Photo: Black duck (Credit Scott Nielson, USFWS)

A Changing Pennsylvania

According to the National Wildlife Federation’s Wildlife in a Warming World report, climate change is the biggest single threat to wildlife this century, and is already transforming our landscapes across America.  

Rising global temperatures will wreak havoc on Pennsylvania‘s fish and wildlife resources. More frequent heavy precipitation events, coupled with extreme heat waves could decimate Pennsylvania fish populations, including brook trout, and make conditions far more favorable for ticks, the wooly adelgid, West Nile virus and other noxious insect pests.

Extreme summertime temperatures will continue to adversely affect Pennsylvania’s world-class smallmouth bass streams rivers, while creating conditions unfavorable for ruffed grouse, which are already on the decline.

If we don’t act now, the expected changes in the earth’s climate will directly threaten Pennsylvania’s treasured fishing and hunting traditions.

Attend an Event in York, PA

If you live near York, Pennsylvania, join us Wednesday, March 27 at 3:00 pm for a roundtable discussion about the impacts of a warming planet on wildlife and natural resources in Pennsylvania and what we can do about it. 

Come listen to experts discuss the science behind climate change and what impacts are already noticeable around the world; the impacts of climate change on moose, smallmouth bass, and many other wildlife species; how climate change is making conditions more favorable for insect pests to survive the winter; how bird migration patterns are changing; and what the Obama administration is doing to reduce carbon pollution.

RSVP via email today

Roundtable Details

WHAT: “Bugs, Critters, and Plants: At Risk in a Warming World” Roundtable discussion about the impacts of a warming planet on natural resources

WHERE:  Unitarian Universalist Congregation of York, 925 South George St., York, PA [map]

WHEN:  March 27, 2013, 3:00pm 

Speakers include:

• Dr. Keith Peterman, Professor of Chemistry, Physical Sciences Department, York College of Pennsylvania

• Tom Smith, West Nile Virus Program Administrator, Penn State Cooperative Extension Service

• Paul Zeph, Director of Conservation at Audubon Pennsylvania

• Ed Perry, Pennsylvania Outreach Consultant, National Wildlife Federation

RSVP via email today 

Can’t make it?  You can still play an important role in climate action by telling President Obama that you support cutting carbon pollution now.

The following individuals are featured in the roundtable:

• Dr. Richard Ready, professor of Agricultural and Environmental Economics at Penn State University
• Pastor Marvin Friesen of the University Mennonite Church in State College
• Ed Perry, National Wildlife Federation Outreach Consultant

Pennsylvania’s C-NET was on hand to broadcast the roundtable:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Bull elk making the distinctive “bugle” call during the breeding season

Photo by Flickr member paul4227
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Spring flowers, by Wikipedia user Halpaugh.

By Larry J. Schweiger

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature—the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.”

–Rachel Carson, The Sense of Wonder

I have long been fascinated by the biological richness of western Pennsylvania and, like Rachel Carson, I find reserves of strength in the beauty and renewal of nature. As a boy, I had the good fortune to know Roger Latham, then the outdoor editor of the Pittsburgh Press. A well-recognized wildlife scientist, he gave wonderful wildflower presentations that included the many graceful images he had captured on film.

Roger’s passion for native wildflowers hooked me. I saved my money from milking cows and baling hay on a nearby farm and bought a 35-mm camera and proper lenses to photograph blossoming plants. Armed with the two-volume Wild Flowers of Western Pennsylvania and the Upper Ohio Basin, I went on a spring mission to find the rare beauties that dotted the varied landscapes. Since Pennsylvania has 2,151 native plant species, I had my work cut out for me.

Years later, while working for the Pennsylvania General Assembly, I discovered a flaw in the U.S. Endangered Species Act: the law prohibits destruction of federally listed plants only in “areas under federal jurisdiction.” Unfortunately, more than 70 percent of federally listed plants occur outside of those areas. In 1974, I wrote a bill that extended protection to Pennsylvania’s threatened and endangered plants against bulldozers and other threats.

For the next eight years, I followed in Roger’s footsteps, crisscrossing the state and giving presentations to hundreds of garden clubs, civic groups and sportsmen’s organizations in order to rally support for the measure, which finally was signed into law by the governor in 1982. Today, the Commonwealth lists 682 plants as endangered, threatened, rare or undetermined.

I share this story because wild native plants in Pennsylvania and throughout the nation increasingly are falling victim to habitat shifts caused by rapidly changing climate and, in many areas, by feral hogs introduced to North America from Europe.

Today, feral swine populations are exploding around the country. Now estimated at more than 5 million, the animals are eating, rooting and wallowing their way through forests, fields and wetlands, aggressively devouring and destroying native plants and damaging important wildlife habitats. Invasive swine also are causing millions of dollars in damage to agricultural crops and are threatening humans, native wildlife and livestock, which can be impacted by novel pathogens that the feral creatures may transmit.

At NWF’s annual meeting in May, delegates from 48 state and territorial wildlife affiliate organizations passed a resolution to draw attention to this growing problem. Because existing laws, regulations and management tactics have proved insufficient to stop the spread of swine populations, we are calling for increased coordination between local, state and federal agencies to minimize the animals’ impact and contain their numbers. Authorities need to give more attention to the possible role of large predators and other control strategies. Farmers, ranchers and hunters also can do their part to help.

It is a fool’s errand, of course, to think that we can somehow eradicate 5 million hogs hiding in the nation’s swamps and forests. But with some thoughtful resource management and collaboration, much of the damage caused by the creatures can be reduced or avoided in the future.

More than anything, we need a proactive approach for dealing with such alien invaders. NWF has long been a proponent of legislation that would help protect the nation from the economic and environmental threats posed by invasive species. Recently introduced into the U.S. Congress, H.R. 5864, the Invasive Fish and Wildlife Prevention Act of 2012, would strengthen regulators’ ability to make rapid, science-based decisions about whether nonnative fish or wildlife species pose a risk to ecosystems, cause economic damage or threaten public health. The legislation also would prevent more damaging invasives from entering the United States, using proactive rather than reactive approaches.

As the world globalizes trade, we must take steps to end accidental and intentional importations of nonnative fish and shellfish in bilgewaters. We should restrict importation of exotic animals as pets, and we must end the introduction of foreign species for commercialized hunting and fishing. Working together, we must call on Congress to pass protective legislation, and we must mobilize action at the local level to contain the exotic invaders that already are thriving in our nation.

Help protect wildlife, including Florida Panthers, from invasive species like the python.

A release of the letter in Massachusetts was held at iconic Walden Pond which was made famous by Henry David Thoreau’s writing. Walden Pond is one of 125 waterways in MA that has a mercury fish advisory. Jim Wallace of the Gun Owner’s Action League joked that Thoreau would have been horrified to know that the fish he used to catch Walden pond could now kill him, due to mercury contamination from air pollution.

Over 30 groups signed the letter in Massachusetts, including the Gun Owner’s Action League, the Massachusetts Sportsmen’s Council, and the Massachusetts Council of Trout Unlimited.

A similar event was held in Michigan along the Au Sable river. Almost 50 groups in Michigan signed the letter, including the Michigan B.A.S.S Federation Nation, Michigan United Conservation Clubs, and the Gates Au Sable Lodge.

Lance Weyeneth, a member of Anglers of the Au Sable and owner of The River Specialist spoke at the press event in Michigan:

Many of our lakes exceed safe mercury levels and nearly all fish contain traces of mercury, causing fish advisories in every state. As a lifelong angler, I don’t want to feed my family mercury-laden fish. I expect Congress to protect our air and water, not gut the protections we worked so hard to put in place.

A fly fisherman in the Au Sable River during the Michigan press event.

More than 30 groups signed on in Pennsylvania as well, including the PA division of the Izak Walton League of America, Fly Fisher’s Paradise, and Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future.

A press event covered by WTAJ in Pennsylvania featured fishermen, hunters, moms, and dads concerned about air quality and mercury contamination.

North Carolina sportsmen organizations also signed onto the letter, including the North Carolina Wildlife Federation, Fowl Play Game Calls, and the NC Camouflage Coalition.

Tim Gestwicki, Executive Director of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation called on North Carolina’s congressional delegation to “protect the provisions of the Clean Air Act and to stop those who would impede EPA from doing its job to protect our natural resources and human health“.

Additional releases of the letter occured in Minnesota, Ohio, Virginia, Maine, Montana, and New Hampshire.

The release of the letter falls in the comment period for the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed rule to limit mercury and other air toxics from power plants.

Click here to tell the EPA they should limit toxic pollution that settles on lakes and rivers, exposing fish and other wildlife.

Representatives of Sportsmen groups gather at Walden Pond in Massachusetts

Representatives of sportsmen organizations gather in Minnesota for the release.

Photo via Flickr's DRwise

When I arrive to visit my friend Jon in Pennsylvania, two things are guaranteed to happen within a minute of walking through the door:

• His 4-year-old son Jack comes tearing across the house and hug-tackles my leg like a mini Jack Lambert
• His 5-year-old daughter Emma asks if we can play Nintendo Wii (her parents assiduously limit her TV time so she looks forward to the treat of getting to “beat” me at Wii Tennis when I stay over)

I don’t usually push outdoor time because I know being a parent of young kids is hard enough without some bossy treehugger demanding to be escorted to the nearest venue for communing with nature. So it was a nice surprise when Jon suggested we go for a trail walk during my visit last weekend.

The first part of the walk on a paved path along a cold water stream was mostly spent reminding the kids of the rules that keep them safe – watch out for poison ivy, walk on the right side of the path to avoid the speeding cyclists. (“Really, Lance Armstrong?” Jon asked after one went flying past us on the bucolic trail like it was time trial in the Tour de France.)

On the paved path, Jack and Emma seemed to feel confined – they constantly veered to its edges to look at flowers or to pick up sticks (seems like Murphy’s Law of trail walking that the best sticks always hide in the poison ivy). It wasn’t until we went off the pavement that nature sprang to life for the kids. I’ll let Jon take the story from there on his parenting blog, Every Day Father:

After a short walk we departed the paved trail and followed a winding dirt trail through the woods and closer to the creek. We stopped and watched a man fly fish as 2 Canadian geese flew just feet from our faces. Jack had found a stick which he planned on using to protect us: “If I see a shark or an alligator, I will stab it.” As we walked through the woods, we talked about ferns and hostas. The kids laughed at my assertion that hostas are a perfect toilet paper substitute, if you have to [go] in the woods. The moment was broken up by Jack’s discovery of dinosaur tracks (deer & dog). The Green Miles agreed and assessed them as that of a T-Rex. This caused Jack to hold his stick at the ready.

Our hike led us to a rocky beach along the creek. Both kids ran to the nearest rock deposit and began hurling stones into the creek. Jack nearly hit each of us with errant throws. We showed the kids how to skip rocks. Emma was elated when she finally got one to skip. We found a trout minnow and followed it with our fingers until Jack shouted, “I see it! I see it! Ahhhhh, it’s so tiny.” After throwing, the negotiated for, 2 more rocks … we headed up the trail. The kids kept stopping to point out ferns, nests, and tiny wild flowers. Jack picked a purple wild flower for Emma, because she loves purple and it is a “girl flower”. I found myself reconnecting with my childhood and all the time I spent in the woods. My thoughts were pleasantly interrupted by Emma saying, to no one in particular, “I like the peace and quiet of the hike.” It was a unexpected thing to hear.

That night, I asked the kids for their favorite part of the day’s walk. “The secret trail!” Emma exclaimed. Never mind that it was a beaten path used daily by anglers and dog walkers – to Emma, the moment her dad had stepped off the paved path, we were discovering new adventures in our own special world. Who knew where it would lead?

When the trail wound back to the paved path and we backtracked to where we’d first veered off the main trail, Emma had a moment of stunned realization that we were back where we started – not quite Dorothy waking up in bed back in Kansas, but you get the idea. What had seemed like a small difference to me – paved path versus dirt trail – had made all the difference for her.

And as for Jack? Being Jack, of course he liked the dinosaur tracks best. I don’t think it will change his career trajectory from bone-crunching middle linebacker to bone-dusting archaeologist, but if even a little of his boundless energy is directed towards new outdoor discovery, I think the world will be a safer place.

Emma had found a peaceful secret place to share with her dad. And Jack had found a place fraught with danger, filled with sharks, alligators and dinosaurs from which we might need him to save us at any moment (using only his tiny stick, of course). How many other activities could lead two very different children to two completely different places of happiness and contentment?

Clean Air Act & Clean Water Act supporters rally at Rep. Gerlach's Exton, PA office

Want proof we can disagree without being disagreeable? Look no further than Friday’s planned House Continuing Resolution protest outside the district office of Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-PA). When strong wind and rain moved in just as National Wildlife Federation supporters and partner groups were arriving, Rep. Gerlach’s staff invited the activists inside the office for a meeting:

Specifically, the groups take issue with three amendments in the legislation which environmentalists say prevents the EPA from limiting carbon pollution and allows companies to emit unlimited amounts of carbon dioxide.

“We want (Gerlach) to know and the public to know what he’s voting for and the threat he poses to people’s health,” Adam Garber, field director with PennEnvironment, said Thursday.

Activists pointed out that pollution aggravates asthma. They explained that clean air regulations deliver a fantastic return on investment, with $30 in public health benefits for every $1 in cost to business. Finally, they urged Rep. Gerlach and his staff to consider our air and water as resources that we pass along to our children and grandchildren.

His staff assured our activists that Rep. Gerlach thinks Congress needs to deal with our climate and energy challenges. However, Rep. Gerlach voted against the American Clean Energy & Security Act and voted for the House Continuing Resolution that includes provisions to strip the Environmental Protection Agency of its authority to regulate climate pollution under the Clean Air Act. When they asked what Rep. Gerlach’s plan would be for curbing climate pollution, his staff didn’t have an answer.

I talked to National Wildlife Federation’s Ed Perry and the Clean Air Council’s Katie Feeney outside Rep. Gerlach’s office:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Pennsylvania residents gather outside of Rep. Glenn Thompson's district office Wednesday to denounce his votes against environmental protection. (Credit: Perry)

Pennsylvania Constituents Demand Clean Air and Water

Pennsylvania residents gathered outside of Representative Glenn Thompson’s district office in Bellefonte on Wednesday, showing him not to forget his constituents back home who value clean air, clean water, and clean energy.

Thompson voted for polluters last week on an extreme and reckless GOP spending bill filled with oilmarks that would add tons of hazardous air pollution and mercury emissions to the air we breathe.

National Wildlife Federation’s Ed Perry reported nearly 70 people in attendance to protest Congressman Thompson’s attacks on the EPA and his votes to weaken protections for clean air and water. Many community members attended and spoke at the event, including Penn State Eco Action club members, a 25-year military veteran, Pennsylvania sportsmen, and the mayor of State College. Individuals held signs reading “Protect our Children’s Health” and “Let the EPA do it’s Job”.

Perry, who helped organize the event, expressed outrage on behalf of his fellow citizens:

“The citizens of Centre County have had it with our Congressman voting against clean air and water.  He had a chance to show his true colors and support an amendment attached to the continuing resolution that would have cut taxpayer subsidies to oil companies, but he didn’t do it.  He would rather cut the budget of EPA who is trying to develop rules to lessen carbon pollution, reduce the amount of mercury in the air, and protect our water.”

Citizens hold signs supporting clean air and water in front of Thompson's office (Credit: Perry)

NWF's Ed Perry holds the megaphone as Penn State Eco Action Club President Kelley Cressman speaks (Credit: Chris Perry)

A river flows through Ohiopyle State Park in Pennsylvania

Do you consider clean drinking water a given? I know that on most days, I turn on the tap without worry.

But across the globe and throughout the U.S, millions are without access to clean drinking water or are having to fight to keep their ground water safe.

Right now, people who live in the rolling hills above the Marcellus Shale deposit that stretches across West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York are finding out that their groundwater, farmland, communities and wild places are at risk from hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking.”

Fracking is a wildly destructive method of extracting natural gas from shale that uses incredible volumes of water, consumes extreme amounts of energy and can leave toxic messes–including toxic groundwater.

Already a problem out west, fracking is moving east and gaining attention, in part due to the new documentary, Gasland, by a PA resident who explores the impacts of fracking across the country after being offered a lease for a company to do hydraulic fracturing on his land.

The threats to wildlife, wild places and people from fracking–a practice that has the potential to pollute huge quantities of water with toxic chemicals–are numerous and serious. NWF’s comments to the EPA on a proposed new study of fracking (pdf) highlighted one of many examples of the impacts that toxic fracking chemicals has had on waterways and wildlife:

On September 16, 2009, 8,000 gallons of fracking fluid leaked into Stevens Creek near Dimrock, Pennsylvania, causing minnows, salamanders and tadpoles to swim erratically and die. Nationwide, reports of dead and tumored cattle, deer, chipmunks, and other wildlife near fracturing sites have surfaced in various locations.

Dimrock, PA, has become synonymous with the danger of fracking and not only because of the chemical leak that leaked into Stevens Creek. In this small town wells have exploded, drinking water has been contaminated, and radioactive water sits in holding ponds on farmers’ land.

Water is far to precious to be riddled with toxic waste. Our drinking water and the health of people and wildlife depend on us protecting valuable groundwater from misuse. Share the video clips from Gasland with your friends to spread the word.

This post is part of Change.org’s Blog Action Day and is part of a larger conversation. Today, bloggers across the country are uniting to talk about one thing–water. It is cross-posted on the National Wildlife Federation’s Action Fund website.

National Wildlife Federation ranked Pennsylvania 6th in the nation for most spills, leaks, explosions and other safety incidents in it’s recent report, Assault on America. According to federal records, the state had 114 safety incidents in the last decade resulting in ten fatalities and 33 injuries.  A decade of serious oil spills, fires, leaks and loss of life underscore petroleum company malfeasance.

A deadly 2007 Enbridge pipeline explosion

“An enormous threat to people’s health and safety exists in Pennsylvania and it’s not coming from environmental groups.  Polluters consistently have put profits over safety in this state and it has cost us in lives and dollars,” said Pennsylvania native and National Wildlife Federation President and CEO Larry Schweiger.

According to the report, from 2000 to 2010, the oil and gas industry accounted for hundreds of deaths, explosions, fires, seeps, and spills as well as habitat and wildlife destruction in the United States.  The report says the record shows these are not merely accidents, but rather a pattern of reckless behavior that result in an incident occurring once every 34 hours in the U.S. on average.

According to the report, the industry spent nearly $14 million on lobbying Congress in the first half of 2010 alone. NWF affiliate Penn Future has been following the money trail, along with MarcellusMoney.org. Marcellus has tracked more than $3 million that the natural gas industry has spent on campaign contributions and $5 million spent on lobbying efforts in the Pennsylvania.

“Oil and gas companies have bought and paid for a regulatory system that fails to hold them accountable while letting them skimp on safety,” said Schweiger. “It’s a scandal that tax dollars are spent spying on citizens when they should be used to prevent reckless industry activities that pose a very real threat to our lives and safety.”