Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 17, 2020)
A5 THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2020 US declines protection upgrades for the northern spotted owl By MONICA SAMAYOA Oregon Public Broadcasting Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo Scientists estimate the monarch butterfl y population in the eastern U.S. has fallen about 80% since the mid-1990s, while the drop-off in the western U.S. has been even steeper. US to delay seeking protection for the monarch butterfl y By JOHN FLESHER Associated Press TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Federal offi cials on Tues- day declared the monarch but- terfl y “a candidate” for threat- ened or endangered status, but said no action would be taken for several years because of the many other species await- ing that designation. Environmentalists said delaying that long could spell disaster for the beloved black- and-orange butterfl y, once a common sight in backyard gardens, meadows and other landscapes now seeing its population dwindling. The monarch’s status will be reviewed annually, said Charlie Wooley, head of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser- vice’s Great Lakes regional offi ce. Emergency action could be taken earlier, but plans now call for propos- ing to list the monarch under the Endangered Species Act in 2024 unless its situation improves enough to make the step unnecessary. The proposal would be followed by another year for public comment and devel- opment of a fi nal rule. List- ing would provide a number of legal protections, includ- ing a requirement that fed- eral agencies consider effects on the butterfl y or its habitat before allowing highway con- struction and other potentially damaging activities. Scientists estimate the monarch population in the eastern U.S. has fallen about 80% since the mid-1990s, while the drop-off in the west- ern U.S. has been even steeper. “We conducted an inten- sive, thorough review using a rigorous, transparent sci- ence-based process and found that the monarch meets list- ing criteria under the Endan- gered Species Act,” Aurelia Skipwith, director of the Fish and Wildlife Service, said in a statement. “However, before we can propose list- ing, we must focus resources on our higher-priority listing actions.” Scientists will continue monitoring the butterfl y’s numbers and the effectiveness of what Wooley described as perhaps the most widespread grassroots campaign ever waged to save an imperiled animal. Since 2014, when envi- ronmental groups petitioned to list the monarch, school groups, garden clubs, gov- ernment agencies and oth- ers around the nation have restored about 5.6 million acres of milkweed plants on which monarchs depend, Wooley said. They lay eggs on the leaves, which caterpil- lars eat, while adults gather nectar from the fl owers. The volunteer effort “has been phenomenal to see,” he said. “It has made a differ- ence in the long-term survival of monarchs and helped other pollinators that are potentially in trouble.” ‘MONARCHS ARE TOO IMPORTANT FOR US TO JUST PLANT FLOWERS ON ROADSIDES AND HOPE FOR THE BEST.’ Tierra Curry | a senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity But advocacy groups say it has compensated for only a small fraction of the esti- mated 165 million acres of monarch habitat — an area the size of Texas — lost in the past 20 years to devel- opment or herbicide applica- tions in cropland. “Monarchs are too import- ant for us to just plant fl ow- ers on roadsides and hope for the best,” said Tierra Curry, a senior scientist at the Cen- ter for Biological Diversity. “They need the comprehen- sive protection that comes only from the Endangered Species Act, which would save them and so many other beleaguered pollinators that share their habitat.” The monarch’s plight is part of what the United Nations describes as a worldwide crisis threatening 1 million species — one of every eight on Earth — with extinction because of climate change, development and pollution. Even so, the Trump administration has listed only 25 species — fewer SEVENDAY FORECAST FOR ASTORIA TODAY FRIDAY SATURDAY than any since the act took effect in 1973. The Obama administration added 360. Trump’s team also has weakened protections for endangered and threat- ened species in its push for deregulation. Among other changes, it limited consid- eration of climate change’s effects on animals when evaluating whether they should be listed. Global warming is one of the biggest dangers to the monarch. It contributes to lengthening droughts and worsening storms that kill many during their annual migration. About 90% of the world’s monarchs live in North America. Scientists mea- sure their abundance by the size of the areas they occupy in Mexico and California, where they cluster during winter after fl ying thousands of miles from as far away as Canada. The Fish and Wildlife Service estimates the larger eastern population declined from about 384 million in 1996 to a low of 14 million in 2013 before rebounding somewhat, reaching about 60 million last year. But the California-based western group dropped from about 1.2 million in 1997 to fewer than 30,000 in 2019. Preliminary survey results this fall have turned up only about 2,000, said Lori Nord- strom, the Fish and Wildlife Service’s assistant regional director. While such grim pros- pects qualify the monarch for listing, offi cials said the law allows delays when the agency has limited resources and must focus on high- er-priority cases under consideration. Species ahead in line might be worse off, or courts might have set deadlines for decisions on them. The Great Lakes offi ce, which is handling the mon- arch case, is considering nine others with higher-priority status. They include the little brown bat, the plains spot- ted skunk, the Illinois cho- rus frog, the golden-winged warbler, Blanding’s turtle, the Mammoth Springs cray- fi sh, two freshwater mus- sels and a plant called Hall’s bulrush. SUNDAY MONDAY The U.S Fish and Wild- life Service ruled against upgrading the iconic north- ern spotted owl’s protection status Monday under the Endangered Species Act. The agency said the spe- cies’ continued decline war- rants a reclassifi cation from “threatened” to “endan- gered’’ but it elected against taking that step because it considers other listed spe- cies to be higher priorities. According to the service, the decision was based on a scientifi c report that was peer-reviewed by academic and industry experts. The service said a status change would not result in any addi- tional regulatory restrictions under the Endangered Spe- cies Act — nor would it impact the actions taken to conserve the species. “Ongoing research tells us that northern spotted owls are in danger of dis- appearing in large parts of their range,” Robyn Thor- son, regional director for the service’s Columbia-Pacifi c Northwest region said. Habitat conservation measures on federal lands have been working well, Thorson said, but compe- tition from the non-native barred owl has severely impacted spotted owl populations. The northern spotted owl was fi rst listed as threatened in 1990, which led to log- ging restrictions and paved the way for the Northwest Forest Plan, which reduced logging on national forests and other federal forests by more than 80%. In 2012, conservation group Environmental Pro- tection Information Cen- ter fi led a petition request- ing the uplist of the species to endangered. Three years later the service found the petition presented substan- tial information and the sta- tus change may be war- ranted for the species after a fi ve-year status review. Don Ryan/AP Photo A northern spotted owl fl ies after an elusive mouse jumping off the end of a stick in the Deschutes National Forest near Camp Sherman. ‘ONGOING RESEARCH TELLS US THAT NORTHERN SPOTTED OWLS ARE IN DANGER OF DISAPPEARING IN LARGE PARTS OF THEIR RANGE.’ Robyn Thorson, regional director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Columbia-Pacifi c Northwest region CLATSOP POWER EQUIPMENT , INC. SALES • SERVICE • RENTALS 34912 HWY 101 BUS • ASTORIA 503-325-0792 • 1-800-220-0792 TUESDAY WEDNESDAY REGIONAL FORECAST Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. Seattle 49 42 51 45 A little morning Downpours in rain the p.m. 54 47 52 41 50 40 50 35 48 36 Rain in the afternoon Cloudy, rain possible Cloudy, rain possible Showers possible Showers possible Aberdeen Olympia 50/45 50/44 Wenatchee Tacoma Moses Lake UNDER THE SKY TODAY'S TIDES Astoria through Tuesday Tonight’s Sky: The waxing cres- cent moon will be near Jupiter and Saturn. A must see! Astoria / Port Docks Temperatures High/low ................................ 52/43 Normal high/low .................. 48/36 Record high .................. 62 in 1980 Record low .................... 24 in 1965 Precipitation Tuesday ................................... 0.16” Month to date ........................ 2.19” Normal month to date ......... 4.96” Year to date .......................... 58.54” Normal year to date ........... 62.58” Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2020 Time High (ft.) Time Low (ft.) 3:25 a.m. 2:28 p.m. 7.9 8:54 a.m. 3.3 9.2 9:42 p.m. -0.7 Cape Disappointment 3:02 a.m. 2:04 p.m. Source: Jim Todd, OMSI Hammond SUN AND MOON Sunrise today .................. 7:53 a.m. Sunset tonight ............... 4:31 p.m. Moonrise today ........... 10:52 a.m. Moonset today .............. 7:54 p.m. First Full Last New 3:14 a.m. 2:19 p.m. Warrenton 3:20 a.m. 2:23 p.m. Knappa 4:02 a.m. 3:05 p.m. Depoe Bay Dec 21 Dec 29 Jan 6 Jan 12 2:17 a.m. 1:17 p.m. 7.9 7:57 a.m. 3.6 9.4 8:47 p.m. -1.0 8.1 8:22 a.m. 3.3 9.5 9:07 p.m. -1.1 8.3 8:38 a.m. 3.3 9.6 9:26 p.m. -0.6 8.1 9:55 a.m. 2.8 9.4 10:43 p.m. -0.6 8.0 7:28 a.m. 3.6 9.6 8:19 p.m. -1.2 City Atlanta Boston Chicago Dallas Denver Honolulu Houston Los Angeles Miami New York City Phoenix San Francisco Wash., DC Fri. Hi/Lo/W 46/29/pc 32/20/sn 36/26/c 60/39/s 45/25/c 83/73/sh 58/39/s 65/48/pc 82/55/pc 30/23/sn 66/42/pc 58/44/pc 41/30/pc 52/28/s 31/14/pc 38/35/c 61/45/pc 35/17/pc 83/73/pc 66/57/pc 66/47/s 72/63/s 32/19/pc 64/41/s 58/43/pc 41/27/pc Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow fl urries, sn-snow, i-ice. 41/32 Kennewick Walla Walla 46/36 Lewiston 52/36 47/36 Hermiston The Dalles 52/35 Enterprise Pendleton 42/34 48/36 50/38 La Grande 42/33 49/41 NATIONAL CITIES Today Hi/Lo/W Pullman 47/30 49/42 Salem 40/30 Yakima 44/31 Longview 49/42 Portland 49/43 Spokane 39/31 50/41 49/40 Astoria ALMANAC for nearly a decade,” Shan- non said. “Being on this list doesn’t guarantee that at some point in the future it will be listed.” Under the “warranted but precluded” fi nding, the ser- vice will reevaluate the peti- tion on an annual basis until a proposal or withdrawal is published. Shannon said they are hopeful under a Biden administration that they rec- ognize a need for action and urgency for the list of spe- cies that warrant protections. “The species really isn’t doing well,” he said. “The loss of even one or two of these owls really is devastat- ing to the species as a whole. One or two owls can be the difference of extinction or survival at this point.” The service will continue to review and evaluate any new information regarding the northern spotted owl. In addition to the loss of habitat following decades of logging old-growth for- ests, the northern spotted owl faces threats of habitat loss from wildfi res and from the barred owls — that have increased in the northern spotted owl’s known geo- graphical region. Ryan Shannon, a staff attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, said the Fish and Wildlife Ser- vice decision is egregious and that placing the owl on its “warranted but pre- cluded” status could mean the status changed for the northern spotted owl could take years or not happen at all. “An example of this locally would be this year’s fi nding that the red tree vole does not warrant list- ing. The red tree vole has already been on the war- ranted but precluded list Corvallis 48/38 Albany 48/39 John Day Eugene Bend 50/39 43/28 39/26 Ontario 43/26 Caldwell Burns 38/22 41/25 Medford 43/34 Klamath Falls 37/20 City Baker City Brookings Ilwaco Newberg Newport Today Hi/Lo/W 42/26/sf 49/39/c 50/42/r 49/40/r 49/42/r Fri. Hi/Lo/W 38/27/c 50/45/pc 50/44/sh 48/44/sh 50/46/sh City North Bend Roseburg Seaside Springfi eld Vancouver Today Hi/Lo/W 52/39/r 47/38/r 49/41/r 49/39/r 50/40/r Fri. Hi/Lo/W 52/45/c 48/43/c 49/43/sh 50/42/c 48/42/sh
