RICHMOND, Va. - Sea life in the Atlantic could be in for a very unpleasant surprise, according to the group Oceana. They say seismic air gun blasts, which are a precursor to deep-water oil drilling, could be shot over and over again for months on end in a wide area of the sea off the southeastern coast of the U.S.

Matthew Huelsenbeck, a marine scientist with Oceana, said the underwater blasts are so loud they could be damaging to dolphins, whales, fish and the fishing industry as a whole. The air guns are towed behind ships and emit loud blasts for seismic probing of the sea floor in search of oil and gas.

"So imagine dynamite going off in your living room every ten seconds for days to weeks on end," Huelsenbeck said. "Similar impacts would happen to you as they would happen to marine life. You could get injured, or at the very least you're going to have to leave your home."

Huelsenbeck stated that, according to a government study, the action could injure more than 130,000 whales and dolphins in the area where the seismic exploration is being proposed, in the Atlantic from Delaware to Florida. He said that especially troubling is potential harm to the critically-endangered North Atlantic right whales. There are only about 500 of the species left alive, and they are very susceptible to sound.

According to Huelsenbeck, this technology has been used in the past, and has been detrimental to the fishing industry. Some 222,000 jobs in the coastal fishing and seafood industries could be disrupted.

"Over the short term, a decrease in catch rates after seismic air guns have gone off" has been observed, he said. "There was a decrease between 40 and 80 percent over a period of five days in certain areas. And in many areas over the world, people have sought compensation for their losses."

Huelsenbeck said there are new and safer alternatives to the seismic air guns for undersea exploration.

Oceana had a 50-member bipartisan coalition in Congress write letters to President Obama and the Secretary of the Interior opposing seismic testing in the Atlantic. They will hold informational forums in cities from Delaware to Florida about seismic testing in August and September. The Department of the Interior is expected to finalize its review of the project by the fall.

More information is at tinyurl.com/cvfgotw.






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An environmental group is suing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the Arkansas mudalia snail under the Endangered Species Act.

In Arkansas and Missouri, including along the North Fork River, mudalia are critically endangered freshwater snails.

Trisha Sharma, legal fellow at the Center for Biological Diversity, emphasized the need to save the snail from vanishing entirely. She said freshwater mollusks are the most endangered group of animals in North America, and snails are the most endangered mollusks.

"We've already lost more than 70 species of freshwater snails," Sharma pointed out. "The Endangered Species Act has a very high success rate. So if we can get it listed and protected under the ESA, it's highly likely that the species will survive and be able to continue playing its important role in the ecosystems where it's found."

Sharma noted areas where the Arkansas mudalia can be found have decreased by 90% and the main threat to the species is habitat degradation, primarily from dam construction and operation along the rivers.

Sharma emphasized mudalia is also threatened by habitat loss from grazing, logging and mining. She added climate change is also expected to threaten the species.

"Part of what can make a species more resilient to climate impacts is its ability to disperse as its habitat becomes unsuitable, and to essentially relocate to areas where it can survive," Sharma explained. "But snails have a pretty narrow set of habitat requirements and very limited dispersal capabilities."

Sharma said freshwater snails play a crucial role in managing nutrients by consuming detritus and plant matter, preventing their decay and subsequent disruption of water quality, and snails are vital for food webs, converting unusable food sources into usable ones for birds and turtles.


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Today is Earth Day, and one initiative in southern Arizona is helping build public gardens providing beneficial habitat for pollinators, from Monarch butterflies to bees and bats.

Emily Bishton, founder and coordinator of the Arivaca Pollinator Pathway Project, said the human population depends on these animals and insects, as many of our foods and plant-based products require pollination. But human activity and climate change have put pollinators in jeopardy and Bishton wants to increase awareness of how crucial they are.

"The best chance you have for attracting and nurturing pollinators is with the species that they've co-evolved with," Bishton explained. "They will instinctively know that is food for them, or a place they can lay their eggs. They also are more likely to be able to put up with the way our climate is now and the way it is changing."

Bishton pointed out one focus of the project is to get Arizonans to plant more native species like milkweed, which is especially critical for Monarch butterflies. She would also like people to reconsider the use of pesticides since they do kill pests but also other beneficial insects. She suggested contacting a local county extension service or master-gardener program for alternative methods.

Madian Romero, technical assistant supervisor for the Caviglia-Arivaca Library, has been responsible for getting teenagers in the area to participate in the Arivaca Pollinator Pathway Project. They not only help build garden spaces around town but grow their knowledge behind the importance of pollinators, as well as community building.

"The teens, they've come up with ideas on how to fundraise for the projects," Romero emphasized. "Each business that agrees to have a garden, it can be free."

Romero added the project has also been a character-building exercise for the young people of Arivaca, and hopes it is an experience they will cherish.

The state Department of Natural Resources and Iowa State University are looking for volunteers to help create a new Bumble Bee Atlas.

Bees are an important part of the ecosystem, and scientists are figuring out their habitats to help them thrive.

Iowa is home to at least 14 species of bumble bees that help pollinate native wildflowers and flowering crops in farm fields and backyard gardens.

Iowa State University University Professor of Sustainable Agriculture and plant pathologist Matt O'Neal said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently listed several bee species as endangered.

"And that includes the Rusty Patch bumble bee," said O'Neal, "20% of what it used to be, and that includes parts of Iowa. There is also evidence that other bumble species are in decline and so, this survey will give us a chance to see where those bees are and how abundant they are."

With that information, O'Neal said scientists can work to protect the bees' habitats and create Iowa's Bumble Bee Atlas.

It's part of a larger project to map the bees and foster bee development nationwide. Sign up online to volunteer.

The national project is part of a collaboration with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

Some 900 people have volunteered for the national atlas project, and counted more than 20,000 bumble bees - which O'Neal said face several major threats.

"Pesticide exposure, parasite and pathogens," said O'Neal, "and then the last 'P,' and probably the most important, is poor forage."

The researchers will work to alleviate those threats by knowing where the bees are.

Volunteers have discovered species thought to be gone from their states, contributed to new field guides, and improved scientists' understanding of bumble bee populations across the country.




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