Tag: conservation

Yellow-legged

November 19, 2024

Inside the front section of my local newspaper was a USA Today article on the recovery efforts for a nearly extinct frog. The High Sierra lakes in Yosemite National Park have been biologically upset for over 100 years by the stocking of non-native fish. The rainbow, golden, brown, brook, and cutthroat trout, along with Atlantic salmon and grayling, were originally carried in buckets to these fishless lakes. After World War II, a generation of pilots who were adept in aerial bombing sped up the process in all but 20% of the smallest mountain lakes. While these lakes contained no fish, they were bursting with life. Within a few years of stocking the frog populations that had flourished were gone. The National Park Service ended fish stocking in the 1990’s out of concern for the native species. In 1992, Roland Knapp, a research biologist from the University of California, Santa Barbara, got permission to use gill nets to remove the fish from a small number of lakes. The frogs began to make a comeback, but in the early 2000’s research showed the arrival of amphibian chytrid fungus. The Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog was added to the endangered species list in 2014.

When I looked online, the Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog (Rana sierrae), also known as the Sierra Nevada Mountain yellow-legged frog, is a true frog endemic to the Sierra Nevada of California and Nevada in the US. The yellow-legged was formerly considered the southern mountain yellow-legged frog (Rana muscosa) until a 2007 study elevated the more central and northern populations to full species status and restricting the latter to the southern Sierra Nevada and southern California. Both mountain frogs are similar in appearance but are separated by differences in mitochondrial DNA. The yellow-legged grow up to 1.5 to 3.5 inches (3.8 to 8.9 cm) long and females tend to be larger than males. The frogs have brown backs, often with dark spots or bands, and yellow legs and underbellies. Considerable variance exists in species coloration and yellow-legged frogs can also be grey, red, or greenish brown with dark splotches. Tadpoles appear black or brown and require one to four years to fully develop. These frogs hibernate during the winter, staying submerged in the mud and may only be active around three months a year depending on the weather. Studies showed 92.5% of the yellow-legged populations have gone extinct and are estimated to have declined by over 90% over their range. They are considered an endangered and vulnerable species by the IUCN.

In 2006, Yosemite National Park and the Yosemite Conservancy began a project to introduce frogs into lakes without fish. In 2007, a project was started to restore frog habitat by removing non-native fish from remote sites. Once the site is fishless, lakes are inhabited by native species, including the yellow-legged frog. The ecological effects of their loss have been significant as the yellow-legged were a keystone species and important for nutrient and energy cycling in the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. A 2016 survey in Yosemite indicated a sevenfold increase in their numbers reported, but recent studies discovered amphibian chytrid fungus is contributing to the decline of the Sierra yellow-legged frog. Chytrid fungus leads to a usually fatal disease (Chytridiomycosis). Chytrid fungus lives on keratin which is found on the external mouthparts of tad poles and the outer skin layer of adults. Fungus growth on adults disrupts the ability to breathe through skin (osmoregulate). The species also suffers from habitat fragmentation as populations have become separated.

THOUGHTS: Stocking fish in the High Sierra’s began as early as the California Gold Rush in 1849. The fishless lakes seemed like a waste to the miners hiking into the backwoods. Stocking fish did provide food, but it nearly destroyed the delicate habitat of the high mountains. While introducing an invasive species may seem like a good idea, it is rarely the case. Life in fragile environments is especially vulnerable. Act for all. Change is coming and it starts with you.

Habitat

October 03, 2024

Melissa and I have been trying to revamp the furniture in our living room since the day we moved into her house in Arkansas.  Knowing we had a house full of furniture in Arkansas, we donated most of our furniture to the Conference Center where I had been working.  While our Kansas furniture was in good shape, it was the first furniture I purchased 20 years earlier and I was ready for a change.  When we moved to Arkansas the furniture was not much newer and was a style neither of us liked.  We tried buying an inexpensive living room set two years ago, but it turned out to be inexpensive.  Over the weekend Melissa visited a friend in northwest Arkansas and was impressed with the style and utility of the furniture she had.  Needless to say, we went shopping over the weekend and came away with a sofa and chair as a replacement.  That left one question, what are we going to do with the items we no longer need?  We decided on repurpose by donating to Habitat for Humanity.

When I looked online, I found Habitat for Humanity International, also referred to as Habitat for Humanity or Habitat, is a US non-governmental, and tax-exempt 501(C)(3) Christian nonprofit which seeks to build affordable housing.  It was founded in 1976 by Millard and Linda Fuller.  The operational headquarters are located in Americus, Georgia, and the administrative headquarters are located in Atlanta.  In 2023, Habitat for Humanity operated in more than 70 countries and works to help build and improve homes for low-income or disadvantaged families.  Homes are built using volunteer labor, including the practice of sweat equity from the future homeowners, along with paid contractors for certain construction or infrastructure activities.  Habitat makes no profit from the home sales and instead operates with financial support from individuals, philanthropic foundations, corporations, government entities, and mass media companies.  While Melissa and I have worked on several houses, it is probably better known that President Jimmy Carter and Rosaland worked many more volunteer hours building Habitat houses.

Along with building houses, Habitat ReStores accept small and large donations of new or gently used furniture, appliances, housewares, and building materials.  The sale proceeds then help Habitat’s work in the local community and around the world.  Items can be donated in person, and many Habitat ReStores offer free pickup of large items.  We were able to donate 2 sofas, 1 recliner, and a love seat to our local ReStore.  I made an appointment, and they picked up the items this morning.  Unfortunately, 1 recliner did not make the cut (worn).  The EPA estimates that 9 million tons of furniture are tossed every single year, or roughly 5% of everything brought to landfills.  Most of the furniture going to the land fill was made within the last 10 to 15 years, according to Ashlee Piper, sustainability expert and author.  Part of the problem is that today’s fast furniture is more challenging to repair because of its materials.  Unlike grandma’s, these pieces are not meant to last a lifetime.

THOUGHTS:  While in Berkeley I was living across the street from the Cal dorms.  The students obviously did not know about Habitat and each spring term as they were kicked out for the summer their fast furniture ended up in my building’s dumpster, allowing me to upgrade every year.  The price or where the item of furniture was made can be a red flag for new items.  Shopping locally can increase your odds of something being made with a thoughtful production process, rather than something where the emphasis is put on producing goods as cheaply as possible.  There are often good finds in secondhand stores (like Habitat) that with some minor repairs or refurbishing will make the piece feel fresh.  We are not all blessed with an overflowing dumpster.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.