Ice Climbing Canceled

The bad news is ice-climbing season has been canceled this year.


The good news is that there isn't any ice.

That's my dilemma this winter.

I hate the cold. I can't stand shoveling walks, scraping frost from windshields and blowing money to feed the furnace. I hate driving in snowstorms. I get cabin fever and get sick of sitting around the house for months until spring.

That being said, I was really looking forward to grabbing a couple of axes, strapping on some crampons and attacking the man-made frozen waterfall at the local silo climbing center this weekend. I eagerly awaited standing on the windswept field and scrambling up a four-story icicle, flailing away with iron picks and feeling the sting of the icy shards they kick up. I relished with anticipation the sensation of an unexpected slip and sudden plummet only to be violently jerked back by a 10 mm rope.

This is the Midwest, and there aren't many natural waterfalls that can't be negotiated with a standing high jump. So a climbing buff and an area farmer got together a number of winters ago and rigged ice pillars from the silos with top ropes. It's pretty much the only game in town.

Last night, I dialed up their website to see what schedule they had this year and discovered they called off the season because of warm temps. We have had a few blizzards and below-freezing nights, but we've also had some unseasonably mild days, too. It takes a lot of water to ice up a tower, and if it all melts away after a few nice days, that's a lot of wasted effort.

Maybe next year will be crummier.

Rhino Bust

You'd think by now there would be a better treatment for gout.

Earlier this month, federal wildlife cops busted seven people for trafficking in rhino horns (see Department of Justice press release below). Trade in the horns --- which are coveted for ancient medicine ---  has been banned for decades, but centuries worth of lore and tradition are hard to overcome, and demand continues to persist.

Plucked from the endangered beasts, the horns are thought to treat a number of ailments including fever and gout (but were never prescribed as an aphrodisiac, as is the popular myth). Ancient Greeks believed the horns could detect poisons, and they are popular handles for rite-of-passage daggers in the Arabian Peninsula.

What is interesting about the DOJ bust is that agents used a taxidermy mount to sell to a suspect during a sting (the guy was later seen sawing the horn in a motel parking lot). There has been a string of recent museum burglaries in Europe where stuffed rhinos on display have had their horns hacked off or were swiped altogether,
PBS has a neat fact-vs-fiction piece on rhino horns here (cool revelation: the horns aren't matted hair). At any rate, there are other forms of medicine, other material available for knife handles, and hardly anyone uses poison anymore.

Department of Justice

Office of Public Affairs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Federal Officials Announce Nationwide Crackdown on Black Market Rhino Trade

WASHINGTON – Seven people have been arrested on charges of trafficking in endangered black rhinoceros horn over the past week in Los Angeles, Newark, N.J., and New York, the Department of Justice and Department of the Interior announced.

Special agents of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) made the arrests and have executed search warrants in five different states as part of “Operation Crash,” a multi-agency effort to investigate and prosecute those involved in the black market trade of endangered rhinoceros horn.
In Los Angeles, Jin Zhao Feng, a Chinese national who allegedly oversaw the shipment of at least dozens of rhino horns from the United States to China, was arrested last night. Last weekend, members of an alleged U.S.-based trafficking ring that supplied rhino horns to Feng were arrested after being charged with conspiracy and violations of the Lacey Act and the Endangered Species Act for purchasing rhino horns from various suppliers in the U.S. Charges were filed against Jimmy Kha, the owner of Win Lee Corporation; his son Felix Kha; and Mai Nguyen, the owner of a nail salon where packages containing rhinoceros horns were being mailed.

One of the alleged suppliers, Wade Steffen, was arrested in Hico, Texas, and charged in Los Angeles. According to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, the Khas began receiving packages from Steffen and another supplier in 2010. Seventeen packages were opened under federal search warrants and 37 rhinoceros horns were found.

A search of Steffen’s luggage at the Long Beach Airport in California on Feb. 9, 2012, turned up $337,000 in cash. In additional searches conducted by FWS and ICE, agents found rhinoceros horns, cash, bars of gold, diamonds and Rolex watches. Approximately $1 million in cash was seized and another $1 million seized in gold ingots.

“The rhino is an animal of prehistoric origin that is facing possible extinction because of an illegal trade for its horns on the black market that is driven by greed,” said Ignacia S. Moreno, Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice. “The rhino is protected under both U.S. and international law, and we are taking aggressive action to protect the rhino by investigating and vigorously prosecuting those who are engaged in this brutal trade.”

In New Jersey, Amir Even-Ezra was arrested Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012, on a felony trafficking charge in violation of the Lacey Act after purchasing rhino horns from an individual from New York at a service station off of the New Jersey Turnpike. Even-Ezra allegedly brought a scale for weighing the horns and envelopes of cash to the meeting, which was brokered by an individual outside of the United States.

In U.S. District Court in Manhattan, antiques expert David Hausman was also charged with illegally trafficking rhinoceros horns and with creating false documents to conceal the illegal nature of the transaction, both in violation of the Lacey Act. Hausman allegedly purchased a black rhinoceros mount (a taxidermied head of a rhinoceros) from an undercover officer in Illinois and was later observed sawing off the horns in a motel parking lot. Rhino horns were found in a search conducted on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012, following his arrest.

“Rhino horn traffickers continue to fuel the illegal demand for horn, demand that has led to hundreds of rhino deaths and put the white and black rhino in danger of extinction in the wild,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe. “These arrests have dealt a serious blow to rhino horn smuggling, but represent only the beginning of a significant crackdown on this illegal trade.”

Rhinoceros are an herbivore species of prehistoric origin and one of the largest remaining mega-fauna on earth. All species of rhinoceros are protected under U.S. and international law. All black rhinoceros species are endangered.

Rhino horns are composed of keratin, the same type of protein that makes up hair and fingernails. Rhinoceros horn is a highly valued and sought-after commodity despite the fact that international trade has been largely banned since 1976. The demand for rhinoceros horn, which is used by some cultures for ornamental carvings, good luck charms or alleged medicinal purposes, has resulted in a thriving black market – a market that has escalated in recent years in both volume and per-unit profit.

Operation Crash (a “crash” is the term for a herd of rhinoceros) is a continuing investigation by the Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior FWS, with assistance from other federal and local law enforcement agencies including ICE and the Internal Revenue Service. The investigation is being led by the Special Investigations Unit of the FWS Office of Law Enforcement and involves a task force of agents focused on rhino trafficking.

A criminal complaint is a charge based on probable cause allegations. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until convicted.

Winter Path

It snowed Thursday night. It was a light puffy snow that clung to tree branches. I tried to get a few shots at night as the flakes were coming down, but I wasn't inspired enough to break out the tripod, and the photos weren't too great. I had Friday off, so I took a morning walk and snapped this along a recreational trail next to the Cedar River.

Screenings to Enter Caves

Enter only if you dare.

But first, dare get a rundown on bat diseases. Dare to answer a few questions and maybe even dare to spray down your boots.

After a two-year closure, it looks like Maquoketa Caves will be open for exploration in April. But those who dare to enter will have to pass a screening to guard against the spread of White Nose Syndrome, a potentially deadly bat fungus (deadly to bats).

The caves were shut down two years ago because of concerns about White Nose. The fungus has yet to be found in Iowa, and in the meantime, Maquoketa's tourism plummeted.

So this week, media accounts outlined a proposal to educate, quiz and decontaminate visitors before they enter the caves. Those who pass get a cool wristband.

More about the plan to re-open is here. And here is one of our earlier pieces on the closure.

Moutain Lion Attack

Rangers shut down trails last week after a mountain lion attacked a 6-year-old boy and tried to drag him off at Big Bend National Park in Texas.

Below (way down there somewhere) is a press release issued by the National Park Service the day after the Feb. 5 assault.

The incident is the first attack in the United States for 2012, according to CougarInfo.org, which stitched together a detailed, blow-by-blow account on its site. According to news articles, the father jumped on the cat and stabbed it with a pocketknife.

It's interesting to note last week's attack didn't happen out on the trails but on a sidewalk between a restaurant and a lodge. The family actually chose not to camp that night after hearing of an earlier mountain lion encounter.

Remember, mountain lions can be found all over the place, even in the land of no mountains. So, just to be cautious, here's a refresher course on mountain lion safety, courtesy of The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook:

-- Don't run when faced by a mountain lion.
-- Make yourself look bigger, stand tall. The handbook has an illustration of a guy opening his coat to appear large. It looks like he's flashing the cat.
-- Back away slowly.
-- If it attacks or becomes aggressive, throw rocks and fight back, punching it in the eyes and head.


Mountain Lion Attack

Date: February 6, 2012
 A mountain lion attack occurred on February 5th in the Chisos Basin area of Big Bend National Park. A six-year-old boy received non-life-threatening injuries during the attack.

Once the report was received, park rangers closed the high Chisos Mountain trails into the area at approximately 8:00 a.m., February 6th, and began patrols for the animal. Additional park personnel began patrols to notify trail users of the closure and to evacuate the area. A trained, professional dog team has been summoned to the park to help track the lion; however, at this time the lion has not been located.

Trail and campsite closures include the Window Trail, which is closed until further notice; the Pinnacles, Boulder Meadow, and Juniper Flat campsites of the Chisos Mountains are closed until further notice. Children are not advised to hike in the Chisos Mountains at this time and visitors should check on trail closures, which may change.

The trails and campsites listed will remain closed until further notice....

Fleather plea

Department of Justice

Office of Public Affairs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

 

Alabama Man Pleads Guilty to Selling Anhinga Feathers

WASHINGTON – Alexander D. Alvarez of Atmore, Ala., pleaded guilty in federal court today to violating the Lacey Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) for illegally selling and possessing the feathers of anhingas and other migratory birds protected under the MBTA, the Department of Justice Environment and Natural Resources Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama announced.  

Alvarez was charged by criminal information on Feb. 1, 2012, with one felony Lacey Act violation, one felony MBTA violation and one misdemeanor MBTA violation.   The Lacey Act charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.   The felony MBTA charge carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a fine of $250,000.   The misdemeanor MBTA charge carries a maximum penalty of six months in prison and a fine of $15,000.   Sentencing is scheduled for May 22, 2012.  

Under the MBTA, the Secretary of the Interior maintains a list of migratory birds which are protected from, among other things, being killed, sold, bartered, transported or possessed, except as otherwise permitted by federal regulation.   Enrolled members of federally-recognized American Indian tribes may possess eagle and other migratory bird feathers and parts for religious and ceremonial purposes, but federal law strictly prohibits the sale of migratory birds, feathers or their parts by any person.   Alvarez is not an enrolled member of a federally-recognized American Indian tribe.   The Lacey Act prohibits, among other things, the sale of wildlife knowing that the wildlife was taken or possessed in violation of any federal wildlife-related regulation or law.     

“Mr. Alvarez sought to profit from selling protected bird feathers he had no legal right to possess,” said Ignacia S. Moreno, Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice.   “Federal law prohibits the sale of migratory birds, feathers or their parts for commercial gain.   In enforcing these wildlife laws in partnership with tribal law enforcement, we share a duty to protect the nation’s scarce and precious wildlife resources.   In protecting these resources for future generations, we also ensure the ability of federally recognized tribal members to possess eagle and migratory bird feathers for religious and ceremonial practices.”

“Protecting our natural resources, particularly wildlife, from being exploited against the law for personal gain continues to be a significant function of the Department of Justice,” said Kenyen R. Brown, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama.  “Successful prosecutions of this nature help ensure that the next generation of Americans enjoy the same level of wildlife that we do today.”

According to court documents, Alvarez communicated via email with an individual in Louisiana and eventually exchanged two anhinga tails that Alvarez possessed for a crested caracara tail, a Harris’s hawk tail and $400, which the individual possessed.   Alvarez later sent 14 sets of anhinga tail feathers to this individual and asked the individual to photograph and offer the tails for sale via email.   Alvarez received payment from the Louisiana individual for the anhinga tail feathers that were sold.   A federal search warrant was executed at Alvarez’s home on March 11, 2009, and feathers from several migratory bird species were seized.  

This case resulted from an investigation by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement into the illegal commercialization of eagles and other migratory birds protected by federal law.   The investigation was jointly conducted with the Navajo Nation Department of Fish and Wildlife.   The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama and the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, Environmental Crimes Section.