** Public lands crucial to saving endangered species
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TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2020
Federally protected lands in light blue; privately held, unprotected private land in orange.
Adam Eichenwald, Tufts University via Treehugger ([link removed])

A new study finds that threatened and endangered species are losing habitat more than twice as fast on non-protected private land as compared to national public lands. The study ([link removed]) , authored by a Tufts University researcher and scientists at the conservation group Defenders of Wildlife, used satellite imagery to track habitat loss of 24 species over 31 years. The researchers found that imperiled species lost 3.6 percent of their habitat on federally-protected land, and 8.6 percent of their habitat on private lands with no protections. State lands and lands protected by non-governmental organizations were in the middle, losing between 4 and 5 percent of habitat for the species being tracked.

"This research illustrates the critical importance of America's federal lands system for conserving wildlife habitat and the urgent need for better protections on other land ownerships," co-author Jacob Malcolm told Treehugger ([link removed]) . "Biodiversity and the services it provides to society can be conserved through concerted effort and transformative change; protecting habitats must be an essential part of that effort."
Quick hits


** Volume of oil and gas wastewater spills increase in New Mexico even as number of incidents drops
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Albuquerque Journal ([link removed])


** Supreme Court agrees to hear case on keeping endangered species decision-making secret
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E&E News ([link removed])


** Why federally protected lands are crucial to species survival
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Treehugger ([link removed]) | Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment ([link removed])


** How an ancient potato is fueling the fight to protect Bears Ears
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Atlas Obscura ([link removed])


** Editorial: Chaco deserves protection
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Santa Fe New Mexican ([link removed])


** Opinion: Taxpayers deserve a fair return from oil and gas on public lands
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The Hill ([link removed])


** How to beat the crowds at Arches National Park: visit in winter
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Grand Junction Daily Sentinel ([link removed])
Quote of the day
This potato is strong, resilient, and it is still here. Native Americans are still here. We embrace the values of traditional knowledge as science.”
—Cynthia Wilson, Utah Diné Bikéyah ([link removed])
Picture this


** @USFWS ([link removed])
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In honor of the premiere of The Sound of Music today in 1965, “do(e), a deer, a female deer.” This mule deer doe shows off the species’ large ears, which give them better hearing and help keep them cool by dispersing heat. Photo by Tom Koerner/USFWS

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