The Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit

THE COLUMBIA BASIN PYGMY RABBIT

(Brachylagus idahoensis)

(Oregon Zoo)

By Julia Luna

What is a Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit?

The Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit is a small critter, part of the family Leporidae. What makes this Pygmy rabbit different from the others is: the size, bone structure, blood protein arrangement, and habitat behavior. Adult pygmy rabbits are generally 9-11 inches in length and typically weight less than a pound. Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbits are the only of their kind that bury themselves and their young in shallow burrows. This is due to their unique geographic habitat, which is described in the next section.

Where and How does the Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit live?

As the name of the species suggests, these pygmy rabbits live in the Columbia Basin region. But where exactly is the Columbia Basin you might ask? It is in the Eastern region of the state of Washington, but of that region the pygmy rabbits live in a specific landscape, the semiarid steppe. The rest of the species live in neighboring states such as Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Oregon, and California. These pygmy rabbits live most of their lives darting in and out of their burrows, which they build thanks to their long claws. they are also fairly fast, being able to hop at speeds of 15 miles an hour, a feat considering their tiny size. They sustain themselves off the surrounding brush, especially being dependent on sagebrush as a food source and source of shelter.

(US Fish and Wildlife Service)

Why is a Rabbit listed on the ESA?

It might come as a surprise that a rabbit is on the Endangered Species Act list, since they are known to be prolific breeders. Surprisingly, producing offspring is not one of the factors plaguing the pygmy rabbit. What are the factors that greatly decimated the Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit are: habitat destruction; overutilization of the population for recreational, scientific, or educational purposes; disease and predation; and human and nature caused factors. While the combination of those left the pygmy rabbit population to 16 individuals in 2001, the single largest contributing factor was habitat destruction. Due to the fact that the pygmy rabbit's preferred habitat of semiarid brush being unsuitable for human utilization, humans began to replace the natural flora with more grasses suitable for grazing. It was not realized until the early 2000's that the Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit population was quickly dwindling and in 2001 the Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit was listed in the ESA as an endangered species under an emergency regulation. By 2003, they were fully listed as endangered. As of 2010, their current priority number is 6. 

(Oregon Zoo)

How is the Pygmy Rabbit Supposed to Recover?

The Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit has long been a concern for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). So the USFWS partnered with the Oregon Zoo, Washington State University captive breeding program, and Northwest Trek Wildlife Park to begin captive breeding with the remaining 16 wild pygmy rabbits. Due to low genetic diversity, the Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbits were crossbred with Idaho Pygmy Rabbits. After several breeding seasons to determine how genetically fir the pygmy rabbits were, they were reintroduced into the wild. This proved to be unsuccessful and none of the 20 pygmy rabbits released survived in the wild. So the breeding programs ramped up their efforts and created a new plan to slowly reintroduce the pygmy rabbits into extirpated areas. In 2011, the programs created a partial release, keeping the rabbits in a large enclosure to reduce predation. After a few successful breeding seasons and reintroduction of wild pygmy rabbits from Nevada, Idaho, Utah, and Oregon, the pygmy rabbits are beginning to see an upturn in population. However, there will be continued controlled field-breeding, translocation and releases until the pygmy rabbit can sustain its own population within the Columbia Basin. 

(University of Washington)

How Can WE Help the Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit?

The best way to support the continued resurgence of pygmy rabbits is through awareness and financial support. Pygmy rabbits are important in their ecosystem. They are a food source for many predators, such as owls, hawks, bobcats, lynxes, and foxes in the Columbia Basin area. They are also ecosystem engineers because of how they shape the arid steppe with their shallow burrows. I can spread awareness through this post along with links of useful information on why we should help pygmy rabbits recover, besides just because they are so cute and small. There are several organizations that are currently helping not only the Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbits but the entire species of pygmy rabbits that can always use donations. 

The Oregon Zoo that became part of the captive breeding program for the Columbia Basin always needs donations to continue funding for the captive breeding program. Donate Here!

Western Watersheds works to help pygmy rabbits in Idaho and they always take donations: Donate Here!


Sources: 

Bolen, Anne. "Return of the Mighty Pygmy Rabbit." National Wildlife Federation, 11 Mar. 2013. Web. 1 Dec. 2015.

Oregon Zoo. "Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbits. Oregon Zoo. Web. 1 Dec. 2015.

"Pygmy Rabbits." Western Watersheds Project. Web. 1 Dec. 2015.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2012. Recovery Plan for the Columbia Basin Distinct Population Segment of the Pygmy Rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis). Portland, Oregon. ix + 109 pp. 

The Blue Whale

The Blue Whale (Balaenoptera Musculus)

By Salvador Lopez

Photo by National Geographic

The Blue Whale is a fascinating titan of a species. As of July 28th 1998, it was enlisted as an endangered species which includes all of its subspecies. It is crucial to understand the blue whale before they are all gone, and we must acknowledge why they are endangered and what we can do to help them survive so that they do not perish from this earth.

About the Blue Whale

The blue whale, or balaenoptera musculus, is the largest known animal that has ever lived on Earth. This animal can reach a length of up to 33 meters (approx. 108 ft.) and a weight of up to 150,000 kg (over 33,000 lbs.), but blue whales in the Southern Hemisphere tend to be larger than those in the Northern Hemisphere, and females are usually larger than males (NOAA). There are three subspecies, one in the north Atlantic, one in the Antarctic, and one in the southern Indian Ocean and southwestern Pacific Ocean. Because of the three subspecies, it can be difficult to determine the conservation status of blue whales (ECOS).

Habitat

To expand a bit more on where blue whales are located, figure one below shows the ranges where they live on the Earth. As you can see, it ranges in about every ocean. 

Figure 1: Blue Whale Range
Figure by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Migration & Young

During the winter blue whales tend to be in warm, low latitude tropical waters, which is where they mate and breed. During the summer, they tend to be in cooler, high latitude polar waters, which is where they go for their feeding grounds in which they feed for about 3 to 4 months. Blue whales migrate back to the tropics segregated by sex and age, the older and pregnant whales migrate first, and the sexually immature whales migrate last. During migration, the whales basically eat nothing at all and live off of body reserves (WhaleRoute).
The young calves are born at about 7 meters long in the tropical waters during the winter, after the mothers are pregnant for about 10 to 12 months. They wean after the spring migration, which they do with their mothers and takes approximately 7 months, and then they begin to follow the normal migration cycle on their own (WhaleRoute).

Photo by National Geographic

Main Threats

For all subspecies, the causes of this listing are the following human impacts: vessel interactions that include collisions with ships and disturbance by vessels; entrapment and entanglement in fishing gear (but the large size of the species makes entrapment rare); habitat degradation, as many whales tested in the late ‘90s were found to have large amounts of chemical contaminants like DDT; military operations, but there is currently no evidence for this; and hunting, but most whaling operations do not take on blues. These are all substantial threats but the largest one continues to be collisions from large vessels (ECOS).

Recovery Plan

The goal of the following recovery plan is to recover blue whales from endangered status to threatened status and eventually from the ESA’s Endangered and Threatened Wildlife list. It is worth noting that blue whales move freely along international borders, so the recovery plan is not confined simply to U.S. territory. Thus, the recovery plan is as follows: to assess the structure of blue whales using genetic analysis and determine daily movement and seasonal migration patterns using telemetry; to monitor trends in populations and conduct photo-identification of blue whales; to improve knowledge of blue whale feeding and learn about the habitats of blue whales and how they use their habitats; to significantly decline or eliminate human-induced mortality and injury and implement studies of pollution that affect blue whale habitats and groups; to gain knowledge of effects of whale watching on blue whales and conduct appropriate protection, and; to create a criteria for deciding to delist whales (U.S Fish & Wildlife, Environmental Conservation Online System). A majority of these goals are currently active and many are partially complete.

Personal Action

My personal action is to increase awareness and understanding of the migration pattern of the blue whales, so that there will be a prevention of collisions with ships. Ships do not purposely collide with whales as they are always accidental, so the only thing we can do is learn more about the paths that these animals take. Every time I go out to fish, I like to inform people about the interesting studies I've made in my wildlife conservation class, so you can do your part as well and go inform those who are unaware of how the species they see often are actually endangered.

Source: National Geographic

Works Cited

Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus).  National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (n.d.). Web. November 20, 2015,  http://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/whales/blue-whale.html

Recovery Plan Action Status for the Blue Whale. U.S Fish & Wildlife Service (1998, July 28). Web. November 22, 2015, http://ecos.fws.gov/roar/pub/planImplementationStatus.action?documentId=1004591&entityId=3199

Reeves, R., Clapham, P., Brownell Jr., R., & Silber, G. Environmental Conservation Online System (1998, July 28). Recovery Plan for the Blue Whale. Web. November 20, 2015, http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/whale_blue.pdf

Species and populations with recovery plans. ECOS (1998, June 28). Web. November 20, 2015, http://ecos.fws.gov/tess_public/pub/speciesRecovery.jsp?sort=2

Whale Migration. (n.d.). Web. November 20, 2015, http://whaleroute.com/migrate/

The Akikiki

The Akikiki

By Dana Mason

In class we learned a lot about how endemic species, species specific to a singular area, are common on islands. Hawaii has the most endemic species in the US. One of these species is the Akikiki. The Akikiki was listed as critically endangered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service on May 13^th 2010.

Description:

From: carolinabirds.org

Pictured to right the Akikiki is a small Hawaiian honeycreeper. It has dark gray to olive feathers on its head, back, sides and flanks but white feathers on its throat, belly, breast, and tail coverts. The Akikiki also have dull pink legs, feet, nails, and bills contrasting the dark olive and white feathers. The young birds have patches around their eyes that appear similar to spectacles (“Species Profile”).

The Akikiki are K-selected species and often forage and fly in pairs. They have a strong family bonds ("Akikiki." Kaua'i Forest Bird Recovery Plan). When foraging they search for insects and other invertebrates, their main food source ("Akikiki (Oreomystis bairdi)").   

Geography and Population:

This rare bird is endemic to the Kaua’I island of Hawaii ("Akikiki (Oreomystis bairdi)"). At one point in history they inhabited the entire island down to sea level but their current range is only the upper range of the island with an elevation of at least 1140 feet ("Akikiki." Kaua'i Forest Bird Recovery Plan).  This bird can be found in the ‘ohi’a and koa-‘ohi’a forests ("Akikiki (Oreomystis bairdi)").  With a decreased range comes a decreased population. Once in the thousands in 2012 the Akikiki were estimated to only have 468 individuals left ("Akikiki (Oreomystis bairdi)").

From: voices.nationalgeographic.com/

Main Threats:

What has caused this large decline in a species—a few different things. First, development of the island, as people started to settle and Hawaii started to become a large tourist destination the lower parts of the islands started to become developed. The forests that the Akikiki inhabited were cut down ("Akikiki (Oreomystis bairdi)"). The second threat to these birds is feral pigs. Not because the pigs will eat the birds but because of what the pigs carry. As the feral pigs trek around they disperse alien plants and mosquitoes. The mosquitoes carry avian malaria and pox that kill off the Akikiki ("Akikiki (Oreomystis bairdi)"). The third threat to this species is Hurricanes. Hurricanes cause massive destruction and degrade the bird’s habitat. This causes the birds to have to try to adjust to lower climates and higher temperatures that they are no longer accustomed to ("Akikiki (Oreomystis bairdi)").

Recovery Plan:

The Kaua’I Forest Bird Recovery Project has created a recovery work plan for 2010-2015 in order to help the Akikiki. The first steps the project intends on taking are doing more surveys in order to learn more about the bird. They state developing a captive breeding program will be critical, as will be translocating the birds to higher Hawaiian Islands like Maui (“AKIKIKI FIVE-YEAR”). These are the interim steps and need to be completed before recovery can move forward. Once these are completed the project will move forward with the captive breeding program and other various research objectives like determining survival and dispersal of adults and juveniles (“AKIKIKI FIVE-YEAR”). The project strongly believes that their recovery plan will be effective.

Personal Action:

Although I do not live in Hawaii I hope I can to volunteer remotely. Since donations and funding are always needed in order to help the recovery effort I intend to work with the Kaua’I Forest Bird Recovery Project to increase their funding through emails and campaigning. I hope that Californians will see the importance in helping this species. 

You can donate here: http://kauaiforestbirds.org/get-involved/donate/

Works Cited

"‘AKIKIKI FIVE-YEAR RECOVERY WORK PLAN 2010-2015." Kaua'i Forest Bird Working Group (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 25 Nov. 2015.

"Akikiki." Kaua'i Forest Bird Recovery Plan. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2015.

"Akikiki (Oreomystis bairdi)." Bird Life International. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2015.

"Species Profile for Akikiki (Oreomystis Bairdi)." ECOS Environmental Conservation Online System. US Fish and Wildlife Service, n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2015.

The Green Turtle

The Green Turtle

By Kate Martin

This past Spring I went to Mexico with my mom where we had the wonderful opportunity to swim with green sea turtles at Akumal beach (as pictured above). It has always been a dream of mine to snorkel and when my mom and I saw this opportunity we knew it was too good to pass up. Seeing these turtles in their natural habitat gliding along the ocean floor and eating the green seagrass was mesmerizing. These wonderful creatures made everything seem so peaceful and calm. Unfortunately, the green turtle is an endangered species and there are several things that are causing their endangerment, but there are many things that can be done and are being done to protect this species. 

Facts about The Green Turtle

            The Green Turtle, or the Chelonia mydas is named for the green fat that is under its shell (Sea Turtle Conservancy). They get this fat from the seagrass and algae that they eat. Green turtles are some of the biggest sea turtles, but their heads are a lot smaller than most (NOAA Fisheries). They have a pair of scales in front of their eyes, whereas most turtles have two pairs of scales. Adults usually weigh between 240 and 400 pounds and are 3 to 4 feet in length (NOAA Fisheries). Green turtle’s diet usually changes throughout different phases in their life. When they are young they eat worms and aquatic insects and once they reach adulthood they are strictly herbivores (NOAA Fisheries).  Seagrass and algae are in protected coves and bays, which is mainly where these turtles are found unless they are migrating. They are not found in the open very often (NOAA Fisheries).

Habitat

The Green Turtle is found in tropical and sub tropical areas along coasts and islands. In the U.S. turtles can be found in southern San Diego, Florida, and from Texas to Massachusetts (NOAA Fisheries). Green Turtles are also found in the Gulf of Mexico, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica and Hawaii. Many are seen throughout the Great Barrier Reef and places throughout Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Here is a video of a Green Turtle Roaming around the Great Barrier Reef with a Go Pro camera on its back. This was done by the World Wildlife Fund and was an experiment to see the view of The Reef through a “turtle’s eyes” (WWF). Image 1 represents the different nesting sites around the world. The red stars signify the major female nesting sites and the circles resemble the minor sites. This map gives us an idea of where these turtles are around the world.

Image 1

Source:http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleinformation.php?page=green

Migration and Nesting

         Female turtles migrate from their feeding grounds all the way to their nesting grounds in order to give birth to their young (Sea Turtle Conservancy). They travel back to the beach they were born on (Sea Turtle Conservancy). When hatchlings are born they must travel from the beach to the ocean where they can find food and safety. When they reach full maturity they must leave the feeding grounds and migrate to the nesting grounds (Sea Turtle Conservancy). At the nesting ground, females crawl onto the beach and spend hours into the night digging a hole so that they can lay their eggs (Image 2). Once the turtles hatch they are on their own and must find their own way to the ocean (Image 3). They are very prone to danger in the wide open and not a lot of them make it past this point.

    Image 2                                                                         Image 3

                    

Source: https://cococares.wordpress.com               http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/green-turtle

Main Threats

            Green turtles are endangered due to a lot of human involvement throughout marine life. Overharvesting and illegal trade of eggs, fishing bycatch (Image 4), habitat loss, a disease called fibropapillomatosis, human development, especially in nesting areas and boat collisions from increased boating traffic are some of the major components that are affecting green turtles. Green Turtles aren’t as affected by bycatch as much as other sea turtle species, but looking at Graph 1 below we can see that the bycatch was at an increase from 1994 until 2000 and then decreased from 2001-2007.

Graph 1                                                                 

Source:http://www.fws.gov/endangered/news/bulletin-summer2009/reduce-sea-turtle-by-catch.html
Image 4

Source: http://jawspaws.org/hawaiian-green-sea-turtle/

Green turtles are very valuable to the habitats they are a part of (WWF). Because they eat seagrass beds and algae they act as a lawn mower, which makes the feeding sites healthy and productive (WWF). It is quickly recycled and digested and becomes useful for nutrients and animals that live in seagrass and algae habitats. Seagrass is also very important for a lot of fish that are used for fisheries because of the habitat it provides and therefore very useful for our food resource (WWF).

Disease

Fibropapillomatosis is a papilloma tumor that develops from fibrous tissue (Image 5). This is why it is called fibropapillomatosis. These tumors vary in size and shape and occur mainly on the skin, but can also occur on the mouth, between scales and in the organs (Fibropapillomas in the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle).  Scientists are still not sure how this disease is spread or contracted throughout the turtles, but the disease is like a cancer and it is fast growing (Fibropapillomas in the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle). There is still research being done, but the disease is affecting this species and there needs to be a cure.

        Image 5

                                

Source: http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleinformation.php?page=green

Recovery Plan for U.S. Pacific Populations of the East Pacific Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas)

            The recovery plan for the East Pacific populations of the green turtle was listed on January 12, 1998. The Green Turtle was listed as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act in this range (U.S. Fish and Wildlife). This recovery plan is specifically for the U.S. East Pacific populations of the green turtles, including those in Mexico. Throughout Mexico the population of Green Turtles had decreased rapidly. This decrease was mainly due to the direct take of eggs and overharvesting of the turtles between 1960 and 1980 on the beaches of Mexico (U.S. Fish and Wildlife). Other threats to the U.S. populations include boating collisions and debris entanglement. The goal is to delist the species. The action that is being taken incudes: decreasing boating collisions and death by commercial fishing companies, supporting Mexico to protect nesting sites, determining population size and protecting foraging sites (U.S. Fish and Wildlife). There has been an action called head starting where the eggs will be taken and incubated and the hatchlings will be raised until they are older. They will then be released into the wild near the shore where predators will not get to them. With this plan there has been a sense of action to delist the species and has helped them recover their populations.

Personal Action

            For my personal action to help the Green Turtle, I would write a letter to the president of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto, telling him of the decrease in populations throughout the green turtle. The green turtle is very important for maintaining a healthy ecosystem and can be used as an umbrella species for smaller ones, especially throughout seagrass habitats. They help fish populations that are important for fisheries and by decreasing bycatch, protecting green turtle eggs and their nesting sites and putting money into research for the fibropapillomatosis disease we can help green turtle populations survive. Through the WWF I could also get a BankAmericard Cash Rewards Visa credit card that donates 100 dollars to each account opened. The WWF is helping to eliminate bycatch by using friendlier hooks and helps work with local communities to decrease the use of illegal trade of eggs. With the WWF they are helping these turtles. When I went to Akumal beach the main attraction is the green turtles and I, like many others, would be extremely saddened to not be able to see them in the wild again. By keeping them safe and protected there will be many more benefits as opposed to ignoring their critical situation.

How You Can Help!

Visit WWF where you can donate, or adopt an green turle to protect! Here is a list as well of 5 simple things you can do. Lastly, you can write to the dive shops and snorkeling tours and let them know of the green turtle endangerment that is occuring. Without turtles they will not be able to give their tours and loose customers. If they know they might loose their main attraction dive shops will hopefully put money into research and protection! Here is a snorkeling tour that I took in Mexico at Akumal Beach. You can contact and help them become aware of green turtle endangerment. 

Works Cited

Balazs, George H. "Fibropapillomas in the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle." Turtles.

            Southwest Fisheries Science Center National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA,

            21 May 1995. Web. 16 Nov. 2015. <http://www.turtles.org/tumour.htm>.

"Green Sea Turtle." The Animal Files. The Animal Files, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2015.

            <http://www.theanimalfiles.com/reptiles/tortoises_turtles/green_sea_turtle.html>.

"Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia Mydas)." Factsheet on Green Sea Turtle. U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Services: North Florida Ecological Services Office, Apr. 2015. Web. 17 Nov.2015.<http://www.fws.gov/northflorida/seaturtles/turtle%20factsheets/green-sea-turtle.htm>.

"Green Turtle (Chelonia Mydas)." NOAA Fisheries. NOAA Fisheries, 26 Aug. 2015.

 Web. 16 Nov. 2015. <http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/glossary.htm#benthic>.

"Grenn Turtle." World Wildlife Foundation. World Wildlife Foundaion, n.d. Web. 16

            Nov. 2015. <https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/green-turtle>.

"Information About Sea Turtles: General Behavior." Sea Turtle Conservancy. Sea Turtle

Conservancy, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2015. <http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleinformation.php?page=behavior>.

"Pacific Green Sea Turtle." Center for Biological Diversity. Center for Biological

Diversity, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2015. <http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/esa_works/profile_pages/PacificGreenSeaTurtle.html>.

 "Sea Turtle Migration." See Turtles Org. Oceanic Society, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2015.
       <http://www.seeturtles.org/sea-turtle-migration/>.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. U.S. Department of the Interior. Recovery Plan for U.S. Pacific 
Populations of the East Pacific Green Turtle (Chelonia Mydas). By Scott A. Eckert, Avier Alvarado, George Balazs, Richard Byles, Peter Craig, Peter Dutton, Karen Eckert, John Engbring, Ames Maragos, Robert Pitman, Susan Pultz, and James I. Richardson. Silver Spring: National Marine Fisheries, 1998. Print.