Page 28 - AT

A28 SCIENCE
Monday 7 october 2019
Yellow cedar rejected for threatened species listing

By DAN JOLING Yellow cedar trees can live
Associated Press more than 1,000 years and
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) are a key part of southeast
— An iconic Alaska tree Alaska Native culture.
with roots that can freeze Native Alaska Tlingit, Haida
to death if not covered by and Tsimshian people use
snow was rejected Friday the rot-resistant wood for
by a federal agency for the canoe paddles and totem
threatened species list. poles. They take lengthwise
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife strips of bark from living
Service said that yellow trees for weaving baskets
cedar does not warrant and hats, and as backing
additional protections be- in blankets. The trees can
cause trees will persist in ar- recover after the bark strip
eas where climate change is removed and continue
does not affect the trees. growing.
Warming affects trees in less The listing petition, filed in
than 6 percent of yellow June 2104, said that across
cedar range that stretches 781 square miles (2023 sq.
along the Pacific Coast kilometers) of Alaska's Pan-
from northern California to handle, more than 70 per-
Alaska's Panhandle, ac- cent of yellow cedar trees
cording to the agency. In this 2005 file photo provided by the USDA Forest Service in Juneau, Alaska, yellow cedars grow had died because of root
"Despite impacts from ef- in the West Chichagof–Yakobi Wilderness, north of Sitka, Alaska. freeze induced by climate
fects of climate change, Associated Press change.
timber harvest, fire, and Yellow cedar was among
other stressors, the species is petitioned for the yellow tecting these ancient trees, she said. Die-offs are pro- a dozen species rejected
expected to persist in thou- cedar listing, called the de- the Trump administration is jected to worsen, she said. for listing by the agency.
sands of stands across its cision reckless and a blow fueling the key threats to "If urgent action is not tak- The agency also rejected
range, in a variety of eco- to the Tongass National For- the species with its reckless en to reign in carbon pollu- the Berry Cave salaman-
logical niches, with no pre- est, the nation's largest. climate denial and logging tion, by 2070 yellow cedars der, cobblestone tiger
dicted decrease in overall "Alaska's yellow cedar are assault on the Tongass." may no longer be able to beetle, Florida clamshell
genetic diversity into the suffering a double-wham- A research review done for survive in half the areas in orchid, longhead darter,
foreseeable future," the my from the climate crisis the Alaska Department of their range that are cur- Ocala vetch, Panamint al-
agency said in its determi- and intensifying logging Fish and Game indicated rently climatically suitable, ligator lizard, Peaks of Otter
nation. in their stronghold on the that 12 percent of yellow with 75 percent of yellow salamander, redlips darter,
A spokeswoman for the Tongass," said Shaye Wolf cedar range in Alaska is af- cedar forests in Alaska ex- Scott riffle beetle, southern
Center for Biological Diver- in an email response to fected with 70% to 80% ce- periencing unsuitable con- hognose snake and yellow
sity, one of the groups that questions. "Instead of pro- dar mortality in those areas, ditions," she said. anise tree.q

Astronauts replace old batteries in 1st of 5 spacewalks

By MARCIA DUNN venture back out Friday arm to reach, forcing as-
AP Aerospace Writer for more battery work 250 tronauts to lug the batteries
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. miles (400 kilometers) up. back and forth themselves.
(AP) — Astronauts hustled The 400-pound (180-kilo- That's why so many space-
through the first of five gram) batteries — half the walks are needed this time
spacewalks to replace size of a refrigerator — are to replace 12 old nickel-
old batteries at the Inter- part of the space station's hydrogen batteries with six
national Space Station on solar power network. Astro- new lithium-ion versions.
Sunday. nauts have been upgrad- Koch and Morgan took
Christina Koch and Andrew ing them since 2017 and turns holding each battery
Morgan removed three old are now more than half- as they made their way,
batteries and installed two way done. inchworm style, along the
new ones delivered just a The old batteries are 10 structure. The batteries were
In this image made from video provided by NASA, NASA as- week ago, getting a jump years old; the new ones are so bulky that it blocked the
tronauts Christina Koch and Andrew Morgan work outside the on future work. These new expected to last until the spacewalkers' views of one
International Space Station, Sunday, Oct. 6 2019. lithium-ion batteries are so end of the space station's another, prompting con-
Associated Press powerful that only one is life, providing vital power stant updates. "I am right
needed for every two old on the night side of the next to you," Koch said at
ones, which are original to Earth. These new batteries one point. "I have the bat-
the orbiting lab. are so powerful that only tery," Morgan replied. Then
"Awesome work today. We one is needed for every Koch had the battery, and
have made great prog- two old ones. so it went until the job was
ress," Mission Control radi- These latest battery swaps complete.
oed. Koch replied: "It has are especially difficult giv- They ended up plugging
been a wonderful day ... en the extreme location in two new batteries, one
we look forward to the rest on the station's sprawling more than anticipated,
of the series." frame. It's too far for the and removing an extra old
Koch and Morgan will 58-foot (17-meter) robot one.q