Our Pacific Northwest

Our Pacific Northwest

Wolverines Struggle to Weather Climate Change

This week federal wildlife officials will begin considering placing wolverines under protection of the Endangered Species Act according to a report by The Columbian. According to the report, there are roughly 200 to 300 wolverines remaining in the contiguous United States, surviving in small pockets in Washington, Wyoming, Idaho, the Northern Rockies and larger populations in Alaska and Canada. Although these tenacious 40-pound creatures fear no apex predators, their species has declined over the years due to a drop in heavy snow falls. The heavy snow is critical for wolverine mothers to build sufficient dens for their newborns. Many environmentalists within the region are pointing to the effects of climate change as the leading cause of the wolverine’s demise. Despite this dire news, the report did indicate there is still time to save the species by introducing them to the tall peaks of the Rockies in Colorado. Only time will tell if more efforts will be made to save a unique species in our Pacific Northwest.

 

Photo Via The Nature of Travel

 

To learn more about climate change, read Fiddling While Rome Burns