heelo tweets.

here is another "environmental" article published in the seattle P-I.

Deborah Wisti-Peterson email:nyneve at u.washington.edu
Department of Zoology, University of Washington, Seattle, Wash, USA
Visit me on the web: http://students.washington.edu/~nyneve/
<><><>Graduate School: it's not just a job, it's an indenture!<><><>


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Biological diversity on 'dramatic decline'
Saturday, September 18, 1999

By MICHAEL PAULSON [Mail Author]
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER [USA]
WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT

WASHINGTON -- From the lowliest lichens to
the fearsome grizzly bear, much of the
diverse flora and fauna of the Northwest
is in decline because of the side effects
of human civilization, the government said
yesterday.

The U.S. Geological Survey, releasing what
it said was the first large-scale
assessment of trends among the nation's
biological resources, found "dramatic
declines in the country's plants, animals
and ecosystems."

The construction of cities and farms, the
consumption of water for industry and
agriculture, global warming, chemical
pollution and even a history of
transporting plants and animals from one
continent to another all are cited by the
report as ways in which human beings have
contributed to a reduction of biological
diversity in the United States.

"Man's impact on the Earth is
accelerating," said Charles Groat,
director of the USGS. "We continue to
experience population growth, urban sprawl
and heavy use of natural resources, from
lands to waters to air and living
creatures. In fact, we will see more and
more pressure on all of our biological
systems."

The conclusions of the report are not new
-- the document is a compilation of
scientific research conducted in the
public and private sectors over the last
few decades -- but they are nonetheless
striking in their scope.

In the Pacific Northwest, the report says,
logging of old-growth forests has
dramatically affected a wide variety of
birds and plants west of the Cascades.
East of the Cascades, decades of fire
suppression and heavy grazing have
transformed the landscape.

The big picture is fairly familiar: At
least 83 percent of the Northwest's
old-growth Douglas fir forests are gone,
as are 75 percent of the coastal rain
forests in Washington. And some creatures
-- the northern spotted owl and Pacific
salmon, in particular -- have become
familiar symbols of the conflict between
economic and environmental values.

The report highlights the breadth of
creatures that have declined over the last
two centuries.

Washington state officials have been
unable to find leopard frogs in parts of
Eastern Washington where they were once
abundant.

Sharp-tailed snakes, ring-necked snakes,
western rattlesnakes and common king
snakes have virtually disappeared from
Oregon's southern Willamette Valley.

The winter wren, golden-crowned kinglet
and Wilson's warbler, three birds found in
old-growth forest, seem to be in decline,
as is the marten, a small furry relative
of the weasel.

Similar problems can be found throughout
the country. The report found that less
than 1 percent of the native grassland
that once covered seven prairie states
still remains. Grassland birds are in
decline, and prairie dog populations have
fallen by 98 percent.

The report blames dams and other water
uses for the fact that fish and other
aquatic organisms dominate lists of
species at risk. For example, in the
southeastern United States, 19 percent of
freshwater fish are endangered or
threatened, while in the Southwest, 48
percent of the region's fish species are
in trouble.

The report does offer some good news about
the Northwest.

Otters, hunted into oblivion at the turn
of the century, have rebounded since the
1970s. A hardy population of sea otters
can now be found between Makah Bay and
Destruction Island in Washington.

Bald eagles and various raptors are also
on the rebound, in part thanks to the
banning of the insecticide DDT.

The Oregon silverspot butterfly population
has stabilized after a long decline.

And some species have adapted well to
humans and their activities, including two
types of bird, Steller's jays and common
yellowthroats, and mammals such as
coyotes, red foxes and black bear.

Nature has shown, at least in the case of
natural disaster, a dramatic ability to
restore itself.

The report points to the eruption of Mount
St. Helens and the destruction of
Hurricane Andrew as examples of ways in
which disaster can boost biological
diversity. The distribution of sediment to
coastal wetlands by Andrew and the
toppling of trees by St. Helens have
provided opportunities for different
species to move into the area.

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The report can be ordered online at
www.usgs.gov
=20
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=A9 1999 Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
All rights reserved.