I was out on a early spring late winter hike the other day, trying to shake off the cob-webs of a harsh El Niño winter. My 'Cabin Fever' was met by an unusually warm and early Spring Thaw. And of course this got me thinking about Climate Change evidence.
I was off on a remote hilltop of a local State Park, when suddenly a pair of bluebirds landed on a one of the few trees atop that peak. They were an obvious male and female pair, and took off rather quickly, after seeing me take a step to get a better view.
Bluebirds are a stunning sight, one which I rarely see these days. But their "early arrival", got me wondering if they were as perplexed as me, by the abrupt changing of seasons?
As if flipping a switch, record cold has suddenly turned into record warmth. ... and the Calendar was still telling me that March had just began.
All this made me wonder, what National Audubon Society had to say about Migrating Birds ... and their 'adjusted' seasonal journeys? If anyone would know, these dedicated "birders" would ...
Birds and Climate Change: On the Move
National Audubon Society
Nearly 60% of the 305 species found in North America in winter are on the move, shifting their ranges northward by an average of 35 miles. Audubon scientists analyzed 40 years of citizen-science Christmas Bird Count data — and their findings provide new and powerful evidence that global warming is having a serious impact on natural systems.
http://birdsandclimate.audubon.org/
Apparently, Birds sometimes "have to move" too, in order to make a living. And even uprooting your historical legacy, is NOT always a guarantee ... of 'Success' ...
Impacts on Birds & Wildlife
National Audubon Society
When it comes to global warming, birds are like canaries in the coal mine, showing us that temperature increases are reshaping our ecology in potentially dangerous ways. According to a 2009 Audubon report, nearly 60% of 305 species found in North America in winter have been on the move over the last 40 years, shifting their ranges northward by an average of 35 miles, and in some cases by hundreds of miles.
[...]
Is wildlife already being affected by global warming?
There is mounting scientific evidence that global warming is already having profound effects on birds, broader biodiversity, wildlife habitat, and ecosystems. Here are some of the ways that global warming is affecting wildlife:
-- Geographic range
The ranges of many plants and animals are moving toward the poles and toward higher elevations.
[...]
-- Reproduction timing
Egg-laying, flowering, and spawning are occurring earlier for many species, in some cases disrupting delicate cycles that ensure that insects and other food are available for young animals.
[...]
-- Migration timing and patterns
Spring migration is occurring earlier and fall migration later in many species. For example, 25 migratory bird species are arriving in Manitoba, Canada, earlier than they did 63 years ago; only two are arriving later.
-- Frequency and intensity of pest outbreaks
Global warming increases droughts in some areas; and spruce budworm outbreaks frequently follow droughts, perhaps because dry weather increases the stress on host trees [...]
http://www.audubon.org/...
Smart folks at the Audubon Society. I wonder why they don't get more "play" in the Media? There's a 'Human Interest' angle here isn't there?
Well even those Bird-Scientists types, have noticed the 'cause and effect' dance, going on between a shifting carbon-laden Climate, and the Birds that must adapt and survive it ...
2010 State of the Birds report
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY
Birds in every habitat will be affected by climate change.
In this report, we address climate change -- focusing attention on what may be in store for our nation’s birdlife, and the stories the birds themselves are telling us about the changes that are happening even now.
Birds in every terrestrial and aquatic habitat will be affected by climate change, although individual species in each habitat are likely to respond differently. We assessed the relative vulnerability of each United States bird species, based on five biological aspects of sensitivity to climate change, as well as the exposure of each species' habitat to climate change in the near future. We then categorized species as showing High Vulnerability (a vulnerability score of four or more), Medium Vulnerability (a vulnerability score of two or three), or Low Vulnerability (a vulnerability score of zero or one).
http://www.stateofthebirds.org/...
You'd think that with so many "canary" warnings adrift in the aviary wind, that perhaps our New Govt of the Oh-10 Decade, would sit up and take notice?
Well happily I am glad to report they have taken notice, and they ARE actually doing something about it:
Secretary Salazar Releases New
"State of the Birds" Report Showing
Climate Change Threatens Hundreds of Species
March 11, 2010
The State of the Birds: 2010 Report on Climate Change, follows a comprehensive report released a year ago showing that that nearly a third of the nation's 800 bird species are endangered, threatened or in significant decline.
"For well over a century, migratory birds have faced stresses such as commercial hunting, loss of forests, the use of DDT and other pesticides, a loss of wetlands and other key habitat, the introduction of invasive species, and other impacts of human development," Salazar said. "Now they are facing a new threat--climate change--that could dramatically alter their habitat and food supply and push many species towards extinction."
The report, a collaboration of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and experts from the nation’s leading conservation organizations, shows that climate changes will have an increasingly disruptive effect on bird species in all habitats, with oceanic and Hawaiian birds in greatest peril.
In releasing the report, Salazar cited the unprecedented efforts by the Obama Administration and the Department of the Interior to address climate change.
http://www.stateofthebirds.org/...
Being a stickler for details myself, I decided to connect a few more dots (aka "Going further, faster" as Al Gore used to say). I hope you don't mind my selective recap of these new Eco-based Programs on the DOI's drawing boards:
THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR
Washington
ORDER NO. 3289, Amendment No. 1
SIGNATURE DATE: February 22, 2010
Subject: Addressing the Impacts of Climate Change on America’s Water, Land, and Other Natural and Cultural Resources
Sec. 1 Purpose and Background. Secretarial Order No. 3285, issued on March 11, 2009, made production and transmission of renewable energy on public lands a priority for the Department. This Order establishes a Department-wide approach for applying scientific tools to increase understanding of climate change and to coordinate an effective response to its impacts on tribes and on the land, water, ocean, fish and wildlife, and cultural heritage resources that the Department manages.
[...]
To fulfill our nation’s vision for a clean energy economy, Interior is now managing America’s public lands and oceans not just for balanced oil, natural gas, and coal development, but also – for the first time ever – to promote environmentally responsible renewable energy development. Sun, wind, biomass, and geothermal energy from our public and tribal lands is creating new jobs and will power millions of American homes and electric vehicles.
The Department is also taking the lead in protecting our country’s water, land, fish and wildlife, and cultural heritage and tribal lands and resources from the dramatic effects of climate change that are already occurring – from the Arctic to the Everglades. The realities of climate change require us to change how we manage the land, water, fish and wildlife, and cultural heritage and tribal lands and resources we oversee.
[...]
[Sec. 3] b. DOI Climate Science Centers. Management decisions made in response to climate change impacts must be informed by science and require that scientists work in tandem with those managers who are confronting climate change impacts and evaluating options to respond to such impacts. Pursuant to P.L. 110-161, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) has been developing regional science centers to provide climate change impact data and analysis geared to the needs of fish and wildlife managers as they develop adaptation strategies in response to climate change. These centers are currently known as "regional hubs" of the National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center, and are being developed in close collaboration with Interior agencies and other federal, state, university, and non-governmental partners.
[...]
[Sec. 3] c. Landscape Conservation Cooperatives. Given the broad impacts of climate change, management responses to such impacts must be coordinated on a landscape-level basis. For example, wildlife migration and related needs for new wildlife corridors, the spread of invasive species and wildfire risks, typically will extend beyond the borders of National Wildlife Refuges, BLM lands, or National Parks. Additionally, some bureau responsibilities (e.g., Fish and Wildlife Service migratory bird and threatened and endangered species responsibilities) extend nationally and globally. Because of the unprecedented scope of affected landscapes, Interior bureaus and agencies must work together, and with other federal, state, tribal and local governments, and private landowner partners, to develop landscape-level strategies for understanding and responding to climate change impacts.
[...]
[Sec. 4] a. The DOI Carbon Storage Project. This project is being implemented under P.L. 110-140, "The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007," which gives the Department [of Interior] statutory responsibility to develop carbon sequestration methodologies for geological (i.e., underground) and biological (e.g., forests and rangelands) carbon storage. The USGS has the lead in administering the Carbon Storage Project, but will work closely with other bureaus and agencies in the Department and external partners to enhance carbon storage in geologic formations and in plants and soils in a manner consistent with the Department’s responsibility to provide comprehensive, long-term stewardship of its resources.
http://elips.doi.gov/...
Wow, that IS ambitious!
But what will this new Landscape-driven, multi-agency approach look like?
DOI Home > What We Do > Climate Change > Strategy
Secretarial Order No. 3289 establishes Landscape Conservation Cooperatives, which focus on on-the-ground strategic conservation efforts at the landscape level.
Larger Image [or check out the Interactive Map in the link below]
At the core of each LCC will be a scientific and technical staff with an applied resource-management focus. That staff and capacity will operate under the direction of a steering committee, consisting of resource-management representatives.
[...]
Each LCC functions within a specific landscape, but it also will be part of a national, and ultimately, international network. LCCs are true cooperatives, formed and directed by land, water, wildlife and cultural resource managers and interested public and private organizations. We invite all federal, state, tribal, local government and non-governmental management organizations to become partners in their development.
http://www.doi.gov/...
Cool, a strategy based on Geography and Ecosystems. I hope they can make a difference. I hope we can help foster some real Change.
And I hope the Bluebirds (and those 'Yellow birds') will continue to have a fleeting, fighting chance. Because they are really just a harbinger, for other more complex species, such as ourselves.
Funny where an exercise in shedding 'Cabin Fever' can lead you, sometimes. And Thanks, for taking the time, to share my little exploration, from the trail, to the observers, to the science-based programs, and back to restoring our Natural Resources, again.
If only, those "Landscapes" to be managed, were somewhere on the Moon -- maybe then the Media Storytellers, and their captive audiences, would sit up and take notice too. ... Birds really don't have to go the way of the Dinosaurs.
We don't either ... Although, I guess, Only Time will tell.
