DISAPPEARING BEES

BY: TAYLOR HOLT

It is spring time. Hunters rave about gobbling turkeys, while April showers bring May flowers in full bloom. How is it that those beautiful flowers that so many people love come to be pollinated? Bees. Bees are stereotyped most times as “annoying flying insects that serve no purpose in the world.” When in all reality, bees play a major role in habitat management, food production, biodiversity and many other aspects throughout the world. There are almost 4,000 species of bees in North America. Often compared to other flying insects, bees are unique in the fact that they gather pollen and nectar as a food source for their young.

*DID YOU KNOW? Wasps and bees are closely related. They both collect nectar and pollen, but a wasp’s young are carnivorous and require a food source of protein during early development.*

(A)- Array of native bee species

Bees are facing quite a front that could lead to uncontrollable spiraling decline in populations. New diseases, pesticide use, changes in agriculture and urbanization that decreases flower covered landscapes are only some of the known causes of colonies collapsing. Only until most recently, 2006-2007, beekeepers derived the term “Colony Collapse Disorder” (CCD) to describe the phenomena of keepers reporting 30-90% loss in aviary hives. Although, many keepers say issues of hive loss began long before CCD; after World War II, agricultural farms became much larger and introduced the use of commercial pesticides.

(B)- Spraying DDT, a pesticide used after WWII that is now banned

Clint Otto, a United States Geological Survey ecologist at the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center in Bismarck, North Dakota, leads a study to understand habitat influence on bee health and honey production. So far in his findings, he has found that honeybees need to collect pollen from a variety of different plant species to compile essential sets of nutrients for optimal colony health. Colonies surrounded by undeveloped habitat produced higher quantity and higher quality of honey versus colonies surrounded by agriculture and development. However, loss of habitat and essential nutrition is not the sole solution to the honeybees’ challenges.

Dead bees do not always leave CCD as the culprit. Since pesticides became more popular after being more widely introduced following World War II, it is not a shock that these chemicals are harmful to not only humans but bees as well. Instructions and labels have now been placed on pesticides to ensure safe use. Overexposure to a pesticide can kill an entire hive, a mistake that could have been avoided by reading the safety label. Overexposure to a pesticide is called acute pesticide poisoning. Acute pesticide poisoning can be identified by large numbers of dead bees outside the entrance of the hive. CCD results in a very minimal number of dead bees found near the hive. Along with poisoning, disease is another theory as to the decline of bees in recent years. New diseases and parasites, such as varroa mite and Nosema gut parasites, are factors in researching the reasons behind CCD.

In efforts to respond to CCD and declining pollinator species, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) gathered a group of professionals from a variety of different agencies to collaborate on data and survey collection, testing of samples, research into theoretical factors and preventative management strategies to improve the health of the bees and their habitats.

(C)- Bees killed by acute pesticide poisoning. 

In conclusion, North America’s over 4,000 species of bees are in decline from a variety of factors. Colony Collapse Disorder was a term created to describe the 30-90% die-off’s beekeepers were observing in their aviaries, but research showed that loss of optimal habitat, food sources, use of pesticides leading to acute pesticide poisoning, and new diseases and parasites are only a few of the factors involved in the population numbers decline. Bees play a major role in not only small scale aesthetics in my own personal garden that I grow vegetables and flowers in, but on large scale agricultural farms that require pollination of the crops or trees in order to produce their products.

(D)- Bees tending to a honeycomb

Such a small insect can play a such major role in the environment; that being said, what can you do to do your part to impact the environment in a positive way? How will you leave your mark? Their numbers may be declining, but try not to be out-competed by the mighty bees. 

LITERATURE CITED

National Geographic. 2016. The last, best refuge for North America's bees. <http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/06/the-last-best-place-in-north-america-to-keep-bees/>. Accessed 27 Apr 2017.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America [PNAS]. Changes in the transcript abundance relating to colony collapse disorder in honey bees (Apis mellifera). <http://www.pnas.org/content/106/35/14790.abstract>. Accessed 26 Apr 2017. 

The Wildlife Society [TWS]. 2017. Surveying native bee species. <http://wildlife.org/surveying-native-bee-species/>. Accessed 26 Apr 2017. 

United States Environmental Protection Agency [EPA]. Pollinator protection- colony collapse disorder. <https://www.epa.gov/pollinator-protection/colony-collapse-disorder>. Accessed 26 Apr 2017. 

PICTURES

A-<http://www.beecityusa.org/resources.html>

B-<https://www.chem.info/news/2015/06/decades-after-being-banned-ddt-still-potential-health-risk>

C-<http://axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/Article_75794.shtml>

D-<http://coloradobeekeepers.org/>

The Importance of Bees to Wildlife

The Importance of Bees

For my second blog post I wanted to talk about the importance of bees to humans and other species of plants and wildlife.  I'm going to be honest; I hate bees with a passion.  I freak out every time I see one because I hate being stung. If you think about it though they are one of the most valuable species on this earth.  Bees are the most important pollinator in the world and without them we would be deprived of many of our flowers, crops, and even some species of animals.  Us humans can be negatively affected due to a lot of the food we eat are pollinated by bees.  In recent years some bees have been on a steady decline and we need to do our part in helping their population stay healthy.  If bees went extinct it would be a chain reaction of negative impacts on a number of different plants, animals, and humans. 

Pollinators such as bees, birds, bats, and butterflies are essential to the reproduction of nearly eighty five percent of the world's flowering plants (Tangley 2016).  The most important of these pollinators being the bees.  Bees need large quantities of nectar and pollen to rear their young so they are visiting flowers regularly in large numbers to obtain these nutrients. Since the nectar and pollen can stick to their hairy bodies and as they travel from flower to flower, they can spread pollen pretty easily.  Their size also lets them extract pollen from nearly any flower they choose.  Bees are also needed to produce more than one third of all foods and beverages humans consume (Tangley 2016).  In the United States alone, native bees contribute at least three billion dollars a year to the farm economy (Vaughn 2016).  If the bees keep declining that would be a huge loss to the farming industry.

Disease and parasites are a big threat to bees.  One of the most detrimental honey bee parasite is the Varroa Destructor Mite. This parasite has already nearly eliminated wild honey bee populations in the United States.  These mites can even transmit secondary diseases such as the deformed wing disease.  These have increased annual hive losses and raised beekeeping costs.  We need to create a pesticide that can kill these parasites but also not harm the bees to where they might be killed.  American and European foulbrood is a bacterial disease found in bees and can kill them if untreated.  The larvae eat the bacteria and the bacteria then develops in the larvae's gut.  Antibiotics can help the bees but there's no guarantee it can stop the spread of the disease.  Fortunately researchers are making headway into finding a cure.

Disease and parasites are not the only threat these bees have.  The most significant threats are habitat loss, pesticides, and climate change.  The danger with climate change is that as the other animals can push northward to adapt to the change, bees are not pushing north.  Other insects are also disappearing from their native ranges.  Global warming seems to have trapped bumble bees in a climate vise (Jeremy Kerr).  Pesticides are another thing that can damage bee populations.  A new class of insecticides called the neonicotinoids, can last long and absorb into plants.  Bees then get exposed to it when they eat the nectar and pollen.  This insecticide has a more lethal effect specifically on bumble bees.  As this new insecticide becomes more popular with farmers, it can have disastrous effect on the bees. 


We need to help and support bees in anyway we can.  Here are a few ways you can help.  You can provide pollen and nectar for food.  From early spring to late fall bees need these nutrients to help them survive and to feed their young.  Ensure bees have nesting sites by keeping an area untouched with all their needs.  You could also build and place bee houses around your property.  Another important thing you can do is to eliminate pesticides completely.  Avoid insecticides which kill bees directly and avoid using herbicides which kill the plants bees depend on.  If you really enjoy bees and want to help, you can assist scientists by studying bees.  You can report the bee activity around your home to help scientists collect more data.

Bees are very important pollinators and are very important to the ecosystem as a whole.  They are very important to us as well.  They provide a lot for us by pollinating crops we can eat.  I know a lot of people think bees are pests and I myself thought the same thing.  Now after researching what bees do and how important they are, I have a new mindset when it comes to bees.  I hope after reading my blog post your mind is changed as well.






Sources:


National Wildlife Federation. [NWF] 2016.  NWF homepage. https://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/National-Wildlife/Animals/Archives/2016/Bees.aspx. Accessed. April 27 2017.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [USFWS]. 2017. Pollinators. https://www.fws.gov/pollinators/ Accessed April 27 2017.




Pictures:

https://sowswell.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/backyard-beehive-and-starter-kit.jpeg


http://txbeeinspection.tamu.edu/files/2014/10/Adult-bee-with-varroa-mites.jpg


https://pi.tedcdn.com/r/pf.tedcdn.com/images/playlists/why_we_need_bees_1200x627.jpg?c=1050%2C550&w=1050

http://rvcoutdoors.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/bees-on-yellow-flowers.jpg

  

Bee-hold, the future of the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee

Bee-hold, the future of the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee

By: Caitlin Minnick

Background Information:

On February 10th, 2017, the first species of bumble bee, the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee, was placed on the endangered species list in the continental United States. This species which was once prevalent in 28 states spanning from the Midwest over to the East Coast and down to the South has dwindled down to populations in 13 states.

                  Figure 1: This diagram shows the historical and present range of the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee in our region.

The life history of Bombus affinis could be a key aspect in its downfall. This specific species of bumble bee is active for a longer period, spanning from early spring to late fall. This makes them very vulnerable, especially with weather patterns becoming more infrequent and the effects of climate change. This adaptation of longer activity could have once been a great benefit, is now taking a toll on the size of the populations. Human activity is not helping these numbers either due to the removal of flowers that are in bloom during the time the Rust Patched Bumble Bees are active and are heavily relied upon.

Unlike the extended season activity, the life span of this bumble bee is not exclusively associated with this species. Like many other bee species, a new generation is established in spring when a queen creates a working colony from fertilized eggs of the previous year. In the late summer, a new population of queens are established which will then be mated soon after and enter a hibernation during the winter months. During the beginning of the new colonies, the older generations of bees will slowly die off (Scharping, 2017).

Perhaps one of the biggest factors to the decline of the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee is the lack of research being conducted on them. Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation encouraged the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, also known as USFWS, to organize a survey to calculate approximate population numbers. This was made possible through the involvement of researchers, civilian scientists, published reports and museum collections. When this had been completed, it was evident that the bumble bees were in danger and then placed on the endangered species list.

                      Why should we care about bee populations?

Many view these attempts at conserving bee populations as futile, but they are imperative to the growth and health of ecosystems. Bees, as well as many other insect species and mammals, have a crucial role in pollination. This allows many species of plants to reproduce and sustain the habitat for many other organisms. In fact, without bees, we would not be able to fertilize crops that are used to sustain human populations. Especially when statistically speaking, 75-95% of all the world's flowering plants need to be pollinated in order reproduce and live sustainably. If you would like another way to look at it, we could place an economic valuation on pollination and its role in our ecosystem and come up with 217 billion dollars to the global economy. In either case, pollination is an asset provided by the natural world and this bee species carries it out (Pollinator Partnership, 2017).

Preventing the extinction of a small insect species may seem like a daunting task, but I believe it is crucial to the health of our ecosystems and the species that rely on the process of pollination such as ourselves. When we put this into perspective, we can see how much of a large scale effect3 this would have and why even one species of pollinator in danger should be taken seriously. One initiative we have taken to slow down the decline of the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee was to place the species on the endangered species list. This will gain more attention from organizations and partners who want to help in the stabilization on this species and focusing resources to make a difference.

                    

                                                   How you can help:

You don’t have to be a researcher or involved in an organization to make a difference in the rapid decline of pollinators in general. The USFWS has made a recommendation for citizens of the United States to reduce the use of pesticides or reduce the number of applications. This is especially true for neonicotinoids, which have been recently proven to diminish bee colonies (Scharping, 2017). Another way we can help is to plant native species, but when targeting the Rusty Patched Bumble Bees it is suggested to plant native species that are in bloom from early spring to late fall when they are active.

Sources:

Bolt, Clay. A Rusty-patched Bumble Bee. 2014. National Geographic.

Bombus affinis Range Map and Observations. Xerces Society.

Scharping, Nathaniel. 11 Jan. 2017 "The Rusty Patched Bumble Bee Is Disappearing in the US." Weblog post. Discover. Web.

"Pollinators." Pollinators | Pollinator Partnership. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.

Livestock Pollute Shenandoah River

Livestock Pollute Shenandoah River

Figure 1: Shenandoah River

For my second blog post I wanted to inform you about the recent pollution of the Shenandoah River. Many recent reports have mentioned the startling level of Escherichia. Coli (E. coli) being found in the Shenandoah River. The E. coli bacteria comes from the fecal matter of livestock, whether they were in the water or the fecal matter got washed into the river with storm runoff. In an article by Sarah Rankin mentions that a new report finds that Virginia is failing to manage the waste of millions of chickens and cows (Rankin 2017). The waste from these animals contains the E. coli bacteria that is being washed into the Shenandoah River. While the E. coli is the main worry of many people another problem that comes from the livestock fecal matter that ends up in the river. This issue is the increased amount of phosphorous in the water, which can lead to excessive plant growth in algae. First I will go into the problems with E. coli in the water, as it is not only an environmental hazard but a human health hazard as well.

2

Figure 2: E. coli bacteria

 

Escherichia coli, which is abbreviated as E. coli, are bacteria found in the intestines of people and animals. While most varieties of E. coli are harmless and even helpful for healthy digestion in the human intestinal tract. Despite this there are several types of E. coli that are pathogenic, these E. coli varieties cause illnesses which are either diarrhea or illnesses outside of the digestive tract. There are a few ways that E. coli can be transmitted, mainly by contact with animals or other people and contaminated food or water. There are six types of E. coli that are associated with diarrhea, these and other pathogenic E. coli are categorized as pathotypes. The fecal matter that has been either dropped into the Shenandoah River or has been run into the river during heavy rain contains pathogenic E. coli. This means that whenever people go into the Shenandoah River they run the risk of ingesting trace amounts of the livestock fecal matter that can be found within the river. Which in turn means that they may be ingesting the pathogenic E. coli bacteria. While symptoms of E. coli ingestion may vary the symptoms usually include diarrhea and vomiting, there may be a fever but if there is it generally tends to be less than 101 degrees Fahrenheit. Generally, a person effected by E. coli will get better within 5 to seven days, and while some infections can be very mild others are very severe or even life threatening. While anyone can be affected by E. coli young children, the elderly and people who already have a weakened immune system have a higher chance of developing a more severe illness (E. coli 2017).

Figure 3: Algal Bloom and Red Tide

The second problem caused by is an algal bloom, though this does not seem like it would be harmful to humans in some cases algal blooms can cause illness in humans and animals. Algal blooms are caused by access nutrients in the water, the algae can grow and divide exponentially, using up all the nutrients in the water. After using up the nutrients in the water the algae start to die, the dead algae then begin to decompose. The decomposition of the large volume of algae completely depletes the oxygen supply within the body of water. This creates dead zones where there is little or no oxygen in the water. As the name suggests nothing can live within these dead zones, there will be no fish, aquatic invertebrates or plants within the dead zones, they basically become underwater deserts. As I stated before some algal blooms can cause illnesses in humans and other animals, this is due to the production of toxins. Some algal blooms, called Harmful algal blooms (HABs) produce toxins that when either ingested or inhaled can cause serious illnesses (Harmful 2017).

Both environmental issues are taking place within the Shenandoah River, due to lack of monitoring of farmland within the Shenandoah Valley. According to an article by Megan Mathewson only 12.5 percent of the farmland within the Shenandoah Valley are required to have pollution control plans (Mathewson 2017). This means that the remaining 87.5 percent of the Shenandoah Valley farmlands are left unmonitored. This results in the overgrowth of algae, lower fish populations and the spread of E. coli bacteria. In Jacob Fenston’s article he references a study where samples were taken from a section of the Shenandoah River and tested for E. coli, a clear majority of the samples exceeded levels considered safe for E. coli (Fenston 2017). In his article, Darryl Fears mentions data from 2014 to 2016 which states that the poultry and cattle along the Shenandoah river produce more than a billion combined pounds of waste a year that runs into the river (Fears 2017). This waste increases both the amount of E. coli in the water and the number of algae in the water.

I know you may be wondering why you should care about pollution in the Shenandoah River, the main reason is that it is a human cause issue. By letting livestock get near the river farmers are increasing the likelihood of their livestock’s fecal matter getting into the stream, even though the pollution is completely unintentional. By making it mandatory for farmers to check the amount of nutrients in their soil we may be able to decrease the amount of nutrient pollution enters the water which will cut back on algal blooms and may even help with the E. coli in the water if farmers keep their livestock farther from the water.

 

Citations:

E. coli (Escherichia coli). 2017. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. <https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/general/index.html> Accessed 27 Apr 2017.

Fears, D. 2017. Shenandoah River: Livestock making mess of idyllic valley. The Washington      Post. Gatehouse Media. <http://www.examiner-enterprise.com/news/20170427/shenandoah-river-livestock-making-mess-of-idyllic-valley> Accessed 27 Apr 2017.

Fenston, J. A. 2017. Report Says Shenandoah River Fouled by Livestock. WAMU. American      University. <http://wamu.org/story/17/04/26/report-says-shenandoah-river-fouled-livestock/> Accessed 27 Apr 2017

Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB)-Associated Illness. 2017. Centers for Disease Control and   Prevention. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. <https://www.cdc.gov/habs/> Accessed 27 Apr 2017.

Mathewson, M. 2017. Report: Unsafe Levels of Fecal Bacteria in Shenandoah River. NBC 29.     NBC 29. <http://www.nbc29.com/story/35256225/report-unsafe-levels-of-fecal-bacteria-in-shenandoah-river> Accessed 27 Apr 2017.

Rankin, S. 2017. Correction: Shenandoah River-Pollution story. abc NEWS. abc NEWS.             <http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/report-cows-chickens-taint-shenandoah-river-coli-47042522> Accessed 27 April 2017

Images:

1.      http://vogeltalksrving.com/2015/09/shenandoah-river-state-park-the-mountains-are-calling

 

2.      http://www.popsci.com/scientists-design-genome-for-upgraded-e-coli/

3.   https://www.cdc.gov/habs/

 

The Plastic Plague

Plastic is one of the greatest inventions, yet one of the worst inventions as well. We use plastic everyday of our lives. Almost everything is made of it. Which should really change. There are many materials that are safer that could take the place of plastic. Plastic is not biodegradable. It is photodegradable, which over a period just breaks it down into smaller and smaller pieces. Which makes it harder to see and dispose of properly.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch was created by the spiral currents of the North Pacific Gyre. It is described as a floating trash island about the size of Russia. The pieces that make up this garbage patch are small enough to blend with plankton. There has been 750,000 micro plastic pieces per square kilometer found in the garbage patch. It would be different if there was just a huge mound of trash because that could be physically removed but you cannot remove all the time pieces.

Figure 1. Shows pieces of plastic in the ocean.

            Eight million tons of plastic enter the ocean every year, which will keep increasing. Researchers suggest that there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans by 2050. Plastic has been found everywhere, including the Mediterranean Sea bed, shorelines of Bermuda and Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea. Dead chicks were found on the shorelines with stomachs full of plastic. They were starving to death with full stomachs. There are places so full of plastic that they started to burn it. They were then exposed to the gases and toxins that are released when plastic is burned. These gases and toxins have been linked to cancer. Our exposure to the impacts of plastic are rapidly increasing, particularly through the spread of micro plastics. Plastic is in the air we breathe and becomes part of the soil. One million seas creatures die a year due to plastic. This can cause populations to decrease and can even cause species to disappear. Plastic also has negative impacts on the coral reefs.

                                                    Figure 2. A turtle that was harmed by plastic.

Only 9 percent of plastic in the United States is recycled. Recycling rates are very poor. If people would recycle more than we would not have such a big problem with plastic. We need to create plastic that is biodegradable or reusable. We could also use other materials instead of plastic. We can reward people for not using plastic. For example, we can create refundable deposits for plastic bottles. We can also charge people for using plastic bags, which will decrease their use. Putting strict rules on the use of plastic will help decrease the use of plastic.

Making changes in the number one thing that will help with the plastic in the ocean. For example, recycling and reducing the use of plastic can help with this problem. People need to realize this is a bigger problem than they think. Taking steps to prevent this problem is very easy. If we do not take actions now, some species may not be around for our children and grandchildren to see. These species could include fish, turtles, marine mammals and even coral reefs.

Figure 3. Pollution in the ocean.

So many marine mammal’s lives are ruined because of lazy humans. These animals are being punished for absolutely no reason. If we would quit being lazy and start recycling or quit using plastic then these animals would not have to deal with all this plastic in the ocean. They could live normal lives without ingesting and breathing in all these particles of plastic. It is not fair to these animals. They did not choose to live their lives like this. We can prevent this. We can decrease the amount of harm we are causing to these innocent animals if we would just recycle and cut back on the amount of plastic we use. Please recycle your plastic bottles and containers so these poor animals do not have to suffer anymore. Recycling plastic and decreasing the amount of plastic being used also benefits humans and their health.

Monks, K. 2016. The plastic plague: Can our oceans be saved from environmental ruin? <http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/30/world/plastic-plague-oceans/index.html>. Accessed 25 Apr 2017.

http://oceancrusaders.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/297603_263530197015646_100000760032711_666151_1968028046_n.jpg

http://www.thermofisher.com/blog/polymers2plastics/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2016/09/istock_93516167_oceanplasticpollution.jpg

Invasive Bird Species Can hurt Native Birds

For my second blog post, I decided to do it on how invasive species can hurt native birds. One of the main cause for this is an invasive brood parasite.

What is an invasive brood parasite?

An invasive brood parasite, is a bird that will lay legs in other birds nest and sometimes discards the host bird’s eggs. The brown-headed cowbird, is an example of a bird that does this, but however it is not an invasive species. They do however pose a threat to native birds. The birds that are a main concern, for the native birds in the United States are Eurasians Birds species such as the cuckoos.  

Most of the native birds respond to knowing that they have an invasive brood parasite egg, once they figure out they do have an egg in their nest they dump it out of the nest. But will the native birds know the difference from the eggs from the Eurasians cuckoos?

They have been sighting of cuckoos in the United States, but so far they only have reached Alaska. The Eurasians cuckoos are hard to see just because they are small, and secretive. So there has not been an estimated amount of how many have already infiltrated the United States.

 

Bering Strait

The Bering Strait is how the Eurasians cuckoos have been coming to the United States. This is a barrier that separates American from Eurasia. As Vladimir Dinets states “that the cause of warmer climate, is provoking the birds to move. This is also becoming a problem because there is more vegetation in the Bering Strait.” With the more vegetation there is in the Bering Strait, it is becoming more of a concern because the birds will be able to travel, and more invasive bird species will start to coming to the United States. With the Bering Strait having vegetation it is allowing the brown-headed cowbird go and disturb native Asian birds.

The Bering Strait used to be just a tundra, since it has been untouched the last twenty or so years, it had started to grow trees. So my question is should we go in and cut down the trees and make the Bering Strait back into tundra, or let it keep on growing and have it pose a more of a threat to our native bird species?

 

                          Figure 1 Common Cuckoo

The Eurasian Cuckoos are very secretive, and you can mostly hear them from sound to spot them. They do have a similar sound like the Cuckoos in the United States. In this picture above is a common cuckoos, and they have been spotted as far in southeast Alaska. For the last few decades the rise of Eurasian Cuckoos have been noticed in Alaska. One of the main reason they could be crossing is because of the warmer weather, that we have been experience. So would global warming be an issue if the days get warmer, and so would we be seeing more off these invasive birds?

Vladimir Dinets who is a psychology professor at University of Tennessee Knoxville stated “Considering how sparse the observational coverage of Alaska is, these records suggest that Common Cuckoos could already be breeding in North America and using a novel migration route,” Brown-headed cowbirds have also been using the Bering Strait and are causing a problem for Native Asian Birds.

Just like the brown-headed cowbirds Eurasian Cuckoos lay their eggs in other birds nest. But the difference in their eggs are huge. A Eurasian Cuckoos can adapt their eggs to look exactly the host eggs, this can effect a lot of native birds species, like American Robins and warblers.

My question for you guys is that should we prevent the Eurasian Cuckoos into coming farther in the United States? I feel like the only way to stop the prevention of Eurasian Cuckoos is to go into the Bering Strait and make it into a tundra again, so birds cannot move freely to cross and come as they go. This can help prevent Native American Birds from Eurasian Cuckoos, and also help protect Native Asian Birds from the Brown-Headed Cowbird.  I feel like we need to protect our native birds, for our future generations, so they can observe and learn from them and learn to help protect our native species.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Eurasian cuckoos pose new threat to native North American birds." BirdWatching. N.p., 13 Oct. 2015. Web. . <http://www.birdwatchingdaily.com/blog/2015/10/13/eurasian-cuckoos-pose-new-threat-to-native-north-american-birds/>. Accessed on 27 Apr., 2017.

"Invasive Species Can Hurt Native Birds." THE WILDLIFE SOCIETY. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://wildlife.org/invasive-species-can-hurt-native-birds/>. Accessed on 27 Apr., 2017.

Figure 1:  BirdWatching <http://www.birdwatchingdaily.com/blog/2015/10/13/eurasian-cuckoos-pose-new-threat-to-native-north-american-birds/>.

Predators in a legal battle in Colorado

Predators in a legal battle in Colorado

Predators in Colorado are involved in a legal battle between various groups and the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission(CPW). Back in December of 2016 the CPW passed two predator management plans for the state of Colorado, the Piceance Basin Predator Management Plan and, the Upper Arkansas River Predator Management plan. The plans are going to use the USDA to remove predators such as the mountain lion, black bears and other meat eaters from locations in the state due to wanting an increase in the mule deer population. These plans though are very controversial, the CPW is getting sued by various action groups like the Wildearth Guardians and the Human society of the United States. The reason for suing the CPW is because they have infringed the rights of certain trapping regulations in the state of Colorado. They also sued because they did not provide an environmental impact statement that allows the citizens to see the impacts of what will happen if these such predators are eradicated from the limits of Colorado. Even though the NEPA stated that Colorado did not have to provide and environmental impact statement, they said that the environment will see the smallest negative impacts possible to the ecosystem.

The Piceance Basin Predator Management plan is mainly focusing on the Mule deer population in the Piceance Basin area. The basin has been monitored for population since the 1940’s and have seen recent declines over the winter months losing many fawns and yearlings. The plan for this area is to conduct two test sites, one where the predators have been removed and one where the predators have been left in place to see the impacts if the predators were taken out of the area of the Mule deer and it will take place over a three year period. Hoping to see that the population will rise where the predators have been removed by the end of the three year program. The CPW wants to see an increase in fawn survival rate of about 20% when it is all said and done.

The upper Arkansas River Predator Management plan is a  plan that will be put in place to study the effects of allowing the mountain lion population to rise in certain areas to see what the effects are on the population of Mule deer and other potential prey of the mountain lions. When the population of mountain lions gets high enough they will allow hunting of the lion and see the effects of a harvest can do to the ecosystem that they are in.

Also right over in Idaho the legislation there passed a bill allowing chemicals to be used to get rid of predators, which you might not agree with, and your not the only one, many people are opposing this action because of the harmful chemicals that are being used to do so. The chemicals being used are explosive cyanide devices that will be launched into the habitats of the mountain lions. Many watershed groups are concerned with what these chemicals can do if it gets into the water and what the effects are going to be if that happens, it will not only effect the aquatic species but other species drinking out of that water system.

I do not believe any of these actions or plans that are put in place should happen at all. Why are we trying to alter these ecosystems? They are not having an impact on humans at all, it is a process of nature. Predation occurs, why are we trying to get rid of them, it will just make other species populations sky rocket because of no predators to control them in a way that will keep the numbers down. If these animals reach the carrying capacity it would be an even bigger problem than what is already happening. I believe that more hunting for predators can be done in these problem areas but complete dismissal of all predators in the area is not a good idea there are many other ways to control this. As for using chemicals to control predators in Idaho, I personally think that is obscured. Why put those chemicals into our environment? We know what they can do if it gets in the wrong place, it could wipe out many small ecosystems if not used in a careful manner. Colorado and Idaho need to go back to the drawling board and find a better solution to their problems rather than these insane plans that they came up with in the first place.

Citation:

Blake, Jamila. "Predator Control at the Center of Legal Actions." THE WILDLIFE SOCIETY. The Wildlife Society, 27 Apr. 2017. Web. 27 Apr. 2017.

Elk Reintroduced Into West Virginia

In December of 2016, twenty-four elk were placed in the Tomblin Wildlife Management areas, named after the current governor of West Virginia. The Tomblin Wildlife Management areas are located in Logan County, which is in southern West Virginia. These are the first elk in West Virginia since around 1875 (WVMetroNew 2016). I agree that elk should be reintroduced into their former range for environmental and economic regions.

Eastern Elk were once widespread throughout the Eastern United States. Large herds of elk were found in the Kanawha and Ohio river valleys. Many of these elk were found in the high mountains of West Virginia. Large timbering operations, market hunting, and subsistence hunting were the main cause of the population decline in West Virginia. The last elk in West Virginia was recorded in Webster County in 1875. Like Pennsylvania, West Virginia had tried reintroduction projects with little success. In 1913, West Virginia acquired fifty elk from Yellowstone National Park. The elk were released into the wild in Pocahontas County, West Virginia with little success. One limiting factor that the West Virginia Division of Natural Resource is taking into account is predation from black bear. During the Great Smokey Mountain elk reintroduction project, black bear predation was a limiting factor (WVDNR2 2016).

Where is the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources acquiring these elk? The answer is Kentucky. In particular the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. The Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area is a 170,000 acre area, owned by the United States Forest Service (USDA 2017). The area is located in Western Kentucky and Tennessee between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley making it the largest inland peninsula in the United States. The Land between the Lakes National Recreation Area has a 700 acre restored prairie, bottomland forest, wetlands, and shoreline. Animals that can be found at the Land Between the Lakes includes foxes, bobcat, beaver, river otters, bison, and of course elk. Patrons can pay a small fee to drive a on a wildlife loop to experience what the area looked like in the past (PorterBriggs 2015).

Altogether, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources want to reintroduce about seventy-five elk into the Tomblin Wildlife Management areas. In addition, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources plans to reintroduce seventy-five more elk in nearby Wyoming and Mingo counties. The Tug Fork Wildlife Management Area, located in McDowell County, has been created for future reintroductions (PutnamReview 2015). The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources is currently in contact with Land Between the Lakes, Kentucky DNR, and the State of Arizona to obtain more elk. Obtaining animals from different areas is very important is sustaining genetic diversity. They decided to reintroduce the elk in winter to reduce stress on pregnant females. I hope that the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources has a successful calving season (WVMetroNews 2016).

Where did the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources obtain all the money and land to do this reintroduction project? Outdoorsman fueled the cost of transporting the elk. The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources used money obtain from hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses to pay for freight costs. They also used taxes paid from purchasing firearms and archery equipment. The Conservation Fund, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and Walmart donated most of the land used in the elk reintroduction project (WVMetroNew 2016). Overall, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources has acquired around 42,000 acres of land for elk reintroduction purposes (WVDNR 2016). The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is also contributing greatly to the reintroduction efforts (WVMetroNews 2016).

 

 

Why should you care as a wildlife professional and as a person? As a wildlife professional, we should want to see animals reintroduced back to their former ranges. Each animal fits a niche in the environment and the niche elk filled in the Eastern United States has been absent for years. The presence of elk in Southern West Virginia would benefit the economy greatly. Southern West Virginia was hit the hardest, after the collapse of the coal industry. While on the alternative spring break trip, I saw firsthand how crippled the economy is in West Virginia. With reintroduction of elk, southern West Virginia could create an ecotourism hot spot. Take Pennsylvania for example. Benezette and the surrounding areas benefit greatly with the influx of people. People from all over the world come to see the elk at the Elk Country visitor center. In addition, when the time comes, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources could open up a hunting season for the elk. I know this will not happen in the near future, but it is something to think about. The addition of an elk hunting season would bring a large chunk of money into West Virginia’s economy.

Overall, I think this is a very good idea, and if West Virginia’s elk program is like Pennsylvania’s then it has a bright future. I am completely for the reintroduction of elk back into West Virginia because it will benefit the environment and the economy. I plan to follow up on the reintroduction project as more news comes out and you should too.

 

LITERATURE CITED

Literature

Porter Briggs [PorterBriggs]. 2016. <http://porterbriggs.com/land-between-the-lakes-the-elk-

and-bison-prairie/>. Accessed 26 Apr 2017.

 

Putnam Review [PutnamReview]. 2015. <http://www.putnamreview.com/article

/20150911/GZ07/150919883>. Accessed 26 Apr 2017.

West Virginia Division of Natural Resources [WVDNR1]. 2016. Governor Tomblin welcomes

elk to West Virginia twenty elk released at Tomblin wildlife management area.

<http://www.wvdnr.gov/2016news/16news182.shtm> . Accessed 26 Apr 2017.

West Virginia Division of Natural Resources [WVDNR2]. 2016. West Virginia elk management

plan.< http://www.wvdnr.gov/Publications/Draft_Elk_Plan.pdf>. Accessed 26 Apr 2017.

West Virginia Metro News [WVMetroNews]. 2016. <http://wvmetronews.com/2016/12/19/the-

elk-are-finally-back-in-west-virginias-hills/>. Accessed 26 Apr 2017.

United States Department of Agriculture [USDA]. 2017. Land between the lakes national

recreation area. <https://www.landbetweenthelakes.us/seendo/attractions/elk-bison-

prairie/>. Accessed 26 Apr 2017.

Pictures

http://www.putnamreview.com/article/20150911/GZ07/150919883

http://wvmetronews.com/2016/12/19/the-elk-are-finally-back-in-west-virginias-hills/