Sea otter fund makes it by a whisker

From The Times' new blog on environmental issues, Greenspace, comes this report from Kenneth R. Weiss (who also took the adorable photo):

It's not every day that people want to pay more taxes. But the tug on the heartstrings appears to be opening purse strings -- at least for another year.

California taxpayers have voluntarily donated $253,350 so far this year by checking a box on their income tax returns and making donations. The amount is important to proponents because it assures that the donation box will appear again on next year's state income tax returns, funneling more money to the California Sea Otter Fund.

The fund was established in 2006 by a pair of state lawmakers who wanted scientists to have more money to try to save the southern sea otter that has struggled for survival since it was hunted nearly to extinction by 19th century fur trappers. But the donations must keep flowing, at a rate of a quarter of a million dollars a year, for the fund to stay in operation.

"The generosity of Californians during tough economic times shows that support for our environment and emblematic animals like the sea otter runs deep in our state," said Assemblyman Dave Jones (D-Sacramento).

He and John Laird, a Democratic assemblyman from Santa Cruz, fashioned the law to split the money between the state Coastal Conservancy and the California Department of Fish and Game for various research projects including those focused on diseases that kill otters and law enforcement actions against fishermen who shoot them.

Sea otters still not out of the woods yet

From Greenspace, The Times' new blog on environmental issues, comes this report on sea otters:

California's beloved sea otters, the furry, button-nosed creatures that frolic off the state's Central Coast, are not recovering as fast as hoped. Beset by disease and shot by angry fishermen, these voracious shellfish eaters have been holding steady. That's the upshot of the latest census conducted in May by the U.S. Geological Survey and the California Department of Fish and Game.

Although the otter population hasn't rebounded, there's a bright side to the low numbers, scientists point out. In a time when it's all the rage to declare a species recovered and remove federal protections under the Endangered Species Act, the otter has remained stubbornly below the threshold required to begin  "delisting." That means that the federal government will continue to unleash scientists to focus on a recovery plan for the Southern sea otter that was nearly hunted to extinction nearly a century ago.

The chart above, assembled by the U.S. Geological Survey, tells the story.

-- Kenneth R. Weiss

Photo: Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times

[For more news on endangered species, air quality, pollution and other issues, check out Greenspace, Environmental News from California and Beyond.]

Two otters rescued after weekend romp through neighborhoods, bar

It sounds like the start of a corny joke, but in Petaluma, Calif., two otters really did walk into (or near) a bar, and a whole lot of other places over the weekend, according to the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat.

The Associated Press reports tells the tale:

Two baby river otters are safely in the care of a wildlife rescue group after a weekend excursion that took them through several Petaluma neighborhoods, including a stop at a local pub.

Residents began calling the Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue hot line Friday night, reporting sightings of the pair slinking across porches and diving under fences.

The first otter was caught Saturday morning after a homeowner caught the animal sleeping between a garbage can and a flower pot. The second one, however, kept moving through town and was spotted by a man outside Mario & John's Tavern that night.

"He was afraid he'd sound crazy or we'd think he'd been drinking too much. But he said it hissed at him twice and then ran across the street into some bushes," said Donnie Figone, co-owner of the tavern.

Someone finally trapped the baby otter at an auto parts store Monday morning and called the rescue group.

Rescuers believe the mother of the 2-month-old siblings, each about the size of a shoe box, may have been injured or died. Baby otters cannot survive long without their mother, spurring the weekend search for them.

Officials say a third otter also could be on the loose in town.

The baby otters will be moved to the Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care center, which has an otter habitat, and eventually will be returned to Sonoma County to be released back into the wild, the rescue group said.

--Tony Barboza