Read on Twitter
“The listing means that whitebark pine is the first widely distributed tree that the federal government has clearly pegged as a climate casualty—sadly, as climate change worsens, it will not be the last" - @SylviaFallon https://on.nrdc.org/36q9iPo
“The whitebark pine’s predicament has been a clear climate change warning that millions of Americans could see from their windows as entire forests turned red and died." - @SylviaFallon https://www.nrdc.org/media/2020/201201
"This decision further clarifies how dire the situation is not only for this species, but for wildlife globally—and the communities reliant upon it—as the biodiversity crisis deepens.” - @SylviaFallon https://www.nrdc.org/media/2020/201201
Gotta say, this was shocking...like out of the blue. I distinctly remember writing a whitebark release a dozen years ago. It is amazing the arc of time some of @NRDC's advocacy covers...
I haven't looked at my Flickr page in like...forever...but reviewed images from a press tour we did in Wind River Range Whitebark country like this shot of the species' pine cones, which are like the Hagen Daz of pinecones, nourishing the whole ecosystem https://www.flickr.com/photos/jmogs/2805295610/
And this overflight of a soon-to-be ghost forest in 2008 (red means dead for these trees) https://www.flickr.com/photos/jmogs/2804431883/
In this one, the red is "frass" (basically saw dust kicked out of the tree by invading bark beetles that can survive now that temperatures don't freeze them out due to climate change). Frass = soon to be dead tree... We saw a lot of frass... https://www.flickr.com/photos/jmogs/2804432473/
So...while the outlook for whitebark pine is grim, the news today that the federal government recognizes #climatechange impacts & will work to protect impacted species is hopeful. We really need to focus on impacted people...that's all of us... I think it is coming #ActonClimate
