Steven Kazlowski shares polar bear tales on KUOW

Posted by: Julia Swan

KUOW aired a fantastic interview with Seattle wildlife photographer Steven Kazlowski on today's Sound Focus.

In it, Steven shares some interesting and captivating stories about his very real encounters with the largest land carnivore on earth--the polar bear. He has been in much closer proximity to a wild polar bear than most people ever (hopefully) will and his accounts are fascinating.

Steven also has a very unique perspective on the politics of climate change and how the polar bear has recently become the face of this global issue, which he discusses with Sound Focus's Dave Beck.

If you missed the show, never fear, for KUOW is quick to put a podcast version of the interview online. You can find the podcast of "People and Polar Bears" here.

Meet Steven in person Saturday, June 28 at the Burke Museum's opening of The Last Polar Bear: Facing the Truth of a Warming World. Steven will be giving guided tours of the exhibit at 10:30 am and 12:30 pm.

- Julia

Facing reality, finally

Posted by: Julia Swan

Yesterday, the Interior Department announced its decision to list the polar bear as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. This action came as a result of intense lobbying from environmentalist groups, recommendations from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a court order from a federal judge to make an immediate decision, and overwhelming evidence that the Arctic sea ice on which polar bears hunt and live is rapidly disappearing.

Although the polar bear is the first species to be granted federal protections because of global warming, the repercussions of the decision on entities that contribute to the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere remains to be determined. At this point, Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne has stated that the polar bear decision will not impact regulation laws, oil exploration, or other activities that can contribute to global warming.

As for the remaining 20,000-25,000 polar bears currently living in the Arctic, the designation of threatened species status upon the largest living land carnivore on earth is both heartbreaking and hopeful. Perhaps the polar bear will join the list of dozens of other once-threatened species that, through concerted human efforts to protect and preserve, have experience a major revival.

- Julia

Photo top left: A polar bear sow and her cubs on the tundra (coastal area, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge), photograph by Steven Kazlowski/www.lefteyepro.com. On view in The Last Polar Bear: Facing the Truth of a Warming World, June 28 – Dec. 31, 2008, Burke Museum, Seattle.

Photo bottom right: Sow with cub on the pack ice of the frozen coastal plain (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge), photograph by Steven Kazlowski/www.lefteyepro.com. On view in The Last Polar Bear: Facing the Truth of a Warming World, June 28 – Dec. 31, 2008, Burke Museum, Seattle.

Wilderness Conference coming up

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham

How do we preserve wilderness for future generations in a world where environmental and social change is occurring more rapidly than ever?

If you are interested in meeting the many people who have created and protected the wilderness areas of this region or if you want to learn more about how change impacts local wildlife, you should check out the 2008 Wilderness Conference, April 3 – 5.

From sessions on global warming, to bridging political divides through environmentalism, to indigenous perspectives on wilderness, there’s a lot to take from this event.

Of special interest to Burke fans:

Steven Kazlowski, the photographer behind the Burke’s upcoming exhibit The Last Polar Bear, will be there signing books with publishers The Mountaineers Books. Stephen Brown, editor of Arctic Wings, on which the Burke’s upcoming fall photography exhibit of the same name is based, will be featured as the Saturday night Banquet Speaker.

Details on registering can be found online at the conference home page. It’s not too late to register and there are some affordable options.

A number of the Burke staff will be attending the kickoff event on Thurs., April 3 at Kane Hall on the UW campus – a presentation by award winning photo-journalist Gary Braasch, author of Earth Under Fire: How Global Warming is Changing the World. See you there!

- Rebecca

On thin ice

Posted by: Rebecca Durkin

If we don’t act now, “climate change is going to deal with us on its own terms, and we’re not going to have the options to deal with it on our terms,” says wildlife photographer Steven Kazlowski in his latest interview with KPLU’s environment reporter Liam Moriarty.

Kazlowski, the wildlife photographer behind the Burke’s upcoming environmental exhibit, The Last Polar Bear: Facing the Truth of a Warming World, talks about the devastating changes to the melting arctic ecosystem that he has seen firsthand tracking and photographing polar bears for eight years.

If you have ever wondered what it’s like to wake up to find a polar bear in your tent, take a listen.

- Rebecca

Is the Polar Bear endangered?

Posted by: Rebecca Durkin

We’re opening an exhibit in June about the impact of global warming on polar bears in Alaska – and with the status of the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act currently under review by the federal government, we’ve been keeping a close eye on the debate raging between climatologists, environmentalists, wildlife scientists, land developers, Alaskan residents, and government officials over its protection.

Some parties expect the protection of polar bears to do for global warming awareness and reform what the endangered status of the bald eagle did for pesticides reform, while others think it will wrongfully cripple Alaskan development. This issue is loaded with conflicting priorities and expectations, summed up nicely in NPR’s brief report by Elizabeth Arnold today. Take a listen to this crash course in the debate: “Polar Bear Isn’t Endangered.”

- Rebecca

Photo (c) Steven Kazlowski,www.lefteyepro.com. On view in The Last Polar Bear: Facing the Truth of a Warming World, opens June 8, 2008 at the Burke Museum.

Focus the Nation

Posted by: Karyn Gregory

January 25th, 2008 saw the kickoff of Focus the Nation, a program dedicated to raising environmental awareness in America’s youth. Various programs are to be held throughout the week at multiple institutions, culminating in a synchronous nation wide teach-in on Jan 31. The University of Washington and Burke Museum are joining the national teach-in with an innovative panel called Climate Change Impacts on Indigenous Populations, moderated by former Burke curator Dr. Steve Harrell. The talk will be held in HUD 209A on the UW campus at 3pm. Come on by and hear what the panel has to say.

Focus the Nation at UW includes 11 panel discussions, an exhibit hall with over 40 participating organizations, and culminates at 7 PM with a panel at Kane Hall which includes Jay Inslee, Fred Jarrett, Greg Nickels, and Ron Sims, moderated by Steve Scher.

For more information on UW’s involvement, check out their page.

-Karyn

The Hunger

Posted by: Karyn Gregory

In a tale that sounds like it came from a grade B scifi/horror film, comes this gem about radiation-eating fungi:

"Since the 1986 meltdown, at the Chernobyl Atomic Energy Station, the numbers of 'black fungi', rich in melanin, have risen steeply. [Researcher] Casadevall speculated that the fungi could be feeding on the radiation that contaminates the ruin of the nuclear reactor."

Essentially, the mold uses melanin (yes, the same melanin found in human skin pigment) to transform radiation into energy. The implications of this discovery are staggering. Not only could this hold the key for an alternative energy source, but the fungus may also be the answer for tackling nuclear waste.

Wow!

-Karyn

(via apostropher)

Dr. Leakey Podcast is Up!

Posted by: Rebecca Durkin

If you weren’t one of the 555 people who came last week to see Dr. Richard Leakey’s UW talk, Climate Change and the Future of Life on Earth, you’ll want to check out our latest podcast.

The podcast picks up at the end of Leakey’s two-hour presentation when he opens the discussion up to the audience to take questions. It’s a candid peak into the brain of one of the world’s most influential and controversial conservationists.

It’s always exciting when a big name comes into town, and Leakey’s visit did not go unnoticed. Check out the Seattle PI interview and the Seattle Times article.

Were you at the talk? Leave a comment and let us know what you thought.

- Rebecca

Greener Campus

Posted by: Karyn Gregory

Since the Burke Museum shares a campus with the University of Washington, their news is often our news. Last week, UW President Mark Emmert signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, “pledging that all three UW campuses will record its emissions of greenhouse gases and implement policies to decrease them.” Between 2000 and 2005, the University cut back gas emissions by 9 percent. Not too shabby.

Today, the Burke Web site is launching a new resource for information concerning climate change on both local and global levels.

In the coming months, the Burke Museum will offer exhibits, educational programs, and environmental forums designed to engage audiences in an ongoing discussion about climate change and global warming solutions.

-Karyn

This week in natural history...

Posted by: Rebecca Durkin

Climate change shaping evolution?
Researchers predict that as winters continue to warm, sheep bodies will get smaller
A team of researchers has linked changes in shape and size trends in Scottish sheep populations to the influence of climate change. Analyzing twenty years of data, the researchers were able to demonstrate the connection – harsh winter weather favors larger bodies, but as average winter weather warmed over recent years, there is less selection for the once favorable larger bodies. “People have argued for a long time that climate change is leaving an ecological legacy, but we have shown it will leave an evolutionary legacy too,” researcher Tim Coulson told the BBC.

Digging up digging dinos
The first definitive evidence of burrowing dinosaurs was discovered in Montana, unearthed from a chamber at the end of a tunnel. The dinosaur, named Oryctodromeus cubicularis, meaning "digging runner of the lair," was built for digging with a snout, shoulder girdle, and pelvis morphologically similar to those of burrowing animals. Researchers suggest that the burrowing lifestyle of the small, 95 million-year-old specimens provided shelter, a place to rear young, and possible protection from environmental extremes.

American Crocodile no longer endangered
On Tuesday, the once “endangered” American crocodile was downgraded to a “threatened” status by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The species is still protected by the Endangered Species Act, but the new classification implies a positive trend in its population recovery. Under its protected status and the preservation of South Florida habitat, the species has gone from an estimated population of 300 in 1976 to up to 2000 today. The American crocodile remains endangered in Central and South America.

- Rebecca

Cherry Blossoms and Global Warming

Posted by: Karyn Gregory


Sakura is the Japanese name for cherry blossom trees, a popular landscape decoration here in Seattle. The trees on the University of Washington campus have begun to bloom, an annual event anticipated by many locally.

In their native country, millions of yen are poured into festivals and parties to watch the trees bloom and celebrate nature’s beauty. It’s a magnet for tourism and people plan their trips well in advance based on blooming predictions from the Japanese Meteorological Agency.

This year the Agency predicted that global warming would cause the trees to bloom a full 10 days earlier than in years past, setting a new record.

Unfortunately, these predictions were found to be false, made in error due to a computer bug in their system. Oops! The Agency has spent the past day apologizing for any inconvenience their inaccurate predictions may have caused. They now predict that the trees will bloom next Wednesday, March 21.

If you’re not heading off to Japan, there’s always the Seattle Cherry Blossom and Japanese Festival, planned for April 20-22, 2007. This year there will be a symposium on “Japanese Design Today” and a performance by Japanese heavy metal band BlesseDmain.

- Karyn

Who Wants to Be a Multi-Millionaire?

Posted by: Karyn Gregory

The latest approach to stop global warming may succeed where all others have failed. Why? Because it hits on an issue very close to home: your wallet.

British Virgin Air billionaire Richard Branson is offering $25 million USD to scientists who develop a method of successfully combating and removing the outrageously high levels of greenhouse gases in the earth’s atmosphere. However, their solution must be cost-effective.

Branson hopes that his offer will assist in enticing scientists to work harder to solve the global warming crisis. He compares the quest to a competition launched in 1714 to devise a method of estimating longitude accurately. Six decades passed before English clockmaker John Harrison received his prize from King George III for discovering an accurate method.

"The Earth cannot wait 60 years. We need everybody capable of discovering an answer to put their minds to it today," Branson said.

-Karyn