Fish and Amphibians

Some folks call flood pump stations “meat grinders.” These pumps are common along B.C.’s Fraser River, where they remove water from nearby streams when levels get high and pump it into the river to prevent flooding. But fish and amphibians can get sucked in with the water, said Lina Azeez, campaign manager for Watershed Watch Salmon Society. “They grind them up in the machinery,” she said. “That’s a huge problem.” Other flood infrastructure — such as dikes, floodgates and pumps — blocks fish passageways and makes potential spawning areas unreachable. As part of an ongoing mapping project, Watershed Watch has found 1,500 kilometres of current or potential fish habitat in the lower Fraser and its tributaries is blocked by flood infrastructure. “ It ’ s the biggest habitat issue that you’ve never heard of, ” said Aaron Hill, executive director of Watershed Watch. Many of these flood structures are due to be upgraded in response to sea level rise, increased seasonal flooding or ag...

21 Jun 2020   |   05:28am IST Scientists, conservationists say results will have a CATASTROPHIC effect round 150 scientists, academicians, conservationists, artists, allied professionals as well as concerned citizens have raised objections to the diversion of forest land for three major projects that are planned through the Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary and Mollem National Park.  The group, in a letter to Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said that the Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary and Mollem National Park are treasure troves of flora and fauna, and is part of a larger contiguous forest and an important tiger corridor between Goa and the adjoining Kali Tiger Reserve in Karnataka. They say these three projects – railway line double tracking, NH-4A highway widening, and laying of the transmission line – are likely to lead to multiple downstream effects of fragmentation of these fragile ecosystems.  “The road and the railway track will create stark barri...

ROYAL OAK, Mich. - Someday, the loud guttural calls of the dusky gopher frog might fill the air once more across their Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama habitats. At the forefront of that hopeful future is the Detroit Zoological Society which announced Friday it had released more than 170 of the critically endangered amphibians into the wild. It's the third time officials from the Michigan zoo have made the trip for the frogs. Once an abundant species throughout the deep south, dusky gopher frogs are almost extinct and are among the most endangered species in the world. “With nearly half of the world’s 8,000 plus amphibian species threatened with extinction due to habitat loss, climate change, pollution, infectious diseases and other factors, bolstering the population of these amphibians in their natural environment is critical to their survival,” said Dr. Ruth Marcec-Greaves. The Dusky Gopher Frog, a critically endangered amphibian native to Mississippi, Louisiana, and A...

The Franklin Regional Council of Governments is working with eight county towns to establish a Regional Pollinator Habitat Action Plan, the first of its kind in the state, to encourage towns to think about pollinators as they consider municipal infrastructure projects. Those eight Pollinator Corridor Towns — Wendell, Orange Greenfield, Heath, Shelburne, Conway, Bernardston and Montague — are working with FRCOG to create pollinator habitat and resource maps and identify areas to create and expand habitat connectivity locally and across the region so that planners and stakeholders can understand where gaps and habitat fragmentation exist and help identify potential pollinator “stepping stones,” according to FRCOG Land Use and Natural Resources Program Manager Kimberly Noake MacPhee. They are also developing language that towns can use to review and update land-use regulations, which could lead to amending some zoning bylaws and subdivision regulations, she said, and those changes migh...

ST. GEORGE — As of Monday, more than 12,000 people have signed a petition in opposition to Above Zion, a campground project that would encompass approximately 1,731 acres on top of Kolob Mountain and feature a variety of structures from treehouses to vintage Airstreams. The project estimates hosting as many as 5,000 visitors at a time. Photo of a small cabin prototype for the Above Zion campground project, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of the Zions Gate Management Company application, St. George News Submitted in four separate applications by Ian Crowe, the manager of Zions Gate Management Company, Above Zion, would offer both primitive and furnished campgrounds for “glamping,” which is a type of luxury camping that often includes amenities or even resort-style services. The main development of 1,200 acres would be located south of Kolob Terrace Road behind the Kolob General Store and immediately north of where Kolob Creek borders the northwest section of Zion Na...

As a teenager growing up in the 1960s, I remember going hunting with my father and some of the best hunters and people in Masontown. During hunting season, you would find us walking up or alongside a hill in Greene County (if you ever hunted in Greene County, you know it seems like you never walk downhill) looking for ruffed grouse. I was never a great shot, but the opportunity of watching these birds doing their acrobatics weaving their way between the trees I will always remember. Unfortunately, it is only a memory because the grouse population left Greene County as progress in the form of Interstate 79 came. The interstate created a wall that the birds would not cross. This reduced the size of their habitat, the area to find food and cover and the population within which to find a mate and maintain the size of the flock. It’s a shame that we lost this beautiful bird – our state bird – in the county. You might still find the occasional grouse but it is like snipe hunting. The...

A £64 million funding package to protect the Amazon and tropical rainforests in Colombia was announced to mark World Environment Day . COP26 President and Business Secretary, Alok Sharma , said the money was part of the UK’s commitment to fight global climate change. Mr Sharma, said: “We all have a duty to work together to protect our planet’s precious biodiversity. Our work with the Colombian government will help stop deforestation in the Amazon and across the country, protect precious ecosystems, and support sustainable, rural livelihoods for communities that depend on the forest.” Sustainable Speaking on behalf of the Colombian government, Minister for the Environment, Ricardo Lozano said the fund would help to “focus on supporting the fight against deforestation and environmental crime, as well as the creation of sustainable economic livelihoods.” This funding builds on £173 million of UK support to Colombia and is part of the UK’s International Climate Finance (UK ICF) progra...

A group of scientists, academicians, conservationists and concerned citizens from across the country, in an open appeal, have urged Union Minister of Forests and Environment Prakash Javadekar to reconsider the approvals granted to three projects that affect the Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife and the Mollem National Park in Goa. Goa is set to lose around 55,000 trees and 185 hectares of pristine Western Ghats forest cover for three projects - a highway, railway line double-tracking and a new power line. The Railway double tracking will itself take around 98 hectares or around half of the total land. In the letter to the Union Minister, the signatories - around 150 in number - warned that the projects, if allowed to go ahead, “are likely to lead to multiple downstream effects of fragmentation of these fragile ecosystems. The road and the railway track will create stark barriers that may lead to a rise in wild animal mortality. Movement of arboreal mammals, reptiles, fish and amphibians is ...

News Environment The announcement comes as Brazil continues to incense with its stance on the rainforest and environmental issues Friday, 5th June 2020, 9:42 pm Updated Friday, 5th June 2020, 9:44 pm Colombia is one of the richest places in the world for biodiversity (Photo: Getty) A £64 million funding package to protect the Amazon and tropical rainforests in Colombia was announced to mark World Environment Day . Mr Sharma, said: “We all have a duty to work together to protect our planet’s precious biodiversity. Our work with the Colombian government will help stop deforestation in the Amazon and across the country, protect precious ecosystems, and support sustainable, rural livelihoods for communities that depend on the forest.” Sign up to our daily newsletter The i newsletter cut through the noise Sustainable Speaking on behalf of the Colombian government, Minister for the Environment, Ricardo Lozano said the fund would help to "focus on supporting ...

It may sound like a character from a superhero movie, but the viperine is a species of water snake found in the south-western regions of Europe. Grouped together in the Natricidae family, it makes up one of two water snakes found in Portugal, the other being the Iberian grass snake (Natrix astreptophora). The term water snake does not mean it lives underwater; it just refers to them being closely associated with water and spending a lot of time in and around a water source. The name of viperine (Natrix maura) may sound alarming, but, fear not, this snake is harmless, non-venomous and usually very docile. Growing to around 85cm, occasionally longer, these medium-sized snakes can easily be spotted at any inland water source (sometimes even salty coastal lagoons) and often do not flee when humans approach quietly. Colouring can vary between brown, grey and olive-green with black dots along its body, which can fade with age. These dots often merge into a zigzag pattern like that of a v...