Texas officials warn popular activity poses risk to endangered species
Two species of salamanders only found in Austin, Texas, are at risk. Texas officials are warning residents about a popular summertime activity that can negatively impact two endangered species of salamanders in Austin waterways. The Texas Parks and Recreation Department stated that a bridge over Barton Creek in Austin is a prime place for recreators to jump into the water. This activity, not just bridge jumping, could harm and kill endangered species in the area. The Barton Springs salamander and the Austin Blindsalamander are the most at risk of becoming a victim. The biggest threat to both species is habitat destruction, modification and curtailment. Despite warnings and signs, jumpers still line up to jump from bridges.
게시됨 : 10개월 전 ~에 의해 Anna Skinner ~에 Science
Texas officials are warning residents against a popular—albeit illegal—summertime activity that can negatively impact two endangered species of salamanders in Austin waterways.
Lakes and rivers pose a relief from hot temperatures during the stifling summers in Texas, but certain water recreation that is deemed illegal can harm and even kill endangered species in the area, a Texas Parks and Recreation Department spokesperson told Newsweek. A bridge over Barton Creek in Austin is serving as a prime place for recreators to leap into the water.
It's not just bridge jumping that's the issue, the spokesperson told Newsweek. Any activity that "dismantles" the aquatic environment can prove fatal to the endangered species. For example, park rangers discovered a dead salamander in Barton Creek crushed beneath a stack of rocks commonly referred to as cairns.
Two salamander species are most at risk of becoming a victim to the activities are the Barton Springs salamander and the Austin Blind salamander. Both species are only found in Barton Springs, and both are difficult to find given their tendency to hide under rocks and in aquatic plants.
"Very little is known about these subterranean salamanders since their habitat is not readily accessible by humans, and they are only occasionally observed in the springs," a webpage by the Texas Parks and Recreation Department said about the Austin Blind salamander.
According to a 2018 report by Austin Monthly, there are less than 1,000 Barton Springs salamanders left. The biggest threat to both species is habitat destruction, modification and curtailment, the City of Austin said.
Austin also is home to Jollyville Plateau salamanders, a threatened species.
"Populations have declined in urbanized watersheds but remain stable in undisturbed portions of their range," the City of Austin webpage said.
City of Austin officials reminded residents that it's illegal to jump off any bridge in Austin, not just over Barton Creek. Despite their frequent warnings and the signs that advise people not to jump from the bridges, people still line up to do so, local news station KXAN reported earlier this week.
"It is prohibited in Austin primarily because you can hurt or kill yourself or someone else. Jumpers can land on rocks, rebar, swimmers, boaters or animal life," the City of Austin's webpage warned.
Meanwhile, there have been multiple reports of jumpers landing on kayaks, and both parties have needed a trip to the hospital, KXAN reported. Emergency services have had to respond to other bridge jumping incidents as well, such as at the Congress Avenue Bridge where one jumper impaled themselves, according to KXAN's report.
주제: Wildlife