It's the Crocodile's turn!

First Coyotes, now Crocodiles, what next, Coati?

The American Crocodile is now considered such a threat to the pet population in South Florida that the LA Times has picked up the story. Maybe that's because people who live in the California foothills know what it's like to have their poodle eaten by a coyote, or a mountain lion, or say, an 11-foot crocodile.

Well, buddy. Keep your poodle on a leash. The crocodiles were there first.

I love how they didn't even get the name of the story right, check it out. It says 'alligator population on the rise', not Crocodile. Brilliant. Genius!

Turtle Power!

Yes, it isn't just in popular 1980's cartoons. It's in the more than 45,000 people who have already signed the petition to help protect sea turtles from bottom longline fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. With 6 out of 7 species of sea turtles listed as threatened or endangered, continuing protections for these animals is critical, starting with working to limit the number of deaths each year from irresponsible fishing practices. Snared on sharp hooks or in nets, sea turtles often drown. In incidents of snaring by longlines in 2006-07 the government estimates nearly 1000 turtles were snared, with up to an 80% fatality rate. So call that 800 a year. 800 doesn't seem like that high a number, but consider that we have no idea how many sea turtles there really are because we can only track females who come to shore to lay their eggs. Male and juvenile sea turtles will spend their entire lives at sea.
But wait! There's more!
Fatality rates for sea turtle hatchlings are staggeringly high, due to natural predators alone. Add to that all the trouble man makes for them, and repopulating the oceans becomes a truly daunting task. Sea turtles are constantly losing prime nesting beaches to development, and like the polar bears and their melting ice, sea turtles are faced with the problem of global warming raising water levels and putting much of their nesting habitat under water. Even if the beaches are left alone, nearby lighting from developments can confuse turtle hatchlings, causing them to flounder inland and be run over on roads, die of dehydration, or become prey to domestic cats and dogs.
What more can you do to help besides signing the petition and donating to sea turtle conservation? Defenders of Wildlife has a list for you.

Bush targets Wolves. AGAIN!

Alright, how many times are we going to have to go through this process? The Bush administration, even in its literal last days (THANK GAIA!) continues to mount attack after attack on one of the most amazing wildlife recovery success stories ever: The Grey Wolf. For the umpteenth time in the last few years the Bush admin is making a last ditch effort to once more strip wolves in the Yellowstone region of the vital protections that have allowed this keystone species to make such a remarkable comeback, revitalizing tourism and the very ecosystem itself in the process.
This is our moment, guys. This is the last chance the Bush Administration will ever have to destroy all the hard work of countless conservationists, and the people like you and me who help support them. Until individual states can come up with a SOUND plan to maintain their wolf packs in a SUSTAINABLE manner, this duty must continue to fall under Federal jurisdiction, which means that endangered species protections must remain in place until a management plan can be agreed upon by states and conservation organizations alike.
No other endangered species, save one, has made such a remarkable recovery from the brink of extinction as the wolf. That other species is the very symbol of our country: The American Bald Eagle. The Bald Eagle has made such an amazing recovery that it is now delisted. We can all hope that this is true for another symbol of American power and perserverance, the Grey Wolf. But today is not that day, friends. We still have a long road to travel, much to teach, and much to learn before the Grey Wolf can enjoy that fabled status. And they need our help to get there.
PLEASE HELP THEM!

Happy Solstice, and don't forget your friends!

Happy Solstice, everybody! Finally, it's officially winter, and Christmas and New Years are just around the corner. We at ALivingGaia.org can hardly wait for the new year, and our new President! Meanwhile we've been very busy with preparations for the holidays (hence the no updates thing) and with fighting off Bush's last minute attacks on the Endangered Species Act, and the environment. Recent actions include:

Stop Bush's Last Minute Attacks on the Environment
Stop Drilling off the Virginia Coast
Clean Slate Energy Agenda
Green Nation

Click any of those links and all you have to do is sign a petition to do your part!
Now, I know I'm too late to get in under the 'ship by Christmas' deadline but just in case you have any last minute shopping left to do, WWF, Defenders, and other organizations still have great gifts and adoptions available all year round! You can even send your loved ones an environmental e-card to let them know you didn't forget about them, and their gift is in the mail. You can go to these sites and others and choose from any number of great environmentally conscious gifts or symbolic wildlife adoptions:

World Wildlife Fund
Defenders of Wildlife
Oceana

Here's another holiday idea. When you get the feeling that sometimes your loved ones just don't know what to get your for the holidays, why not purchase some wildlife holiday cards and send them a little pre-holiday note. Let them know that all you really want to do for christmas is help save the world, and could your loved one maybe make a donation to the charity of your choice instead of buying you yet another turtleneck sweater, please? It's a great way to help your charity, AND get the word out there by introducing your friends and family to activism.

And a last minute holiday suggestion: Don't forget to send holiday cards to your elected officials wishing them a happy holiday and letting them know how important environmental legislation is to you!

Have a Happy Solstice, everyone!

Endangered Species Act

Inside the Secret Plan to Gut the Endangered Species Act.

Mad bloggin' on wolves

My friend Quis got me started reading various blogger's articles on Palin last night, so that naturally led me to a succession of articles on feminism, and wolves. Here are the ones about wolves.

Her Deadly Wolf Program

Killing the Wolves again
This one made me cry. R.I.P. Limpy, of the Druid Peak pack. The Druids are my favorites.
It also highlights the amazing kinship of all living things...who knew reintroducing wolves could help Aspen trees grow? And actually increase the number of Pronghorn Antelope?

What horrifies the wildlife watchers is killing a wolf just for being a wolf. "For anyone to just go out and shoot a wolf without any reason, [a wolf] which hasn't gotten into any trouble, is criminal," says Connolly. "It's dishonorable, disrespectful of nature, and it shows an extreme lack of understanding of how the natural world works."

The wolf in all of us
Unfortunately this one appears to be older, and as we all know, Bush changed his mind. Still, a good article.

Conservation Report Card

Ever wonder exactly how yours and other government representatives voted on a certain subject? Check out Defenders of Wildlife's Wildlife Conservation Report Card and see!
I'm in a split district and don't know my nine digit zipcode offhand (you might need it to view your specific representatives) so I've just browsed through the full senate reviews. It seems like we've got their ear now days when it comes to renewable energy and energy conservation, but we're not getting through on the topics of wildlife and land conservation. Every amendment to the farm bill seems to have been turned down. Sometimes (most of the time?) I wish I'd been born years ago when many of our representatives and even presidents were farmers, ranchers, and other such men and women who loved America's unique wildlife and wide open spaces. Sure, a lot of them still come from families with a TRADITION of farming and working and appreciating the land, but how many of them actually DO it?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Ah, Thanksgiving. The day of...giving...thanks. Yeah. And Turkey. Unless you're vegan, and then its the day of tofu shaped into a turkey. Whatever floats your gravy boat, folks! Thanksgiving is only the beginning of the season of giving, and in my opinion one of the best things you can give to someone else is a gift that symbolizes a lasting future. To this end the World Wildlife Fund has opened a new gift shop where you can find just the right gifts for the important people in your life, and help WWF reach their conservation goals at the same time. In the Adoption Center there are literally dozens of rare and endangered animals to choose from - from pandas and polar bears to tigers and tamarins. With adoption prices starting at $25 your symbolic endangered animal 'adoption' can net your loved one everything from a photo and adoption certificate to plushie likenesses of your chosen animal, framed photo and adoption certificate and a map showing the locations of all 80 adoptable species nicely packaged in a special WWF gift box. If your someone special is a child with conservation aspirations the "Endangered Species Adoption of the Month" club might be just the gift for them. According to the WWF website: "With the WWF Endangered Species Adoption of the Month, you adopt a different endangered animal every month for a full year. Your generous one-time gift creates a lasting foundation for our conservation action around the world. What a terrific way to help preserve wildlife and show the next generation the importance of conservation." A new plushie will arrive every month, along with photo and adoption certificate and a fact sheet to help your little future conservationist learn everything there is to know about our endangered species.
Teenage girls and ladies will love the "Earring of the Month Club", featuring twelve endangered species the WWF is working to protect, and including a beautiful pewter earring tree for display. You can also purchase earrings seperately in the Apparel and Crafts section, along with tote bags, pajama pants and WWF t-shirts. Whatever you choose from the new World Wildlife Fund store, the WWF and the environment will thank you!
Speaking of thank yous, here is a part of the thank you card I recieved today from Defenders of Wildlife:

Defenders members and activists are now one million-strong and growing. And thanks to the support of dedicated folks just like you, we were able to:

• Pass the Global Warming Wildlife Survival Act in the House, vital legislation to ensure the long-term survival of polar bears and other wildlife as global temperatures rise;
• Introduce the Protect America’s Wildlife (PAW) Act to stop Alaska’s senseless wolf slaughter from the skies;
• Stop Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s gruesome wolf paw bounty plan;
• Protect rare condors in California from the threat of lead ammunition in their habitat; and much more.

So with these wonderful accomplishments and future goals in mind, I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving!

Support the PAW Act and save Alaskan Wolves

I said I was tired of having to talk about it. That doesn't mean I'm going to STOP talking about it. Every step we take in the right direction brings us closer than ever to ending Alaska's aerial hunting forever.
A couple of months ago California Congressman George Miller (D) introduced the PAW (Protect Americas Wildlife) Act. Since then more than 100 thousand people have written to their representatives asking them to support Congressman Miller's proposed legislation, and Defenders of Wildlife secured donations to run a series of ads and mini-documentaries highlighting the horrors of Alaska's wolf 'management' plan. Donor support has helped the PAW Act gain crucial support in Congress, but there is still much work to be done before the legislation can be put to work. To this end Defenders is running an ad in Congress Daily and they need your help!
Click here to view the ad.
Already Alaskan officials are handing out wolf hunting permits. Licenses to kill in a most heinous and unsportsman-like fashion.
Don't let this go on for another season of death. Help Defenders of Wildlife stop it, now!

Wolves and Polar Bears and prairie dogs? oh my!

I'm finally getting a chance to go through some piled up mail in my box, so pardon me if these 'announcements' are a bit late...I'm sure there are still plenty of ways you can help and a lot you can learn!
All in trouble this month: Southwest or "Lobo" wolves, Polar bears as always, and a funny little rodent you probably never think about: Prairie Dogs.
First the wolves. I've had the privilege and pleasure to meet these creatures up close at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum outside of Tucson, Arizona, where a staff member invited us to stay a bit past normal closing time, in order to give a howling demonstration. The Coyotes started it off, but the wolves joined in quickly, and the Ravens over in the aviary added their voices as well. To a Raven, Coyote and Wolf talk probably means dinner! I've also seen them in the wild, in New Mexico while visiting family near White Sands. New Mexico Representative (R, of course) Pearce recently attempted to undermine the Southwest Wolf Recovery Program by spreading misleading and often outright untrue information about wolves to his fellow New Mexicans, calling for the termination of the recovery program. Thankfully, he was thwarted! The man actually went so far as to tell people that 'nothing is more appealing to a wolf than the sound of a baby crying.' How outlandish! Everyone knows politicians lie, but really. Despite the recent win for Lobo Wolves, we must remain vigilant that the government continue to support the Endangered Species Act and not allow sensationalism and fantasy sway them.
Meanwhile Polar Bears continue to face threats from every direction...poaching, global warming, habitat loss. For the sake of todays argument I'm not even going to open the Global Warming can of worms. I'm focusing on destruction and disturbance of habitat and LOCAL pollution. Big Oil has been pressing for years to open up arctic wildlands to drilling, lands that include several key wildlife areas, national parks and refuges in Alaska. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is the largest wildlife refuge in the United States, and a key denning and breeding habitat for animals from Polar Bears, to Caribou, to migratory birds you can find in your own back yard! Polar Bears den here, Caribou cross thousands of miles to drop their calves, and Arctic Wolves hunt. Oil company development along the coastal plain would have a drastic affect on all local wildlife, including fish and marine mammals such as the endangered Bowhead Whale living in the Beaufort Sea. To understand the impact of drilling and exploration in the arctic refuge, one only need to look as far as nearby Prudhoe Bay.
And last but not least on todays ranting agenda the Prairie Dog. Prairie Dogs get a bad rap. They (as well as numerous other rodents in the mid and southwest) can be carriers of Bubonic Plague, dig holes that old time ranchers will always blame for the breaking of a prize bull or cutting horse's leg, and (heaven forbid!) make use of ranchland that should rightfully belong to cows, ain't that right folks?! There has been noise from many plains states about using poison to destroy up to 2/3 of the prairie dog population in some places. On its own a Prairie Dog might not seem like much. But consider: Prairie Dog's provide food for some of our most endangered small predators, the Black-footed Ferret and the Swift Fox, both of which are currently being managed by recovery programs. If the Prairie Dogs were destroyed, these other key species would also suffer. Also, vacant Prairie Dog burrows are used by Ferrets, Foxes, Owls and snakes, as well as the rodents providing food for other animals such as Coyotes, Bald and Golden Eagles, owls and many species of hawks. The effort to exterminate the Prairie Dog not only highlights the government's serious lack of understanding the impact of its 'management' actions, but costs tax payers billions of dollars a year. Do YOU want to pay for these misguided schemes? I don't!
Visit Defenders of Wildlife and WorldWildlifeFund to find out what you can do to help them in their efforts in these areas. And if you happen to see a Polar Bear, Wolf, or Prairie Dog today tell him I said "Hi! and Good Luck!"

Keep Wolves in Yellowstone!

Hi,
I just took action to stop one of the worst wolf massacres in decades -- and I hope you will, too.
It's easy to help. Just go to the website below to take action:
http://action.defenders.org/northernrockieswolves
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed to strip wolves of crucial Endangered Species Act protections in the Northern Rockies. Such a plan would allow Wyoming and Idaho to move forward with plans to eliminate as many wolves as possible within their borders.
Please help me save these magnificent animals. Tell the federal government to maintain federal protections for gray wolves by sending a message at the website below:
http://action.defenders.org/northernrockieswolves Help generate 200,000 comments to federal officials -- take action at the website above, then forward this message on to others who care about wildlife.
These wolves are in trouble. But, together, I know we can save them. I hope you'll help...
Thanks!

There, Defenders said to send it to five friends, hopefully I have reached at least that many people through this blog.

To be perfectly honest, and I love wolves, but I'm begining to feel like I'm beating a dead horse with this issue. For some reason beyond my ken wolves are one of the most revered, and most hated animals in the animal kingdom. There are people who would die to keep them, and people who would kill to be rid of them. Even if you aren't a wolf fanatic, most sane people will admit that wolves have their place in our world, just like every thing else nature has molded. Literally hundreds of thousands of people have already poured their heart and soul into pleading with officials to save wolves, be it in Idaho, Wyoming, New Mexico, or Alaska. How can anyone else take what they love away from them?

Wolves are killers. They are predators of the most elite variety. Cunning. Bold. Ruthless.

But they are also animals who love and respect one another. Caring. Nuturing. Family.

Truth be told, wolves are a lot like us.

Someone said once (and of course I can't remember who) "Wolves are people too."

There you have it.

Wolves are people too.

Adorable! Baby Orangs and Tigers best friends!

This may well be the cutest thing I've ever seen. At the Taman Safari Zoo in Indonesia, two rare Sumatran Tiger cubs and two baby Orangutans were rejected by their respective mothers. Zoo workers caring for the infants kept them in the same nursery and amazingly all four of the babies have bonded. Full grown a Sumatran Tiger may well consider an Orangutan a tasty snack, but for now all these cute babies want to do is play! In this picture of Dema the tiger cub (26 days) and Irma the orang (5 months) you can actually see that they are looking into each other's eyes. It's like Koko and her kitten, only in reverse! Someday these tiger cubs will be much larger than their primate playmates. The Sumatran Tiger is the smallest tiger subspecies, only weighing in at 200-300 pounds, and living in an increasingly smaller population in only one place in the world: the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It is believed that there are fewer than 700 Sumatran Tigers in the world, only 500 or less in the wild. On Sumatra and Borneo, where Orangutans live up to 90% of the islands forests have been logged, even some areas supposedly set aside as National Parks. Sumatran Tigers are listed as a CRITICALLY endangered species. Orangutans are listed as ENDANGERED, with likely less than 60,000 in the wild in Borneo and less than 10,000 in the wild in Sumatra. It has been suggested that Sumatran Orangutans be listed seperately as Critically Endangered.






Dave's Photo Gifts has many wonderful photographs of animals and nature, including this adorable art tile! Baby Orangutan gives daddy a kiss!



Absolutely gorgeous! Sumatran Tiger with kaleidoscope eyes from Ann's Sketchbook. Beautiful rendering by a talented artist.

The year in recap, Earth Day, Climate Crisis Action Day

If any of you have ever happened to stumble over to my other blog at Unwholy Babble-On you'll see that life around here has kinda gone to the fiery pit of Hades in a hand basket in the last week or so. But we're recovering. However, I've hardly had time to even think about this weeks Living Gaia post, or find submissions for specific issues, so this week we're going to have to let the little furry creatures fend for themselves a bit. First I want to make a list. These are all the charities and organizations I personally support:

World Wildlife Fund
Defenders of Wildlife
Front Range Equine Rescue
ASPCA
Beyond Pesticides

Those are just the ones I tune in to on a regular basis. As a full time supporter of WWF and Defenders I receive regular email and snailmail updates and action alerts, a great way to keep on top of issues that can develop quickly. Not only do these organizations help wildlife in need, they help to protect our own natural resources, and the integrity of our natural history. Imagine where America would be today if we'd let our national symbol, the Bald Eagle, go extinct? It would be a disgrace.

Speaking of symbolic animals...I said the furry critturs were on their own, but I didn't say anything about reptiles! As a Marylander I have to help spread the word and save Maryland's diamondback terrapins from overfishing! Here in the states we don't even EAT turtles (for the most part) so why are we destroying our national natural resources to export a food product that is nothing more than a delicacy? We're not saving any starving chinese children with diamondback terrapin export, folks. And everyone knows that the Terp is a nationally known symbol for Maryland! What will we call our University of Maryland teams if the diamondback terrapin disappears? The Maryland Common Box Turtles just doesn't have the same ring. If you are a Marylander, Gov. O'Malley is listening, so start talking! Give his office a call and explain to him why there needs to be a LEGAL BAN on terrapin fishing, not just a bunch of loophole filled DNF guidelines.

In other news: Don't forget about Climate Crisis Action Day in Washington, D.C. on March 20th! For the sake of wildlife and ourselves we need to tell Congress to step up and start making some real change, if we want to keep living on this planet.

The TeeShirtShoppe knows what they're talking about, man. I mean, do you really think they have Chocolate on Mars? Not to mention they don't have trees, or oceans or, I don't know, the proper amount of OXYGEN!

Also coming up, the Spring Equinox and Earth Day! Stay tuned for more information on what you can do to make this Earth Day a success. With pressing social and environmental issues as well as elections on the horizon we have a real opportunity to create change this year.

Wildlife Action Update: Defenders of Wildlife has collected almost 90 thousand of the 100 thousand 'actions' required to halt aerial gunning in Alaska. All you have to do is help is add your own thoughts to a form letter, sign and hit send. Its as simple as signing a petition, but it has that extra added individuality that helps make our voices really heard. We still need lots of Action to save our Rocky Mountain wolves, though! Jaguars and Polar Bears still need our help as well. There is also a boycott of ExxonMobile that you can sign and send, telling them you will not support them until they stop lobbying to open up some of our most precious wildlife refuges to drilling, invest in alternate energies, and take responsibility for the damage caused by the Exxon Valdez disaster. You can find all these 'Actions' at the Defenders Action Center.

As a final word I'd just like to say "welcome to spring!" I know we still have a week to go officially, but as today was the first day warm enough to open all the windows and air out the house, thats good enough for me!To me, Spring is when the new year REALLY begins. Lets make it a good one, helping wildlife, helping our planet, and helping each other :)



This classic design from Melhi Ink really says it all! A peace ribbon that says it the way YOU mean it! This unique marriage of peace sign and ribbon symbol lets you speak volumes without saying a word.