PLANET IN PERIL

by George Monbiot                                                                                  Pine grosbeaks in Manitoba, CA. PinP photos by Larry Powell. As governments tear down the rules that defend our wildlife from extinction,  here’s a positive attempt to stop the wreckage. Story here.

Arianna Huffington - The Huffington Post You can tell a lot about people from their screensavers. Mine is a picture of gazelles: Details here. Pelican at  Prince Albert Nat'l. Park, CA.  P in P photo.

Canadian Parks & Wilderness Society Photo credit: W. Klenner Last week, we had good news (albeit temporary) about one of Canada’s most threatened wildlife species – the beautiful beluga whales of the St Lawrence Estuary. Story here.

CBC News Opportunity to 'develop sustainably' must be seized, says the Director of the World Wildlife Fund.  Details here . Pine grosbeak (f.) Larry Powell -  P in P photo:  Susceptible to habitat loss from logging operations that destroy their preferred coniferous forests. 

Government of Manitoba Release Declining Population Needs TimeTo Rebuild P in P photo Effective immediately, moose hunting is closed to all hunters in the area north of Porcupine Mountain in the Red Deer Lake area of Game Hunting Area (GHA) 12. A ban continues to be in place for all licensed hunting in this area, which was put in place last year.  Moose hunting is now also closed to licensed hunters in GHA 19A, east of Duck Mountain.

CBC News Black Bear. Riding Mtn. Nat'l. Park. PinP photo. Plan too narrowly focused on built-up areas, critics say. Details here. Please also read: "MP Plays Both Ends Against the Middle." (Letter)

By: The Canadian Press NAIN, N.L. - An Inuit group in Labrador says there's no time to waste in developing a long-term management plan for the George River caribou herd as its population dwindles. Sarah Leo, president of the Nunatsiavut (noon-AT'-see-ah-voot) government, describes the situation as a crisis. The Newfoundland and Labrador government said last week that the herd's population has dropped by more than 13,000 over the last two years despite monitoring, research and a five-year moratorium on all hunting. The herd is now estimated at about 14,200, down from 27,600 in 2012. The latest estimate comes from a photo census by biologists in Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec in July. 

The Independent  Global warming is melting sea ice so fast that more than half of Antarctica’s population of Emperor penguins are set to be wiped out by the end of the century, according to alarming new research saying they should be listed as an endangered species. Details here.

The Denver Post Sandhill Cranes Over Manitoba, Canada. PLT photo. Colorado's effort to replenish its aquifers by cracking down on pumping groundwater threatens to leave the thousands of sandhill cranes that arrive here each February without the water they need. Details here.

Sierra Club BC Court rules federal government acted ‘unlawfully’ in delaying recovery strategies for at-risk species. Details here. Whooping crane.  US Fish & Wildlife Service.

CBC News Researcher suggests pesticide may be linked to insect, bird declines. Details here. Please also read:   " Pollinator Protection - Europe Shows Us How It's Done"  (letter)

Canadian Press A southern Alberta city and an oil and gas company are asking the courts to quash a federal emergency order that protects the sage grouse. Full story here.

Winnipeg Free Press A study to see how well Canadian jurisdictions are responding to Ottawa's’s National Recovery Strategy for Caribou gives Manitoba a medium grade.  Details here.

Dear Larry, Only 48 hours left to join our Week for the Wild and   help the woodland caribou in Manitoba ! We gave ourselves just 7 days to find 50 people who  care to help the woodland caribou. With your help,  we’ve raised over $200 in Manitoba and we’re  not done yet! Can you help us reach our goal of finding 30 more people  who care about the woodland caribou? If you haven’t  already,  please consider making a special, one-time gift of just $11.50   to help protect the woodland caribou's remaining Boreal forest habitat. The woodland caribou needs our help. Let’s make the next 48 hours  count –  join our Week for the Wild now . Thanks for your continued support. Don't forget to follow us on  Facebook  and  Twitter  for updates! Yours in conservation, Ron Thiessen Executive Director, CPAWS Manitoba

Huffington Post Much of the debate over the Keystone XL pipeline has rightly been focused on the staggering damage it'll do to our climate. Details here. Western Prairie Fringed Orchid.  Photo Credit - US Fish & Wildlife Related story:  Unsung Victims of the XL Pipeline :  

Winnipeg Free Press: Sports and wildlife photographer Fred Greenslade and Free Press photographer Joe Bryksa visited Manitoba's Delta Marsh to capture the wondrous spring migration of various fowl. Details here. Below; some marsh denizens of our own. PLT.

Los Angeles Times Richardson's Ground Squirrel. PLT photo. WASHINGTON -- Climate change could lead to the widespread loss of common plants and animals around the world, according to a new study released Sunday in the journal Nature Climate Change. Details here.

Winnipeg Free Press Mount Fuji in Japan looks like it will get the nod, but the east side of Lake Winnipeg will not — at least not yet. Details here.

On February 19 - 22, 2013 the Alberta Prairie Conservation Forum and the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists will jointly host the 10 th Prairie Conservation and Endangered Species Conference (PCESC). Details here. PLT photo (r.) Cape May Warbler. "Use of certain insecticides to control spruce budworms causes steep declines in Cape May Warbler numbers. Logging, especially in the western portion of the species' range, may eventually pose risks to the Warbler because of reduced availability of the mature forests needed to support spruce budworms." (Source - Cornell Lab of Ornithology )

  National Wildlife Federation (US) 'Only by rejecting dirty energy and embracing clean energy solutions — will we begin to alter the path we are on to catastrophic climate change.' Details here . Red Wing blackbird. PLT photo