In 2007 federal protections were dropped for the protection of Yellowstone grizzlies. Ever since then, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition have been fighting to give protection back to the bears. They argued that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) failed to address the loss of essential food sources for the bears, whitebark pine seeds and cutthroat trout.

On Monday, September 21 they finally achieved what they were fighting for when Judge Donald Molloy ruled that inadequate regulatory mechanisms were put in place to manage the bears. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and six other groups, represented by Earthjustice, have a similar case pending in Idaho.

Read more of this story »

Global warming causes you may not have known about

You’re likely aware that many of your daily activities — driving your car, cooling and heating your home, operating electronic devices — produce greenhouse gas emissions, especially carbon dioxide. You may not, however, be aware of some other major global warming causes that you encounter regularly. For instance,

• The meat on your plate: Deforestation, especially of tropical rainforests, is one of the major causes of global warming, and residents of countries such as Brazil and Costa Rica often destroy these forests to create grazing space for cattle. Choosing to eat less meat, and purchasing the meat you do eat from local sources, should be a part of your plan to lighten your own carbon footprint.
• The food and yard wastes you throw away: When you send food wastes, grass clippings, and other organic materials to the landfill, they’re much more likely to end up producing methane because they’ll decompose in an anaerobic (or oxygen-free) environment. Composting those wastes, whether by sending them to a large-scale operation, or adding them to your own compost pile or bin, will allow for oxygen-rich decomposition… which prevents methane emissions, and “closes the loop” by creating material you can use for garden and plant fertilizer.

Read more of this story »

I love bears. Polar, Panda, Brown - you name it. Therefore I was immediately was fond of our books this week - a children’s book that takes place in a little bears’ heaven and where the main characters are bears (and very funny ones!).

Our book this week is:

The Legend of Honey Hollow

We mentioned it firstly last month when we announced on a collaboration with the author who plant a tree for every book sold on her signing events and provides buyers of the book with our sticker (made of recycled paper), saying: “One tree planted for this book”.

Read more of this story »

The Slovenian Environment Ministry has approved a wild bear kill of 70 animals. The country has between 430 and 480 bears according to one estimate.

Some environmentalists put the number slightly lower. In 2008 the Environment Ministry approved a kill of 75, and in 2007 it was 100. In 2006 it was also 100. That will make 345 wild bears killed in the last four years.  The number of cubs born each year is estimated at 60-90.
(Brown bears in Slovenia are a protected species.)

Read more of this story »

Animals Asia successfully rescued 13 Asian black bears (moon bears) from bile farms in the past month. This is a small step in a continuing fight, as an estimated 7,000-10,000 moon bears still suffer in bile farms across China.

Read more of this story »

Read more of this story »

From our friends at ZapRoot this week: Arizona tests artificial CO2 filtering trees. Sarah Palin loves oil. We help you find ways to get rid of your junk mail.

Read more of this story »

But, with age came wisdom, and with wisdom came a shift in my view of the world.

I say that, because in an MSNBC article entitled ‘Yukon Flats wildlife refuge eyed for its oil,’ this sentence appears; “A controversial land swap proposal could open portions of an Alaska wildlife refuge to oil drilling, dividing Alaska natives and stoking opposition from environmentalists seeking to protect the bears, moose and birds that live there.”

The moment I read “moose,” I knew that my perspective on the world had changed. A part of my mind, long since dormant, by instinct reared up and said “It’s a moose! Who cares?!” But it was immediately overridden by the new me which realized the overall importance of sustaining various ecosystems and species.

The plan is a land trade, which would give 110,000 acres of hydrocarbon-prone uplands within the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge, plus mineral rights to another 97,000 acres, to Fairbanks-based Doyon Ltd. The Refuge lies just south of the ‘always-in-the-news’ Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

In exchange, and definitely a plus to the deal, the Refuge would acquire 150,000 acres of bird-friendly wetlands, currently owned by Doyon, as well as 56,500 acres on which Doyon currently has pending land claims.

Read more of this story »

She’s the mother of eight, the grandmother of 15 and a great-grandmother to seven, she enjoys crossword and jigsaw puzzles, and quilting. Marjorie lives in Nicholson Township, Pennsylvania and, like many people enjoys an occasional walk along the road in her rural area. There’s nothing unusual about that, but Marjorie makes that walk a study in environmental consciousness.

That’s Marjorie on the right, out on the road with her trash bag and a long, jaw-like grab stick to help in snagging discarded objects. And who wouldn’t like to be greeted with that smile? Marjorie’s story was told in the Scranton, PA Times-Tribune, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to talk with her.

When the number of bears to be killed in 2006 was set at 100, the European Commission expressed concern that the number was too high, and the bear population could not sustain such aggressive culls. “It also pointed out that, based on Slovenia’s own figures, the cull could eradicate 25 per cent of the country’s bears.” The EC also stated that the manner of population estimation coud be improved and the current estimate is questionable.

A study conducted by scientists from the University of Freiburg and the University of Veterinary Medicine in Austria concluded the current reliance on killing bears annually to manage the whole population needs to be changed, “>3.3.) Slovenia has to solve its problems not only by culling, but also by public awareness campaigns, changes in the decision making processes, and applied research.”

With small populations, inbreeding can become a threat to the survival of the species.
For example a very small population of wild wolves in Michigan is experiencing deformities of the spine because of inbreeding among a population of less than 30 animals. It would seem prudent that Slovenian bears have their DNA or reproductive material sampled regularly to build up a gene bank larger than the actual number of animals that are currently allowed to live by the government.

Image Credit: Copyright-free-images UK