NEWS
FOB Files “Intent to Sue Notice” on Upper Greenbrier North Timber Project
.jpg) On February 28th, 2013 Friends of Blackwater sent a “Notice of Intent to Sue” to the Forest Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service on the Upper Greenbrier North Timber Project. The Monongahela National Forest has not considered negative effects on the Indiana bat which has lost 80% of its population in West Virginia due to the deadly fungus White Nose Syndrome. Logging in this area could devastate these fragile bats. FOB requested that the Forest Service and Fish and Wildlife Service create new guidelines for the Monongahela in the face of this epidemic. We will keep you up to date! Click here to read the Notice.
Click here to see what else we are doing to protect bats and the Monongahela National Forest.
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ACTION
Act Now: Help Prevent Eagle Death
From American Bird Conservancy:
A proposal to gut an important rule that protects eagles will result in more of these iconic birds being killed at wind energy projects throughout the United States. It wasn’t long ago that Bald Eagle numbers plummeted to just 800 breeding birds, placing them on the Endangered Species List and putting their very existence in doubt. Majestic Golden Eagles also suffered declines and continue to struggle today in the face of ongoing threats.
The federal government allows corporations to obtain permits to avoid prosecution for killing limited numbers of eagles as part of their normal operations – if they also promise to offset this damage. These permits must be renewed every five years, giving the public regular opportunity to assess an industry’s operations. However, at the request of wind energy industry lobbyists, the federal government has now proposed making the permits good for 30 years. That means 30 years will pass without the possibility for public review of the permit.
This will lead to more dead eagles, more costly lawsuits, and more Americans who will wonder why private businesses are getting a free pass to kill some of our nation’s most majestic birds. Please send a message TODAY to ask the new Secretary of Interior to personally review and reject this terrible proposal. Go to abcbirds.org to see a sample letter and email your comments.
For more actions, click here.
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SPOTLIGHT
Over 5 Million Bats Killed by White Nose Syndrome
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists and partners estimate that at least 5.7 million to 6.7 million bats have now died from white-nose syndrome. West Virginia state bat biologist, Craig Stihler states that all caves surveyed in 2012 and 2013 are infected with the fungus.
White-nose syndrome (WNS) is decimating bat populations across eastern North America, with mortality rates reaching up to 100 percent at many sites. First documented in New York in 2006, the disease has spread quickly into 16 states and four Canadian provinces. For more information, please click here.
A New Study by Forest Service researchers predict that climate change will shift the population center for Indiana bat into the Appalachian region. For more information please click here.
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