Sunday, July 1, 2012

City Escapes Nature Photography Newsletter - July 2012

CITY ESCAPES

Nature Photography, LLC

 

 

Newsletter

July, 2012

 

 

 

 

Our Newest Release is Out!

 

We are pleased to announce that our Summer 2012 Release is now available.  Featuring images from a Japanese garden and the Galapagos Islands, this release demonstrates that beauty can be found in urban areas as easily as in far-flung places: the Japanese garden is within Seattle city limits, while the Galapagos Islands lie 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador.  Come see new critters and immerse yourself in the tranquility of the colors of autumn.  You’re bound to find something you love.

 

Find our new release at http://www.cityescapesphotography.com/NewReleases.html .

 

 

The Legacy of Lonesome George

 

It was only in our May newsletter that we highlighted Lonesome George, the last verified Pinta Island giant tortoise.  An icon of the Galapagos Islands, Lonesome, as his caretakers affectionately referred to him, died on Sunday, June 24, of apparent old age.1 

 

George’s passing is notable for several reasons.  First of all, it represents the extinction of a subspecies (we think – see May’s newsletter for more information on why this may not actually be the case).  Secondly, it is exceedingly rare that we know the actual moment of extinction as it occurs.  Usually, if we discover the moment of extinction at all, it is only much later.  Third, this is the second time that this particular subspecies has gone extinct – which of course means that it was not actually extinct the first time, but rare.2 

 

While it is tempting to view Lonesome George’s death as just another example of the tremendous damage that humanity has wrought upon the natural world, doing so would be to miss the vast majority of what George came to represent.  It is telling that the value of the Galapagos archipelago as a natural system, with all of its distinctive fauna and flora, was realized long before Lonesome George was discovered in 1971.  The movement to preserve the Galapagos was already well underway by 1936, when the Ecuadorian government declared the archipelago a national reserve.  It became a national park in 1959, the same year that the Charles Darwin Foundation was created, an organization dedicated to the study and preservation of the unique species of the Galapagos.  The Charles Darwin Research Station, where George spent the last 40 years of his life, was built in 1960, and it was there that the first breeding program for giant tortoises began in 1965 – seven years before Lonesome George made his way to his new home in 1972.

 

A comprehensive program of tortoise conservation efforts were developed and implemented.  The hunting or capture of any of the islands’ wildlife was banned, helping to prevent the tortoises from becoming ready-made box lunches for a variety of ocean-going vessels.  The devastating impact of several introduced species, from goats and dogs to pigs and rats, was discerned and measures were begun to eradicate the threat to the tortoises.  Such measures continue today, and the success of those efforts can be seen on several islands.  The tortoise breeding program, which began in the Fausto Llerena Breeding Center in the Charles Darwin Research Station, grew to include two more breeding centers on two different islands, plus a maintenance pen on a fourth island.  To date, over 6,200 tortoises have been repatriated to various islands, the most striking of which is EspaƱola Island.  EspaƱola’s tortoise population was once reduced to only 14 individuals; today, over 1600 have been repatriated.

 

Such efforts have resulted in a dramatic recovery for the archipelago’s namesake species (Galapagos is Spanish for “giant tortoise”).  Though the tortoise population is still a far cry from the estimated high of 250,000 individuals, at the current estimate of 20,000, it has rebounded significantly from the 1974 low of only 3000 individuals. 

 

The restoration efforts have not been limited to the tortoises.  Other unique wildlife endemic to the Galapagos are also being studied and monitored, and given a helping hand when necessary.  For example, a land iguana breeding program began at the Charles Darwin Research Station in 1976.

 

Lonesome George became the personification (tortoiseification?) of all of these efforts.  Johannah Barry, Galapagos Conservancy’s President, said it well: “George … became a symbol of the tremendous advances that can be made when science, conservation expertise and political will are aligned on a common cause.”  But it is important to remember that these efforts predate George, and will continue long after his passing.  He may have become the face of conservation in the Galapagos, but it does not die with him; rather, the focus and dedication of conservationists and the Ecuadorian government are only intensified. 

 

Lonesome George’s legacy will live on.  In the short term, a previously scheduled international workshop on The Tortoise Recovery Project, to be held this month, will be dedicated to George.  The purpose of the workshop is to evaluate past and current conservation measures, and to develop a strategy for tortoise management over next ten years.  In the longer term, an interpretive center dedicated solely to giant tortoises will be built and named after Lonesome George.  There his embalmed body will be kept, both to enable those who did not get the chance to visit him before his death to see this most famous icon, and as a reminder of the importance of continued conservation efforts.  With luck, Lonesome George will be the last of the giant tortoises to go extinct.

 

 

1 I must admit some confusion over the “old age” verdict as the cause of George’s death.  He was estimated to be around 100 years old, which is not that old for giant tortoises -- they can live longer than 150 years.

 

2 The BBC reported on January 9, 2012, that another subspecies of Galapagos tortoise, Chelonoidis elephantopus, thought to be extinct for the last 150 years, may still exist.  Tortoises younger than 15 years old have been found that appear to have a pure-bred Chelonoidis elephantopus parent.  Due to variations found in the genetic make-up of the hybrids, it is estimated that at least 84 pure-bred parents, both male and female, must exist.  A genetic analysis of 1663 of the estimated 2000 tortoises on Isabella Island, where the hybrids were found, is currently underway, in close collaboration with geneticists from Yale University.

 

(Note: this month’s featured photo is not of Lonesome George, but of a female giant tortoise of a different subspecies.)

 

 

July’s Monthly Specials

 

Get 10% off of unframed, 8x12 prints of “Coming of Age -- Black Bear Cub” and unframed, 10x15 prints of “Green Sand Beach -- Hawaii” when you order from our specials page.  Find the page at http://www.cityescapesphotography.com/specials/ .

 

 

July’s Fun Facts

 

Though it is not really related to nature or photography, my favorite sporting event begins on July 27 – the Summer Olympics!  Since a large chunk of the events involve getting outdoors, I decided that I could get away with giving you a few tidbits about these ancient games:

-      The original Olympics were held for over a thousand years, from 776 B.C. to 393 A.D., as a religious festival honoring the Greek god Zeus. 

-      They Summer Games were revived in 1896.

-      The first Winter Games were not held until 1924.

-      Every national flag in the world contains at least one of the colors in the five Olympic rings: blue, yellow, black, green, or red.

-      The youngest Olympian ever was 10 years old; the oldest, 72.

 

       

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