Loss of wetlands
In this episode, they state that “tens of thousands of acres of marshland have been wiped out during the past decade”: in Massachusetts, about 20% of the original wetlands, in Connecticut, around 50%, and in New York State, around 30%.
These numbers have increased dramatically in the ensuing 40 years. According to the NOAA, Connecticut has lost around 74% of its original marsh (and that’s from 1990s figures). Massachusett’s loss has grown to 28%–less than other states–because of a Wetlands Protection Act. New York State’s loss has ballooned to 60%, due to increased development and a weakened Clean Water Act.

Besides the wetlands threatened by development, rising sea levels may change the ecosystems that remain even further, increasing salinity and water levels.

The post The Chain of Life appeared first on Our Vanishing Wilderness.

Much had changed since the filming of The Water Is So Clear, That a Blind Man Could See, specifically that the U.S. government returned Blue Lake and 48,000 acres of mountain land to the Taos Pueblo Indians in 1970, only weeks after this episode was broadcast. (picture link: Richard Nixon signs land back to the Indians) Paul Bernal, the Taos Pueblo elder whose voice was heard in this episode, had successfully negotiated with the U.S. government to have Blue Lake returned to his people. He died in 2003 at the age of 92.

Today Blue Lake is only open to members of the Taos Pueblo community, as it continues to serve as the place for ceremonial and religious events. The community’s economy relies on a casino, tourism, crafts and food sales. Following custom, their traditional homes still do not carry electricity or running water, though most residents live mostly in homes outside of the Pueblo itself.

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The Union Oil platform Alpha oil spill, though nowhere near the largest on record (not even at that time) affected the environment, certainly, but its long-term effects were greater. This event expanded the environmental movement in California, in particular in the Santa Barbara area–and these are only a few:
* A ban on new offshore drilling was instated in CA, which lasted for 16 years.
* New regulations on oil platform methods were instituted.
* The California Coastal Commission, GOO (get oil out), and Environmental Defense Center were formed, and UC Santa Barbara started an Environmental Studies program.
* The galvanized popular opinion and heavy media coverage may have helped the subsequent year’s forming of the EPA.
* The Channel Islands were declared a National Park in 1980.

Settlement money had made it possible to maintain their ecosystems of the animals and birds affected with a greater degree of care and oversight, and the awareness of the issues strengthened public support for wildlife care.

There is a lot of overlap between this episode and “Of Broccoli and Pelicans and Celery and Seals“: they both deal with how marine and avian life around Santa Barbara was faring, in this case, what the effects of the 1969 oil spill had on, in particular, birds in the environment.

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The Everglades and Lake Okeechobee water systems are still under duress. 40 years of human development, even with environment protections, have placed enormous pressure on the water systems. Since 1970, there have been some restorative changes to the area. In 1971, Congress mandated a minimum flow of water into the region, to protect the wildlife. In 1979, 107,600 acres were added to Everglades National Park. But the park is still challenged by water quality issues, invasive species, mercury pollution and agricultural runoff.

Roseate Spoonbills
In the 1930s, the Spoonbill population had been reduced to around 30 birds in the entire state of Florida. With careful management, the number peaked at around 1400 pairs in 1978, but has been steadily declining in the past 30 years, reaching modern-era record lows. Rising sea levels will also affect the spoonbill habitats, and some migration out of the region has already started to occur.

Deer
The Florida Key Deer (who are on the ICN Red list for endangered species) are still quite threatened in the Keys region. Population estimates still hover between 300-800 deer, and they are confined mostly to one preserve in the Keys. Rising sea levels will also affect this habitat greatly. A Court decision in 2008 expanded the protections for this species.

Alligators
The alligator hit record low population numbers in 1967, but increased protections helped the species enough that it was removed from the endangered species list in 1987. The ecosystems that support the alligator, in particular the water management that provides the “alligator holes” discussed in the episode means the ‘holes’ are still threatened.

The post Will The Gator Glades Survive? appeared first on Our Vanishing Wilderness.

Pelicans
The American white pelican population had experienced a decline in the ’60s, but gradually increased. The number of American white pelicans in Anaho Island is currently between 8,000 and 10,000. In the last few years, however, these have been threatened by an outbreak of West Nile Virus.

The Cui ui fish and The Lahontan Cutthroat Trout
For the cui ui fish, its numbers of increased tremendously, from 100,000 in 1983; to 500,000 by 1991, and one million the following year. The Center for Biological Diversity stated the factors for the growth of cui ui spawning included the construction of the Stampede Dam and Marble Dam, and the creation of suitable habitat for the fish, and better water regulation and management.

The Lahontan Cutthroat Trout, the state fish of Nevada, is still on the Endangered Species list. These days this fish occupies between 123 and 129 streams, compared to 400 and 600 in 1844.

Pyramid Lake is under the protection of the Paiute Indian tribe. According to the tribe’s Web site, the area has several fish hatcheries and spawning sites. In 2003 the United States Geological Science Center led a study on the effects of urbanization on the Truckee River to determine the presence and origin of contaminants (The river feeds into Pyramid Lake).

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Environmental Impact of the Pipeline:
This episode didn’t deal with existing impacts but speculative ones–but the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline System (TAPS) was one of the first major infrastructure projects that was only approved with extensive environmental impact statements.

This 2007 paper examines the results of the early environmental impact statements and how they compare to the historical data of the pipeline’s effects on different animal populations. Its conclusion? That the environmental impact of the pipeline was, if not minimal, at least far diminished compared to any other form of oil transport that could have been implemented in the region.

Accidents and Cover-ups
What they didn’t predict in 1970: the oil-transport system’s weak link, the transition between the port and the tankers. The Exxon Valdez spill in 1989 accounts for 75% of all the oil spilled in the pipeline’s lifespan. Subsequently, new regulations were required, like double hulls for any tanker visiting Prince William Sound. 20 years after that accident, it’s estimated that the environment has not recovered, and it may take another 10 years.

There was another major spill in 1994 (and subsequent cover-up) that was attributed to illegal activity on the part of two of the pipeline’s associated companies.

When the Pipeline’s right-of-way grant was renewed in 2004, another impact statement was created in 2002.

This paper examines the results of the early environmental impact statements and how they compare to the historical data of the pipeline’s effects on different animal populations.

For more on the history of the TAPS:
American Experience has an excellent documentary, though its focus is strongly on the impact of TAPS on the people of Alaska, though they address the environmental concerns as well.

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Today many of the Great Plains’ species are gone with the northern part of the region considered one of the “least protected places on Earth” according to the World Wildlife Fund.

Prairie Dogs
Not much has changed for the prairie dogs after the airing of this episode. The number of prairie dogs continues to decline as these animals are being shot and poisoned. Some states have instituted policies to combat this; for example, South Dakota banned shooting on federal lands for two to three months in the spring, and the National Park Service halted poisoning prairie dogs on its parks. Their loss impacts other wildlife such as the ferruginous hawks, who rely on the prairie dogs as food.

Black-Footed Ferrets
The black-footed ferret was considered endangered in 1967, and was declared extinct in the wild by 1974. However, a colony was discovered in 1981 in Wyoming, a captive breeding program then followed to repopulate the species. As of May 2008, there are approximately 750 ferrets living in western parts of the Great Plains. But prairie dogs and ferrets don’t co-exist without thriving populations of both–the reintroduction of one species means reduced numbers for the other.
* See an article outlining some of the problems.
* Nature recently included the black-footed ferrets in their film “The Loneliest Animals“.

In 2008, a deadly sylvatic plague infected the prairie dogs in Conata Basin in South Dakota. The plague was transmitted to the ferrets since the dogs were their prey. About a third of the 290 ferrets in the area have died. At the time biologists were vaccinating ferrets to combat the outbreak.

Coyotes
Coyotes continue to be killed although their population remains large; in South Dakota, their numbers are somewhere between 70,000 and 75,000. As the Humane Society says, “Coyotes have even learned to live in close proximity to human beings, within urban and suburban areas, and they are thriving.”

Bison
Once totaling just over 1,000 at turn of the century, the number of Bison have grown over the last hundred years. The National Bison Association says that there are about 225,000 bison in North America. Yet there are significantly fewer wild Bison, and wild herds only in four national parks; most are on farms, as the rise in Bison breeding has coincided with the increased popularity of Bison meat.

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This was the first episode in the series. At the time, environmental reporting on DDT was nothing new–it was, of course, the crux of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. But even 6 years after Silent Spring, the effects of the chemical were still not thoroughly studied.

In 1972, two years after this episode aired, the Environmental Protection Agency instituted a ban on the use of DDT for general use. The suspension of the pesticide has made a significant impact on the Channel Islands: At a time when there were only 727 annual nests in 1970, the California brown pelican nest population increased to 7,900 from 1979 to 1987 according to the Center for Biological Diversity; there were 6,000 nests as of 2004. Though the brown pelican was removed from endangered species lists on the east and southeast coasts of the U.S., only in February 2009 did The California Fish and Game Commission vote to remove it from their endangered species list.

Today the Channel Islands is populated by over 70,000 California sea lions, 50,000 northern seals, and 1,100 harbor seals. In addition to the pelicans, sea lions, and elephant seals, two of the Channel’s neighboring islands, San Miguel and Anacapa, are collectively the home of animals such as western gulls, sparrows, cormorants and black oystercatchers.

Note: The bioaccumulative effects of DDT have now been studied in more detail–but the full picture is still taking shape. DDT is still in use in many parts of the world in limited doses. This article lays some of the arguments out. Also, see this
NYTimes article revising Carson’s assertions on DDT.