Wednesday, June 22nd 2005
A Biweekly Update from Defenders of Wildlife:
Working to Save Wildlife and Wild Lands More Reports of White House Manipulation of Science
Defenders Files Suit to Protect Wolverines
Adopt an Animal Today!
Film Highlighting Arctic Refuge to Air June 25
Rare Songbird Returns to California's Central Valley After 60-Year Absence
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1. More Reports of White House Manipulation of Science Once again members of the Bush administration have been caught altering scientific reports. A former oil and gas industry lobbyist, Philip Cooney, who worked as chief of staff to the president's environmental policy council, repeatedly revised federal reports in an effort to downplay the seriousness of global warming, according to the New York Times. The newspaper obtained documents showing edits made by Cooney, a lawyer with no scientific background. Following the Times report, Cooney resigned his position in the administration saying that he wanted to spend more time with his family. But within a week of the resignation, he took a job with the ExxonMobil Corporation. Exxon is one of the few major corporations that still questions the science behind global warming studies.
2. Defenders Files Suit to Protect WolverinesDefenders and three other groups have
filed a lawsuit to force protections of wolverines under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Federal wildlife officials claim that they don't have enough information to provide protections for wolverines, but conservationists believe that the animal is in serious trouble. Wolverines once ranged across most of the northern United States, but now are found primarily in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Washington.
3. Adopt an Animal Today! Defenders of Wildlife gift adoptions are a wonderful way to help protect imperiled wildlife while passing on the legacy of stewardship and conservation to friends and family. You can adopt a wolf, rabbit, tiger, polar bear, snowy owl, panther, sea otter, dolphin, elephant, black bear or whale, and we'll send a cuddly plush animal toy and an adoption certificate suitable for framing. It's the perfect gift! Visit our
adoption center to adopt an animal today for yourself or a loved one!
4. Film Highlighting Arctic Refuge to Air June 25 This week, Dish Network and DIRECTV subscribers can watch an engaging and informative film that highlights the mass migration of caribou from Canada to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The film, Being Caribou, follows husband-and-wife team Leanne Allison and Karsten Heuer as they trek on foot to follow 120,000 caribou all the way to the herd's calving grounds in the refuge.The film airs Saturday, June 25, on DIRECTV channel 375 and Dish Network channel 9410 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time and 5:00 p.m. Pacific time.
Remember, the fight to save the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge isn't over. Visit
www.savearcticrefuge.org to help save one of America's last great wild places.
6. Rare Songbird Returns to California's Central Valley After 60-Year AbsenceWildlife enthusiasts cheered the rediscovery of the ivory-billed woodpecker in Arkansas a couple of months ago, and this week conservationists heralded the
return of the least Bell's vireo to California's Central Valley after an absence of more than 60 years. A pair of the rare songbirds was found with two nestlings at the San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge. The birds were found on former ranchland that had been purchased by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of its efforts to restore habitat for species listed under the Endangered Species Act. The return of the songbird to the Central Valley is a prime example of how the Endangered Species Act works.
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DENlines is a biweekly update of Defenders of Wildlife, a leading national conservation organization recognized as one of the nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and its habitat. It is known for its effective leadership on endangered species issues, particularly predators such as brown bears and gray wolves. Defenders also advocates new approaches to wildlife conservation that protect species before they become endangered. Founded in 1947, Defenders is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with more than 480,000 members and supporters.
Defenders of Wildlife
1130 17th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Copyright Defenders of Wildlife 2005
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Interested in following the tracks of the "cat of god," learning about how black-footed ferrets are battling to survive in the nation's heartland and finding out why ducks depend on potholes? Then check out
the latest edition of Defenders magazine, where you'll also find pieces on the recently re-discovered ivory-billed woodpecker, the fabled frog from a Mark Twain tale and much more.
The Cat of God Some Native Americans called the majestic Florida panther the "cat of god." But since European settlers arrived in the Southeast, the panther's range and numbers have decreased precipitously. About 80 now roam the wetlands and hardwood hammocks of southern Florida, and development is quickly gobbling up the last land for these rare cats.
Visit our website to learn about the plight of the panther.
Return of the Masked Bandits Though their black-striped faces make them look like they're wearing masks, the black-footed ferrets of the plains are no thieves. In fact, they are an essential part of their habitat. The ferrets were once thought to be extinct, but a small population was discovered in 1981. Now a reintroduction program is bringing them back to the wilds.
Read the story of the ferrets' comeback, and learn about the challenges they still face.
Of Ducks and Potholes The prairie potholes region in central North America is a quiet place full of color, wetlands and wildlife. Millions of waterfowl feed and breed in the region every year, earning it the title of the continent's "duck factory." Formed by the retreat of glaciers during the last Ice Age, the watery potholes once spread across 310,000 square miles. More than half have been filled and drained to make way for farming, ranching and development.
Learn more about the duck factory.Take Action: Help Save the Arctic Refuge Though pro-drilling members of Congress would like you to think otherwise, the battle to save the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is far from over. A key vote is likely to occur in September that will decide the fate of this pristine place forever. Visit
www.savearcticrefuge.org to learn more and take action. There is still time to save the Arctic refuge and the wildlife that depend on it.
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