Polar Bears Proposed for U.S. Endangered Species List

The U.S. government today proposed listing polar bears as threatened with extinction under the Endangered Species Act because the animals' sea ice habitat is melting.

"Polar bears are one of nature's ultimate survivors," Department of the Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne told reporters today at a press conference.

"They are able to live and thrive in one of the world's harshest environments. But there's concern that their habitat may literally be melting."

The Endangered Species Act requires federal agencies to ensure that all activities the government approves will not harm listed species or their habitats.

Environmental groups quickly connected the announcement with scientific evidence that climate change is melting the iconic bear's Arctic habitat, causing the animals to go hungry and give birth less often.

"This is a watershed decision," said Kassie Siegel, an attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity in Joshua Tree, California. "Even the Bush Administration can no longer deny the science of global warming."

The center was one of three organizations that filed suit against the administration to protect the bear from the impacts of global warming in the Arctic.

Today's announcement meets a deadline under a settlement with the environmental groups to consider adding the bears to the endangered species list.

The proposed listing was published today in the Federal Register. Public comments will be accepted for 90 days, and a final listing decision is expected within a year.

Regulating Emissions?

A formal listing of polar bears as a threatened species would raise the possibility that the U.S. government will force curbs on greenhouse gas emissions, Siegel says.

Polar bears live only in the Arctic, the northernmost region of Earth. The bears swim between ice floes to hunt their primary prey, the ringed seal. They also travel, mate, and sometimes give birth on the ice. Scientists estimate that between 20,000 and 25,000 polar bears live in 19 distinct populations scattered throughout the Arctic.

About 4,700 live in Alaska and spend part of the year in Canada and Russia. Other bear populations are found in Greenland and Norway.





The most studied population resides in western Canada's Hudson Bay. The population there has declined 22 percent due to weight loss and low cub survival stemming from sea ice loss since 1987.

While the Alaska population has not experienced such a steep decline, biologists are concerned that the bears' numbers may drop in the future, as the population faces similar challenges.

Scientists have linked emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to warmer temperatures that are rapidly melting glaciers and polar ice caps.

Earlier this month, for instance, a study based on computer models predicted the Arctic could have a completely ice-free summer by 2040, decades earlier than previously expected.

Scientists say reduced greenhouse gas emissions could slow and maybe even reverse the Arctic ice retreat, allowing polar bears to recover.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the agency responsible for the Endangered Species Act, has ruled out oil and gas development and subsistence hunting as factors in the polar bear decline.

"This is directly tied to the sea ice loss and the ultimate dependence of the polar bear on drift ice," Dale Hall, the FWS director, said in today's teleconference.

But Interior Secretary Kempthorne said his department's scientists lack the authority to address the causes of the receding sea ice and therefore stopped short of blaming ice loss on global warming.

Causation, he said, is beyond the scope of the department's responsibility under the endangered species law.

"However, climate change science initiatives of causation are discussed in other analyses undertaken by the [Bush] Administration," he said. "The administration treats climate change very seriously and recognizes the role of greenhouse gases in climate change."

According to Siegel, of the Center for Biological Diversity, a formal listing could affect the federal approval process for facilities such as industrial coal-fired power plants and lead to stricter fuel economy standards for automobiles.

"Federal agencies will have to ensure that their greenhouse gas emissions do not adversely modify the critical habitat of polar bears or the continued existence of polar bears," she said.

References: National Geographic by John Roach

Rockaway animal rescue group scammed

Eleventh Hour Rescue gets fake
$10,000 check; scrambles to pay $7,000

BY MATT MANOCHIO DAILY RECORD
A local pet-rescue network thought it got a Christmas miracle in the mail in the form of a $10,000 check, but all it got was scammed and now the organization is scrambling to pay a $7,000 bill.

Mary Parente, a volunteer with Eleventh Hour Rescue, a nonprofit animal rescue organization based in Rockaway, on Tuesday said her organization was contacted via e-mailby a man named Benjamin Godsonn, who wrote that he wanted to donate some money.
She received a check via FedEx from Godsonn for $10,000 on Thursday, and the group was ecstatic.

"We were literally crying,"Parente said. "We ran to the bank and deposited it."
Parente said the money would enable the foster network to pay off some outstanding veterinarian bills, and save more dogs and cats from being put to sleep. She said the group committed to rescuing and treating 11 dogs, all because of the donation.

"We even named one after this guy because we thought he was our savior," she said.
Some warning flags soon began popping up, however.

She said Eleventh Hour noticed the name on the check, which was certified by Sterling Bank in Houston, had a name different from Godsonn's on it. Despite that, the group still felt it was legitimate because the check was watermarked and looked real.

"It was as legitimate as it could come," she said, later adding, "Apparently that's what their thing is. The check is so real-looking. It's so official."

Red flag
Then, a few days later, Parente received an e-mail from Godsonn saying that his secretary meant to only issue a check for $4,500 and not $6,500. He asked her to wire money to an address in Illinois.

"He wanted $2,000 (wired) via Western Union -- there's no way to track it," she said. "That's when a red flag came up with us. We were like, wait a minute, what is he talking about? He sent $10,000 and referred to $6,500."

Parente's local branch officer said none of this sounded right. She went so far as to call the Houston bank that allegedly issued the check.
"She knew what I was talking about," Parente said of the banker in Texas. Parente was informed by the Houston bank "that's a complete scam" and it happens "all over the country every day."

Parente got an e-mail from Sterling Bank in Houston confirming the fraud and Eleventh Hour never sent the money.

"The best thing that a merchant can do if someone presents a Sterling Bank check is call us," said Graham Painter, executive vice president of corporate communication for Sterling. He said the number is (713) 466-8300.

Painter declined to say what sets a good check apart from a bad one because banks don't want to let the crooks know what they're looking for.
"The big picture is scanners have gotten very sophisticated," he said. "(Cons) buy a cashier's check, scan it and alter it, and print it on high-quality paper.
"Instead of $50 (it's altered) to $5,000," he gave as an example. He said con men print many of these checks and end up selling them.

Parente said Eleventh Hour will contact Rockaway Borough police to report the fraud, and that another volunteer is reaching out to the FBI.

Appealing for help
Parente said Eleventh Hour, thinking it had $10,000 prior to the unseemly revelations, spent about $7,000 on spaying and neutering 11 dogs, and making sure all had the proper shots.
She said she is appealing to the public for help, and also trying to warn them.
"We want to make sure that other nonprofits are aware of this situation," she said. "According to bank officers this is a rampant scam. ... Not only are we appealing to the public for help at this time, we don't want any nonprofits or elderly people (scammed)."

Benny hangs out with Mary Parente and Linda Schiller, volunteers with Eleventh Hour Rescue, a nonprofit animal rescue organization based in Rockaway that was recently scammed. KAREN MANCINELLI / DAILY RECORD

Benny is one of 11 dogs saved by Eleventh Hour Rescue as a result of a large donation that turned out to be a scam. Eleventh Hour Rescue has more than 50 dogs, including puppies, available for adoption. Their Web site is www.ehrdogs.org.

How to help
Eleventh Hour Rescuec/o 19 Elycroft Ave.Rockaway, N.J. 07866(973) 607-4126 or e-mail mary@ehrdogs.org

References:dailyrecord