"For an Endangered Animal, a Fire or Hurricane Can Mean the End"

Jack Kochansky

AP Biology EF Even

Mr. Ippolito

28 October 2017

“For an Endangered Animal, a Fire or Hurricane Can Mean the End”

By Livia Albeck-Ripka

Albeck-Ripka, Livia. “For an Endangered Animal, a Fire or Hurricane Can Mean the End.”

The New York Times, The New York Times, 25 Oct. 2017,

www.nytimes.com/2017/10/25/climate/fires-hurricanes-endangered-animals.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=9&pgtype=sectionfront.

Over the past few months, America has been struck with several natural disasters that have destroyed homes, devastated communities, and even taken lives.  The combination of Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Maria, and the the wildfires in California and Arizona are some of the worst weather disasters in history.  In the Caribbean, entire islands have been destroyed, such as Puerto Rico, whose power was almost entirely knocked out when Hurricane Maria struck.  It will be a long road to recovery, and some people still do not have access to clean water.  At the same time, the ecosystems of every area impacted by these natural disasters have been seriously damaged, and in light of all of the human concerns, this has often been overlooked.  This article goes into detail about some of the already-endangered species that were further crushed.  For example, 237 of the 252 living Mount Graham red squirrels that were still alive were killed in an Arizona wildfire, and the habitats of the remaining 35 have been all but destroyed, giving conservationists serious concerns about the survival of the species.  “Most of them have lost the cones they’ve stored for their winter nourishment,” said Jeff Humphrey of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.  Other species in California and the Southwest, like the Amargosa vole and the Mexican spotted owl, also declined in numbers.  Some conservationists responded quickly to the crisis, rescuing fish species before the water became uninhabitable due to ash.  Hurricanes have also damaged populations of endangered species, especially in the Caribbean.  For example, birds like the Attwater prairie chicken and deer from the Florida keys face threats from habitat destruction.  Albeck-Ripka specifically points out that “The Miami blue butterfly (there are fewer than 100 left) are only ‘hanging on in a couple of Keys,’ Dr. Stein said.”  Several other animals, such as parrots, turtles, and ocelots, are also now going to face serious challenges as a result of losing their homes.

Protecting the habitats and livelihood of endangered species throughout the world in order to preserve ecological diversity should be of utmost concern to the world, and the potential of serious weather events to devastate these populations highlights this need even more.  Recently, human-caused climate change has resulted in more extreme weather events, especially hurricanes, that have had many detrimental impacts on the environment and on coastal communities.  People pay less attention to the ecological impacts of natural disasters than they should, and articles like this help to raise attention for concerns like this.  If no one helps to resolve these issues, we will certainly lose dozens, potentially hundreds of species of animals around the world because their habitats have been destroyed by unprecedented weather events.  We would lose precious ecological diversity, and at some point, that would lead to a large-scale collapse of species with damaging reverberations for the environment and our lives.  Thanks to the valiant efforts of many wildlife conservationists, most species were spared in this recent array of disasters, but it is still very possible that some will disappear completely in the next few months with dwindling numbers, food, and shelter.  At a larger scale, losing an entire species of an animal could upset the balance of the food chain, potentially leading to the loss of other vital species and causing a global crisis.  Thus, it is imperative that we be careful now, while many species exist, to ensure that we can save the animals of our world.

Overall, this was a very effective article that highlighted the importance of paying close attention to the well-being of several endangered species in the Americas.  It was very strong in its use of specific examples of animals at risk, including the Attwater prairie chicken and the Mount Graham red squirrel.  By including specific details and photos of them, the article helps to create a sense of urgency to address this crisis as soon as possible.  Albeck-Ripka also quotes specific experts on the various species, adding to the credibility of her main points.  I also noticed that she includes corrections for specific details of the article that she had initially gotten wrong, which shows a dedication to the truth and the most accurate representation of the ecological crises that are being further exacerbated by natural disasters.  However, there were a few ways that the article could have been improved, as well.  While the author offers specific examples of the species negatively affected by the recent hurricanes and wildfires, she does not go into the larger implications as much.  It would have been more effective if she had emphasized some of the ways in which the loss of entire species could impact their local ecosystems.  Unfortunately, many people do not understand that the loss of ecological diversity can have serious negative consequences everywhere.  On the whole, however, Albeck-Ripka’s article was very informative and touching, and it made me realize what a wide range of fields the recent natural disasters have hit.  More articles like this one should be written to gain awareness for severe ecological problems like these -- with enough knowledgeable people, the problem can be assuaged.