Latest news with #Northrup
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Black bears declined in parts of Ont., new research shows. How that could impact hunting is a bigger question
The black bear population in Ontario has seen significant declines in a few areas of the province, according to a new population survey conducted by government researchers, raising concerns about the health of the bears and the impact of hunting them. The research used DNA sampling to more accurately estimate the bear population throughout the province. The population survey found significant declines in the bear populations in an area north of Sudbury, Ont., and near Thunder Bay, Ont. Declines ranged from 20 to 40 per cent, although there is uncertainty over the exact percentages. But declines at those levels were "likely related to human caused mortality either through conflict or harvest," said Joe Northrup, research scientist at Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources, referring to human-bear conflicts and hunting. He shared details from the research with CBC News, which is based on previously published and peer-reviewed methodology. In other parts of the province, bear populations remained stable or rose. Areas in and around Algonquin Provincial Park, roughly 300 kilometres north of Toronto, saw about a 70 per cent increase in bears, according to Northrup, who is leading the massive effort to count black bears. Bears are not considered to be threatened or endangered anywhere in the province, Northrup said, and the big question is what to do with the new data. The new population numbers are adding to the debate over the spring bear hunt in Ontario, which has long been a flashpoint between the hunting and tourism sector and conservation groups. There was no spring hunt during the last population count, but it was brought back in as a pilot in 2015, after which the new count began. In 2021, the Ontario government made the spring hunt permanent, even as bear advocates continued raising concerns over its impact on bear numbers. Northrup heads up a lab at Trent University in Peterborough, Ont., that researches human impacts on a range of wildlife like moose, elk and bears. For the black bear population survey, researchers set up hundreds of bait stations from 2017 to 2022 across Ontario, testing tens of thousands of samples of DNA from bear hairs collected from the stations in the massive effort. They then compared the numbers with previous sampling done in 2004 to 2011. "We want to make sure that there's black bears around for all the different social values and cultural values and ecological values that they provide for Ontarians," Northrup said of the generally elusive species, which avoids humans and lives in thick forests. Figuring out how many bears the province has is one thing, but Mark Ryckman, a wildlife biologist and director of policy at the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, says a good starting point would be to actually figure out how many bears the province wants to have. "Without that information, evidence of a population decline isn't very useful because we don't know what we want to do with that information," he said. Ryckman pointed out that population targets exist formoose, for example, developed by studying their importance to local culture and Indigenous traditions, hunting and recreation and their impact on other species in the ecosystem. With population objectives, the government can take measures to reach those targets once after it surveys a species like the moose. "Sometimes it's about either increasing or reducing harvest. Sometimes it's about tailoring the ratio of bull moose versus cow moose that are harvested," Ryckman said, adding without that population objective, the "full picture" was not available yet for the black bears. Ontario has two bear hunting seasons — the spring hunt, which has begun and runs until June in parts of the province, and the fall hunt, which is actually larger. The spring bear hunt was estimated to contribute $50 million per year to the tourism economy of northern Ontario, and the current value is probably more, Ryckman said. But the spring hunt has been more controversial, because it's a time when mother bears have young cubs. The mothers are vulnerable during this time because they are gathering food and caring for them, while the cubs are vulnerable because they are too young to survive if they lose their mother. Concerns over the bears during this season led to the government cancelling the spring hunt in 1999. But advocacy from hunters and tourism groups, which argue that the hunt can be done sustainably while providing a boost to the northern Ontario economy, led to the province bringing it back in 2015. Hunters are prohibited from killing female bears with cubs, but critics say despite the rules, it's not easy to accurately identify a mother bear in the wild, especially earlier in the season when cubs are stashed in a tree while the female bear wanders through the forest alone, looking for food. "From a distance, it's almost impossible to tell if the bear is a female, a mother bear with cubs, or a young, small adult male," said Mike McIntosh, who runs abear sanctuary near Huntsville, Ont., that takes in orphaned bears separated from their mothers. But Ryckman argues that hunters have options to accurately identify a mother. He says most hunters use bait sites and monitor them over time, either in person or through trail cameras. Shane Moffatt, conservation campaigns and advocacy manager at Ontario Nature, said bringing back the spring hunt was "bad policy based on shaky science," since the government does not have the full picture of its impacts on the bear population. "I think we're past the point in our society, given the global pressure on species worldwide, to be taking the attitude that significant reductions in numbers of wild species is acceptable," Moffatt said. "It's really important that, when we see species are beginning to decline, we act in that moment and we not wait until the situation gets even worse." In a statement, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources said there were no changes planned to spring bear hunt this year, and that data indicate that "the black bear population is stable at the provincial level." "The ministry continues to monitor black bear populations and harvest levels and uses this information for ongoing review of the province's policies for black bear management," the ministry said. Northrup said the bear population survey is going to be turned into a regular monitoring program, where his team will revisit the research sites and be able to track population changes over time. They will also use the data to get a better understanding of the movement patterns of bears, all to help inform the government's bear management policies into the future.
CBC
03-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
Black bears declined in parts of Ont., new research shows. How that could impact hunting is a bigger question
The black bear population in Ontario has seen significant declines in a few areas of the province, according to a new population survey conducted by government researchers, raising concerns about the health of the bears and the impact of hunting them. The research used DNA sampling to more accurately estimate the bear population throughout the province. The population survey found significant declines in the bear populations in an area north of Sudbury, Ont., and near Thunder Bay, Ont. Declines ranged from 20 to 40 per cent, although there is uncertainty over the exact percentages. But declines at those levels were "likely related to human caused mortality either through conflict or harvest," said Joe Northrup, research scientist at Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources, referring to human-bear conflicts and hunting. He shared details from the research with CBC News, which is based on previously published and peer-reviewed methodology. In other parts of the province, bear populations remained stable or rose. Areas in and around Algonquin Provincial Park, roughly 300 kilometres north of Toronto, saw about a 70 per cent increase in bears, according to Northrup, who is leading the massive effort to count black bears. Bears are not considered to be threatened or endangered anywhere in the province, Northrup said, and the big question is what to do with the new data. The new population numbers are adding to the debate over the spring bear hunt in Ontario, which has long been a flashpoint between the hunting and tourism sector and conservation groups. There was no spring hunt during the last population count, but it was brought back in as a pilot in 2015, after which the new count began. In 2021, the Ontario government made the spring hunt permanent, even as bear advocates continued raising concerns over its impact on bear numbers. Counting elusive black bears Northrup heads up a lab at Trent University in Peterborough, Ont., that researches human impacts on a range of wildlife like moose, elk and bears. For the black bear population survey, researchers set up hundreds of bait stations from 2017 to 2022 across Ontario, testing tens of thousands of samples of DNA from bear hairs collected from the stations in the massive effort. They then compared the numbers with previous sampling done in 2004 to 2011. "We want to make sure that there's black bears around for all the different social values and cultural values and ecological values that they provide for Ontarians," Northrup said of the generally elusive species, which avoids humans and lives in thick forests. Figuring out how many bears the province has is one thing, but Mark Ryckman, a wildlife biologist and director of policy at the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, says a good starting point would be to actually figure out how many bears the province wants to have. "Without that information, evidence of a population decline isn't very useful because we don't know what we want to do with that information," he said. Ryckman pointed out that population targets exist for moose, for example, developed by studying their importance to local culture and Indigenous traditions, hunting and recreation and their impact on other species in the ecosystem. With population objectives, the government can take measures to reach those targets once after it surveys a species like the moose. "Sometimes it's about either increasing or reducing harvest. Sometimes it's about tailoring the ratio of bull moose versus cow moose that are harvested," Ryckman said, adding without that population objective, the "full picture" was not available yet for the black bears. Spring bear hunt Ontario has two bear hunting seasons — the spring hunt, which has begun and runs until June in parts of the province, and the fall hunt, which is actually larger. The spring bear hunt was estimated to contribute $50 million per year to the tourism economy of northern Ontario, and the current value is probably more, Ryckman said. But the spring hunt has been more controversial, because it's a time when mother bears have young cubs. The mothers are vulnerable during this time because they are gathering food and caring for them, while the cubs are vulnerable because they are too young to survive if they lose their mother. Concerns over the bears during this season led to the government cancelling the spring hunt in 1999. But advocacy from hunters and tourism groups, which argue that the hunt can be done sustainably while providing a boost to the northern Ontario economy, led to the province bringing it back in 2015. Hunters are prohibited from killing female bears with cubs, but critics say despite the rules, it's not easy to accurately identify a mother bear in the wild, especially earlier in the season when cubs are stashed in a tree while the female bear wanders through the forest alone, looking for food. "From a distance, it's almost impossible to tell if the bear is a female, a mother bear with cubs, or a young, small adult male," said Mike McIntosh, who runs a bear sanctuary near Huntsville, Ont., that takes in orphaned bears separated from their mothers. But Ryckman argues that hunters have options to accurately identify a mother. He says most hunters use bait sites and monitor them over time, either in person or through trail cameras. Shane Moffatt, conservation campaigns and advocacy manager at Ontario Nature, said bringing back the spring hunt was "bad policy based on shaky science," since the government does not have the full picture of its impacts on the bear population. "I think we're past the point in our society, given the global pressure on species worldwide, to be taking the attitude that significant reductions in numbers of wild species is acceptable," Moffatt said. "It's really important that, when we see species are beginning to decline, we act in that moment and we not wait until the situation gets even worse." In a statement, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources said there were no changes planned to spring bear hunt this year, and that data indicate that "the black bear population is stable at the provincial level." "The ministry continues to monitor black bear populations and harvest levels and uses this information for ongoing review of the province's policies for black bear management," the ministry said. Northrup said the bear population survey is going to be turned into a regular monitoring program, where his team will revisit the research sites and be able to track population changes over time. They will also use the data to get a better understanding of the movement patterns of bears, all to help inform the government's bear management policies into the future.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
WA's only nonprofit serving exercise therapy for paralyzed patients to close for good
This story was originally published on Pushing Boundaries, the only exercise therapy center for people in the Puget Sound region dealing with severe neurological movement disorders, from complications associated with a stroke, traumatic brain injury, and spinal cord injuries, is in danger of closing its doors for good unless it can raise $200,000 by April 30. The nonprofit organization posted the announcement on their website, with the caption, 'Sad news from PB', and said their decision to close is due to financial difficulties. The nearest facilities like it, which include specialized exercise equipment for prolonged rehabilitation, are located in British Columbia, Canada, California, and Colorado. 'It's a much harder road for people without access to the type of facilities that we have,' Pushing Boundaries Associate Director Amanda Koppes said. Pushing Boundaries sits in a care space between hiring a private exercise instructor and physical and occupational rehab. The nonprofit provides intensive exercise therapy during one-on-one sessions with staff certified in exercise therapy, kinesiology, and athletic training. They help prevent loss of function for patients and help them recover the ability to perform basic functions or even walk again. Because Pushing Boundaries is not considered a healthcare provider, they are not allowed to bill patients' insurance companies for services, even though many of their clients require years of prolonged care to rehabilitate and maintain function. Koppes said the cost for their exercise care ranges from $120 to $130 per hour. The nonprofit subsidizes 76% of those charges, through donations, for every patient to ensure they get the care they need. However, Koppes said donations started to slump during the COVID-19 pandemic and more recent economic turmoil, including sporadic stock prices and the threat of tariffs, have meant tighter pocketbooks and wallets. 'There just, right now, aren't that many new donors willing to come to the table with the current economic climate,' she said. According to their website, Pushing Boundaries was founded by Allan Nothrup after he suffered paralysis during a 2001 car accident on Snoqualmie Pass. Northrup spent eight weeks in intensive care and inpatient rehabilitation. Confined to a wheelchair, doctors told Northrup, unless he got movement back, there was nothing more they could do for him. Frustrated, Northrup and his wife, Sharon, moved to Southern California, away from friends and family, to the nearest rehab exercise facility at the time. Two years later, Northrup moved back to the Pacific Northwest and purchased specialized equipment he needed to continue his therapy. He also met many people who needed the same care as he did, but could not afford to buy their own equipment or travel and live thousands of miles away. Since Northrup passed away in 2011, the nonprofit he started has helped hundreds of patients, including one man who Koppes said recently fell and suffered a spinal cord injury. 'And he came to us using a wheelchair, primarily, for his mobility, and at this point, which is two years after that, he's walking with a cane and is currently training to do a marathon,' Koppes shared. Donations can be made on Pushing Boundaries' website. Follow Luke Duecy on X. Read more of his stories here. Submit news tips here.
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A 'painfully American problem:' At SXSW, Chelsea Clinton, Bumble exec talk abortion access
When South By Southwest held its major abortion panel a year ago, the largest ballroom was filled with people wanting to hear from abortion advocates Amanda Zurawski and Samantha Casiano along with Nancy Northrup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, and Elizabeth Monteleone, chief legal officer for Austin-based online dating platform Bumble Inc. This year, Northrup and Monteleone returned along with Chelsea Clinton, vice chair of the Clinton Foundation and producer of the documentary "Zuwarski v. Texas;" and Jamila K. Taylor, the president and CEO of the Institute for Women's Policy Research. This year, the focus was on what businesses could do to support abortion access. The convention center room was only one-third full, while a line outside the room snaked through several levels to see a keynote with actor Joe Manganiello next door. Clinton said access to abortion "is not just about patient health and well-being, it is a matter of society, economic and fiscal health." She meets people who will say to her: "It's terrible what's happening to women in Arkansas," where she grew up before her father became president; "It's terrible what's happening in Texas. It's terrible what's happening in Idaho." Then she turns it to, "Do you see what's happening in America in the year of our Lord 2025?" Abortion access is a "painfully American" problem, "one we think that everyone needs to bear witness to," Clinton said. Northup said Americans "have to have a rallying cry: 'Remember Dobbs,'" a play on the Texas slogan "Remember the Alamo" and a reference to the 2022 Supreme Court decision that undid the abortion access protections of 1973's Roe v. Wade decision. Taylor delivered the statistics of why this is a business problem with recent study from her Institute for Women's Policy Research: The U.S. economy loses $68 billion a year because of a lack of access to abortion, and Texas loses $16 billion a year. This is due to women not being able to participate in the labor force in the way that women with access to abortion can, she said. "Abortion restrictions continue to be hugely unpopular, and it is having a broad effect," Taylor said. The Dobbs decision and the Senate Bill 8 in Texas in 2021 caused Bumble to re-evaluate its health insurance and change its policies to include travel funds, women's reproductive health benefits through Maven Clinic, postpartum and other mental health support through Spring Health, and even change its health insurance company to offer more reproductive health. "It was a no-brainer,' she said. These laws "have real impact to our employees." Northrup encourages employees, both men and women, to visit with their benefits coordinator and ask for the coverage they need: that can include travel benefits to access care, in vitro fertilization and other fertility coverage, mental health care, and better parental health leave. Benefits like these are what employees want and seek when applying for jobs, Monteleone said, and they are using the coverage. At her company, 50% of employees have used the Maven and the Spring Health benefits. Clinton encouraged employees to also ask their companies to give paid-time off for voting. "When everyone participates in our democracy — even if you don't agree with me, I want you to vote —that is how we have a restored sense that our democracy is us." Clinton also took a stab at Texas politicians including the Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Texas Supreme Court justices and legislators. "They do not represent the will of the people in the state," she said. "We have to move from seeing this as a social issue into a business issue or an employee issue," Monteleone said. "... It is health care. That is something companies should be able to get behind because it is impacting your workforce." While many employers won't post on social media about reproductive care access or put up a billboard in Times Square like Bumble has, they can go to their state legislators and U.S. senators and representatives to lobby for access for their employees. They can remind lawmakers that "their employees don't want to work in the state of Texas or the other states where abortion is banned," Northup said. A recent Institute for Women's Policy Research survey of 10,000 people found that 1 in 5 were moving or knew someone who was moving out of a state because of abortion access. "It's not safe for anyone that is of reproductive age to be in a state that bans abortion access," Northup said. "... It's not a good business environment." Taylor backed it up with a statistic: hospitals in states without abortion access have a 62% higher maternal death rate than hospitals in states with access. Infant mortality rates also increase, she said. "Starting the conversation is so important,' Northrup said. For more information, businesses can email corporateinfo@ This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: SXSW speaker: Lack of abortion access costs Texas $16 billion per year
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Wyoming industries approach Trump tariffs with caution
CHEYENNE — When President Donald Trump announced that tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico and China would go into effect on Tuesday, Wyoming farmer David Northrup said he went to the store to stock up on steel in preparation for increased prices for those working in America's core industries. Northrup, who is also a former member of the Wyoming House of Representatives, is not alone in his fear of what's in store for farmers and consumers across America. Even Trump acknowledged the potential financial harms in store for American farmers as a result of his tariffs. During his joint address to Congress Tuesday evening, Trump asked farmers who could be hurt by the tariffs in an already inflation-weary economy to 'bear with me' and said, 'there'll be a little disturbance, but we're OK with that. It won't be much.' On Thursday, Trump announced that he would once again delay some of the tariffs on Canada and Mexico for anther month after conversations he had with government officials from both countries. For some, like Northrup, there is a belief these tariffs will harm the American farmer and damage the industry for several years. Others in Wyoming's core industries believe that it is too early to tell what will happen, and they want to trust the president's call to bear with him. But after delaying the tariffs for a second time, some believe it is a real possibility these tariffs will never go into effect and are merely a tactic to force a renegotiation of the USMCA, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a free trade agreement between the three countries that Trump negotiated in his first term. Instead of a 25% tariff on all imports from Canada and Mexico, goods wholly produced in North America will continue to be traded duty-free under USMCA rules. The administration has also carved potash out of the tariffs for the next month, a key ingredient in fertilizer. Currently, 85% of U.S. potash imports come from Canada. However, the Trump administration has imposed a 10% levy on energy imported to the U.S. from Canada, primarily impacting northeast states. Trump followed through with doubling a 10% tariff on all Chinese imports he announced last month to a 20% tariff on Tuesday. Canada, China and Mexico have all announced they would impose retaliatory tariffs on American exports if Trump follows through with the tariff plans. The Yale University Budget Lab has estimated that the tariffs on Canada, China and Mexico, when implemented, would increase inflation by a full percentage point, cut growth by half a percentage point and cost the average household about $1,600 in disposable income. Wait and see During the trade war between the U.S. and China between 2018 and 2020, the Trump administration distributed around $26 billion in taxpayer dollars to bail out farmers harmed by the administration's trade policies. Trump has yet to announce any financial relief to American industries impacted by the tariffs this time around. Northrup said he is not confident farmers will see any relief this time, citing the federal government's ongoing efforts to slash spending. '(If there is no relief), you'll either ride it out, or you'll give it up and quit farming,' Northrup said. Others in Wyoming's core industries, however, expressed more of a willingness to see how the tariffs will play out before passing judgment. Travis Deti, executive director of the Wyoming Mining Association, said it's best to 'wait and see' how things will be for now, whether the tariffs will be good for business in the long run or whether they will be a useful trade negation tactic. 'It does inject a certain amount of uncertainty, and my industry thrives on certainty. So, I think there's, you know, obviously some concerns about the uncertainty of where you're going to be from month to month,' he said. 'But, until the stuff really gets up and running, and we're hitting the ground with tariffs, it's just hard to say what's going to happen.' Coal Mining in Wyoming PRB Coal mining in Wyoming's Powder River Basin. Ryan McConnaughey, vice president and director of communications for the Wyoming Petroleum Association, corroborated this sentiment. 'Just given the fact that the energy markets are so integrated and global in nature, it's really hard to tell what the impacts of the tariffs will be,' he said. 'Wyoming refineries use both U.S. and Canadian crude oil, and Mexico is our No. 1 export destination for refined products coming from the U.S. So, I would say it's probably too early to tell what the impact to Wyoming producers will be, but I'm sure there will be impacts.' According to data from the Office of the United States Trade Representative, Wyoming exported $2.1 billion worth of goods to the world in 2024. In 2022, exports from Wyoming supported an estimated 6,000 jobs. The state's largest market is Canada. In 2024, Wyoming exported $401 million in goods to Canada — 19% of total goods exported. In 2022, the most recent data available, Wyoming's top three exports were beef and veal, other livestock products, and other plant products, in that order — all industries that would be particularly impacted if the Trump administration follows through with a tariff on potash. Short-term negotiation tactic Todd Fornstrom, president of the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation, said he just hopes the tariffs do not last too long. He recently returned from a trip to the nation's capital to meet with Wyoming's representatives and senators and other members of the national Farm Bureau Federation. He said the tariffs were a hot topic of conversation this past week. 'Our policy, yes, we want free trade,' he said. 'Tariffs are never something that we want, but we do understand that when we're talking about security in trade, fair trade, tariffs are sometimes the tool that we use to get to what we need.' Fornstrom said he hopes the threat of tariffs will be enough to renegotiate the USCMA, and that the tariffs are short-lived if they must go into place because of the harm it could have on American and Wyoming farmers. If no relief is provided to farmers and the tariffs are in place for a while, Fornstrom said he would be concerned, but said farmers throughout history have been resilient. Anne Alexander is vice provost for strategic planning and initiatives for academic affairs at the University of Wyoming. She has spent most of her career researching American economics. Anne Alexander Anne Alexander After Trump walked back on his initial plans to implement full tariffs on Canada and Mexico this week, Alexander said it could be one or both of two things. First, it could likely be a trade negotiation tactic. She said that Trump may be using the next month to get something that the trade partners are not currently delivering on. Second, Alexander said the delay could also be an attempt to devalue the U.S. dollar to help trade balances. She added that a trade war with a competitor like China is more typical than a trade war with allies like Canada and Mexico. 'A trade war with allies is a lot more unusual because it will end up hurting your producers and consumers, and it hurts profit margins, and therefore it hurts employee wages,' she said. Many times, a tariff regime will last for an entire presidential administration. However, Alexander said she would be surprised if these tariffs, and the retaliatory tariffs that would be imposed on American exports, would remain as high as 25% because the USMCA is up for renegotiation. 'If that's the case, then (the tariffs) would be short-lived,' she said. 'There may be higher tariffs on other things that come through that negotiation, but probably not across the board at 25%.'
