Page 1 of 1
Sierra Nevada Pacific Fisher Threatened by Wildfire
Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2016 7:54 am
by ERIC
Wildfire In The Sierra Nevada Is Threatening The Existence Of This Cat-like Mammal
By EZRA DAVID ROMERO • APR 6, 2016
http://kvpr.org/post/wildfire-sierra-ne ... cat-mammal
There’s a furry little animal that lives in the mountains along the West Coast that soon could get an added step of protection by being listed as threatened both in California and nationally. And as FM89’s Ezra David Romero reports they face a number of threats including wildfire.
Christa Hollon and her class of kindergartners from Horace Mann Elementary School in Bakersfield are on a tour of a zoo called the
California Living Museum full of animals native to the Golden State.
They just saw coyotes, a pair of bald eagles and a black bear. Now they’re looking at a mammal that looks like a chubby weasel.
“He’s called a?” Hollon says.“ Taz, Taz, Taz that’s his name.”
Taz and his girlfriend Lola are
Pacific fishers.
“So they’re in the same family that you would find the wolverines, pine martins, things like skunks,” says Don Richardson who curates the animals at the zoo in Kern County.
[
read more... ]
Re: Sierra Nevada Pacific Fisher Threatened by Wildfire
Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2016 9:10 pm
by rlown
#mustelidslivesmatter. I couldn't resist. Grouse are at risk now as well. We need good snow, storms and regrowth of some of the areas.
I like protecting species. Wildfires are a different matter. Generally, it's a rebirth after the fire. It depends on the species.
Re: Sierra Nevada Pacific Fisher Threatened by Wildfire
Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2016 9:23 pm
by dave54
Yep. Fishers need heavy tree cover. Wildfires destroy fisher habitat. Listing them could require agencies to get more aggressive in controlling wildfire in fisher habitat area. The exact opposite of current trends in fire management.
Another example of the problems with blind application of the ESA. You frequently end up with two different listed species with legally mandated habitat protection measures in the same area, yet have mutually exclusive habitat needs.
Pacific fisher denied protection under Endangered Species Ac
Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2016 7:08 am
by ERIC
Pacific fisher denied protection under the Endangered Species Act
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencen ... story.html
Federal wildlife authorities on Thursday denied Endangered Species Act protection to the small, isolated populations of Pacific fishers in Washington, Oregon and California, including the southern Sierra Nevada range.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2014 proposed listing the largest member of the weasel family as threatened throughout the region because of threats including logging, wildfires and the use of pesticides by marijuana growers.
On Thursday, however, agency said those threats were found to be not as significant as previously thought. In addition, Robyn Thorson, director of the agency’s Pacific region, said that “voluntary conservation measures” by the timber industry could increase habitat for the carnivore.
Interested in the stories shaping California? Sign up for the free Essential California newsletter >>
Also Thursday, Weyerhaeuser Co., one of the world's largest private owners of timberlands, announced plans to commit up to 3 million acres of forested holdings in Washington and Oregon to support efforts to reintroduce fishers throughout the western U.S.
Environmental groups led by the Center for Biological Diversity said the agency's decision not to list the Pacific fisher was "politically driven" and not based on the best available science.
“The politically driven reversal of proposed protection for the fisher is the latest example of the Fish and Wildlife Service kowtowing to the wishes of industry,” said Tanya Sanerib, an attorney at the center. “Fishers may be tough enough to prey on porcupines, but they need Endangered Species Act protection to survive.”
Strongly associated with...
[
read more... ]