Essay On Wildfires

Words: 567
Pages: 3

Prime rangelands in southwestern Idaho are considered key habitat for the West's declining populations of greater sage-grouse - with U.S. wildlife managers to decide this month if the ground-dwelling birds will come under federal protections - were destroyed earlier this summer by a massive wildfire
Wildfires greatly impact Idaho’s local wildlife. “Many animals and other organisms have evolved to cope with—and even thrive in the wake of—the flames.” They learn to escape and adapt. However, with more people living in and around their habitats, their ability to flee the flames decreases. “Young and small animals are particularly at risk in a wildfire; and some of their strategies for escape might not work …” In the summer of 2015, the “Soda Fire,”
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Even if animals are not considered endangered, the continuing wildfires are will threaten their survival. Big game animals such as elk, deer and antelopes are are more likely to get hit on highways while escaping wildfires.
However, the biggest effects wildfire has on Idaho wildlife habitats is by altering the three things animals need most: food, water, and shelter. Plants and shrubs that provide food are lost, and this loss often results in wildlife moving away to areas where food, water, and shelter are more readily available. Depending on the vegetation type, burning can increase or improve forage for wildlife from a few years to as long as 100 years. In some cases, the nutritional content and digestibility of plants will temporarily increase as well. In the short term, dead wildlife becomes food for scavengers, including grizzly and black bears, coyotes, bald and golden eagles, crows, and ravens. Fire-killed trees become food for millions of insect larvae and/or snags that provide perches for raptors. (cite) Bison, elk, and other bigger animals that are immobile because of nesting season are affected the most by wildfires because they get injured and their food sources are limited. The biggest effect on animals