The Fastest Evolving Creature on Earth

Discovery News has reported on the recent finding that the endangered tuatara, a lizard-like reptile only found in New Zealand, may be the world's fastest-evolving creature, with a rate of 1.56 changes per nucleotide every million years. The report, published in this month's Trends in Genetics, is particularly surprising given that the animal hasn't changed much physically from its dinosaur-era ancestors, who lived 225 million years ago. The tuatara, whose close ancestors are extinct, is considered a "living fossil."

Read the Discover story:
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/03/24/tuatara-evolution.html

Read more about the tuatara on Earthquest.tv:
http://www.earthquest.tv/wildlife/reptiles/NZ/tuatara/tuatara.htm

Read about tuatara conservation in New Zealand:
http://www.kcc.org.nz/animals/tuatara/conservation.asp

Volunteer at the 300-hectare, predator-free Eco-Sanctuary in Dunedin, New Zealand, home to tuatara and other protected animals:
http://www.conservationvolunteers.org.nz/cms/project/list/?region_id=14

Purchase a Spinyback wine and help the Ngati Koata Maori tribe in their tuatara conservation efforts:
http://www.spinyback.com/winery.htm

photo courtesy Velvet Android, Creative Commons

Record Anti-Cruelty Raid Saves Over 500 Cats

The ASPCA has reported that on March 13, 2008, a team of 120 animal welfare experts found over 500 ailing cats and over 100 deceased cats at the Tiger Ranch Cat Sanctuary in Tarentum, Pennsylvania, in one of the largest anti-cruelty raids in recent record. The saved cats were brought to the Clarion Country Humane Society for veterinary care and preparation for future adoption. The sanctuary's owner, 45-year-old Linn Marie (aka Linda Bruno), was arrested and charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty.




Read the full ASPCA story:
http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=media_tristatenewsalert032808#1

Take the ASPCA pledge to fight animal cruelty:
http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=cruelty_home

Learn about adopting a pet from the ASPCA:
http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=adopt_home

photo courtesy tifotter, Creative Commons

Cities Around World Go Dark for "Earth Hour"

Earth Hour, an initiative to bring awareness to climate change that began in Sydney last year, has become a global event including the participation of 35 countries this year. Chicago, San Francisco, Dublin, Manila, Bangkok, Copenhagen and Toronto are among the cities that have officially signed on to the event, during which the lights of major landmarks will be turned off for one hour, with businesses and citizens encouraged to do the same. During last year's event in Sydney, 2.2 million switched off their lights, reducing energy usage by more than 10 percent. To participate in Earth Hour, simply turn off your lights or one hour at 8pm local time.


Read the Yahoo! Green story:
http://green.yahoo.com/news/afp/20080328/wl_asia_afp/climatewarmingaustraliaearthhour.html

Read the BBC News story:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7319929.stm

Visit the Earth Hour Web site:
http://www2.earthhourus.org/

Sign up for Earth Hour to receive useful tools and tips:
http://www2.earthhourus.org/signup/

Find out how to calculate and reduce your carbon footprint:
http://www.carbonfootprint.com/

photo courtesy greekchickie, Creative Commons

Canadian Seal Hunt Begins

Canada's controversial seal hunt began yesterday as 16 vessels carrying about 100 hunters set out to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The Globe and Mail reported that activists and journalist observers were barred from the hunt's first 16 hours because federal fisheries officials delayed their granting of observer permits.



Read the Globe and Mail story:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080329.HUNT29/TPStory/National

Read the Canada.com story:
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=095035c6-f3ad-47a1-a390-4e7b2dcc3452&k=67580

Read about an interruption in the seal hunt due to a deadly boat accident:
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jA4MeLH1ni1-spaARWb17Eot9xSQ

Send a letter urging the Canadian government to stop the seal hunt:
http://www.kintera.org/c.ihKPIWPCIqE/b.2580449/k.9025/Take_Action/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspx

Download and print PDF of customer comment card to give to your local grocer:
http://www.hsus.org/marine_mammals/protect_seals/why_a_boycott_of_canadian_seafood/grocery_store.html

Donate to help IFAW to put hunt monitors on the ice, fight for seal product bans in Europe and conduct vital scientific research to help save seals:
https://www.kintera.org/site/c.ihKPIWPCIqE/b.3974143/apps/ka/sd/donorcustom.asp?msource=DR080302002

Sign up for the Humane Society of the United States' "Seal Watch" to receive email reports from the ice:
http://www.hsus.org/index-seals.html

Read about Sea Shepherd's Seal Defense Campaign 2008:
http://www.seashepherd.org/seals2008/

Read the IFAW 2008 seal hunt coverage:
http://blog.stopthesealhunt.com/2008/03/seal-hunt-news.html

photo courtesy greekchickie, Creative Commons

Death by Plastic

On Wednesday, BBC environmental correspondent David Shukman reported on a troubling finding on Midway Island in the South Pacific: About one-third of the island's albatross chicks die from being inadvertently fed plastic by their parents. A remarkable amount and variety of plastic waste -- including bottles, toys, disposable cigarette lighters and deodorant sticks -- ends up on these shores, and in the stomachs of its wildlife.






Read the full BBC story:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7314240.stm

Sign a plastic reduction petition:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/772724856

Watch the BBC video report:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/player/nol/newsid_7310000/newsid_7314800?redirect=7314857.stm&news=1&bbram=1&nbram=1&nbwm=1&bbwm=1&asb=1

Listen to the NPR report about San Francisco's ban on plastic bags:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89135360

photo courtesy fotobámba, Creative Commons

New Standards Attempt More Humane Seal Hunt

A new set of federal regulations will attempt a more humane killing protocol for this year's seal hunt in Canada, the largest slaughter of marine animals on Earth, which begins on Friday. The new rules require hunters to check the animal's pupils for a blinking reflex and to slit its main arteries after clubbing or shooting it, to ensure that it's dead before it's skinned.

Last year, 270,000 baby seals were slaughtered in Canada for their fur, meat and oil. The EU may consider legislation banning the import of seal products, a move that would devastate the Canadian seal industry. Celebrities such as Brigitte Bardot, Paul McCartney, Kim Bassinger, Pamela Anderson and the Dalai Lama have been active in the international anti-sealing campaign.

>>>

Read the National Post story:
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=364221

Sign the Humane Society of the United States' pledge to boycott Canadian seafood until the Canada ends the seal hunt:
http://www.hsus.org/protect_seals.html

Send a letter to your US Senator to co-sponsor Senate Resolution 118, calling on the Canadian government to end the seal hunt:
https://community.hsus.org/campaign/US_2007_seal_resolution

Sign the International Fund for Animal Welfare letter to push for the EU seal trade ban:
http://www.ifaw.org/ifaw/general/default.aspx?oid=17846&aid=9882&msource=DA060801001&tr=y&auid=3411337

Read about the EU investigation into a possible seal product ban:
http://www.ifaw.org/ifaw/general/default.aspx?oid=202799

Read about Sea Shepherd's mission to defend the seals during the hunt:
http://www.seashepherd.org/seals2008/

Read the IFAW article, "The Dangers of The Commercial Seal Trade":
http://www.ifaw.org/ifaw/general/default.aspx?oid=85347

Watch a video of the Humane Society of the United States facing off with Canadian seal hunters [3 min] (warning: graphic content):


photo courtesy greekchickie, Creative Commons

Production Begins on World's Largest Telescope

The University of Arizona's Steward Observatory Mirror Laboratory has announced the creation of a giant mirror for the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), the world's largest, most powerful wide-angle survey telescope. The telescope will be built on Cerro Pachon, a mountain peak in northern Chile. While big telescopes see a patch of sky the size of a tiny piece of Earth's moon, the LSST will see a section of sky roughly 40 times the size of the full moon. Covering the available sky every three nights, the LSST will be able to record exploding supernovae, potentially hazardous near-Earth asteroids, distant Kuiper Belt Objects, and also trace billions of remote galaxies.

Read about the LSST project:
http://www.lsst.org

Read the University of Arizona press release:
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=25019

Read about the UK government's possible funding withdrawal of the Jodrell Bank Observatory:
http://www.thisischeshire.co.uk/display.var.2130058.0.radio_telescopes_are_threatened.php

Sign the petition to save the Jodrell Bank Observatory from closure:
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/jodrellfunding/

Download a free March 2008 sky map to learn about the night sky from SkyMaps.com:

Download Northern Hemisphere sky map
(suitable for North America, Europe, China and Japan)

Download Southern Hemisphere sky map
(suitable for South America, Southern Africa and Australia)

Buy a beginner telescope from the Discovery Channel store ($99.00):
http://shopping.discovery.com/product-65618.html?tcp=Telescopes-featured-MeadeRB70R

photo courtesy StarrGazr, Creative Commons

Sanctuary Invites Public to Meet Rescued Elephants

The Performing Animals Welfare Society (PAWS) will host an open house on May 10, 2008, where the public can visit Maggie, a 25-year-old African elephant rescued from the Alaska Zoo. After living almost her entire life in an unnaturally cold environment-- including ten years without her only other elephant companion -- Alaska's sole elephant was finally moved to the warmer climes of the PAWS elephant habitat in San Andreas, California, where she enjoys the company of five other rescued African elephants.

>>>

Read the PAWS open house press release:
http://www.pawsweb.org/press_releases/2-19-08.html

Read the Seattle Times story about Maggie's move to PAWS:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003989058_webelephant01m.html

Read more about Maggie and an opportunity to adopt her:
http://www.pawsweb.org/meet_elephants.html

Make a donation to PAWS:
http://www.pawsweb.org/donate_online.html

Sign the petition to send four Philadelphia Zoo elephants to the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee:
http://www.petitiononline.com/PhilEles/petition.html

Visit the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee:
http://www.elephants.com/

Read about the death of Toni the elephant at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.:
http://www.care2.com/c2c/share/detail/32891

Read the In Defense of Animals (IDA) report, "10 Worst Zoos for Elephants in 2007":
http://www.idausa.org/news/currentnews/nr_080109.html

Learn more about IDA's campaign to save zoo elephants:
http://www.savezooelephants.org/

Watch a National Geographic video about elephants used to log the teak forests that once were their home in Myanmar [6 min]:

Breeder of Fighting Bulls to Clone Aging Sire

A Spanish bullfighting breeder is planning to clone his 16-year-old prize bull, who has sired about 40 bulls a year. "If you owned a painting by Rubens, or Velázquez, you would do everything in your power to preserve it. Alcalde is my Velázquez, and I want to preserve him."






Read the New York Times article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/24/world/europe/24bull.html

Visit Stop Our Shame, a Spanish anti-bullfighting organization:
http://www.stopourshame.com/

Sign a petition to ban bullfighting in Catalonia, Spain:
http://www.wspa-international.org/pet_bullfighting.asp

Sign a petition to ban bullfighting in Colombia:
http://www.petitiononline.com/abcdzxqk/petition.html

Watch a bullfighting video [5 min] (warning: graphic content):


photo courtesy Lontananze d'azzurro, Creative Commons

Calls for Delay in UK Biofuel Launch

The UK's chief environment scientist, Professor Robert Watson, has asked that ministers wait for the results of their inquiry into biofuel's sustainability before introducing the planned 2.5% addition of biofuels to the pumps on April 1, 2008. He joins several advocacy groups, including Oxfam and Greenpeace, who have demanded that the policy be delayed until after the review.


>>>

Read the BBC News story:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7309099.stm

Read the Economist article, "Castro Was Right," about why corn-based ethanol is bad:
http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_RJGDQTN

Read the New York Times editorial calling for an end to ethanol subsidies:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/03/opinion/03mon1.html

Sign a Co-op America letter urging Ford and GM to stop promoting corn-based ethanol and start developing plug-in hybrids or electric vehicles:
http://www.coopamerica.org/takeaction/fordandgm/

Visit FactsAboutEthanol.org, which is monitoring the ongoing ethanol debate:
http://www.factsaboutethanol.org

Browse the New York Times' ethanol reference guide:
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/e/ethanol/index.html

photo courtesy chrissuderman, Creative Commons

Record Number of Yellowstone Bison Slaughtered

A record number of Yellowstone bison, after migrating out of the park in search of food, have been been killed by hunters or collected and sent to slaughterhouses by park officials. 1,195 bison -- about a quarter of the park's population -- have been legally slaughtered because they have moved into Montana and may carry brucellosis, a disease which can be transmitted to cattle.

According to Emily Davies at the University of Colorado, Boulder, there have been no documented cases of wild bison spreading brucellosis to cattle.

>>>

Read the New York Times story:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/us/23bison.html

Sign a petition to stop the killing of Yellowstone's bison:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/140387673

Learn about Buffalo Field Campaign, a non-profit advocacy group working to stop buffalo slaughter:
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/

Read the paper, "Brucellosis and Yellowstone Bison," by Emily Davies, Department of Sociology, University of Colorado, Boulder:
http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/full_text_search/AllCRCDocs/95-2.htm

Learn more about Yellowstone's bison:
http://www.yellowstone.net/wildlife/bison.htm

Watch a Buffalo Field Campaign video about bison migration:


photo courtesy katie_blanch, Creative Commons

Leopard Chased By Pack of Street Dogs

In the Indian town of Dharampur on Thursday, a pack of street dogs chased a stray leopard, who took refuge in a tree for about an hour until forest officials could disperse the dogs and let the cat escape back into the jungle.

According to Wildlife Tours in India, "The status of P. pardus ranges from endangered to critically endangered to threatened depending on the geographic region. Even though these cats are highly adaptable, they still face many problems. These include habitat destruction, being hunted as trophies and for their fur, and persecution as killers. Illegal hunting of leopards for their fur became so common in the 1960s that as many as 50,000 skins were marked annually."

>>>

Read the full story:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Chased_by_dogs_leopard_takes_refuge_on_tree/articleshow/2888607.cms

Learn more about the Indian leopard:
http://www.wildlife-tour-india.com/indian-wildlife/leopard.html

Sign a petition to save the endangered Amur Leopard, of which approximately only 30 remain in the wild:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/save-amur-leopards

photo courtesy of artct45, Creative Commons

Rainforest Activists Infiltrate Industry Conference

After Patricia Woertz, CEO of Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), refused to sign a pledge to stop clear-cutting rainforests for biofuels, three Rainforest Action Network activists infiltrated an industry executive conference in Santa Barbara, California, attended by Ms. Woertz, as well as the CEOs of Wal-Mart, BP and other large corporations. One of the activists, Brihannala Morgan, raised her hand to ask a question of Ms. Woertz, and she was handed a microphone.

>>>

Watch the video:
http://ga3.org/campaign/admpledge

Ask Ms. Woertz to sign the rainforest pledge:
http://ga3.org/campaign/admpledge

Learn about the threat from agribusiness to the world's tropical forests:
http://ran.org/what_we_do/rainforest_agribusiness/

Read a BBC article about United Nations Special Rapporteur Jean Ziegler's condemnation of biofuel:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7065061.stm

photo courtesy Rainforest Action Network, Creative Commons

Helping Endangered Turtles in Sri Lanka

Louise Gray, who works for the Tree Society of Sri Lanka, has witnessed efforts to save native turtle species in Sri Lanka, all of which are now endangered. She developed a special connection to a baby turtle she named Jonah and said goodbye to him as she launched him and about 20 of his brothers and sisters into the waves.

>>>

Read the full story:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/03/20/easrilanka12.xml

Volunteer for 2 weeks at the Turtle Conservation Project in Sri Lanka ($750 includes accommodation, food and visa costs):
http://www.tcpsrilanka.org/volunteering.htm

Sign a petition to urge Tesco to stop selling turtles in China:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/518761759

Sign a petition to prevent the extinction of the Australian Mary River Turtle:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/741410919

Learn about the New England Turtle Conservation Project:
http://www.turtleconservationproject.org/

photo courtesy of nadi0, Creative Commons

By-product of Life Found on Distant Planet

Associated Press, Wednesday, March 19, 2008:

"The Hubble Space Telescope has found methane in the atmosphere of a distant planet — the same planet where water was found last year...Such discoveries could aid efforts to find life on planets outside our solar system, scientists said Wednesday."

>>>

Read the full story:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080319/ap_on_sc/hubble_methane_1

Read about the PBS film, "Life Beyond Earth":
http://www.pbs.org/lifebeyondearth/index.html

Watch a video of Colin Pillinger, Professor of Planetary Science at Open University, discussing the dangers of finding life on other planets (2 min):


Explore the possibility of extraterrestrial life with National Geographic:
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/extraterrestrial/

photo courtesy Lawrence Whittemore, Creative Commons

Congo Ranger Arrested for Killing Gorillas

BBC News, Wednesday, March 19, 2008:

"A senior wildlife park official in Democratic Republic of Congo has been arrested amid claims that he organised the killing of rare mountain gorillas...Ten gorillas were killed in 2007 in the Virunga National Park, a Unesco world heritage site."








Read the full text:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7304650.stm

Sign the petition to prevent gorilla habitat destruction from unregulated mining in Congo:
http://gopetition.com/region/237/459.html

Help Wildlife Direct save mountain gorillas in Virunga National Park in eastern Congo:
http://gorilla.wildlifedirect.org/

Learn about gorilla conservation from the World Conservation Society:
http://www.congogorillaforest.com/congoconservationchoices/congogorillaconservation

Watch a National Geographic video about gorillas at the Mbeli Bai preserve in Northern Congo (5 min):




photo courtesy psilver [silverph.com], Creative Commons

South African Elephant Culling Backed by Leakey

BBC News, Monday, March 17, 2008:

"South Africa plans to allow culling after a gap of 14 years because of growing numbers of elephants. The population is estimated to have expanded from 8,000 to 18,000 in little more than a decade...The plan has aroused the ire of some environment and animal welfare groups. Some are so opposed to the plan that they have called for tourist boycotts."

"Though I find elephant culling repugnant, I can see the sense in it," said eminent conservationist and chairman of Wildlife Direct, Richard Leakey.

>>>

Read the full text:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7301195.stm

Sign the petition to stop South Africa's elephant culling:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/502818212

Tell your friends about the petition:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/502818212/tf_link

Watch a video of South African elephants at a watering hole in Addo:


photo courtesy afiedeldey, Creative Commons

Underwater Turbines Harness Tidal Wave Energy

Scientific American, March 10, 2008:

"The Earth's oceans, pushed by wind and tugged by the moon and sun, ebb and flow over more than 70 percent of the planet, but only recently has technology emerged to finally harness some of that kinetic energy as usable power."

>>>

Read the full text:
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=tidal-wave-renewable-energy&sc=WR_20080318

Read about New York's Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy Project:
http://www.verdantpower.com/what-initiative

Watch Dr. Thomas J. Goreau of MIT discuss the Tidal Energy and Reef Restoration project:


Read about one of the world's biggest tidal energy projects, to be completed in 2015 in South Korea:
http://business.scotsman.com/energyutilities/Renewables-boost--as-Lunar.3883390.jp

photo courtesy Today is a good day, Creative Commons

Warmer Yellowstone Allows Bears to Flourish

The number of grizzly bears and gophers in Yellowstone National Park has increased with the spread of the Canada thistle, an invasive Mediterranean plant that has thrived in the warming climate.




>>>

Read the New York Times story:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/18/science/18griz.html

Watch a PBS "Nature" video of hibernating Yellowstone grizzly:


Learn more about Yellowstone grizzly bears:
http://www.yellowstone.net/wildlife/grizzly.htm

photo courtesy grizzbass, Creative Commons

Polar Bear Lawsuit

Three conservation groups have filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against the Bush administration on March 10, 2008, for missing the deadline to decide if polar bears require protection from climate change under the Endangered Species Act.




>>>

Read about the story on Environment News Service:
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/mar2008/2008-03-11-094.asp

Read the March 11, 2008 story on Salon.com, "Packing Heat on Polar Bears":
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/03/17/polar_bear_hunting/

Read the Salt Lake Tribune editorial, "Bears and canaries: Feds should recognize global warming threat":
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_8605050

Sign the Center for Biological Diversity petition urging President Bush to list the polar bear as an endangered species:
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2167/t/5243/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=876

Sign the worldwide letter urging the Canadian government to protect polar bear habitats:
http://polarbearpetition.com/

Watch a Channel 11 news video about the lawsuit:


Watch a CNN video about the lawsuit:
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/ver/256.0/popup/index.php?cl=7011517

photo courtesy mtlin, Creative Commons

California Salmon Source Collapses

New York Times, Monday, March 17, 2008:

"The Chinook salmon that swim upstream to spawn in the fall, the most robust run in the Sacramento River, have disappeared. The almost complete collapse of the richest and most dependable source of Chinook salmon south of Alaska left gloomy fisheries experts struggling for reliable explanations — and coming up dry."

>>>

Read the full text:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/17/science/earth/17salmon.html

photo courtesy mrjorgen, Creative Commons

Bushfire Destroys Australian Rainforest

8,000 hectares of Australia's largest temperate rainforest have already been destroyed by bushfire. The Tarkine rainforest, in northwest Tasmania, was protected in 2005 in a federal conservation reserve. With more 60 rare and threatened species, the rainforest is recognized as having world heritage significance.

>>>

Read the story on News.com.au:
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23394914-1702,00.html

Visit the Tarkine National Coalition, an environment group promoting the protection of the Tarkine Wilderness Area:
http://www.tarkine.org/

Visit Rainforest Action Network's Web site:
http://ran.org/

photo courtesy Lost in Tasmania, Creative Commons

Clean Air Act Proposal Values Business Over Science

New York Times, Monday, March 17, 2008:

"Nobody was greatly surprised last week when Stephen Johnson, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, proposed new limits on smog-forming pollutants that were weaker than those his scientists had recommended — and more to the liking of industry. In the Bush administration, contests between politics and science are usually resolved in favor of politics."

>>>

Read the full text:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/17/opinion/17mon1.html

Read the Clean Air Act:
http://www.epa.gov/air/caa/

photo courtesy Army Man Chaz, Creative Commons

Hunger May Be Driving Wolves Into Iraqi Villages

From the Los Angeles Times, March 17, 2008:

"Locals believe the wolves must have crossed some threshold of desperation or hunger, reached a tipping point that had prevented them from venturing onto human turf. They overcame their fear of people and began entering towns and villages to feast on sheep and cattle."

>>>

Read the full text:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-wolves17mar17,0,1492758.story

Read "Why Support Wolves When People Are Starving," by Erich Klinghammer, PhD, Director of Wolf Park, Indiana:
http://www.wolfpark.org/Articles/whysupportwolves.html

Watch PBS video on Yellowstone Park wolves, "In the Valley of Wolves":

Global Warming Meets Entrepreneurship in New Book by EDF President

Posted by Fred Krupp, President of the Environmental Defense Fund, on Sustainablog, March 12, 2008:

"Earth: The Sequel is about hope, invention, ingenuity, entrepreneurialism, capital markets, commerce, and profit. These are words that most people don’t think of when they hear the term “global warming,” and they especially don’t expect to hear them coming from me. After all, I’m an environmental lawyer running one of the country’s most respected and influential environmental groups, advocating for good environmental policy."

>>>

Read the full text:
http://sustainablog.org/2008/03/12/environmental-defense-fund-global-warmings-silver-lining/

Watch Fred Krupp discuss his new book:


Read a Time review of the book:
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1722644,00.html

Read the Newsweek interview with Krupp:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/123021

Order the book on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Earth-Sequel-Reinvent-Energy-Warming/dp/0393066908

Check out the Environmental Defense Fund Web site:
http://www.edf.org/home.cfm

Record Glacier Melt from Climate Change

BBC News, Sunday, March 16, 2008:

"The rate at which some of the world's glaciers are melting has more than doubled, data from the United Nations Environment Programme has shown."

Achim Steiner, Under-Secretary General of the UN and executive director of its environment programme (UNEP), said: ""There are many canaries emerging in the climate change coal mine. The glaciers are perhaps among those making the most noise and it is absolutely essential that everyone sits up and takes notice."

Dr Ian Willis, of the Scott Polar Research Institute, said: "It is not too late to stop the shrinkage of these ice sheets but we need to take action immediately."

>>>

Read the full text:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7299561.stm

Watch a National Geographic video about glacier melt:


Send a letter to US Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne to protect Glacier National Park from Global Warming:
http://actionnetwork.org/BIODIVERSITY/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=3749506

Join the discussion on the Greenpeace "Help Save the Glaciers" Forum:
http://forum.greenpeace.org/int/showthread.php?t=3496

Check out a comprehensive glacier guide at the National Snow and Ice Data Center:
http://nsidc.org/glaciers/

photo courtesy vtveen, Creative Commons

Iceland Whale Hunt Likely

From BBC News, Thursday, March 13, 2008:

"Iceland is likely to approve the commercial hunting of whales for this summer."

"'It's meaningless, it's useless, it's futile, it's against the spirit of the whaling regime that Iceland says it wants internationally,' said Arni Finnsson of the Iceland Nature Conservation Association (Inca)."

>>>

Read the full text:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7294564.stm

Watch a video on Iceland Whale Slaughter (warning: graphic content):


Sign the Boycott Iceland Petition:
http://wildcave.net/phpPETITION/

Sign the Stop Icelandic Whaling Petition:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/123614689

Read the BBC's Guide to Great Whales:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/guides/456900/456973/html/default.stm

For Dog's Death Used As Art, No Law Broken

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Dear 13.7 Billion Years,

Regarding "Dog Used as Art, Tied Up, Starved to Death," (March 14), the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) is aware of this situation. The artist is Costa Rican, but this exhibit happened in a Nicaraguan art gallery last October. While there is an animal cruelty law in Costa Rica, there is no such legislation in Nicaragua. Unfortunately, the artist did not break the law by mistreating this dog.

The news of the exhibit did not seem to get picked up by the Costa Rican press until about a month after it happened. Even then, there was very little coverage and it was never made clear whether the dog actually died, how long it was there or why nobody did anything if it was suffering. Following this, people around the world began protesting against Vargas, and our Costa Rica office issued a statement in response to this act. Our member society in Honduras (AHPRA) also took action and wrote a statement which was sent to the appropriate domestic authorities.

The WSPA Costa Rica office has also contacted the Ministry of Art and Culture, to urge them to consider disallowing Vargas from representing Costa Rica at the Central American Biennial, taking place this year in Honduras. They replied that since Vargas was participating at the Biennial with a different exhibit (apparently not involving a dog this time), they could not ban him from attending.

This issue is of concern to the WSPA, and it is unfortunate that this artist will be able to gain publicity through this second exhibition, despite his previous display involving mistreatment of this dog. The WSPA is completely opposed to the use of animals for entertainment purposes. Despite this, it seems that there is little more that can be done to address this issue, as we have very limited resources. We will, however, continue to monitor the situation in case further action can be taken at any time.

Ruth Morse
Supporter Liaison
World Society for the Protection of Animals

Dolphin Rescues Stranded Whales

On March 13, 2008, Reuters reported on Moko, a dolphin who helped conservations save a stranded female pygmy whale and its calf in New Zealand. This is the first recorded instance of dolphin-assisted whale rescue.

Almost half the world’s approximately 80 species of cetaceans (the group of mammals that includes whales, dolphins and porpoises) are found in New Zealand’s waters.

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Read the full text:
http://www.reuters.com/news/video/videoStory?videoId=78072

Send a Citizen Comment urging the National Marine Fisheries Service to reject the Navy's plan for worldwide deployment of dangerous LFA sonar:
http://www.nrdconline.org/campaign/biogems_whales_0707

Adopt a whale for $15:
http://www.savethewhales.org/adopt.html

Find out more about New Zealand whales:
http://www.teara.govt.nz/EarthSeaAndSky/SeaLife/Whales/1/en

Watch a National Geographic video about killer whales blasted by U.S. Navy Sonar in Puget Sound (Note: The U.S. Navy has since agreed to not use sonar when orcas are present in Puget Sound):

Dog Used as Art, Tied Up, Starved to Death

On Tuesday, March 11, 2008, 13.7 Billion Years received the following forwarded email from a concerned friend:

"In 2007, Guillermo Vargas Habacuc, a supposed artist, captured an abandoned dog from the street, tied him with a short cord to the wall in an art gallery and left him there to slowly die of hunger and thirst. For a few days, gallery visitors viewed the agony of the poor animal until finally the dog died of starvation after having experienced so much pain.

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And that's not all, now the Honduras Biennale Centro de Arte, after they decided that was art, invited Guillermo Vargas Habacuc to repeat this cruel action for the 2008 Biennale."

Sign the petition to boycott to the presence of Guillermo Vargas "Habacuc" at the Biennale Centroamericana Honduras 2008:
http://www.petitiononline.com/ea6gk/petition.html

Read an article about this on Nonstarvingartists.com:
http://www.nonstarvingartists.com/Members/zaphmann/zaph-mann/archive/2008/03/06/death-for-no-reason

Visit the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) Web site:
http://www.wspausa.org

photo courtesy maclosky, Creative Commons

Bush Weakens Ozone Rules

From the Washington Post, Friday, March 14, 2008:

"The Environmental Protection Agency weakened one part of its new limits on smog-forming ozone after an unusual last-minute intervention by President Bush, according to documents released by the EPA."

"'It is unprecedented and an unlawful act of political interference for the president personally to override a decision that the Clean Air Act leaves exclusively to EPA's expert scientific judgment,' said John Walke, clean-air director for the Natural Resources Defense Council."

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Read the full article:
Ozone Rules Weakened at Bush's Behest

Sign the Ozone Layer Petition to President Bush:
http://www.petitiononline.com/saveo3/petition.html

Secret Whaling Plan for Japan

On Sunday, March 9, 2007, the Independent reported on a secret meeting among over 70 governments in London last week about controversial plans to lift the worldwide ban on whaling.

"The plans, which have alarmed environmentalists, have been welcomed by both pro- and anti-whaling governments and seek to lift a long stalemate over hunting, enabling Japan officially to resume commercial whaling for the first time in more than 20 years."

"On Tuesday, the militant Sea Shepherd organisation, which has been shadowing the fleet, threw mild acid at the Japanese and on Friday the group's captain, Paul Watson, claimed he had been shot in the chest."

"Banning whaling has been a central cause for environmentalists for more than 35 years, after decades of unregulated whaling had severely depleted populations of blue, fin, humpback and other great whales."

Created in 1946, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) is the primary mechanism for the protection of whales. In 1986, they enacted a five-year moratorium on commercial whaling, which has been extended to present day. According to the Independent article, an IWC spokesperson said that they were not part of the formal proceedings in London, but there had been informal discussions with the group.

Sea Shepherd is committed to the eradication of pirate whaling, poaching, shark finning, unlawful habitat destruction, and violations of established laws in the World's oceans.

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Read the Independent article:
Secret plan to let Japan resume whaling

Watch video of whaling (warning: graphic content):


Sign the International Anti-Whaling Petition:
http://www.petitiononline.com/antiw/petition.html

Send Greenpeace's anti-whaling letter:
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/canon-shooting-whales-240108/use-a-canon-to-shoot-whales

Check out Greenpeace's "Canon Can Save Whales Campaign":
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/canon-shooting-whales-240108/canon-can-save-whales

Check out IFAW's "Stop Whaling Now Campaign" Web site:
http://www.stopwhaling.org

Visit the Sea Shepherd Web site:
http://www.seashepherd.org/

Visit the International Whaling Commission Web site:
http://www.iwcoffice.org/

photo courtesy SparkyLeigh, Creative Commons

Astronomers Closer to Figuring Out Age of Universe

On March 9, 2008, the New York Times reported on research that has provided the most precise age of the universe to date: 13.73 billion years, give or take 120 million years.

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Read the full article:
Gauging Age of Universe Becomes More Precise