Loggerhead turtle may make endangered list

An article by Curtis Morgan in the Miami Herald:

The loggerhead turtle may be elevated to a federally endangered species, in large part because nesting on Florida beaches has dropped by half over the past decade.

In a notice published Wednesday in the Federal Register, the National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that officials will review the turtle population and a change in the current threatened status ``may be warranted.''

This review was ordered in response to a petition and data filed in November 2007 by two environmental groups, Oceana and the Center for Biological Diversity.

The groups argue the turtle is at increasing risk of extinction from climate change, commercial fishing practices, beach development, pollution and others threats. Federal designation could result in new protections for beach nesting areas, fishing rules or other changes.

''If we don't act soon, sea turtles may go the way of the dinosaurs,'' Miyoko Sakashita, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a news release.

All five turtles that feed or nest in Florida waters are listed as either threatened or endangered: loggerhead, green, hawksbill, leatherback and Kemp's Ridley. The agencies will accept comment on the proposal until May 5.

Loggerhead turtles also nest on the beaches of Akumal.

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Sea cucumber makes hard plastic go soft

From an article by Julie Steenhuysen on ABC News in Science:

A new material inspired by sea cucumbers can change easily from hard and rigid to soft and floppy, US researchers say.

When wet, the material changes from a stiff plastic to a rubber-like state in seconds, and it can change back just as quickly, the researchers report today in the journal Science.

It's a feature they say may make it suited for medical implants.

The material mimics a trick that sea cucumbers perform. The invertebrate sea creatures can quickly change the stiffness of their skin, forming a kind of armour in response to a threat.

"We used the skin of these sea cucumbers as the basis of a new class of artificial material that can change their mechanical properties on command," says Professor Chris Weder, a researcher at Case Western Reserve University.

Weder and colleagues plan to use the material in medical applications, such as pliable brain electrodes used in treatments for people with Parkinson's disease, stroke or spinal cord injuries.

The material could be stiff to make implanting it easier, then become flexible in the water-rich brain to more closely resemble surrounding tissue.

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Reef restoration provides passion for diver

From an article on CNN.com:

TAMPA, Florida (CNN) -- After witnessing the rapid devastation of a Cayman Island coral reef where he had been diving since childhood, Todd Barber was moved from horror to action.

He gave up a six-figure salary as a marketing consultant and dedicated his life to restoring the world's ocean reef ecosystems.

"I had been following this reef since I had been 14; it was where my first dive was," recalls Barber. "When that one little tiny reef was lost, that sparked something in me. If we lost one and it took that tens of thousands of years to get here, how fast is this happening?"

Barber had caught a small glimpse of a larger global issue -- the destruction of the world's coral reefs -- and it scared him. According to the Nature Conservancy, if the present rate of destruction continues, 70 percent of the world's coral reefs will be destroyed by the year 2050. Not only are they home to 25 percent of all marine fish species, but the organization states that 500 million people rely on coral reefs for their food and livelihoods.

So Barber and his father, a marine biologist and fellow diver, sat down to devise a solution to "put the reef back." What started as a basic idea to shape concrete around a beach ball led to three years of research, testing and prototyping with the help of friends and college professors. Watch as Barber explains his passion for saving reefs »

"Our goal was to mimic nature, not dictate nature," says Barber. "And that meant that I couldn't come up with an idea; I had to design something that would fit exactly what the reef required."

The result was what Barber calls a "Reef Ball." Made of concrete engineered to last more than 500 years, Reef Balls are circular structures with a hollow center that serve as a base habitat upon which a natural reef can grow. Portable, inexpensive and environmentally friendly, according to Barber, Reef Balls can be built anywhere and are used to mimic and rehabilitate all forms of oceanic reefs, such as mangrove, oyster and coral reefs. They can also help control erosion and stabilize shorelines.

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Tips to save the seas

From The Ocean Project:

The ocean regulates our planet's atmosphere and weather patterns, and we can help the ocean do its job - and save time, peace of mind, and money – by rethinking how we transport ourselves. In the US, about 27% of all greenhouse gas emissions come from the transportation sector. Taking advantage of all the great ways to use our cars less will help slow global warming – protecting coral reefs and other sensitive ocean habitats and animals.

Three for me:

1. Become a caring commuter! There are many easy ways to use your car less and they come with the sweet rewards of money savings, healthy exercise, and kicking back on the morning commute. Learn more.

2. Slow down but don't be idle. When driving, try to go the speed limit. The fuel efficiency of an average car drops significantly beyond 55 mph (90km/h); driving at 75 mph (120km/h) - rather than 65 mph (105 km/h) - increases gasoline use by 25 percent! Get more fuel efficiency tips.

3. Be a frequent non-flyer. By taking trains or buses and cutting back on flight time, you can help lessen the demand for air travel, a significant but often ignored contributor to climate change pollution. Learn about flight-free travel options.

Three for the sea:

Hybrid up! If you're in the market for a new car, then hybrid up and enjoy the convenience of a car while lightening your carbon load - hybrids can drive 40 to 70 miles on one gallon of gasoline, much farther than a conventional vehicle. Learn more.

You've traveled less, now offset the rest! By following the steps above you've lost most of your on-the-go CO2 baggage, and it's even easier to loose the rest with carbon offsets! Learn how.

More power to the green commuter! You can make it easier for others around you to join in your quest to become a green commuter by supporting walkable communities, good public transport, carpooling, careless days, and green commuter incentives. Learn how.

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High tech maps aid Puerto Rican coral reefs

From an Associated Press article posted on the Web site of the International Herald Tribune:

ABOARD THE NANCY FOSTER: Whirring over a sun-streaked patch of tropical sea floor, a submersible equipped with cameras is helping scientists map the struggling coral reefs off this U.S. Caribbean territory, a step toward preserving them.

The small machine, tethered to a 187-foot (57-meter) survey ship, was remotely steered over coral hills, sending a fisheye view back to scientists who hope the images will help them learn how to restore the weakened reefs.

The video and multi-beam sonar imagery taken this week provided the most exact charts ever of coral contours and sea floors in the area.

"It's neat getting the images because some of these spots are where Captain Cook's ships were once dropping lead lines to get an idea of what was down there," said researcher Mike Stecher, referring to the centuries-old practice of lowering weighted lines to map depth.

Scientists and observers in a control room on the Nancy Foster, a boat operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, oohed and aahed as grouper and squirrel fish darted behind coral or sponges before the lens of the submersible.

The maps generated by the expedition along Puerto Rico's coast will help gauge the health of dwindling coral habitats, some of which have been "bleached" and killed by climate change, according to the mission's chief investigator, Tim Battista.

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Belize's world famous coral reefs and rainforests at risk

From an article posted on Mongabay.com:

Belize's world famous coral reefs and tropical forests are increasingly vulnerable to environmental problems which could impact its tourism-dependent economy, argues a Belizean ecologist writing in the inaugural issue of the open access e-journal Tropical Conservation Science.

Dr Colin A. Young of Galen University in Belize, says that ecosystems in Belize face a number of rising threats, including high deforestation rates (at 2.3 percent the deforestation rate is twice that of Central America), improper solid waste management, rapid coastal development, increasing poverty, weak institutional and legal frameworks, climate change, and the recent discovery of sweet crude oil. He says that without improving management of protected areas, improving local participation in conservation, and stimulating interest in science among Belizean students, "the environment that has been the mainstay of the Belizean economy will be severely impacted."

Young makes several recommendations for addressing negative environmental trends in Belize, including increasing funding for conservation-oriented research; adopting a stronger national protected areas policy; encouraging national and international NGOs to pool their research expertise and financial resources to facilitate the establishment of new conservation areas and strategies; implementing a "conservation" tax on oil production; promoting conservation-driven livelihoods for local communities; and developing an ecosystem services payment system.

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Artificial flippers for geen turtle?

From an Associated Press story by Michelle Roberts on MSNBC:

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas - When tourists found a 5-inch green sea turtle bloody and missing three of her flippers, the people who run a hospital for the endangered animals here gave her little chance of survival.

But the turtle persevered, thanks to injections of antibiotics and a forced diet of squid. Somehow, she swam with just one flipper, even though she can only move in counterclockwise circles and has to push her now 10-pound body off the bottom with her head to breathe.

"The wounds have healed very nicely. The problem is she doesn't swim very well," said Jeff George, curator at the nonprofit Sea Turtle Inc., a 31-year-old turtle conservation facility that treats and returns injured sea turtles to the wild.

Now, her caregivers hope to make her what's believed to be the first sea turtle fitted with a prosthetic flipper.

Three-flipper turtles can return to the sea and two-flipper turtles can survive in captivity. But those left with only one after predator attacks or run-ins with boat propellers are usually killed.

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