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Earth Saving News > September 30, 2009
Bears vs. beetles?
These grizzlies aren’t in the clear yet, though, due to a voracious, invasive beetle that’s infested the Yellowstone ecosystem. Much of the wildlife and ecosystem in Yellowstone rely on the Whitebark pine tree for food and nutrients, but these trees are being devastated by the mountain pine beetle. According to researchers at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), this beetle “bores through the tree’s bark, cuts off its supply of water and nutrients, and starves it to death.” To make things worse, global warming is making it easier for the pine beetle to survive during winter and continue its path of destruction.
NRDC, an EarthShare member group, petitioned the Fish and Wildlife Service last year to add the tree to the Endangered Species List. This year, they’re teaming up with the U.S. Forest Service to track and map die-offs of the trees throughout Yellowstone. Read the NRDC Switchboard for more information and future updates on the Yellowstone Grizzlies.
“America’s Best Idea?” We agree!
Airing all week on PBS through Friday, October 2, each two-hour segment explores the development and history of our country’s beautiful natural spaces and lands “..through the eyes of those responsible for their creation.” Included are some EarthShare member organizations, such as National Audubon Society and the Sierra Club. Another member group, National Parks Conservation Association, has an amazing array of information on their site, including an interview with director Ken Burns. If you aren’t already a fan, this series is sure to spark your interest in one of our most valuable assets: our public lands.
Speaking of which, Saturday was National Public Lands Day (NPLD) and this year more than 150,000 volunteers showed up to lend a hand and help restore these natural treasures. Check out our interview with NPLD Program Director, Robb Hampton, if you missed it last week!
Helping Georgia after the flood.
More than 22 inches of rain fell in a matter of days, leaving much of the state under water. As the flooding recedes, residents and the waterways in the region will begin a long recovery phase. Officials have declared the Chattahoochee River to be “chock-full of E. coli,” as the flood swept trash and contaminants into river. Earlier in the week, the Chattahoochee River flooded an entire local sewage plant, which resulted in the bypass of raw sewage directly into the river. The Chattahoochee provides water to more than 3.5 million people in the Atlanta area.
EarthShare of Georgia works to support environmental charities in the region, including the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper (UCR), a Georgia-based nonprofit that protects and preserves the river. UCR is also a leading voice in the effort to establish vital water efficiency standards in the city of Atlanta. Visit them here to find out what you can do to support their work, now more critical than ever!
Doing your EarthShare.
Federal employees, want to know about one easy and effective way to support all the organizations and causes we talk about here, and many others? Each fall, EarthShare staff, our member charities and our state affiliates attend hundreds of events across the country to let you know how easy it is and why it's so important to support America's most respected environmental charities through the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). The CFC is the largest workplace giving program in the world, and caring federal employees have donated more than $115 million to conservation and environmental charities through EarthShare since 1988! Can we count on your support again this year? Learn more about giving through the CFC here.
Can’t get enough EarthShare? Come meet us at the D.C. Green Festival on October 10 and 11! The festival is a project of EarthShare member Green America and boasts more than 125 speakers (including Dr. Cornel West, Ed Begley, Jr., and even Chuck D.!), inexpensive passes, and a free bike valet!
If you can’t make it, never fear. You can follow our efforts online on Facebook and Twitter or find your state’s EarthShare affiliate to attend an event in your area.
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Marce -
Thanks for your question! The Yellowstone grizzlies were first listed in 1975 when their population was just about 136 of them left in the region.
They were unlisted in 2007 when their population had grown to 500, still a small population. They're back on the list now because their food source is being depleted by the mountain pine beetle, thus their survival is in danger.
Our member group National Resources Defense Council is working to track the number of trees (the bears' primary food source is acorns from these trees) that are wiped out from this beetle.
They've also petitioned to add that tree - the Whitebark Pine - the endangered species so that conservation efforts can go to protect it. That tree not only affects the grizzlies in Yellowstone, but it also plays a significant role in the entire Yellowstone ecosystem.
Let us know if you have any more questions!
-- Your Friends at EarthShare
Posted by: Nicole at EarthShare | October 09, 2009 at 01:37 PM
How many grizzly bears are there left? And why are the grizzly bears endangered or threatened?
How long has it been threatened?
What is being done to help it?
Posted by: Marce Ambit | October 08, 2009 at 07:56 PM
Thanks for your comment, Tammy!
The US Fish and Wildlife Service as well as the National Marine Fisheries Service are held responsible for classifying and protecting endangered species, yet, adding a particular species to the list is a long, controversial process and in reality it represents only a fraction of imperiled plant and animal life.
In the United States alone, the “number of known species threatened with extinction is ten times higher than the number protected under the Endangered Species Act.”
Posted by: Robin | September 30, 2009 at 06:06 PM
With regards to the Yellowstone Grizzly Bear, how do they actually calculate whether it meets the endangered species criteria? I would have thought that they would have some sort of sliding scale to work it out, or even several different grades reflecting how much at risk each species is. Having said that, in an ideal world it shouldn't matter and all species deserve to benefit from conservation resources.
Posted by: tammyleen@gmail.com | September 30, 2009 at 05:19 PM