I know it's small in the whole scheme of things, but the bloodbath at NPS in Hawaii is almost certainly going to lead directly to the extinctions of no fewer than 4 native Hawaiian songbirds in the next 4-5 years.
Comments
Log in with your Bluesky account to leave a comment
BIL and IRA funding that was already allocated to state agencies for mosquito control is also unable to be spent right now due to the funding freeze. Less urgent but still dire is the situation for endangered seabirds, many of which only persist in predator proof fenced areas that require active 1/3
…consistent ongoing management. These protected areas are funded heavily by Habitat Conservation Plans under Sec.10 of the Endangered Species Act, and the teams managing those HCPs at FWS just got hit HARD. 2/3
Talking with colleagues who got terminated yesterday, they weren’t even worried about their loss of income/healthcare/etc, they were worried what was going to happen to their projects, the forest birds, seabirds, plants, snails that are on the brink of extinction. It’s fucking devastating 3/3
Hi Olivia—I’m a reporter from Inside Climate News and I would love to connect to talk more about this if you’re open to it or know anyone who may be able to. My email is [email protected]
They’re trying, but a lot of the funding the state got for these projects is federal, and those grants are currently frozen or being revoked and there’s a lot of uncertainty about the future of this funding. There’s only so much the state can do without federal funding and federal staff to help.
Small perhaps, but exemplifying the fact that many of the things Trump/Musk are doing will cause irreversible harm. Just to name one other example, trans kids are going to die.
They are in such a bad way, even before this crap, that any let up in efforts to help them is going to lead to the extinction of quite a few of the species.
I'm also extremely worried about Akeke'e, I don't think there's a viable captive population which means that even a year or two delay in the mosquito control could be the end for them.
'Akikiki is definitely gone. Efforts to reestablish 'Alala (Hawaiian Crow) are probably over. Kiwikiu (Maui Parrotbill) and Puaiohi (Small Kuaui Thrush) are on the brink.
NPS is the *main* driver of bird conservation on the islands.
Comments
This is horrible.
NPS is the *main* driver of bird conservation on the islands.