{"id":32558,"date":"2018-08-21T21:44:50","date_gmt":"2018-08-22T01:44:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thebeatnews.org\/BeatTeam\/?page_id=32558"},"modified":"2018-08-21T21:44:50","modified_gmt":"2018-08-22T01:44:50","slug":"beatnews-08-22-2018","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.thebeatnews.org\/BeatTeam\/beatnews-08-22-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"The BEAT News | August 22, 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Preview The MA Ballot
\nA Voter Guide for the September 4, 2018 Primary Election<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n
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The League of Women Voters of Massachusetts is pleased to provide a voter guide for the September 4th, 2018 Primary Election.This information is nonpartisan. The League never endorses, supports or opposes any candidate or political party.\u00a0Click here to view the ballot & voter guide.<\/strong><\/a>To find your polling place, click here. <\/a>FROM LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF MASSACHUSETTS\u00a0<\/em><more><\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Viceroys – Master Mimics<\/span><\/h4>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/span>A plump caterpillar is irresistible to many insect-eating birds, and some of them (notably Viceroys and Giant Swallowtails) have outfoxed their predators by assuming the appearance of bird droppings, which one assumes is a far less appealing meal.\u00a0 They do this using color, pattern, choice of resting place and even position \u2013 contorting their bodies to match the shape of bird droppings. The Viceroy (Limenitis archippus<\/em>) uses this technique during its later larval and pupal stages.\u00a0FROM NATURALLY CURIOUS WITH MARY HOLLAND<\/em><\/span><\/span> <more><\/a><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Protecting Endangered Species<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Recently, the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) has come under unprecedented threat. More than two dozen pieces of legislation and policy proposals designed to weaken the law\u00a0have surfaced. Mass Audubon has been advocating in support of upholding the ESA, which has been in place for 45 years.\u00a0FROM MASS AUDUBON<\/span><\/span><\/em>\u00a0<\/span><\/em><more><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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A piece of Alaskan paradise is at risk.
\nHere’s why we must save it.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The Tongass national forest is America\u2019s premier temperate rainforest, but Sonny Perdue wants it open for business.\u00a0O<\/span><\/span>ver the years, I\u2019ve walked many visitors into the Tongass national forest in Alaska, and watched the city tinsel drop from their eyes. They often sit quietly and look around, and for the first time in a long time breathe from the bottom of their lungs.\u00a0FROM THE GUARDIAN<\/em>\u00a0<\/span><\/em><more><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Northern Woodlands Conference October 12-14 featuring Ben Cosgrove, Bryan Pfeiffer, Erica Heilman, Jerry Jenkins<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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Enjoy a fun, informal weekend with the Northern Woodlands crew at the Hulbert Outdoor Center on Lake Morey, while engaging with writers, scientists, artists, and educators. Writing workshops, natural history presentations, woods walks, and more!\u00a0FROM NORTHERN WOODLANDS\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/span><more><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Monsanto Ordered to Pay $289 Million in
\nRoundup Cancer Trial\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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A California jury on Friday found Monsanto liable in a lawsuit filed by a school groundskeeper who said the company\u2019s weedkillers, including Roundup, caused his cancer. The company was ordered pay $289 million in damages.<\/em>\u00a0FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES<\/em>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><more><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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JOBS BOARD<\/a><\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

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Preview The MA Ballot
\nA Voter Guide for the September 4, 2018 Primary Election<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n
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FROM LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF MASSACHUSETTS<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

The League of Women Voters of Massachusetts is pleased to provide a voter guide for the September 4th, 2018 Primary Election.<\/p>\n

This information is nonpartisan. The League never endorses, supports or opposes any candidate or political party.<\/p>\n

Click here to view the ballot & voter guide.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

To find your polling place, click here<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Viceroys – Master Mimics<\/span><\/h4>\n
FROM NATURALLY CURIOUS WITH MARY HOLLAND\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n
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A plump caterpillar is irresistible to many insect-eating birds, and some of them (notably Viceroys and Giant Swallowtails) have outfoxed their predators by assuming the appearance of bird droppings, which one assumes is a far less appealing meal.\u00a0 They do this using color, pattern, choice of resting place and even position \u2013 contorting their bodies to match the shape of bird droppings. The Viceroy (Limenitis archippus<\/em>) uses this technique during its later larval and pupal stages.<\/p>\n

The adult Viceroy butterfly also uses mimicry to enhance its survival, but it mimics another butterfly \u2014 the Monarch \u2014 not bird droppings. \u00a0Both the Viceroy and the Monarch are unpalatable and contribute to each other\u2019s protection from birds with this strategy, a relationship known as Mullerian mimicry.<\/p>\n

In New England there can be up to three broods of Viceroys, with the larvae of some of the second brood and all of the third brood overwintering and pupating in the spring.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Protecting Endangered Species<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

FROM MASS AUDUBON<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n
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Recently, the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) has come under unprecedented threat. More than two dozen pieces of legislation and policy proposals designed to weaken the law\u00a0have surfaced. Mass Audubon has been advocating in support of upholding the ESA, which has been in place for 45 years.<\/p>\n

Here are just three species that rely on the Endangered Species Act for protection and what Mass Audubon is doing to ensure that they remain in Massachusetts for generations to come.<\/p>\n

Kemps Ridley<\/h3>\n

Federal Status: Endangered<\/strong><\/p>\n

Most sea turtles are\u00a0ectothermic<\/i>, meaning that their body temperature is regulated by the temperature of the water around them. As winter approaches, the water temperature of Cape Cod Bay slowly drops, and sea turtles should make their way south to warmer tropical waters.<\/p>\n

However, each year some juvenile turtles do not make the journey in time and become disoriented. By mid-November, the turtles are often too cold to eat, drink, or swim, and become \u201ccold-stunned.\u201d The turtles are often then pushed up onto the beach by strong winds, and left behind by the receding tide.<\/p>\n

The smallest and most endangered sea turtle in the world, the Kemps Ridley is also the most common turtle to strand on bayside beaches each winter. Several hundred have stranded each winter on Cape Cod in recent years.<\/p>\n

Since 1979, Wellfleet Bay<\/a>\u00a0staff and hundreds of volunteers have patrolled the beaches of Cape Cod, on the lookout for these cold-stunned turtles. Their efforts have resulted in the recovery of thousands of cold-stunned Kemps Ridleys over the past decade.<\/p>\n

Rusty Patched Bumble Bee<\/h3>\n

Federal Status: Threatened<\/strong><\/p>\n

As recently as 30 years ago, this bumblebee was commonly found in a variety of habitats including prairies, woodlands, marshes, and residential parks and gardens. Their drastic decline started in the mid-1990s, and today they are very rare. This important pollinator is the first bee species to ever be added to the federal endangered species list.<\/p>\n

Mass Audubon is protecting and maintaining old field habitats and installing pollinator gardens<\/a> to support these bees and many other pollinators that live in the Commonwealth.\u00a0We\u2019ve also supported proposed state legislation<\/a> that would help improve pollinator health, along with pollinator-friendly land protection programs.<\/p>\n

Piping Plovers<\/h3>\n

Federal Status: Threatened<\/strong><\/p>\n

The dynamic coastal habitats of Massachusetts are the perfect fit for determined sparrow-sized, sand-colored Piping Plovers. Likely widespread on our coasts historically, Piping Plovers suffered an extreme decline in the early 20th century.<\/p>\n

Thanks to the protection of the state and federal agencies, supportive beach communities, and initiatives like Mass Audubon\u2019s Coastal Waterbird Program (CWP)<\/a>, the population has increased five-fold in Massachusetts since the mid-1980s.<\/p>\n

CWP is dedicated to protecting coastal habitat for Piping Plovers and other shoreline-dependent birds. By erecting fencing to protect nesting areas, CWP ensures that Piping Plovers have the space to protect and raise their young. CWP also collects detailed data on nesting success and challenges in order to adapt beach management plans across the state.<\/p>\n

By providing shorebird education<\/a> and training opportunities to partners and students of conservation, CWP hopes to ensure the success of Piping Plovers and the enjoyment of our coastal habitats for generations to come.<\/p>\n

How You Can Help<\/h3>\n

Contact your federal legislators<\/a> <\/strong>and let them know you support the Endangered Species Act. Urge them to oppose any legislative attempts to weaken it that come before them for a vote.<\/p>\n

Urge the federal government to continue protecting \u201cthreatened\u201d species<\/strong>\u00a0in the same way they protect endangered species. Waiting until a species becomes endangered increases the risk of extinction, as well as the level of effort and cost required to achieve species recovery.\u00a0Submit comments\u00a0><\/a><\/p>\n

Urge decision-makers to continue basing rare species protections on scientific data, not on potential economic impacts<\/strong>. Changing how these decisions are made could give corporations more leeway to develop protected habitats, and may make it easier for roads, pipelines, etc., including projects on public lands,\u00a0to gain approvals despite impacts to endangered or threatened species.\u00a0Submit comments ><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\nA piece of Alaskan paradise is at risk.
\nHere’s why we must save it.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

FROM THE GUARDIAN<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n
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The Tongass national forest is America\u2019s premier temperate rainforest, but Sonny Perdue wants it open for business.<\/p>\n

O<\/span><\/span>ver the years, I\u2019ve walked many visitors into the Tongass national forest in Alaska<\/a>, and watched the city tinsel drop from their eyes. They often sit quietly and look around, and for the first time in a long time breathe from the bottom of their lungs.<\/p>\n

I live here, I tell them.<\/p>\n

I live here, in this land made of water, where green is not just a color, it\u2019s a texture. Where salmon run and bears roam, and whales swim into my dreams. Where my neighbors and I build our homes from wood selectively cut and locally milled. Where we pick berries and hunt deer, and remember the slaughter, back in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, when US taxpayers heavily subsidized large-scale clearcut logging.<\/p>\n

The trees often became pulp, which in turn became rayon and cellophane to make disposable diapers and other throwaway consumer products. Whole logs were even shipped to China and Japan.<\/p>\n

For all this, our senator William Proxmire \u2013 bless his courageous heart \u2013 gave the US Forest Service (USFS) the \u201cGolden Fleece Award\u201d to draw attention to such waste.<\/p>\n

This massacre might now return, as the secretary of agriculture, Sonny Perdue, wants to put Alaska\u2019s Tongass national forest back to work as a \u201chealthy\u201d forest.<\/p>\n

\u201cHealthy forests produce health in many ways,\u201d Perdue said, \u201cfor humans, for wildlife, for fishing, for water quality and for beauty. Actually, we see this in many places. This is Senator Murkowski\u2019s desire as well.\u201d That would be the same Lisa Murkowski, who pushed for oil drilling in the Arctic national wildlife refuge<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t be fooled. In short, Perdue and Murkowski want to exempt Alaska from the 2001 USFS \u201croadless rule\u201d that prohibits road building on 44.8m acres in 37 states. They want to expand clearcut logging (and road building) in America\u2019s premier temperate rainforest, one of the rarest biomes in the world.<\/p>\n

This would create jobs, yes. A few. But in today\u2019s world not every job is a smart job. Not every job makes the world a better place.<\/p>\n

Back in 1999, more than 1.6 million people commented on the USFS roadless rule, with 95% supporting strong roadless protection to keep forests pristine, waters clean.<\/p>\n

If Perdue understood ecology, climate science and environmental economics, he\u2019d see the Tongass as already healthy, and working for us<\/a>. Primal old-growth trees \u2013 the trees Perdue wants to cut down \u2013 breathe in vast amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2, a greenhouse gas), sequester it, and exhale life-giving oxygen. In today\u2019s warming world, it\u2019s the best deal going.<\/p>\n

Together with phytoplankton in the oceans, primal forests are the lungs of the earth, a valuable safety valve against runaway climate change, with all its droughts, fires and floods, including the biggest flood of all: our rising, acidifying seas (where atmospheric CO2 is absorbed in the oceans to become carbonic acid).<\/p>\n

But many Republicans regard this environmental talk as liberal nonsense. Let\u2019s put these forests back to work, they say. Is this who we are? For a forest to be healthy, we must cut it down? We must lay bare entire valleys and mountainsides?<\/p>\n

Around the world, nature does an estimated $340bn of work for humans, for free, each day. Trees respiring, salmon returning, bees pollinating. Real-world economists call these \u201cecosystem services\u201d (or \u201cnatural capital\u201d), and take them seriously. It\u2019s not a matter of the environment versus the economy. The environment is<\/em> the economy. Nature underwrites the underwriters.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is the use of a house,\u201d Thoreau reminds us, \u201cif you haven\u2019t got a tolerable planet to put it on?\u201d<\/p>\n

The Tongass national forest is already working for us. Let it be.<\/p>\n

Kim Heacox is the author of many books, most recently Jimmy Bluefeather<\/em>, the only novel to win the National Outdoor Book Award.<\/p>\n

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Northern Woodlands Conference October 12-14 featuring Ben Cosgrove, Bryan Pfeiffer, Erica Heilman, Jerry Jenkins<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
\u00a0FROM NORTHERN WOODLANDS<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n
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Enjoy a fun, informal weekend with the Northern Woodlands crew at the Hulbert Outdoor Center<\/a> on Lake Morey, while engaging with writers, scientists, artists, and educators. Writing workshops, natural history presentations, woods walks, and more!<\/p>\n

Sponsored by The Bailey Charitable Foundation, this event celebrates the natural history of our region and the interactions of people and place. Check out these photos<\/a>from previous years to get a feel for the event.<\/p>\n

Professional development hours will be awarded upon request. Enrollment limited.Questions? Contact conference coordinator Emily Rowe at emily(at)northernwoodlands.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Visit the Participant Information page<\/a> for everything you need to know as you plan for this fun weekend.<\/p>\n

Register Today!<\/a><\/h3>\n

Early Bird Special: <\/strong>use special offer code EarlyBird <\/strong>to save 10% off! Special ends August 31. Must use code at check-out receive discount!<\/em><\/p>\n

Program Features<\/strong><\/p>\n

View the Weekend Schedule At-a-Glance<\/a><\/span>
\nView the Complete Weekend Schedule with Descriptions<\/a><\/span>
\nView the Speaker Biographies<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n

Keynote Speaker:<\/span><\/h3>\n

Bryan Pfeiffer<\/strong><\/a>, writer, photographer, field naturalist, faculty in public communications at University of Vermont, consulting entomologist, tour guide, co-author Birdwatching in Vermont<\/em>, co-founder Vermont Butterfly Survey and Vermont Damselfly and Dragonfly Atlas.<\/p>\n

Plenary Speakers:<\/span><\/h3>\n