DAILY QUICK READ - AUGUST 23, 2016

Anybody Think Climate Change is Involved?

Thousands of dead fish.  Warmer water, less winter snow and melt in the spring.  Fish in this situation are more stressed and disease prone.  Each little piece is connected and part of an unfolding disaster.

On August 12, Montana officials realized that the mountain whitefish of Yellowstone River were dying en masse. They sent corpses off for testing and got grave news in return: The fish had proliferative kidney disease—the work of a highly contagious parasite that kills between 20 and 100 percent of infected hosts. Tens of thousands of whitefish were already dead, and trout were starting to fall.

Humans can spread the parasite from one water source to another. So, on the morning of August 19, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks closed a 183-mile stretch of the Yellowstone River, banning all fishing, swimming, floating, and boating. “We recognize that this decision will have a significant impact on many people,” said FWP Director Jeff Hagener in a press release. However, we must act to protect this public resource for present and future generations.”

The killer?  Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae, a remarkable parasite.

It is part of a group called the myxozoans. They spend most of their lives as microscopic spores that are made of just a few cells. Despite their appearances, these creatures are animals. And although they are obscure, you have definitely heard of their closest relatives—jellyfish, corals, and sea anemones. Yellowstone River is now closed because more than half a billion years ago, a jellyfish-like animal started transforming into a parasite.

America’s True Treasures

Our national parks are in jeopardy.  Climate change and a brain dead Congress (at least one political party) could destroy a century of conservation and, in some cases wipe out some of the planets most miraculous wild places and iconic national monuments.

After a century of shooing away hunters, tending to trails and helping visitors enjoy the wonder of the natural world, the guardians of America’s most treasured places have been handed an almost unimaginable new job – slowing the all-out assault climate change is waging against national parks across the nation.

As the National Parks Service (NPS) has charted the loss of glaciers, sea level rise and increase in wildfires spurred by rising temperatures in recent years, the scale of the threat to US heritage across the 412 national parks and monuments has become starkly apparent.

As the National Parks Service turns 100 this week, their efforts to chart and stem the threat to the country’s history faces a daunting task. America’s grand symbols and painstakingly preserved archaeological sites are at risk of being winnowed away by the crashing waves, wildfires and erosion triggered by warming temperatures.

Salmon Farming = Environmental Disaster

Canadian First Nations representatives attempt to shut down four salmon farms.  The farms are fouling the Nations fishing grounds and spreading disease among wild salmon. 

Last week a small flotilla of boats from Kingcome Village, Gilford Village and Alert Bay, with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's research vessel Martin Sheen in the background, handed eviction notices to four Cermaq Canada salmon farms. Hereditary chiefs said notices will be issued to all 27 farms in their territory.

With chiefs in traditional robes, drumming and singing, the group ignored efforts by Cermaq employees to prevent them from landing, handed over the notice and then held a cleansing ceremony and wild salmon barbecue at one of the farms.

"Our people have spoken. We want salmon farms out of our territory," said Chief Councillor Willie Moon, the first to pull into the farm off northern Vancouver Island.

People Are Stupid – That is All

Harambe’s death was tragic and senseless.  Now the pain that the staff at the Cincinnati Zoo feels is magnified by insensitive buffoons on the Internet.

The director of the Cincinnati zoo has pleaded with people to stop making memes and humorous online comments about Harambe, the gorilla that was shot and killed after a child fell into its enclosure, because of the effect upon grieving staff.

Online interest in Harambe has flowered since May, when the 17-year-old male western lowland gorilla was shot after a three-year-old boy fell into his enclosure after climbing over a barrier that has since been heightened. Fearing the boy could be dragged around and drowned in the moat surrounding Harambe’s home, zoo officials decided to kill the gorilla.

“We are not amused by the memes, petitions and signs about Harambe,” Maynard told the Associated Press. “Our zoo family is still healing and the constant mention of Harambe makes moving forward more difficult for us. We are honoring Harambe by redoubling our gorilla conservation efforts and encouraging others to join us .”

One Person Can Make A Difference

Small steps can become giant leaps.  Thank Tim Wong for a little bit of beauty saved for the world.

One person can't make a big difference in the world by himself, right? If you believe that, it's time to adjust your attitude. Tim Wong just proved you wrong. He has successfully begun repopulating a rare butterfly species—and he did it in his spare time, in his backyard.

Wong is an aquatic biologist by trade, employed by the California Academy of Sciences. These days, people are starting to call him the "Butterfly Whisperer." That's not far from the truth. Butterflies are Wong's off-duty passion. He's loved them since he was a boy. When he discovered one particularly beautiful type had essentially disappeared from the San Francisco area, he wanted to do something about it.

Some Beauty for the Day

From Tree Hugger, The Wave in Coyote Buttes (Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness in Arizona) – photo by Rollie Rodriguez.