conservation

The 2008 Wild Horse and Burro Summit is to be held this weekend in Nevada. (Want to attend? Click here.)

The gathering of wild horse advocates hosted by the International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros, a non-profit group, will meet to discuss what can be done to prevent horses and burros from being killed by lethal injections.

The summit is intended to be a learning experience and will bring together leading experts in the world of equine behavior, genetics, research, and range management. Equine scientists, range experts, and wild horse advocacy groups will discuss and bring forth proposed solutions to the problems facing wild horses in America. Focus will be on the current crisis facing America’s wild horses’ threatened existence on public lands.

However, the main goal is to address solutions for the present and
very urgent wild horse emergency - the impending euthanasia of approximately 33,000 wild horses now in federal holding facilities.

Officials from the BLM will also be attending the summit.

During the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board meeting this June, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced its potential inability to financially support over 30,000 wild horses the agency currently has in its short- and long-term holding facilities due to a “budget crisis”. The BLM proposed a plan to “euthanize” many of these horses as a “solution”.

If a viable plan is not found and implemented soon, this situation could result in the euthanasia of thousands of wild horses.

 

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For further information:
 
Go to www.wildhorsesummit.com

or contact Karen Sussman (president of the ISPMB) at (605) 964-6866.
 

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Related links:
 
Animal Welfare Institute Press Release
Willie Nelson’s Peace Research Institute
WildHorsePreservation.org
American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign Petition
The Cloud Foundation
The American Horse Defense Fund
The Humane Society of the United States
The BLM’s feedback form
 
Related Posts:
 
Wild Horses & The BLM - a selection of videos about wild horses and the current crisis.
Save the Wild Mustangs - important petition to stop the BLM from killing America’s wild horses

 
 

Majestic wild mustangs have roamed the American West with a history that predates modern land use. They are part of our national heritage symbolizing our country’s freedom and independent spirit. Today, there are less than 30,000 wild horses on the range.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has announced an outrageous plan to kill these wild horses, potentially driving them to extinction, claiming that it can no longer afford to round up wild horses and confine them until it finds people to adopt them. The government agency wants to euthanize or sell these wild beauties to the highest bidder “without limitation” - i.e., sell them to anyone, even if the bidder also plans to kill these horses.

Why do they need to round them up in the first place? Good question. The BLM states that it can’t “allow horses to multiply unchecked on the range without causing an environmental disaster.” But, there are at least 3 million grazing cattle vs. 30,000 wild horses.

These wild horses have a right to inhabit the public lands they have roamed for centuries. The BLM should manage the land effectively to preserve these free-roaming beauties, rather than killing them. Instead, the BLM would seemingly rather placate corporate cattle ranchers who view these horses as foraging competition - despite the environmental damage being caused by cattle overgrazing.

Please oppose this outrageous plan and stand up for our wild horses today. Remind the government to abide by the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burro Act of 1971.

- You can make a difference. -

Send a comment to the BLM today, call or write your government representatives, &
« Sign the petition to save our wild horses! »^*

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[*] - Thus far, Care2’s petition has garnered 7,141 35,443 signatures with a goal of 50,000.

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Related links:

Animal Welfare Institute Press Release
Willie Nelson’s Peace Research Institute
WildHorsePreservation.org
American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign Petition
The Cloud Foundation
The American Horse Defense Fund
The Humane Society of the United States
The BLM’s feedback form

Related Posts:

Wild Horses & The BLM - a selection of videos about wild horses and the current crisis.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Sumatran orangutan is listed as critically endangered. Currently there are less than 7,300 in the world. If their numbers continue to decline at the present rate, it is projected that the orangutan could be extinct in as little as five years - making it the first Great Ape to become extinct in the wild.

The primary threat to the orangutan is habitat destruction. The rain forests of Indonesia are being cut down in illegal logging operations and to make way for palm oil plantations. This conversion of habitat has dire consequences for the native wildlife, as well as for the indigeneous peoples. Further, the deforestation contributes to global warming.

Palm oil is used in food, but also widely in the cosmetics industry. It is a main ingredient in many soaps, including some of those produced by natural skin care companies. (Click here to read about the “Palm Oil Campaign” being sponsored and promoted by LUSH Cosmetics.)

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil met recently in Singapore to address these issues relating to the palm oil industry.

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The World Wildlife Fund has projects in Borneo and Sumatra aimed at “effectively manag[ing] a network of protected areas, productive forests and other sustainable land uses to maintain the biodiversity and natural resources for the prosperity of the people who rely on them.” (Click here to read more about their work there.)

You can also “adopt” an orangutan through their website.

Looking for a special eco-friendly gift for Dad?

Send him a free E-card from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) There are 19 different cards to choose from, each capturing the beauty of wildlife.

Or in just 2 minutes you can send him one of the best gifts ever from Conservation International:

For $15 you can help protect an acre of tropical forest land in your Dad’s honor. The contribution will support Conservation International’s efforts to protect forests and help end climate change.

Every year, burning & slashing of forests releases as much CO2 as all the cars, trucks, and planes in the world - more than 20% of all the carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to global climate change.^[1]

Although the forests may be lost far away, the impact is felt here. (Learn more about the program to save tropical forests - thus far 12,863 acres have been protected.)

You can choose one of their stunning Father’s Day E-cards to announce your gift. You can even track Dad’s acre on CI’s website and view information about the animals & living things that inhabit it.

And with your gift you’re keeping tons of climate-changing carbon from entering the atmosphere and helping to end the destruction of forests.

[1] - Conservation International’s Projects Page
(http://conservation.org/learn/forests/Pages/projects.aspx)

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For anyone in need of web hosting and seeking an environmentally friendly solution…

We have a coupon code available for $25 off any hosting package with ThinkHost.

(See below for coupon code)

Read the rest of this entry »

This Tuesday (June 19, 2007) Google announced that it awarded $1 million in grants and will be inviting applicants to apply for $10 million in funds to help develop plug-in type hybrid vehicles that get at least 70-100mpg. The grants are part of the RechargeIT Initiative being run by Google’s philanthropic arm, Google.org.

The project aims to impact climate change (one of Google.org’s three primary goals) by aiding the development of hybrid vehicles which would reduce our dependency on oil, reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions, and probably ultimately reduce consumers’ costs.

Google is seeking to accelerate not only the adoption of hybrid cars, but also the development and deployment of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technologies, which would help to stabilize the power grid. Basically, as such cars begin to use renewable sources of energy for power generation (such as solar energy), they will be able to sell back to power companies any excess electricity they produce, thus making the grid cleaner. Google is already implementing a solar program for its fleet of hybrids and planning to use it as a demonstration of the efficiency of such technology. Read more…

Two-thirds of global emissions come from energy consumption, therefore addressing the climate crisis requires radical changes in energy production. In the future, through V2G technology, fossil fuel consumption by vehicles and power plants may be significantly reduced or eliminated altogether. Such technology may solve the “problem” of, or significantly reduce the costs involved in, converting power plants to greener technologies. Read more…

Google will make a formal request for proposals (RFP) on their website later this summer for the $10 million worth of awards “for investment opportunities in companies and projects accelerating the commercialization of alternative transportation that reduces vehicle fossil fuel use and climate emissions”.

To see a list of recipients of the $1 million dollars in grants, go to http://www.google.org/recharge/partners.html.

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The president of Ecuador, Rafeal Correa, declared yesterday (June 22, 2007) that the Galápagos are at high risk and should be considered a national conservation priority. He claims that the islands are suffering an environmental crisis and is seeking restrictions on tourism. He has also asked that the habitat be added to UNESCO’s Endangered List - a request which will be considered at a week-long meeting of the UN agency’s World Heritage Committee being held in New Zealand beginning this Saturday.

The Galápagos lie in the Pacific Ocean some 600 miles west of Ecuador at the confluence of several ocean currents and are comprised of some 19 islands. The isolation of these striking volcanic isles has produced one of the highest concentrations of endemic species in the world, and the archipelago is considered “a natural museum of geological, ecological and evolutionary processes”. The seismic and volcanic activities that formed the islands are still going on today.

The habitat’s unusual animals, including the land iguana and giant tortoises, helped to inspire Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. (He visited the islands in 1835 on the HMS Beagle.) 30% of the marine life in the surrounding seas are endemic, as are roughly 1/3 of the island’s vascular land plants, all of the reptiles with the exception of two species of marine turtle, and almost half of its bird species. Among its unique species is the marine iguana, Amblyrhynchus cristatus - the only sea-going iguana in the world.

As a place of “outstanding universal value”, the Galápagos Islands were added to UNESCO’s (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) list of Protected Areas and World Heritage Sites in 1978 and designated as a Biosphere Reserve in 1984.

This extraordinary archipelago of unrivaled beauty is an “almost pristine” treasure trove of biodiversity, but is being threatened today by large-scale tourism and unsustainable fishing practices by mainland fishermen whose activities are financed by foreign companies. Visitation by tourists has increased three-fold in the past 15 years with an annual growth rate of about 14% for the tourism economy. The consequences of this growth include threats to endemic species by introduction of non-native invasive species, pollution, over-harvesting, and greater pressure on valuable marine resources. Partially as a result of these changes, 24% of the endemic plant species and 50% of the vertebrate species are considered endangered.

Click here for an image of the Galápagos Penguins on Bartolomé Island.

The islands are subject to the 1998 Special Law for Galápagos but have been neglected by previous management, and the rapid economic growth of the islands, coupled with increased immigration, has taxed the capacity of the Galápagos’ management authorities. The president’s solutions will focus on the proper implementation of this special law and will include strengthening Galápagos management authorities, ensuring the development of sustainable businesses, strengthening the work of the Galápagos National Park Service and CDF (Charles Darwin Foundation) to manage endangered species and control invasives, and educational reform.

The declaration of the Ecuadorian president addresses concerns that have been held for many years regarding the future of this fragile ecosystem.

For more detailed information on the Galápagos, visit UNEP’s (United Nations Environment Programme) World Conservation Monitoring Centre page at http://www.unep-wcmc.org/sites/wh/galapago.html
or the Charles Darwin Foundation at http://www.darwinfoundation.org

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