Drilling Report, January 20

The drilling report was produced with data from the Texas Railroad Commission, from January 6 to 13. The following counties were searched: Anderson, Angelina, Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Dallas, Ellis, Freestone, Gregg, Harrison, Henderson, Houston, Kaufman, Leon, Limestone, Marion, Nacogdoches, Navarro, Panola, Rains, Robertson, Rusk, San Augustine, Shelby, Smith, Upshur, Van Zandt and Wood. For information contact Business Editor Casey Murphy at cmurphy@tylerpaper.com or 903-596-6289.

View the original article here

Protect dolphins from deafening airgun blasts

Call your Representative today to stand up for our Atlantic wildlife

Seismic airgun testing is used to find deep pockets of oil in the sea floor. The decibels produced by airgun blasts are loud enough to kill a human at close range. For marine life, like the endangered North Atlantic right whale, the stakes are too high.

The Obama administration’s Department of the Interior will decide on whether or not to allow seismic airgun testing in 2013. To show public opposition to this proposal, New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg is urging other members of the Senate to voice their opposition to airgun testing.

Call and ask your Senators to stand with Senator Frank Lautenberg and other leaders in Congress against seismic airgun testing in the Atlantic.

Act now: http://ow.ly/gRFcw

View the original article here

Declare War On Climate Change. We demand President Obama and Congress accept Climate Change as an enemy of the people.

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

View the original article here

Bengali Mangrove Forests Are Fading Away

Jan. 10, 2013 — Mangrove forests of the Sundarbans are disappearing, taking endangered species like the Bengal tiger with them. RAPID deterioration in mangrove health is occurring in the Sundarbans, resulting in as much as 200m of coast disappearing in a single year. A report published January 11 in Remote Sensing by scientists from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) states that as human development thrives, and global temperature continues to rise, natural protection from tidal waves and cyclones is being degraded at alarming rates. This will inevitably lead to species loss in this richly biodiverse part of the world, if nothing is done to stop it.

ZSL's Dr Nathalie Pettorelli, senior author of the paper says: "Our results indicate a rapidly retreating coastline that cannot be accounted for by the regular dynamics of the Sundarbans. Degradation is happening fast, weakening this natural shield for India and Bangladesh."

The name 'Sundarban' can be literally translated as 'beautiful forest' in the Bengali language. The area is is the largest block of continuous mangrove forest in the world, being home to almost 500 species of reptile, fish, bird and mammals, including the endangered Bengal tiger.

Sarah Christie, ZSL's tiger conservation expert says: "The Sundarbans is a critical tiger habitat; one of only a handful of remaining forests big enough to hold several hundred tigers. To lose the Sundarbans would be to move a step closer to the extinction of these majestic animals."

Although mangroves are rare, they are an important barrier against climate change, providing protection to coastal areas from tsunamis and cyclones. They are also the most carbon rich forests in the tropics with high carbon sequestration potential, meaning their degradation and loss substantially reduce our ability to mitigate, and adapt to, predicted changes in climatic conditions.

Read more at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130110212334.htm

View the original article here

Drilling Report, January 13

The drilling report was produced with data from the Texas Railroad Commission, from December 30 to January 5. The following counties were searched: Anderson, Angelina, Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Dallas, Ellis, Freestone, Gregg, Harrison, Henderson, Houston, Kaufman, Leon, Limestone, Marion, Nacogdoches, Navarro, Panola, Rains, Robertson, Rusk, San Augustine, Shelby, Smith, Upshur, Van Zandt and Wood. For information contact Business Editor Casey Murphy at cmurphy@tylerpaper.com or 903-596-6289.

View the original article here

Attend a Hearing to Save 66 Corals

The government has set up a number of hearings to discuss the 66 corals proposed for endangered species protections. Please attend a public meeting in your area and give your support the proposed coral protections. It's a great opportunity to learn what the coral listings will mean and also build support within your community to conserve biodiversity. Florida 

Mon., Jan. 14, at the Nova Southeastern University Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Ecosystem Science, 8000 North Ocean Dr., Dania Beach, 7-9 p.m.
The Center's Staff Laywer Jacki Lopez will be attending this hearing.

Tue., Jan. 15 at the John Pennekamp State Park Visitors Center, 102601 Overseas Hwy., 7-9 p.m.

Wed., Jan. 16 at the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center, 35 East Quay Rd., Key West, 7-9 p.m.

Puerto Rico

Mon., Feb. 4 at the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, 4th Floor Conference Room, Road 8838, km. 6.3, Sector El Cinco, Río Piedras, 6-8 p.m.

Tue., Feb. 5 at the University of Puerto Rico – Mayagüez Campus, Salas Eugene Francis Physics Building, Room # 229, Mayagüez, 6-8 p.m.

Hawaii 

Tue., Jan. 22 at the Mokupapapa Discovery Center, 308 Kamehameha Ave., Hilo, 5-9:30 p.m.

Thu., Jan. 24 at the Kahakai Elementary School, 76147 Royal Poinciana Dr., Kailua Kona, 5-9:30 p.m.

Mon., Jan. 28 at the Mitchell Pauole Center, 90 Ainoa St. Kaunakakai, Molokai, 5-9:30 p.m.

Wed., Jan. 30 at the J. Walter Cameron Center, 95 Mahalani St., Wailuku, 5-9:30 p.m.

Monday, Feb. 4 at the Kauai Veteran's Center, 3125 Kapule Hwy., Lihue, 5-9:30 p.m.

Thu., Feb. 7 at the Tokai University, 2241 Kapiolani Blvd., Honolulu, 5-9:30 p.m.
The Center' for Biological Diversity's Oceans Director Miyoko Sakashita will be attending this hearing.

U.S. Virgin Islands

Wed., Feb. 6 at the Buck Island Reef National Monument, 2100 Church St., #100, Christiansted, St. Croix, 7-9 p.m.

Thu., Feb. 7 at the Windward Passage Hotel, Veterans Dr., Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, 7-9 p.m.

Guam, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands

Mon., Feb. 11 at the Guam Hilton, 202 Hilton Rd., Tumon Bay, Hagatna, 5-9:30 p.m.
Tue., Feb. 13 at Sadie’s by the Sea, Main Rd., Pago Pago, Tutuila 5-9:30 p.m.
Wed., Feb. 13 at the Fleming Hotel, Tinian 5-9:30 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 15 at the Mayor’s Office, Tatachog Rd., Rota, 5-9:30 p.m.

View the original article here

US scientists’ consensus – Climate change is already having major effects on ecosystems and species

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/

Emerging consensus shows climate change is already having major effects on ecosystems and species

December 2012. Plant and animal species are shifting their geographic ranges and the timing of their life events – such as flowering, laying eggs or migrating – at faster rates than researchers documented just a few years ago, according to a technical report on biodiversity and ecosystems used as scientific input for the 2013 Third National Climate Assessment.

The report, Impacts of Climate Change on Biodiversity, Ecosystems, and Ecosystem Services, synthesizes the scientific understanding of the way climate change is affecting ecosystems, ecosystem services and the diversity of species, as well as what strategies might be used by natural resource practitioners to decrease current and future risks. More than 60 US federal, academic and other scientists, including the lead authors from the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Wildlife Federation and Arizona State University in Tempe, authored the assessment.

Wide-ranging change to ecosystems
"These geographic range and timing changes are causing cascading effects that extend through ecosystems, bringing together species that haven't previously interacted and creating mismatches between animals and their food sources," said Nancy Grimm, a scientist at ASU and a lead author of the report.

Other key findings of the report include:

Changes in precipitation and extreme weather events can overwhelm the ability of natural systems to reduce or prevent harm to people from these events. For example, more frequent heavy rainfall events increase the movement of nutrients and pollutants to downstream ecosystems, likely resulting not only in ecosystem change, but also in adverse changes in the quality of drinking water and a greater risk of waterborne-disease outbreaks. Changes in winter have big and surprising effects on ecosystems and their services. Changes in soil freezing, snow cover and air temperature affect the ability of ecosystems to store carbon, which, in turn, influences agricultural and forest production. Seasonally snow-covered regions are especially susceptible to climate change because small precipitation or temperature shifts can cause large ecosystem changes. Longer growing seasons and warmer winters are already increasing the likelihood of pest outbreaks, leading to tree mortality and more intense, extensive fires. Decreased or unreliable snowfall for winter sports and recreation will likely cause high future economic losses. The ecosystem services provided by coastal habitats are especially vulnerable to sea-level rise and more severe storms. The Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts are most vulnerable to the loss of coastal protection services provided by wetlands and coral reefs. Along the Pacific coast, long-term dune erosion caused by increasing wave heights is projected to cause problems for communities and for recreational beach activities. However, other kinds of recreation will probably improve due to better weather, with the net effect being that visitors and tourism dollars will shift away from some communities in favour of others. Climate change adaptation strategies are vital for the conservation of diverse species and effective natural resource policy and management. As more adaptive management approaches are developed, resource managers can enhance the country's ability to respond to the impacts of climate change through forward-looking and climate science-informed goals and actions. Ecological monitoring needs to be improved and better coordinated among federal and state agencies to ensure the impacts of climate change are adequately monitored and to support ecological research, management, assessment and policy. Existing tracking networks in the United States will need to improve coverage through time and in geographic area to detect and track climate-induced shifts in ecosystems and species.

Read more at http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/us-warming.html#cr

View the original article here