Grizzly Bears-- Christyna Bruzzone

Grizzly Bear 

Ursus arctos horribilis

Christyna Bruzzone Bio 227

https://www.quora.com/topic/Grizzly-Bears

http://www.hww.ca/en/wildlife/mammals/black-bear.html?referrer=http

Description 

Grizzly Bears are distinguished by their curved claws, humped shoulders, and conceived face. They are usually larger than black bears and when on hind legs stand at eight feet. Their coats range in color from light brown to black due to climate, weather, season, and nutrition. Their muscle structure is made for strength and speed. Males can weigh 400-600 pounds and females 250-350 pounds. When standing on their hind legs, they can stand at a height of eight feet. Grizzly bears have been recorded to live 40 years old in the wilderness and 47 in captivity. 

https://sites.google.com/site/vhs2015environmentalscience/
biodiversity/food-chains-and-food-webs

Ecology

Grizzly Bears are at the top of the food chain as top predators and/or quaternary consumers. They are omnivores who eat both plants and animals. Their diet would consume of berries, insects, squirrels, deer, fish, and small rodents. They are predators to deer, geese, fish, and small rodents. Grizzly bears are a K-selected species with low reproductive rates, slow maturation, and stay fairly close to their original habitat. 

Geographic & Population Changes

https://www.registrelep-sararegistry.gc.ca/default.asp?lang=En&n=8D03FF1B-1

Worldwide, they were numerous in Russia but population declined tremendously due to hunting. There was once a North African subspecies but it has been extinct for centuries. They were also abundant in Yugoslavia and Romania. In the United States, they were once abundant on the west coast and throughout Canada. From 1800-1975, the grizzly bear population declined from 50,00 to 1,000. They were eliminated in Texas (1890), California (1922), Utah (1923), Oregon (1931), New Mexico (1933), and Arizona (1935). They also have six recover zones including Yellowstone, Northern Continental Divide, Cabinet-Yaak, Selkirk, North Cascades, and Bitterroot. Each of these recover zones have increased in population since they were designated.

https://www.counterpunch.org/2016/12/05/3-is-not-enough-towards-restoring-grizzly-bears/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-0kHihLhWM

Listing Date & Type of Listing
Grizzly bears were listed on July 28, 1975 as threatened and the original plan was approved January 28, 1982.


Cause of Listing & Continued Threats

http://www.sfu.ca/geog351fall03/groups-webpages/gp4/Grizzly/temp3.html

The reason for the listing of grizzly bears was due to rapid population decline. The population decline was caused by westward expansion and killing by humans. Grizzly bears are also K-selected species with low reproductive rates. This expansion also caused depletion, destruction, and degradation of grizzly bear habitats. Humans are responsible for six categories of threats towards bears including: direct confrontations, attraction to human food, careless livestock disposal, livestock prevention, economic values ruining habitat, and hunting. Continued threats to the grizzly bear population would include construction of roads which aid in the roadkill of bears, recreational hunters, livestock farmers protecting their livestock, and the continuance of habitat destruction by humans. Habitat destruction by humans would include,     
                                                                                   agriculture development, persecution, and urban 
                                                                                   development.

Recovery Plan
There are five objectives to the recovery plan:

1. Show species recovery in the six ecosystems.
2. Monitor the six ecosystems that show evidence of recovery.
3. Identify the factors that caused the threatened status of the grizzly bear.
4. Manage the factors that caused the threatened status so the population can continue to increase.
5. The goal is to have a healthy population in each ecosystem.

The recovery plan includes:

    The management of dry and moist forests to create a more stable and healthy environment for grizzly bears. Constant assessments of forests and woodland areas will be integrated to ensure these environments are applicable for the grizzly bears. Plant manipulation will also be prevalent to minimize harmful habitat impacts. Road construction near or through grizzly bear environments will be extensively minimized and temporary roads will be decommissioned to decrease grizzly bear roadkill. There will be no log cutting within 100 feet of year round streams or within 50 feet of seasonal streams. Extensive care of old growth forests will be strived for and developing old growth forests will be maintained. Management of riparian and wetland communities to ensure and adequate and healthy habitat for these species. Those riparian environments in critical conditions will be a top priority at the Field Office. BLM will focus on appropriate grazing by developing grazing strategies, combing cultural, physical, and biological treatments for weed control, encourage healthy weed development with landowners, and create a weed management prescriptions. When there are bear conflicts, the BLM will keep record. BLM will also manage sensitive terrestrial and aquatic species in the same manner as grizzly bear restoration. BLM will encourage the conservation of special species and the conservation of native plants and animals. BLM will create blocks of security for big game species and minimize disturbance by ending any increase in permanent road building. 

http://www.grizzlyencounter.org/save-the-grizzly-bear-inc-4

What Can You Do?
To help the grizzly bear population, there are four major ways to get involved in the fight for grizzly bears. One way is to donate to wildlife protection programs such as Defenders of Wildlife, Wild Animal Health Fund, or Wildlife Justice Committee. this is a great way to help when you do not have the time. The second way is to be a mindful driver when driving through national parks and near natural reserves. The most common way of death for grizzly bears is by car so being a safe and alert driver is a great way to help in the fight. The third major way is to educate your local politicians and community members about grizzly bears and why they are important to our ecosystem. Finally, you can get involved in a wildlife volunteer group that supports rebuilding the grizzly bear population. This is a free and self rewarding way to assist the threatened grizzly bear. 


Videos
To learn more, watch this grizzly bear quiz video!!

Grizz Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Grizzly Bears?

Resources
https://www.nps.gov/noca/upload/Grizzly_bear_recovery_plan.pdf

https://www.fws.gov/pacific/news/grizzly/grizzlybearbkgrnd.htm

https://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/es/2016-02-22_DRAFT_RP_supplement_Yellowstone_Grizzly_
bear_Demographic_Criteria_Feb_5_2016.pdf


Other Sources
http://www.defenders.org/help-us-protect-grizzly-bears

https://www.wildanimalhealthfund.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAlpDQBRDmARIsAAW6-DMYvqbINAQskmFZvwZ6CeWo5zkpKxT_mDt6WVGGPg13cTAmTeN7et4aAvlyEALw_wcB

https://wildlifejustice.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAlpDQBRDmARIsAAW6-DMPf8-FOxVeESv5Z2ISC
0ytJ1ykK3shY100Tx2nE20RHldvPLW9HrgaAouWEALw_wcB
https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp0/profile/speciesProfile?spcode=A001#recovery


http://augustafreepress.com/done-protect-grizzly-bears/

http://www.grizzlyencounter.org/save-the-grizzly-bear-inc-4

Southern Sea Otter < enhydra lutris nereis > // Ashley Chen

image 1

Listed date: April 3, 2003

Type of Listing: Threatened

Where: California, wherever found

Summary                                                            

image 2

Southern sea otters have been listed as threatened since 1977 under the Endangered Species Act. Before the 18th century, Southern sea otters were primarily location along the North Pacific Rim from Hokkaido, Japan to Baja California, Mexico. Presently, they have reclaimed approximately 13% of their historic range. Their current population is about 2,150 animals ranging from Half Moon Bay to Point Conception along the coast of California. 

image 3: Southern sea otter self grooming

These playful mammals are actually one of the smallest marine mammals- adult females and males grow to be about 46 and 64 pounds respectively and live to be approximately 4-6 years of age. Southern sea otters have very little fat so they rely heavily on their clean, dense, water resistant fur. To stay warm within the cold waters, these sea otters maintain high levels of internal hat to make up for their lack of fat and use their fur as insulation. The result of oil contamination on their fur is damaging because it reduces the insulting quality and leads to hypothermia and death.  

Southern sea otters consume about 20-25% of their body mass per day in order to fuel their energetic personality and spend around 20-50% of their day foraging for food. They mostly eat marine invertebrates such as sea urchins, clams, mussels, abalone, mollusks, crustaceans, and snails. The otters travel in groups called “rafts” which are made up from two to 20 animals. They usually prefer areas in the ocean with surface kelp canopies but are occasionally found in open waters. The gestation period of Southern sea otters are about 6 months with the peak period of pupping occurring from October to January and a second peak from March to April. Females almost always give birth to a single pup and it is taken care of for around 6 months. Since females predominately take intensive care of the pup, a lot of their energy is used as they also have to forage for extra food. All this extra work decreases the female otters’ energy which leaves them more susceptible to additional stressors such as parasite infections or aggression by male otters. 

image 4: Southern sea otter eating sea urchin

Geographic and Population Changes  

image 5: geographic range of Southern sea otters

From the 18th to 19th century, fur trade was common and resulted in a decrease of Southern sea otters along the coast of California. After the otters got protection from the International Fur Seal Treaty of 1911, sea otters diversified in geography, expanding further to the North and South along the central coast of California. In 2003, high mortality rates of the sea otters resulted in a slow rate of population growth. Researchers found that sea otters in central California were at or near their carry capacity for the local environment, resulting in a lack of growth. After studies were done through modeling analysis, scientists found that the spatial configuration of the available habitat and high degree to spatial structure within sea otter communities lead to a population growth with rates that differed from expected patterns. In addition, there were unusually high numbers of stranded Southern sea otters found in 2003. No specific cause has found to be responsible for this rise in stranded otters but the intoxication by domoic acid from the blooms of alga pseudonitzschia australis was found to be a possible contributor. The blooms of this alga was also found to be related to cardiac disease within Southern sea otters. 

Geographically, Southern sea otters currently reside along the coast of California from approximately Half Moon Bay to Point Conception. They are often found within 2 km of the shore and forage in rocky and soft sediment areas.

    

Cause of Listing & Main Threats               

The listing of Southern sea otters is primarily due to habitat degradation, such as oil spills, and human activities, like entanglement in fishing nets, which impact the otters. Sea otters are very vulnerable to oil spills from coastal tankers, which is a primary human related reason why the otters are listed. The otters become hypothermic when their fur is slicked with oil from the spills as it ruins the insulation property of their fur. In addition, many otters ingest the oil stuck on their fur while they are self grooming, resulting in gastrointestinal disorders as well as possible lung damage. One example of this is the Exxon Valdez spill in Prince William Sound which resulted in the death of 1,000 to 5,500 Southern sea otters within the first few months of the spill. Oil spills increase the contaminants of DDT, DDE, and PCBs found in stranded Southern sea otters. 

image 6: Southern sea otter covered in
oil from the Exxon Valdez oil spill

Another human activity that is negatively impacting Southern sea otters is commercial fishing, A 2003 study found that the increase of sea otter mortality was linked to summer commercial fishing through incidental captures. Severe weather and occasional climatic events like El Niño are disruptive to sea otter foraging practices and may lead to a depletion of food availability, further decreasing pup survival rates. Infectious diseases within the sea otter community has lead to serious tooth wear in older sea otters, which is another factor in increased mortality rates. The climate change umbrella is also a factor that is negatively impacting Southern sea otters. Ocean acidification in the North Pacific, pathogen transport, marine invasive species, and the increase in intensity of storm events has been noted to have detrimental effects on Southern sea otter communities.

Recovery Plan                                                   

image 7: mother and pup Southern sea otters

Southern sea otters are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, which is beneficial to directly preserve the otters aside from environmental and human activity impacts. The objective of the Southern sea otter recovery plan is to regulate and control human activity which often places sea otters in jeopardy due to habitat destruction and various other impacts. The ultimate goal of the recovery plan is to recover the Southern sea otter and de-list the species. The sea otter will be delisted once it reaches an average population that is greater than 3,090 animals over a 3 year span. 

Some actions to take include:

• closely monitor the demographics of the Southern sea otter to document their population size, rate of change, and distribution
• study habitat and note any changes in type, abundance, distribution, and use or general change in carrying capacity by collecting data and mapping habitat types
• perform research to gain understanding of factors that are preventing the population growth of the sea otters — see what actions can further be taken to ensure success in delisting of Southern sea otter
• research and implement plan to reduce risk of oil spill within sea otter ranges
• find ways to limit effect of spill on otter population if one does occur, 
• establish public education & outreach programs to limit recreational related issues upon sea otters and to raise awareness and understanding of the sea otter community

What Can You Do?                                          

You can help by taking action to join different environmental protection groups such as different Marine Conservation Organizations or the National Wildlife Federation. By following up with these groups you will be up to date with the recovery process of the Southern sea otter and continue to advocate for their de-listing. In addition, it is so useful to educate yourself on the status of these threatened otters. By educating yourself you will be able to pass your knowledge onto others by bringing it up in conversations and answering any questions your peers may have. Another way you can raise awareness is to create a blog like this one and share it on social media. This will allow for others to gain understanding and awareness of environmental issues that are present. You can also donate to the California Sea Otter Fund to improve ocean habitats and protect sea otters. 

Additional Resources                                    

National Wildlife Federation

US Fish & Wildlife Service on Southern sea otters

US Fish & Wildlife Services on Endangered Species

Animal Diversity Web 

Non-profits on Marine Conservation

Marine Conservation Organizations 

Sources                                                                                           

• http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/7750/0
• https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp0/profile/speciesProfile?spcode=A0A7
• https://www.fws.gov/ventura/docs/species/sso/Southern%20Sea%20Otter%205%20Year%20Review.pdf
• https://alaska.usgs.gov/science/biology/nearshore_marine/evos.php
• https://www.fws.gov/ventura/endangered/species/info/sso.html

images:

1: https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/-/m/images/animal-guide/marine-mammals/southern-sea-otter.jpg?bc=white&h=822&mh=916&mw=1222&w=1093&usecustomfunctions=1&cropx=0&cropy=45
2: http://bento.cdn.pbs.org/hostedbento-prod/gallery/20150818_202516_557832bbl_otter-gallery_1.jpg.1280x720_q85.jpg
3: https://www.mmc.gov/wp-content/uploads/15259513562_89a69fafd6_o.jpg
4: https://closetstudioblog.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/tanu-eat-urchin-john-healey-1-resize-2.jpg
5: https://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/030403.pdf
6: https://grist.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/sea-otter-flickr-mike-baird.jpg?w=1024&h=576&crop=1
7: https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/-/m/images/conservation-science/sea-otter-great-tide-pool.png?la=en

White Abalone (Haliotis Sorenseni) - Andrew Cisterman

Andrew Cisterman - BIO 227 

WHITE ABALONE

~Haliotis Sorenseni~ 

Description And Ecology of Organism:

The white abalone (halitosis sorenseni) is a species of large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the Haliotide family. White abalone on average grow to 7 inches but have been known to grow up to 10 inches and on average weigh about 1.7 pounds. They primarily range from Central California to Central Baja Mexico. Of the 8 species of California Abalones, the white abalone is the deepest dwelling, living at depths of 80 to 200 feet. They are commonly found in rock and boulder habitats that are interspersed with sand channels. The white abalone is an herbivore, feeding mainly on several algae and micro algae species. They live about 35 to 40 years and become sexually mature between years 4 and 6.

Listing Date and Type of Listing:

The white abalone was listed as an endangered species throughout its range under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) effective June, 2001. The listing came after completing a comprehensive status review of the species. The status review found an urgent need for human intervention in the recovery of the white abalone because it unlikely that the species will recover on its own.

Geographic and Population Changes:

The population of white abalone has not shifted much geographically and can still be found in the same historical locations. Currently they are reported being most abundant between 100 and 200 foot depths. Historically, they occurred along the mainland coast and at offshore islands and banks at depths as shallow as 15 feet.

Surveys conducted in Southern California since the time of the status review confirm the status review’s conclusion that at least a 99% reduction in white abalone density has occurred between the 1970s and today. 

Main Threats to Continued Existence:

Low Reproduction Rates: Female abalone reproduce by releasing as many as 10 million eggs at at time, but unless they come in contact with sperm from spawning males, the cannot be fertilized. The dramatic increase in their population density has resulted in abalone finding themselves far from potential mates making reproduction unlikely or impossible.

Commercial Catch Weight

Overfishing: Of all abalone species, the white abalone is notorious for its tender and flavorful meat. A commercial abalone fishery opened in California in the early 1970s, peaked in the mid-1970s, and closed in the 1980s. Even with fishing regulations in place to reduce the number of abalone caught, the fishery greatly decreased the abalone populations and has had long-term effects on their recovery.

Recovery Plan:

1. Assess and monitor subpopulations of white abalone in the wild in cooperation with the state of California, other federal agencies, private organizations and the Mexican government.

2. Identify and characterize existing and potential white abalone habitat through acoustic remote sensing technology.

3. Protect white abalone populations and their habitat in the wild. 

4. Continue and expand a captive propagation and enhancement program for white abalone in California. 

5. Develop enforcement, public outreach and education plans. 

6. Secure financial support for white abalone recovery.

The population goals of this recovery plan are to achieve:

- Population density of 2000 per hectare for 75 percent of the geographic localities

- Maintain a total of 380,000 animals in the wild.


What Can You Do:

Help enforce the law! It is illegal to fish for, catch, or keep any species of abalone in California except recreational take of red abalone north of San Francisco during designated periods with proper permits and tags.




Link showing data collection and abalone breeding in captivity:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jux70JAGzmc







Sources:
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdfs/recovery/whiteabalone.pdf

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/white-abalone

Taylor Chaplin's Utah Prairie Dog Blog

Utah Prairie Dog

(cynomys parvidens)

Taylor Chaplin BIO 227

https://www.nps.gov/brca/learn/news/images/UPD_1.jpg

Notice the Unique Eye Features

Description          

The Utah Prairie Dog happens to be the smallest species of prairie dogs.  Even though it is called a dog, it’s actually a ground-dwelling rodent in the family of Sciuridae, which squirrels, marmots, and chipmunks are also a part of. The Utah Prairie Dog has very small ears and a short tail.  They have unique fur, including shades of brown and tan, with white and black patches as well. They typically have a light brown back, a white to tan stomach, and white on their inner tail.  Their distinguishing features are dark brown patches under their eyes and black lines above the eyes.  Adult males tend to weigh between 1.7 to 3.1 pounds, while adult females only weigh from 1.4 to 2.5 pounds.  Adults can range from 9.8 to 15.7 inches in length, which includes their 1.2 to 2.6-inch-long tail.

Ecology

The Nature Conservancy

The Utah Prairie Dog is typically located in southern Utah counties like Beaver, Iron, Piute, Garfield, Wayne, Sevier, and Kane.  They live on prairies, or grasslands, because they need well-drained soil in order to burrow at least 15 feet underground.  By burrowing so far deep underground, they are able to protect themselves from predators and harsh weather conditions.  Some believe that this species hibernates during the harsh winter months because they spend 4-6 months underground.  Others believe they enter torpor at the beginning of this season and will reappear above ground in mild weather.  During each year, about 97% of females are in breeding condition and successfully produce a litter.  Each litter contains between 1 to 7 pups that stay in their nursery burrow for about 6 weeks.  If the pup survives its first year, it can live up to eight years.  This is an herbivorous species that occasionally eats insects, but prefers grasses, flowers, and seeds.  They choose habitats with a low vegetation height so they are able to scan for predators.

Geographic & Population Changes
This species was distributed in portions of southern counties of Utah.  They may have been separated in 700 sections (each section is equivalent to 1 mile-squared) in 10 areas of southwestern Utah.  There were about 95,000 animals distributed between these areas, but there is no real survey data to prove that this information is 100% correct. This species currently exists only in the central and southwestern quarter of Utah in recovery units.  This species was wiped out from major portions of its historical range, by the early 1970s.  Unfortunately, only about 3,300 individuals among 37 colonies remained.  For the past 30 years, the population rate has been stable to increasing, despite the environmental and human factors that cause fluctuation.

         

Historic Range Map

Current Range Map (Recovery Unit Boundaries)
              

Listing

On June 4, 1973, the Utah Prairie Dog was listed as an endangered species.  This listing was due to habitat destruction and modification, over-exploitation, disease, and predation.  On May 29, 1984, this species was reclassified as threatened, since populations increased in portions of their range.  The main threats to its continued existence include:

1. Habitat Loss & Fragmentation- due to urban development, agriculture, over-grazing
2. Plague- epizootic and enzootic plague outbreaks caused by the bacterium Yersinia & fleas
3. Climate Change- causes species migration towards higher elevation, which reduces species diversity
4. Unauthorized Take- poaching (shooting, poisoning, trapping, etc), research purposes, etc.
5. Disturbance from Recreational and Economic Land Uses- energy resource exploration, oil and gas development, etc.

Recovery Plan
Objectives: 

1. "To protect suitable habitat that is of sufficient size to support a viable Utah prairie dog population and is spatially distributed to provide connectivity within each Recovery Unit"
2. "To establish and maintain viable Utah prairie dog populations in each RU"

Actions Needed:

1. Annual Spring Counts- provide important trend information
2. Translocations- used to increase the numbers of prairie dog colonies in new locations across the species' range
3. Plague Prevention and Response- preventative dusting strategy across species range
4. Safe Harbor Agreements- voluntary restoration, enhancement, and management of farms and ranch lands in the area
5. Protected Lands- Federal Public Lands, Conservation Banks, Utah Prairie Dog Habitat Credit Exchange, etc.
6. Habitat Conservation Plans- Golf Course Habitat Conservation Plan & Iron County Habitat Conservation Plan
7. Endangered Species Act Interagency Conservation and Consultation- ensures any action it authorizes, funds, or carries out is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence
8. Research- important to understand biological and habitat requirements and implications of threats to the species
9. Public Outreach and Education- recovery depends public involvement and cooperation
10. Utah Prairie Dog Recovery Implementation Program- recovery of the species while balancing land uses and needs of the human population throughout the species range
11. Biological Constraints and Needs- identify limiting factors to design a management program 

More Information on the Recovery Plan can be found here: https://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/1203012_UTPD_RevisedRecoveryPlan_Final.pdf

What Can You Do?

• Educate yourself! Take this quiz to learn more about Utah Prairie Dogs.
• Donate to protect this species here.
• Stay connected! Sign up here to receive news about Utah Prairie Dogs.
• Volunteer! You can easily help protect these animals through these opportunities.
• Spread the word! Use your knowledge to educate others on this issue.

Other Resources

Utah Prairie Dog in Bryce Canyon National Park

Prairie Dog Facts

Utah 'Removing' Hundreds of Prairie Dogs

Utah Prairie Dog Management Returns to the Federal Government

Saving Utah Prairie Dogs on Private Property

Bibliography 

“Prairie Dog Facts.” PRAIRIE DOG FACTS, interesting-animal-facts.com/Desert-Animal-Facts/Prairie-Dog-Facts.shtml. 

Rice, Nathan. “Saving Threatened Utah Prairie Dogs.” High Country News, 20 Aug. 2012, www.wildearthguardians.org/site/DocServer/Saving_threatened_Utah_p-dogs_private_property.pdf?docID=6985&AddInterest=1103. 

Utah Prairie Dog Final Revised Recovery PlanU. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/1203012_UTPD_RevisedRecoveryPlan_Final.pdf. 

“Utah Prairie Dog Management Returns to Federal Government.” Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, 17 Aug. 2017, wildlife.utah.gov/learn-more/prairie-dogs.html. 

“Utah Prairie Dog.” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, www.nps.gov/brca/learn/nature/upd.htm. 

“Utah Prairie Dog Photos and Facts.” Arkive, www.arkive.org/utah-prairie-dog/cynomys-parvidens/. 

“Utah Prairie Dogs: Friend or Foe?” Prairie Dogs: Friend or Foe? | The Nature Conservancy, The Nature Conservancy, www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/utah/utah-prairie-dogs-friend-or-foe.xml. 

“Volunteer with the Prairie Dog Coalition.” The Humane Society of the United States, Humane Society, www.humanesociety.org/community/volunteers/volunteer-pdc.html?credit=web_id271877979. 

WochitGeneralNews. “Utah 'Removing' Hundreds Of Prairie Dogs.” YouTube, YouTube, 27 Sept. 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUEyFoYEqa0.