Of Tule Elk and Red-Legged Frogs

"It's a good deal for wildlife and a boon for conservation and restoration projects in the area for the next half-century," said the Center for Biological Diversity's conser-vation director, Peter Gavin. In what is being hailed as a model for cooperative con-servation planning between environmental groups and private companies, a landmark agreement was reached last week between the Center for Biological Diversity and the Alameda Creek Alliance with a mining company that will help protect species and habitat around the Apperson Ridge Quarry and the Sunol Valley Quarry. Both quarries are located in the Sunol area near the San Francisco Bay. The quarries will now protect and enhance more than 600 acres of habitat for endangered species like Tule elk, California red-legged frog. The mining company will also fund monitoring, reintroduction and critical habitat upgrade for Tule elk and California Red-Legged Frog, and will work to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

This 8 ½ minute National Geographic film clip about Tule elk can be seen here.

Of Dormice and Pika

Image: Sleeping Dormouse

British conservationists are encouraged by research which suggests a slow down in the decline in the numbers of dormice. Numbers fell by 9% between 2002 and 2008, compared with 31% from 1992 to 2002. The People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) said there was "reason to be optimistic". Well, let's hope this is true.

Image: Pika

On the other side of the Big Puddle, the cold climate loving American Pika has little choice but to scurry farther upslope to beat the heat and find food - a difficult thing to do as global warming deprives its habitat of food sources. In some places, pikas have run out of room to run. If the Pika go, then so will every hawk, eagle, owl, lynx, wolf, badger, wolverine or bear that relies on the Pika as a food source.