Make Every Day Earth Day
P hoto Ark Founder Joel Sartore photographed Nabire, one of the last three northern white rhinoceros left on Earth just one week before she died in 2015. Decades before, he watched bulldozers scrape away vegetation near Los Angeles — critical habitat for a tiny bird called the California gnatcatcher. “We came back the next day to find a singing male on top of a brush pile left over from the land clearing work. It was pretty heartbreaking,” he said. “The gnatcatcher is a classic example of a species that’s ‘the least among us.’ It’s tiny and gray and overlooked by everyone. And yet it matters so much when you stop and think about it. That bird needs a little bit of land in its natural state, plus clean air, clean water, and a stable climate in order to survive. In other words, the same things we all need to make it ourselves.” Sartore is documenting as many species as possible regardless of their conservation status, but has witnessed A Closer Look at Endangered Species
the extinction or near extinction of species. Worldwide more than 16,300 animal species are thought to be endangered, and more than 38,500 plant and animal species are under threat, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In California, there are about 180 animal species currently listed as threatened or endangered under either Federal and/or California endangered species acts. There are 34 species classified as fully protected in California because they face possible extinction. They range from the tiny Colorado pikeminnow and Santa Cruz long-toed salamander to the California Condor and southern sea otter. Some species, including the brown pelican and bald eagle, are success stories thanks in large part to the 1972 ban on the pesticide DDT. The California brown pelican, a subspecies that moves along the Pacific Coast from British Columbia to northern Mexico, continues to be monitored through annual surveys. The population is still threatened by coastal development, fishing gear entanglement and other human disturbances. A much smaller and less noticeable bird, the coastal California gnatcatcher has been listed as federally threatened since the 1990s despite many efforts to restore its coastal sage scrub habitat that was removed for developments. The tiny bird exists from southern Ventura County to Baja California, Mexico. Baja California is also home the most endangered sea mammal in the world — the Vaquita. It’s believed that only 10- 15 individuals remain in Mexico’s Gulf of California. The small porpoise with a distinct dark eye ring, is often caught in gillnets used by illegal fishing operations.
These are only a few examples of threatened and endangered species. The Photo Ark has books devoted to these species. Our annual Earth Day publication has featured many,
A great blue heron at Rio Hondo Spreading Grounds, which uses recycled water to replenish groundwater.
from the monarchs to the California condor. Read more about the Photo Ark, www.joelsartore.com and see past Earth Day publications, www.civicpublications.com —Elizabeth Smilor
We all have a role in protecting our planet. The Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts help protect the environment by converting sewage into clean water and waste into recycled commodities and green energy. You can help by: Properly disposing of your household hazardous and electronic waste at one of our free local roundups (www.lacsd.org/hhw). Keeping trash off of streets by placing in trash cans. Putting paper, cans, bottles and other recyclables in the bin for recyclables. For more ways to be green, visit www.lacsd.org/begreen.
LACSD • SanDistricts SanitationDistrictsLACounty LosAngelesCountySanitationDistricts www.lacsd.org
Northern white rhinoceros Nabire, photo by Joel Sartore/ National Geographic Photo Ark
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