American Pika: Species of the Week

The calls and whistles (listen below) of the American pika (Ochotona princeps) are one of the delights of hiking into remote alpine areas –  and such a refreshing escape from the noise of daily news, courtroom dramas, and political debates.  Now the tiny rabbit relative may unwittingly generate press releases, research reports and legal briefs higher than its hay piles.

An American pika gather food for winter in the Rockies (public domain photo)

Research suggests that American pika populations, especially at lower elevations in the Great Basin, are declining due to climate change. Last year, the Center for Biological Diversity pressed the US Fish and Wildlife Service to review the case for listing them as endangered.  This week, the USFWS reached a decision: no, at least not yet.

The legal challenge and the federal response highlight the limits of current policies on climate change and biodiversity.  The Endangered Species Act is an imperfect tool for protecting species and habitats even in cases with clear, easily targeted culprits.  Using it to reign in carbon emissions in the current climate change policy vacuum may backfire and weaken efforts to stop both global warming and species extinction.  Yet right now, in our litigious society, the Endangered Species Act is all we’ve got to help species facing the stresses of climate change and habitat loss.

I wish our culture revered biodiversity enough to make such policy battles and the compromised outcomes unnecessary.  But I don’t see that shift happening any time soon.  Meanwhile, this is an opportunity for those of us on the sidelines to learn more about relevant legal and political perspectives.  It’s also a good time to educate ourselves on the unique species that has become a test case for one kind of approach.

I’ve found the following links helpful (though I don’t necessarily agree with or endorse all the perspectives presented):

Climate Change and the Endangered Species Act (J.B Ruhl)

Saving the American Pika (Center for Biological Diversity)

Endangered Species Act Protection for the American Pika is Not Warranted (US Fish and Wildlife Service Press Release)

Art of Making Hay (National Wildlife Federation)

Silence of the Pikas (Bioscience)

David Attenborough’s Planet Earth has the following clip on pikas, though it may feature a different species on another continent.  Still, the general information applies.  Beware: after watching this, you may have the word “cute” rattling around in your head for hours.