Environmental issues in Wyoming

Last updated

Relief map of Wyoming Wyoming ref 2001.jpg
Relief map of Wyoming

The U.S. state of Wyoming faces a broad array of environmental issues stemming from natural resource extraction, species extirpation, non-native species introduction, and pollution. Wildlife species that have been affected by these issues include:

Contents

Within the state organizations and governments are working to combat these environmental threats and restore balance to the ecology. Protection of some of these species has proven controversial.

Natural resource extraction

Wyoming is a resource rich state with a history of boom and bust cycles. The 1970s energy crisis initiated a coal-mining boom in Wyoming that lasted until the early 80's. The state's latest energy boom (1995–2010) is due to increased development in oil and natural gas production as well as further growth in the coal-mining industry. Despite the role of natural resource extraction in the economy, growth in Wyoming is characterized by severe environmental consequences.

Industry development

A drilling rig located in the Pinedale Anticline Rig wind river.jpg
A drilling rig located in the Pinedale Anticline

Production in Wyoming's oil and gas industry grew from $7.3 billion to $17.6 billion between 2000 and 2006. [1] The U.S. Census Bureau recorded a 73.1% increase in the population of Sublette County, Wyoming, from 5,920 to 10,247, between 2000 and 2010. [2]

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Wyoming produces 41% of the nation's coal, or as much as the next seven coal producing states combined. [3] The Wyoming Mining Association (WMA) reports that the coal mining industry alone contributed over $1.15 billion to the state and local governments in 2009. [4]

Two of the nation's largest natural gas fields, Pinedale Anticline and Jonah Field, are located in Sublette County, Wyoming. Wyoming accounts for roughly one tenth of U.S. natural gas production. The natural gas industry in the state continues to expand due to low levels of consumption and development of pipeline systems that facilitate transport to consumers in California and the Midwest. [3]

Oil production in Wyoming only accounts for about 3 percent of U.S. production. However, Wyoming's oil shale deposits contain one fourth of global shale oil reserves, or about 300 billion barrels. Oil shale is not currently an economically recoverable source of energy, as current technology is unable to extract the shale efficiently, but these reserves could pave the way for further development in the state. [3]

Energy development in Wyoming has generated well-deserved attention, as the state has been able to maintain a relatively stable economy throughout the current recession. While economic growth has proven beneficial in many aspects, it has also adversely impacted the environment of the least populous U.S. state, affecting the quality of air, water, soil and wildlife. Recently, concentration on degradation of air quality and damage to wildlife habitat has been emphasized by environmental activists.

Air pollution

Development in Wyoming's oil and gas industry is transforming what has historically been some of the cleanest air in the nation to some of the most polluted. Production of natural gas contributes to heightened ozone levels. Ozone is a molecule consisting of three oxygen atoms that is harmful to animals when present in the lower atmosphere. [5] Winter months correlate with heightened ozone levels in the region. Temperature inversions occur when cool air on the ground covered by a layer of warmer air trap volatile organic compounds and nitrous oxides in the lower atmosphere, whose interactions create ozone. [5] According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), winter 2010 saw ozone pollution levels in the Upper Green River Basin of Sublette County, Wyoming surpass the worst days of any major U.S. city.

Water pollution

Cows often graze on public land. Their manure pollutes rivers with E. coli and Salmonella . [6]

In 2015, the Wyoming Legislature declared trespassing to collect data a crime with Senate File 12 as well as making the action a civil violation with Senate File 80. [7] [8] This penalizes scientists and journalists who are studying pollution. [6]

Health effects

Excessive ozone levels are harmful to human health, especially in children and elderly people. Effects include lung damage, worsened asthma, reduced lung capacity, and increased premature deaths. More commonly reported effects include watery eyes, bloody noses, and breathlessness. [9] In winter 2010, Wyoming issued 10 warnings for citizens to remain indoors in order to avoid spikes in ozone pollution. [10]

CURED lawsuit

Sublette County-based organization Citizens United for Responsible Energy Development (CURED), represented by environmental firm Earthjustice, served the EPA with intent to file lawsuit in early October 2011 unless the Upper Green River Basin be formally designated as a nonattainment area, or one that does not comply with current national standards set by the Clean Air Act. Designation as a nonattainment area would initiate efforts to restore ozone levels to those in agreement with the Clean Air Act, ensuring that citizens' health is not at risk. Former Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal advised that the Upper Green River Basin be designated as a region that exceeds national standards for acceptable ozone levels in 2009. Failure of the EPA to formally recognize the Upper Green River Basin as a nonattainment area is what instigates CURED's threat to sue. [10]

Wildlife

Gray wolf

The gray wolf was once the most widespread mammal in the northern hemisphere with home ranges exceeding 600 miles (970 km).

Eradication

In the 1800s, grazing opportunities for domesticated livestock increased. In Montana from 1867 to 1890 cattle numbers rose from 67000 to 1.1 million and sheep from 300000 to 2.2 million. With the reduction of wild hoofed prey, wolves turned to cattle and sheep for prey. Predation of livestock was a common rationale behind wolf elimination. Additionally, wolves had a negative view by the majority of the population during that time. Even Theodore Roosevelt, pioneer of conservation described the wolf as a “beast of waste and desolation.” Wolves were killed by hunting, trapping, snaring and poisoning. Bounties on wolf pelts were offered by state governments and livestock associations. In 1915 the U.S. Federal government established the Division of Rodent and Predator Control Which further augmented wolf eradication. This pursuit of wolves combined with habitat loss to drive wolves out of most areas across North America. Wyoming, Idaho, Montana and Yellowstone National Park had reached total wolf eradication by the 1930s. [11]

Gray Wolf. Front view of a resting Canis lupus ssp.jpg
Gray Wolf.

Protection and reintroduction

The gray wolf was provided protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1974. ESA protection made it illegal to kill wolves or destroy their habitats. Listing wolves under the ESA also initiated the production of a recovery plan. The recovery originally planned for wolf recovery through natural wolf dispersal from Canada but was later modified. [12]

In 1994 U.S. Fish and Wildlife submitted a report to congress recommending wolves be reestablished in Idaho and Yellowstone National Park as nonessential experimental populations. In March 1995 3 groups of 6, 5 and 3 wolves were released into Yellowstone National Park. [12] This release marked the beginning of a successful reintroduction effort coordinated with multiple wildlife agencies from multiple U.S. States and Canadian Provinces. A total of 31 wolves were released in Yellowstone National Park. [13]

U.S. Fish and Wildlife and Wyoming Game and Fish Officials carry a reintroduced wolf to an acclimation pen. Reintroduced wolves being carried to acclimation pens, Yellowstone National Park, January, 1995.jpg
U.S. Fish and Wildlife and Wyoming Game and Fish Officials carry a reintroduced wolf to an acclimation pen.

Proposed removal from ESA

The Gray wolf in Wyoming is on the verge of being removed from the Endangered Species Act. Removal has been approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Wyoming Game and Fish. The wolf management plan that has been agreed upon by all parties requires a minimum of 100 wolves including ten breeding pairs in Wyoming. Currently there are 1650 wolves and 110 breeding pairs in Wyoming Idaho and Montana. Wolf numbers have exceeded recovery goals for the past 11 years. [14] U.S. Fish and Wildlife will continue to collaborate with Wyoming Game and Fish following delisting from the ESA. Delisting will also allow Wyoming to implement a wolf trophy hunting season for wolves outside Yellowstone National Park. [15] Tactics used during the removal process have been highly political. The Casper Star Tribune reported that Wyoming Senator John Barrasso placed a hold on a senate vote on the nomination of Daniel Ashe as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Director. Barrasso lifted the hold following a commitment from Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar to “aggressively pursue a solution” to the wolf delisting dispute. [16]

Arguments and organizations for delisting

Groups for delisting include, Wyoming Game and Fish, Wyoming Governor Matt Mead, hunting public, hunting outfitters, Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation (CSF), National Rifle Association (NRA), Safari Club International (SCI), Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF), American Sheep Industry Association and National Cattlemen's Beef Association. The primary argument for delisting is that wolf population numbers are well above recovery levels. This recovery indicates that the wolves are ready to be managed at a state level. Several groups believe that high wolf numbers are detrimental to elk and moose populations sharing the same habitat. Other conservation groups want wolf management at the state level so that stakeholders have more say in management decisions.

Arguments and organizations against delisting

Earlier attempts in 2008 and 2009 to delist the Gray Wolf were prevented with lawsuits from the Sierra Club. [17] There are various groups against removing the gray wolf. Groups opposing delisting include Defenders of Wildlife, Western Wildlife Conservancy, Sierra Club and others. Arguments against delisting wolves include fear of overexploitation through trophy hunting, and a population crash. Idaho, Montana and Wyoming all plan to have a trophy game season for wolves following delisting. In addition to a trophy season, wolves found outside the trophy area of Wyoming may be shot as a predator, no license required. [18]

Grizzly bear

Grizzly bear populations are expanding across the state under the protection of the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). [19] Management of the grizzly bear population includes relocation. Large carnivore biologists use this management tool to minimize conflicts between humans and grizzly bears. [20] In 2021, state officials requested the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove grizzly bears from ESA protections in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem which includes northwestern Wyoming, southwestern Montana, and eastern Idaho. [21] State management would minimize human disruption and maximize hunting opportunities while meeting the goals set by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. [22]

Pine beetle

Wyoming faces a range of ecological risks but perhaps none greater than the current infestation of pine beetle populations across the coniferous forests of the state and surrounding regions. The problem is extensive, far-reaching, and almost all encompassing. Steps are being taken to prevent further spread of the infestation but in expert opinions those steps are coming too little too late. In addition, there is an entire future forest that will be threatened by these beetles and climate change.

Infestation

The Mountain pine beetle typically attacks in the late summer and lay larva in the trees that survive under the bark until the next summer. During the summer infestation, the beetle produces a blue fungus that at epidemic levels usually destroys even healthy trees. Trees that have been affected are marked by brown pine needles and a bluish hue to the inside of their bark. In a typical climate large amounts of the beetle populations are killed during the days in the middle of winter when the temperature falls to minus 30 for weeks at a time. Today these temperatures are not being seen in forests, allowing pine beetles to survive the winter and come back in greater populations the next summer. In some instances, however, the temperatures are staying so warm the beetles are allowed time for two eating cycles causing even further devastation to tree populations. [23]

Pine Beetle damage on Mt. Fraser in British Columbia. Mt Fraser - Pine Beetle Damage.JPG
Pine Beetle damage on Mt. Fraser in British Columbia.

Distribution

Currently in Wyoming it is estimated that nearly 3.65 million acres (14,800 km2) have been infected and across the United States that number is above 40 million acres. The beetles usually attack the Lodgepole Pine populations but because the epidemic is at such a monumental scale the beetles are attacking any coniferous tree including: Ponderosa Pine, Limber Pine, Douglas Fir, Subalpine Fir, Silver Fir, Spruce, and Cedar trees. Through the next ten years it is estimated 100,000 trees will fall daily in forests across the country due to pine beetle infestations. [23]

Causes and prevention

In the early 1800s settlers mismanaged forests in the hopes of preventing fires but only allowed stand densities to reach critical levels that allowed beetles to easily spread from one tree to the next. In addition rising global temperature have allowed these beetle populations to grow and thrive at unheard of rates. Lastly a multi-year drought that extended from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s made trees weak and susceptible to attacks. [23]

The Southeastern region of Wyoming is the most infected region. Experts already predict by the year 2012 90% of the trees in these regions will be dead or infected. Steps are, however, being taken to prevent further infection and distribution. Throughout the region the local forest service is safely cutting these trees in an attempt to keep beetle populations at bay and to prevent the risk of falling trees in heavily traveled areas of the forest. With the future of the forests in mind forest services are also working on forest recovery. To do this they are replanting/-seeding areas of the forest to create a diverse and manageable environment for the future ecology of the area. This recovery process also entails a resiliency aspect that will allow future trees to be protected from pine beetle infestations by reducing stand densities. [24]

Bark beetle galleries on a tree in the United Kingdom. Bark beetles and other kinds of invasive pine beetles are transported between different regions of the world and will become stronger as climate change puts stress on natural ecosystems. Bark beetle galleries - geograph.org.uk - 516322.jpg
Bark beetle galleries on a tree in the United Kingdom. Bark beetles and other kinds of invasive pine beetles are transported between different regions of the world and will become stronger as climate change puts stress on natural ecosystems.

Ecological effect

This combination of mismanaged forests and deadfall caused by pine beetle adds up to an inevitable conclusion that fires will destroy these forests. These fire risks and falling trees caused by the beetle infestation have the ability to affect over 3,700 miles of roads, 1,300 miles of trails, and 69 miles of transmission and distribution power lines. Consequently, it is important that the forest service manages these falling trees by cutting certain sections of forest down to aid in the safety of these areas. [23] This catastrophe will severely impact the wildlife of the region. Many animal species rely on these forests for both predation and climate protection. American Elk populations will likely decrease due to the loss of protection as will American Marten populations due to the Marten's reliance on thick, heavily forested areas to hunt. Pine squirrel populations will likely experience the most dramatic decrease because the squirrels rely on pine seeds to survive the harsh winters. Other animal populations that will be effected include the Northern goshawk and the snowshoe hare as their habitats are destroyed and their nutrition resources disappear. [25]

Future forests

If global climate simulators prove correct, then in fifty years, when these forests are returning, the heavily temperature effected pine beetle populations could potentially be even stronger and in regions today protected by the colder climates at higher elevations. The predicted 2.5 degree Celsius temperature increase will allow the beetles to further migrate into regions of massive Canadian forests and into the eastern United States that had once been protected by the vast plains of Middle America. [26] Studies show the pine beetle populations beginning to slow. The 2010 mortality rate of trees was a quarter of what it had been the two previous years. The beetles are running out of trees to infect. [27]

Sage grouse

Greater Sage Grouse Centrocercus urophasianus -USA -male-8.jpg
Greater Sage Grouse

Dwindling sage grouse populations have sparked heated debate over Wyoming's natural resource industry. The PAPA covers a large portion of the sage grouse's habitat. The area consists of about 200,000 acres of land, much of it covered with sagebrush, the grouse's landscape it requires to survive. The three largest operators in the PAPA are Ultra Resources, Shell Rocky Mountain Production, LLC and Questar Exploration and Production Company. Together these companies funded a five-year sage grouse study examining the impact of natural gas development on the birds’ winter habitat, at a cost of $1.4 million. According to the Greater sage-grouse winter habitat selection 2009 report, the study results suggested that the sage grouse were avoiding industry activity areas with truck traffic, but not avoiding well sites with pipelines, or liquid gathering systems installed. [28] A smaller operator in the PAPA, Devon Energy, reported that oil and gas companies pledged $60 million in 2007 to monitor the sage grouse and its habitat in the vicinities of their well sites. [29]

Wyoming spent at least half a million dollars in 2010 solely to examine and redefine the map of the core areas of sage grouse habitat. [30] In an August 2011 press release from the USDA, Agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack disclosed that an additional 21.8 million will be spent to conserve sage grouse habitat in the form of government subsidies to farmers. [31]

Despite the sage grouse population having declined 90% in the past hundred years, and despite the loss of about half of their habitat in that same time, reports claim that efforts by state governments and the oil and gas industry have managed to keep the numbers stable, in localized areas, in the past decade. Those actions prevented the bird from being listed as endangered or threatened. [32]

Wyoming toad

The Wyoming toad, Anaxyrus baxteri, an endangered toad that lives in Wyoming. Wyoming Toad.jpg
The Wyoming toad, Anaxyrus baxteri, an endangered toad that lives in Wyoming.

The Wyoming toad Anaxyrus baxteri (formerly known as Bufo baxteri), is an extremely rare amphibian restricted to the Albany County. The toad was initially considered a subspecies of the Canadian toad but found later to be a separate species. The adult is, on average, 2.2 inches in length and the color varies from brown to gray (often with a greenish tint) accompanied with darker blotches. A very distinctive feature of the species is the 'bony hump' between the eyes as a result of fused cranial crests. [33] The toad was a common sight in the Laramie Basin up until the population crash that occurred in the mid-1970s. Originally, the toad occupied a geographical range of about 2330 km², and lived in floodplains or on shores of lakes & ponds, but eventually was only found at the Mortenson Lake National Wildlife Refuge. The species has been critically endangered since 1984 and became totally extinct in the wild in 1991 (also listed as such under the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species). [34]

Causes of decline

The primary cause of the decline of the Wyoming toad is the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Db), which is affecting amphibian populations worldwide. The fungus has been shown, in numerous studies, to cause disease in many different amphibian species and has been found in captive Wyoming Toad populations as well. Scientists have discovered through retrospective analysis that the fungus was present on the natural habitat of the Wyoming Toad as early as 1989 at least, and speculate that the fungus might have been responsible for the initial population crash, which still remains unknown. [35] Other important environmental issues contributing to the decline include agro-chemicals that used on farms and ranches. Chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, agricultural hormones and fertilizers, have been observed to directly alter the physiological development of the toads in some cases, and indirectly stress the amphibians, weakening their resistance to the Chrytrid fungus. Because chemicals are usually tested individually, the ‘legal’ dosages of many agro-chemicals, which were considered to be harmless before, are now observed to be rather dangerous in combination with one another or with other factors already present such as the Chytrid fungus. [36] Habitat destruction and global climate change are also affecting the Wyoming Toad or other amphibian populations but to a somewhat lesser extent. [37]

Ecological consequences

The first major concern with regards to the population decline is the possible extinction of the species. [38] The species is not only totally extinct in the wild for 2 decades, but even its populations in captivity are also declining. Due to their low number, there is a rather elevated rate of inbreeding, making the gene pool of the population small, and decreasing the likelihood to evolve resistance against pathogens including the Chytrid fungus. Aside from the possible extinction of the toad, scientists are also worried that the population decline might lead to unforeseen chain effects in the ecosystem. Since the Wyoming Toad is an amphibian, which occupies a niche in both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, its absence might lead to trophic cascades in the ecosystem, such as its preys increasing in number and affecting other species. Amphibians such as the Wyoming Toad are furthermore good indicators of ecosystem health, and their disappearance would not only signify the degradation of the environment but would also render assessment of the natural habitats harder. [39]

Conservation

Wyoming Toad being examined by scientist. Wyoming Toad USFWS Inspected.jpg
Wyoming Toad being examined by scientist.

Several agencies such as the Wyoming Game and Fish, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, and the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo are currently working on saving the species. The primary focus is breeding the toad in captivity and releasing tadpoles in the wild as an attempt to restore the previous populations. No reproduction has been recorded in the wild so far, and it seems that the species are procreating successfully only in captivity. The reason why the Toads are not doing as well in nature remains unknown. Even though the species is protected under the Endangered Species Act, professionals working with the toad also argue that the situation is not well known enough to the public, and believe that the Wyoming Toads deserve more attention. [40]

Habitat loss

The infrastructure of natural gas development includes wells, pipelines, roads, and other components that damage wildlife through direct habitat loss, deterioration of habitat and displacement. Population spikes associated with industry growth result in urban sprawl, as demand for living space increases, further reducing habitat available to wildlife. Additionally, road and pipeline construction divide habitat, resulting in greater automobile related fatalities. [41]

Development of the Pinedale Anticline Project Area (PAPA) has impacted several species of big game dependent on western Wyoming for winter habitat, most notably pronghorn, mule deer, elk, bighorn sheep and moose. Growth of the Pinedale Anticline gas field has also compromised winter habitat and mating grounds for the Greater Sage Grouse, a game bird species indigenous to western North America and present candidate for the endangered species list.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellowstone National Park</span> National park in the western United States

Yellowstone National Park is a national park of the United States located in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress with the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872. Yellowstone was the first national park in the U.S. and is also widely held to be the first national park in the world. The park is known for its wildlife and its many geothermal features, especially the Old Faithful geyser, one of its most popular. While it represents many types of biomes, the subalpine forest is the most abundant. It is part of the South Central Rockies forests ecoregion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater sage-grouse</span> Species of bird

The greater sage-grouse, also known as the sagehen, is the largest grouse in North America. Its range is sagebrush country in the western United States and southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada. It was known as simply the sage grouse until the Gunnison sage-grouse was recognized as a separate species in 2000. The Mono Basin population of sage grouse may also be distinct.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem</span> Ecosystem in the Rocky Mountains

The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) is one of the last remaining large, nearly intact ecosystems in the northern temperate zone of the Earth. It is located within the northern Rocky Mountains, in areas of northwestern Wyoming, southwestern Montana, and eastern Idaho, and is about 22 million acres (89,000 km2). Yellowstone National Park and the Yellowstone Caldera 'hotspot' are within it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Endangered Species Act of 1973</span> United States law

The Endangered Species Act of 1973 is the primary law in the United States for protecting and conserving imperiled species. Designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of economic growth and development untempered by adequate concern and conservation", the ESA was signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 28, 1973. The Supreme Court of the United States described it as "the most comprehensive legislation for the preservation of endangered species enacted by any nation". The purposes of the ESA are two-fold: to prevent extinction and to recover species to the point where the law's protections are not needed. It therefore "protect[s] species and the ecosystems upon which they depend" through different mechanisms. For example, section 4 requires the agencies overseeing the Act to designate imperiled species as threatened or endangered. Section 9 prohibits unlawful 'take,' of such species, which means to "harass, harm, hunt..." Section 7 directs federal agencies to use their authorities to help conserve listed species. The Act also serves as the enacting legislation to carry out the provisions outlined in The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shoshone National Forest</span> National Forest in Wyoming, US

Shoshone National Forest is the first federally protected National Forest in the United States and covers nearly 2,500,000 acres (1,000,000 ha) in the state of Wyoming. Originally a part of the Yellowstone Timberland Reserve, the forest is managed by the United States Forest Service and was created by an act of Congress and signed into law by U.S. President Benjamin Harrison in 1891. Shoshone National Forest is one of the first nationally protected land areas anywhere. Native Americans have lived in the region for at least 10,000 years, and when the region was first explored by European adventurers, forestlands were occupied by several different tribes. Never heavily settled or exploited, the forest has retained most of its wildness. Shoshone National Forest is a part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, a nearly unbroken expanse of federally protected lands encompassing an estimated 20,000,000 acres (8,100,000 ha).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Houston toad</span> Species of amphibian endemic to Texas, US

The Houston toad, formerly Bufo houstonensis, is an endangered species of amphibian that is endemic to Texas in the United States. This toad was discovered in the late 1940s and named in 1953. It was among the first amphibians added to the United States List of Endangered Native Fish and Wildlife and is currently protected by the Endangered Species Act of 1973 as an endangered species. The Houston toad was placed as "endangered" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species from 1986 to 2022, and has worsened to "critically endangered" since then, with fewer than 250 mature individuals believed to remain in the wild as of 2021. Their kind is threatened every day as they continue to suffer from a loss of habitat, extreme drought, and massive wildfires. Their typical life expectancy is at least 3 years but it may exceed this number.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western toad</span> Species of amphibian

The western toad is a large toad species, between 5.6 and 13 cm long, native to western North America. A. boreas is frequently encountered during the wet season on roads, or near water at other times. It can jump a considerable distance for a toad. Breeding occurs between March and July in mountainous areas, and as early as January in lower-elevation regions. The female lays up to 17,000 eggs stuck together in strings that adhere to vegetation and other objects along water edges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wyoming toad</span> Species of amphibian

The Wyoming toad, also known commonly as Baxter's toad, is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. The Wyoming toad is an extremely rare amphibian that exists only in captivity and within Mortenson Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Wyoming in the United States. The Wyoming toad was listed as an endangered species in 1984, and listed as extinct in the wild since 1991. As with black-footed ferrets at the Tom Thorne and Beth Williams Wildlife Research Center at Sybille in Wheatland, Wyoming, the effort to save the Wyoming toad has been a cooperative effort among state and federal agencies and private landowners. The Wyoming toad was common from the 1950s through the early 1970s, but its distribution was limited to the Laramie Basin in Albany County. The population crashed around 1975 and was extremely low by 1980. The Wyoming toad was federally listed as endangered in January 1984. To prevent extinction, a captive-breeding program began in 1989 at the Thorne Williams Unit that produced enough offspring in its first few years to supply seven zoos, and in 1998 the Saratoga National Fish Hatchery received captive-breeding stock. Nearly 46,000 offspring were produced at the Thorne Williams Unit from 1995 until 2006, when the remaining captive stock was moved to the Red Buttes Environmental Biology Laboratory south of Laramie, and then released back into the wild. Before the sharp declines occurred, this toad had been originally classified as Bufo hemiophrys baxteri, a subspecies of the Canadian toad, by Kenneth Raymond Porter in 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boreal toad</span> Subspecies of amphibian

The boreal toad is the nominate subspecies of the western toad. They are commonly found in the western U.S. and western Canada. Boreal toad populations have declined recently due to an emerging amphibian disease, chytrid fungus. The boreal toad is currently listed as an endangered species by Colorado and New Mexico. It is known in Colorado as the only alpine species of toad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wolf reintroduction</span> Reestablishment of extirpated native wolves

Wolf reintroduction involves the reintroduction of a portion of grey wolves in areas where native wolves have been extirpated. More than 30 subspecies of Canis lupus have been recognized, and grey wolves, as colloquially understood, comprise nondomestic/feral subspecies. Reintroduction is only considered where large tracts of suitable wilderness still exist and where certain prey species are abundant enough to support a predetermined wolf population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fauna of the United States</span>

The fauna of the United States of America is all the animals living in the Continental United States and its surrounding seas and islands, the Hawaiian Archipelago, Alaska in the Arctic, and several island-territories in the Pacific and in the Caribbean. The U.S. has many endemic species found nowhere else on Earth. With most of the North American continent, the U.S. lies in the Nearctic, Neotropic, and Oceanic faunistic realms, and shares a great deal of its flora and fauna with the rest of the American supercontinent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rocky Mountain elk</span> Subspecies of deer

The Rocky Mountain elk is a subspecies of elk found in the Rocky Mountains and adjacent ranges of Western North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of wolves in Yellowstone</span> Extirpation and reintroduction of the gray wolf to Yellowstone National Park

The history of wolves in Yellowstone includes the extirpation, absence and reintroduction of wild populations of the gray wolf to Yellowstone National Park and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. When the park was created in 1872, wolf populations were already in decline in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. The creation of the national park did not provide protection for wolves or other predators, and government predator control programs in the first decades of the 1900s essentially helped eliminate the gray wolf from Yellowstone. The last wolves were killed in Yellowstone in 1926. After that, sporadic reports of wolves still occurred, but scientists confirmed in the mid-1900s that sustainable gray wolf populations had been extirpated and were absent from Yellowstone as well as 48 states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Rocky Mountain wolf</span> Subspecies of carnivore

The northern Rocky Mountain wolf, also known as the northern Rocky Mountain timber wolf, is a subspecies of the gray wolf native to the northern Rocky Mountains. It is a light-colored, medium to large-sized subspecies with a narrow, flattened frontal bone. The subspecies was initially listed as Endangered on March 9, 1978, but had the classification removed in the year 2000 due to the effects of the Northern Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery Plan. On August 6, 2010, the northern Rocky Mountain wolf was ordered to be returned under Endangered Species Act protections by U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy in a decision overturning a previous ruling by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. They were later removed on August 31, 2012 from the list because of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming meeting the population quotas for the species to be considered stable. This wolf is recognized as a subspecies of Canis lupus in the taxonomic authority Mammal Species of the World (2005).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ecology of the Rocky Mountains</span> Ecology of the Rocky Mountain range in North America

The ecology of the Rocky Mountains is diverse due to the effects of a variety of environmental factors. The Rocky Mountains are the major mountain range in western North America, running from the far north of British Columbia in Canada to New Mexico in the southwestern United States, climbing from the Great Plains at or below 1,800 feet (550 m) to peaks of over 14,000 feet (4,300 m). Temperature and rainfall varies greatly also and thus the Rockies are home to a mixture of habitats including the alpine, subalpine and boreal habitats of the Northern Rocky Mountains in British Columbia and Alberta, the coniferous forests of Montana and Idaho, the wetlands and prairie where the Rockies meet the plains, a different mix of conifers on the Yellowstone Plateau in Wyoming, the montane forests of Utah, and in the high Rockies of Colorado and New Mexico, and finally the alpine tundra of the highest elevations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Central Rockies forests</span> Temperate coniferous forests ecoregion of the United States

The South Central Rockies forests is a temperate coniferous forest ecoregion of the United States located mainly in Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. It has a considerably drier climate than the North Central Rockies forest.

Wyoming is home to 12 amphibian species and 22 species of reptiles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saratoga National Fish Hatchery</span>

Saratoga National Fish Hatchery is part of the National Fish Hatchery System operated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. It is located northeast of Saratoga, Wyoming and, along with the Jackson National Fish Hatchery, is one of two National fish hatcheries operating in Wyoming. Saratoga NHF is primarily a broodstock hatchery; it maintains several healthy adults to produce sperm and eggs and distributes fertilized eggs to production hatcheries throughout the country to be hatched and grown to stockable sizes. It is also one of several organizations to establish a program for breeding Wyoming toads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Repopulation of wolves in Midwestern United States</span> Natural resettlement of wolves into Midwestern United States

Grey wolves were considered extirpated from the conterminous United States in the 1940s, but some survived in the remote northeastern corner of Minnesota. After they were listed as an endangered species, they naturally expanded into many of the habitats in the Midwestern states of Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin they had previously occupied. These three states are estimated to have a stable population of 4,400 wolves. The western Great Lakes region they inhabit includes the forested areas of these states, along with the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario. In 1978, wolves were protected under the federal Endangered Species Act as it was determined that they were in danger of going extinct and needed protection to aid their recovery. Management under the Act allowed the remaining wolves in Minnesota to flourish and repopulate northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Wolves were removed from federal protection in January 2021 with management authority remaining with state and tribal authorities. Management plans guide each state's decisions about wolf regulations for hunting, trapping, and culling along with population monitoring, and livestock damage control. In February 2022, a judge ordered federal protections for gray wolves to be restored under the Federal Endangered Species Act which returned management authority to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

References

  1. ↑ Headwaters Economics. (2009, February). Impacts of energy development in Wyoming. In Energy and the West Series. Retrieved November 29, 2011, from http://headwaterseconomics.org/pubs/energy/HeadwatersEconomicsImpactsEnergyWY.pdf Archived 2012-04-06 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ U.S. Census Bureau. (2011, October 27). Sublette County, Wyoming. In State & County QuickFacts. Retrieved November 29, 2011, from http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/56/56035.html Archived August 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  3. 1 2 3 U.S. Energy Information Administration. (2011, February 17). Analysis. In Wyoming. Retrieved November 29, 2011, from http://www.eia.gov/state/state-energy-profiles-analysis.cfm?sid=WY
  4. ↑ Wyoming Mining Association. (2010). Wyoming and coal mining taxes. In Wyoming Coal Mining. Retrieved November 29, 2011, from "Wyoming Coal Mining Home Page". Archived from the original on November 19, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
  5. 1 2 Environmental Protection Agency. (2010). What is ozone?. In Air Quality Awareness. Retrieved November 29, 2011, from "What is Ozone?". Archived from the original on November 9, 2011. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  6. 1 2 Guo, Jeff (May 20, 2015). "Wyoming doesn't want you to know how much cow poop is in its water". Washington Post. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  7. ↑ Lewis, Trinity (December 20, 2018). "Judge strikes down a part of the rule". Tri-state Livestock News. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  8. ↑ Pidot, Justin (May 11, 2015). "Wyoming Just Criminalized Citizen Science and Sharing Photos of Yellowstone". Slate Magazine. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  9. ↑ Environmental Protection Agency. (2011, July 6). Health. In Ground-level Ozone. Retrieved November 29, 2011, from "Health | Ground-level Ozone | US EPA". Archived from the original on December 4, 2011. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  10. 1 2 Bleizeffer, D. (2011, September 13). Wyoming governor, industry won't promise an ozone-free Pinedale. In Ozone Dilemma. Retrieved November 29, 2011, from "Wyoming governor, industry won't promise an ozone-free Pinedale". Archived from the original on November 21, 2011. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  11. ↑ Fritts, Steven H.; Bangs, Edward E.; Gore, James F. (1994). "Landscape and Urban Planning : The relationship of wolf recovery to habitat conservation and biodiversity in the northwestern United States". Landscape and Urban Planning. 28: 23–32. doi:10.1016/0169-2046(94)90040-X.
  12. 1 2 Bangs, Edward E.; Fritts, Steven H. (January 1, 1996). "Reintroducing the Gray Wolf to Central Idaho and Yellowstone National Park". Wildlife Society Bulletin. 24 (3): 402–413. JSTOR   3783320.
  13. ↑ "Yellowstone Park Wolves". Yellowstonenationalpark.com. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
  14. ↑ "Endangered Species | Region 6" (PDF).
  15. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 18, 2011. Retrieved November 11, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  16. ↑ Pelzer, Jeremy (June 28, 2011). "Salazar, Fish and Wildlife Service nominee to discuss wolf delisting in Wyoming visit". Casper Star-Tribune Online. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
  17. ↑ "Protecting Wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem :: Wyoming Chapter". Wyoming.sierraclub.org. August 31, 2009. Archived from the original on December 26, 2011. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
  18. ↑ Arnold, Billy (April 18, 2024). "Fate of Wyoming wolf policy reform in Legislature's hands". Gillette News Record. Wyoming News Exchange. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  19. ↑ Scott, Tristan (December 18, 2020). "Survey: Montanans' Views on Grizzlies Trend Toward Support". Flathead Beacon. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  20. ↑ Rohrer, Dylan (June 22, 2021). "Grizzly Bear relocated from Wyoming guest ranch". Wyo4News. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  21. ↑ Marshall, Sage (September 20, 2021). "Wyoming Asks Federal Government to Delist Grizzlies from Endangered Species Act". Field & Stream. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  22. ↑ Pollack, Nicole (September 27, 2021). "New twists, few answers in carnivore trophy hunting debate". Casper Star-Tribune Online. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  23. 1 2 3 4 Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. Bark Beetle Fact Sheet .://www. Fs. Usda. Gov/internet/fse_documents/stelprdb5337223. Pdf
  24. ↑ (2011, August 27). Why are Beetles Destroying Western Forests?. http://frogsaregreen%5B%5D. Com/tag/mountain-pine-beetles-wyoming/.
  25. ↑ Department of agriculture, Forest service. What happens to the wildlife? . : //www. Fs. Usda. Gov/internet/fse_documents/stelprdb5337897. Pdf
  26. ↑ Allen, Natalie (2011). An Evaluation of Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreaks in Colorado and Wyoming under Climate Change using Geospatial Analysis (PDF) (Master thesis). Duck University.
  27. ↑ P, J. (2011). Experts: Pine Beetles are Eating Themselves out of Wyoming. Casper Star Tribune, Web
  28. ↑ Wyoming Wildlife Consultants, LLC. (2009, December). Greater Sage-grouse winter habitat selection relative to natural gas field infrastructure in northern portions of the Pinedale Anticline Project Area Sublette County, Wyoming. In Pinedale Anticline Project Area. Retrieved November 29, 2011, from http://www.papaoperators.com
  29. ↑ "Helping Preserve the Sage Grouse." Devon. Devon Energy Corporation, 2010. Web. 1 Nov. 2011. <Devon. (2010, March). Helping preserve the sage grouse. In Corporate Social Responsibility. Retrieved November 29, 2011, from "Helping preserve the sage grouse". Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved November 21, 2011.>.
  30. ↑ "Sage Grouse Core Area Protection." Wyoming Public Service Commission. 2011. Web. 02 Nov. 2011. <State of Wyoming. (2011). Sage grouse core protection area. In Wyoming Public Service Commission. Retrieved November 29, 2011, from http://psc.state.wy.us/pscdocs/SAGEGROUSE.html>.
  31. ↑ "Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Announces Additional Assistance to Wyoming Ranchers to Increase Sage-Grouse Populations, Enhance Habitats on 38,000 Acres." U.S. Department of Agriculture. U.S. Department of Agriculture, 11 Aug. 2011. Web. 02 Nov. 2011. <United States Department of Agriculture. (2011, August 11). Agriculture secretary Vilsack announces additional assistance to Wyoming ranchers to increase sage-grouse populations, enhance habitats on 38,000 acres. In News Release. Retrieved November 29, 2011, from >.
  32. ↑ Gruver, Mead. "Sage Grouse Won’t Make Endangered Species List." Helenair.com -Helena, Montana Daily News. Helena Independent Record, 6 Mar. 2010. Web. 01 Nov. 2011. <Gruver, M. (2010, March 6). Sage grouse won’t make endangered species list. In Helenair.com. Retrieved November 29, 2011, from http://helenair.com/news/local/state-and-regional/article_17c7893c-28e8-11df-9d82-001cc4c002e0.html>.
  33. ↑ "Animals & Plants - Amphibians & Reptiles". Cmzoo.org. Archived from the original on November 14, 2011. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
  34. ↑ Hammerson, G. (2004). "Anaxyrus baxteri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2004: e.T54583A11155140. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  35. ↑ "Amphibian Declines". Nbii.gov. January 26, 2005. Archived from the original on December 9, 2011. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
  36. ↑ "Amphibian Declines". Nbii.gov. Archived from the original on December 9, 2011. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
  37. ↑ "Amphibian Declines". Nbii.gov. Archived from the original on December 9, 2011. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
  38. ↑ http://gf.state.wy.us/downloads/pdf/SWAP/Amphibians/WyomingToad.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  39. ↑ "Wyoming Game and Fish - Fish - AAC - Wyoming Natives - 3051". Gf.state.wy.us. December 11, 2008. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
  40. ↑ "Search Results - AZA Nutrition Advisory Group" (PDF).
  41. ↑ Fitterman, Su T. (October 11, 2017). "Greater Sage-Grouse Protection - Harvard Law School". eelp.law.harvard.edu. Retrieved February 13, 2024.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.