Let’s start with the numbers. There are only 2,711 sea otters who call the California coast their home. This is the second year in a row that the number has declined, but even more worrying to naturalists is the fact that the number of pups has dropped even more dramatically. It is down 11 percent, at just 267.
What’s causing this decline? According to Steve Shimek, executive director of The Otter Project, the big problem this year is last year’s tough winter, attributed to El Niño. Global warming, however, could cause even more frequent harsh winters, leading to even further decline of the otter population.
Otter conservation has been a staple of California tax forms, where it has appeared for years as a donation check box. The number of donations declined last year, however, and the California Tax Franchise Board has warned that the Sea Otter Fund could lose its place on tax forms if it does not raise $258,563. That is $17,500 more than was raised last year. Late filers still have a chance to make up for last year’s decline, however, by entering a donation on Line 410 of their Form 540s. Read more at the Santa Cruz Sentinel and the Modesto Bee.
