Friday, December 16, 2022

When we think of endangered species, we usually don’t think of trees, but they are just as endangered as other parts of our ecosystem.  On Wednesday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service added the Whitebark Pine Tree to its list.  Most of us have only seen this iconic tree that grows along the sides of mountains in photos, but this tree supports a whole ecosystem of animals and birds.

Who would eat a pine tree?  Its seeds provide nourishment for grizzlies, black bears, A bird called Clark’s nutcracker, and red squirrels.  The tree is threatened not only by a fungus and the mountain pine beetle, eating the tree, but climate change as well.

In addition to providing a foothold for other plants, Whitebark also provides shade for snowpack, slowing the pace of snowmelt so that water continues to be released into the summer months. But as the weather warms, even in the high Rockies, there are fewer trees than before.  And fossil fuel lobbyists still want more wells on national lands.

Prayer for the Day

Trees and animals we will probably never see reflect your majesty, O God,
   For you have created such variety beyond our wildest imagination;
Water gently flowing down a mountainside becomes a source of life,
   For all, including us humans at the bottom in the valleys.
Be with us, still Creating God, as we seek to protect what exists,
   For we know the earth does not belong only to us.
In the name of the One, who walked among us,
   Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.

Thoughts for the Day

As a keystone species of the West, extending ESA protections to whitebark pine is critical to not only the tree itself, but also the numerous plants, animals, and watersheds that it supports.
     - Matt Hogan, regional director US Fish and Wildlife Service

Our idea in filing the petition was to raise the profile of this tree and what’s happening to it with climate, and draw attention to the broad-scale ecosystem changes that are happening,
      - Sylvia Fallon, NDRC ecologist

Then God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation:  plants yielding seed, and fruit tree of every kind on earth tht bear fruit with the seed in it. And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis1: 11-12