Endangered Species Act

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'Iconic Animal' Proposed for Endangered Species List

Bethany Beach firefly could be first firefly to receive federal protections

(Newser) - The act of catching fireflies may soon be a thing of summers past. For the first time, the US government hopes to add a firefly to the list of endangered species, making it illegal to harm the insect in most cases. Named after the Delaware town where it was discovered...

House Votes to End Wolf Protection in 48 States

Bill appears unlikely to pass Senate

(Newser) - The US House voted 209-205 Tuesday to end federal protection for gray wolves, approving a bill that would remove them from the endangered species list across the lower 48 states. A handful of Democrats joined with Republicans in passing the bill. The measure now goes to the Senate, but it...

Oregon Is Trying to Catch a Wolf Killer

Feds offer $50K reward in deaths of three endangered animals in the state

(Newser) - A federal agency wants information on the deaths of three endangered gray wolves in southern Oregon, and they have a hefty reward for good information. The US Fish and Wildlife Service is offering $50,000 for details that lead to an arrest, criminal conviction, or a fine of people involved...

The Venus Flytrap Is in Danger. This Woman Is on a Mission

'Mother Jones' reports on the plant's shrinking habitat in the Carolinas

(Newser) - You can go to a run-of-the-mill garden shop and buy a Venus flytrap. Try to find one in the wild, though, and it's a different story. As Jackie Flynn Mogensen writes at Mother Jones , the plant grows naturally in only one place on Earth—the Carolinas. Specifically, in the...

After a Decades-Long Debate, US to Protect Wolverines
It's a Big Win for
300 Wolverines
Nov 29, 2023 3:11 PM CST

It's a Big Win for 300 Wolverines

Administration proposes protection for those in Lower 48 under Endangered Species Act

(Newser) - The North American wolverine will receive long-delayed threatened species protections under a Biden administration proposal released Wednesday in response to scientists warning that climate change will likely melt away the rare species' snowy mountain refuges and push them toward extinction. Across most of the US, wolverines were wiped out by...

21 Species Off Endangered List—Because They're Extinct

US Fish and Wildlife Service pulls 10 bird species, 8 types of mussels, 2 fish, 1 fruit bat

(Newser) - Twenty-one animals have been removed from the Endangered Species Act because, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, they're not endangered—they're extinct. The majority of the species—10 types of birds, eight types of mussels, two species of fish, and one type of bat—were listed...

US Sued for Dragging Its Feet on Rare Ghost Orchid Decision

'The world famous and critically imperiled ghost orchid is out of time'

(Newser) - The rare ghost orchid found mainly in Florida and Cuba should be immediately protected by the US as an endangered species, three environmental groups claimed Wednesday in a lawsuit arguing that federal officials are unduly delaying a decision. The lawsuit filed in Florida federal court contends the US Fish and...

US Adds Emperor Penguins to Threatened Species List

Designation is a 'call to action,' says director of the US Fish and Wildlife Service

(Newser) - Emperor penguins, the species seen in March of the Penguins, are marching toward extinction due to habitat loss caused by climate change, scientists warn. The birds, the biggest species of penguin, were listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act on Tuesday, the New York Times reports. The...

Turnaround for Fish Whose Case Made It to Supreme Court

The snail darter is no longer considered imperiled

(Newser) - The snail darter, a tiny Southeastern fish at the center of an epic battle over Endangered Species Act protection in the 1970s, is no longer considered imperiled, officials announced Tuesday. The fish held up construction of the Tellico Dam in Tennessee for more than two years as biologists and others...

Grizzly Bear Found Decapitated, Declawed in Yellowstone River

The bears are protected and it's illegal to possess any part of them

(Newser) - Grizzly bear 394 had a long life. He was 25 when he washed up on the banks of the Yellowstone River in Montana, and thin from age at almost 600 pounds. He was tagged in Wyoming and relocated to Yellowstone National Park where he lived an uneventful life, the Billings ...

Dozens of Underfed Big Cats Rescued From Tiger King Park

Feds say 68 animals were seized from Jeff and Lauren Lowe's park

(Newser) - Some 68 underfed and neglected big cats from a park owned by Joe Exotic's former business partner will go to "responsible animal preserves where they can be safely maintained rather than exploited," the Justice Department says. The animals—seven lions, 46 tigers, 15 lion-tiger hybrids, and one...

US Bald Eagle Population Quadrupled in a Decade
Very Good News
for America's Symbol
Mar 25, 2021 11:15 AM CDT

Very Good News for America's Symbol

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland touts the 'importance of the Endangered Species Act'

(Newser) - The number of American bald eagles has quadrupled since 2009, with more than 300,000 birds soaring over the lower 48 states, government scientists said in a report Wednesday, according to the AP . The US Fish and Wildlife Service said bald eagles, the national symbol that once teetered on the...

Feds Face Lawsuit Over Failure to Protect Giraffes

With populations plummeting, hunters are still allowed to import trophies

(Newser) - Conservation groups say they are planning to sue the federal government to win greater protection of "everyone's favorite longnecked mammal." Groups including the Humane Society of the United States filed a notice of intent to sue the US Fish and Wildlife Department Wednesday ABC reports. They say...

Trophy Hunter Gets US Permit to Import Body of Rare Rhino

Michigan hunter gets dispensation in what Humane Society calls 'pay-to-slay scheme'

(Newser) - The Trump administration says it will issue a permit to a Michigan trophy hunter to import the skin, skull, and horns from a rare black rhinoceros he shot in Africa. Documents show Chris D. Peyerk of Shelby Township, Mich., applied last year for the permit required by the Fish and...

The Endangered Species Act Just Lost Some of Its Bite

The Trump administration makes some major changes

(Newser) - In environmentalists' view, it's been one of America's strongest environmental laws since it was passed in 1973. Now, the Endangered Species Act—which currently has 1,600 species under its purview—has lost some of its bite. The Trump administration on Monday rolled out some of the most...

Wolves Are Airdropped Onto Island to Counter Moose Boom

As ice bridges melt, migration happens by helicopter

(Newser) - Four Canadian wolves now find themselves in a strange habitat, an island in Lake Superior, after being airdropped there by the US National Park Service. Their mission is to whittle down the moose population in Michigan's Isle Royale National Park, the Guardian reports, and help grow the wolf population....

Salamanders May Stand in the Way of $1.4B Dam Project

Lawsuit demands that three species be protected under the Endangered Species Act

(Newser) - A trio of salamander species in Northern California could complicate a controversial $1.4 billion public works project to heighten the Shasta Dam, the state's largest reservoir, per the AP . The Los Angeles Times reports that two environmental groups filed a federal lawsuit last month asking a judge to...

Judge's Ruling Halts Grizzly Bear Hunts

He restores protection for Yellowstone-area bears

(Newser) - Score one for the bears: A judge has restored protection for a group of around 700 grizzly bears living around Yellowstone National Park, meaning Wyoming and Idaho will have to call off the first bear hunts planned in the lower 48 states in nearly 30 years. Judge Dana Christensen, siding...

A Big Change Is Proposed to Wildlife Protections

Officials would weigh economic factors in decisions under Endangered Species Act

(Newser) - Those who back the Endangered Species Act won't be happy to read a quote in the New York Times that sums up a story about its fate: "It's probably the best chance that we have had in 25 years to actually make any substantial changes," says...

Trump Applies the Brakes Day After Elephant Trophy News

'Will update soon with Secretary Zinke,' he tweets

(Newser) - President Trump said Friday he's delaying a new policy allowing the body parts of African elephants shot for sport to be imported until he can review "all conservation facts." The US Fish and Wildlife Service said Thursday it would allow such importation from Zimbabwe and Zambia, arguing...

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