaign to preserve cultural and natural heritage by securing permanent adequate funding for the state’s Natural Area Reserves System. The system’s 20 reserves protect wildlife, cultural sites and geologic features. CCH is currently engaged in ongoing legal action to compel the State of Hawai‘i to prepare an environmental assessment or impact statement for issuing permits to collect fish and invertebrates for the aquarium trade.

Giving a Voice to the Hawaiian Monk Seal

Hawaiian monk seal in its native habitat by Vanderlip

Connecting Kids and Nature

Each year since the 1970s, CCH has produced a wildlife poster that is distributed free to all public, private, charter and language immersion schools in the Aloha State. Recent versions have combined beautiful artwork by Hawai‘i-based artists with in-depth educational information for teachers and students. The poster effort began as part of NWF’s annual National Wildlife Week celebration.

Highlighting Threats to Flora and Fauna

As the most isolated archipelago on the planet, the Hawaiian Islands are home to hundreds of rare species and fragile ecosystems found nowhere else in the world. These Hawaiian flora and fauna face unprecedented threats from invasive non-native species, human development, climate change, and inadequate funding and political support to fully protect species and their habitats. CCH draws attention to the serious consequences of climate change on the island’s habitats and to the dangers non-native ungulates (hoofed mammals), rodents, insects and other invasive species pose to native plants and wildlife.

CCH sets the bar for scientifically grounded positions on critical wildlife issues and is widely recognized for its diligent work to make sure all voices are brought to the table in the efforts to protect Hawai‘i’s endangered native wildlife. Congratulations to the board, staff and volunteers of CCH for the Affiliate of the Year recognition!

Let’s say you visit the same spot on the same ocean every year. You take a swim, and it feels pretty much like the last time. The temperature doesn’t seem all that different. You certainly can’t tell that the pH is changing.

Yet just as the global climate is changing, so too is the ocean’s chemistry. Alongside atmospheric climate change, ocean acidification is one of the most serious issues affecting the waters of our planet and all of its inhabitants.

Blue crab, Flickr photo by Jeremy Thorpe.

Though the media has taken to calling ocean acidification our “new climate threat,” it is not a new problem. Since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, carbon dioxide has been increasing in our atmosphere and therefore our seawater. Now, over 200 years later, we can no longer ignore the threat. Even conservative estimates suggest that by 2100, global ocean waters will warm by close to 2 degrees Fahrenheit on average and acidity will increase by 150 percent.

Chesapeake Bay Wildlife at Risk

So what does this mean for ocean wildlife? Clearly, the sea’s complex food web will be disrupted. Highly mobile animals will be forced to expand their home ranges as they search for more hospitable waters. Sadly, coral reefs as we know them will be forever altered and could even disappear. Animals will struggle to build skeletons and shells in waters that literally dissolve them. And growth and reproductive capabilities of numerous marine animals will be at risk.

The National Aquarium’s location in the heart of the Chesapeake Bay watershed forces us to face the possibility of drastic changes to this iconic ecosystem that encompasses six states and the District of Columbia. According to NOAA’s Chesapeake Bay Office, the Bay is being affected at a faster rate than the global average because land in this region is already subsiding naturally. Bay temperatures have already increased almost 2 degrees Fahrenheit since 1960 and are projected to increase by an additional 3 to 10 degrees by 2100—a tremendous change that will have a profound effect on the nation’s largest estuary.

Increased acidification of the Bay will alter its delicate balance in other ways. For example, according to marine geologist Justin Ries of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, blue crabs could grow larger, while the creatures they eat, including oysters and clams, could suffer from weaker, slower-growing shells. These bivalves, in addition to being an integral part of the food chain, also contribute to healthier water quality by filtering huge quantities of Bay water. The moral: damage one small species and you affect the entire Chesapeake Bay.

What We Can Do

We cannot simply undo the impacts of ocean acidification. The carbon dioxide we are putting into the atmosphere today will continue to accumulate for decades. There is hope, however, and as always, it starts with each of us. Reducing our consumption of fossil fuels and minimizing our collective carbon footprint isn’t just the best way forward, it’s the only way. As Fyodor Dostoevsky said in The Brothers Karamazov, “For all is like an ocean. All flows and connects. Touch it in one place and it echoes at the other end of the world.”

For more information about the National Aquarium, visit www.aqua.org. Also, be sure to read our recent report, Wildlife in a Warming World, to find out how climate change is already impacting wildlife across the country.

As New Jersey was very literally in the eye of the storm, Hurricane Sandy’s impact upon the state was profound. Storm surge transformed many of our barrier islands and coastal marshes; pruning winds reconfigured forest tracts.

We all recognize the tragedy of the human costs of the storm, but some people have wondered how New Jersey’s birds and wildlife have been impacted by Sandy. What species were most affected? What are the long-term effects of coastal erosion or natural food stock reduction?

Black skimmers by Jack Rogers

The good news is that there is little evidence the storm had a serious, direct impact on breeding or wintering bird populations. Late October, when Sandy struck, falls right between that time when summer residents migrate and most winter residents arrive.

Foods, Forests and Finches

But it is almost certain that the flooding tides caused mortality among rodent populations, thus reducing the prey base for wintering birds of prey. New Jersey’s Atlantic and Delaware Bay marshes rank among the planet’s greatest winter raptor strongholds. This year, many rough-legged hawks, northern harriers, and short- and long-eared owls will be forced to move on and find less affected areas to meet their food needs.

Pine siskin by Robert Palmer

As fortune has it, this year is marked by the largest influx of wintering northern finches to New Jersey in decades. Low natural food stocks have sent scores of pine siskins and purple finches—as well as red-breasted nuthatches, blue jays and evening grosbeaks—south in search of food. Homeowners can mitigate shortfalls caused by Sandy by feeding birds in their yards (and gain hours of entertainment in the process).

Coastal Habitat and Beach-Nesting Birds

The storm’s greatest potential concern may be its impact upon beach-nesting birds. In a wholly natural environment, coastal storms are part of the dynamic that creates the habitat needed by endangered, beach-nesting birds like the piping plover, least tern and black skimmer. But coastal habitat modified for human use may upset the balance of nature. As coastal communities rebuild, they and we will have to be mindful of the needs of wildlife.

Fortunately again, most beach-nesting species will not arrive until April, leaving months for planning and restoration. New Jersey Audubon will—as we always have—speak and act on the birds’ behalf. We’ll be monitoring their populations and working with our partners in the conservation community to ensure that Sandy’s legacy includes quality habitat for bird species to breed.

About the Author

Portrait by John Carno

For more on Hurricane Sandy’s impact on fish and wildlife, check out this blog post by Kevin Coyle, NWF’s vice president of education and training.

Protect Birds From Future Superstorms

Scientists are warning that superstorms like Sandy could become more and more frequent as global temperatures continue to increase–and that we must reduce the pollution causing climate change now. Take action today >>

National Wildlife Federation’s Oregon affiliate, the Association of Northwest Steelheaders (ANWS), is preparing to launch an exciting and innovative program that aims to help returning war veterans develop new skills and ways of responding to stress while learning to preserve wildlife and the natural habitats that support them.

River Ambassadors

The River Ambassador Program is designed with two goals in mind: to teach the value of preserving wildlife and natural habitats and to assist veterans in developing new skill sets that allow them to better respond to the stress and challenges that inevitably accompanies the return to civilian life.

The program’s initial three-day course, scheduled for September 13-16 near Madras, Oregon, is the brainchild of ANWS’s Executive Director Russell Bassett. A recent Iraq veteran himself, Bassett can speak personally to the great therapeutic healing properties found in the sport of angling and in experiencing the great outdoors. “Angling helps develop coping skills that help alleviate stress and helps find inner peace and a sense of serenity,” said Bassett. “Although the course speaks of life found in rivers and streams through the eyes of the angler, the connection is intentionally to get the participants to integrate successfully back into civilian life and to be life-long stewards of the environment. Respect for nature and its inhabitants are our core focus. The program will foster respect for our differences yet simultaneously celebrate what we have in common as war veterans, a high regard for natural habitats, the sport of fishing and our human bond.”

Participants in the program will have the opportunity to learn the skills of river and nautical reading, and will learn about salmonid life history and conservation, entomology, and different fishing techniques, including fly fishing for trout and steelhead and gear fishing for salmon and steelhead. A guided drift-fishing trip completes the program on the last day. Each participant will receive a full set of fishing gear (rod, reel, lines, flies, lures) for their use during the program and to keep and continue their process on the river wherever life takes them.

Free to Qualified Members of the Military

ANWS’s River Ambassador Program is offered free of charge to qualified members of the military who have recently returned from deployment. With the success of September’s pilot program, plans call for expanding to at least two programs a year in coming years. But that depends on securing adequate program funding and support. Donations of funds or of guiding, rods or equipment to support this terrific program can be made by contacting ANWS via www.nwsteelheaders.org, office@anws.org, or 503-653-4176.

Learn more about the River Ambassador Program here: www.nwsteelheaders.org/conservation/river-ambassador-program