Center for Biological Diversity

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Endangered Earth

No. 1,244, May 9, 2024

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Back Our Petition for Wilson’s Phalaropes
Water diversions and climate change are pushing Great Salt Lake and other saline lakes in the U.S. West toward ecological collapse. That threatens millions of birds who flock to these lakes to gorge on aquatic invertebrates and fuel their epic migrations.
Wilson's phalaropes, a charming little shorebird species, are especially dependent on saline lakes — and especially at risk of extinction. So the Center for Biological Diversity just petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect them under the Endangered Species Act.
Protecting Wilson’s phalaropes will help save their habitat, including Great Salt Lake, and the countless other animals and plants who need these lakes to survive.
Support our petition: Tell the Service to protect Wilson’s phalaropes now. [[link removed]]


Protection Sought for Dune Flower
Gray cat’s eye is a plant found only on dunes along the Columbia River in central Washington. Habitat loss and other threats have brought this beautiful flower to the brink of extinction — so we’ve petitioned to protect it before it’s too late [[link removed]] .
“Humans have destroyed this stunning plant’s habitat, and now invasive plants that spread fire and eliminate natural pollinators are taking over,” said our Endangered Species Director Noah Greenwald. “Add climate change to this mix, and it’s a recipe for extinction.”
Help the Center’s fight for this and other species with a gift to our Saving Life on Earth Fund . [[link removed]] Give now and your donation will go twice as far.


Tohono O’odham Students Name Arizona’s New Jaguar
Members of the Tohono O’odham Nation in southern Arizona just voted to name the newest wild jaguar seen entering the United States from Mexico. They dubbed him O:ṣhad Ñu:kudam: in the O’odham language, Jaguar Protector.
One 8-year-old told us about this jaguar’s significance to her. Check out our video of Yaqui/Diné student Kii’yaa’nii Ross — with cameos by Sombra and El Jefe, two jaguars spotted in Arizona before O:ṣhad — on Facebook or YouTube [[link removed]] .
O:ṣhad is the eighth wild jaguar to enter the U.S. Southwest in the past three decades. Since he left his mother’s side in northern Mexico and traveled to Arizona in early 2023, he’s been identified — with help from the Center’s analysis of his unique rosette patterns — in at least two mountain ranges across Tohono O’odham traditional lands.
Biologists hope more of these majestic predators will migrate to suitable U.S. habitat so the species can make a comeback. Take action to stop the Mexican government from building a railway straight through a crucial jaguar migration corridor without studying the harms. [[link removed]]


Hawaiʻi Development Stalled, Sea Turtles Get Reprieve
Following fiery public testimony by the Center and Hawaiian Native allies, a developer on the Big Island can’t move forward yet with a 147-acre resort on Punaluʻu, Kaʻū [[link removed]] . This pristine coastline is home to endangered hawksbill and green sea turtles, treasured cultural sites, and traditional fishing and subsistence resources.
After we spoke out with community members Monday, a planning commission gave us legal standing to formally oppose the resort. And if the developers do end up with a permit, they’ll still have us to contend with.
As the Center’s Hawai’i Director Maxx Phillips declared, we’re in it “not only for the endangered and threatened species of u‘u, but for our lāhui [people] of Punalu‘u, whose traditional and customary practices need to be protected.”


Good News on Devils Hole Pupfish
A critically endangered fish living in a single deep hole in Death Valley National Park has its largest population in 25 years, according to agency officials: 191 individuals.
The counts are conducted several times a year by scuba-diving scientists who descend 100 feet into the water-filled cavern that is this pupfish’s only natural habitat.
But exploratory drilling and a new lithium mine nearby, the Center’s Patrick Donnelly told The Las Vegas Sun [[link removed]] , could pose new risks. “The health of Devils Hole is the health of all of Death Valley,” Donnelly said.


The Revelator: Ghosts of the Forest
Kagus are rare, nearly flightless birds from New Caledonia who’ve earned the nickname “ghosts of the forest” for their pale color and haunting cries. But seeing a live kagu — that’s pure joy.
Read about them in The Revelator and subscribe to the free weekly e-newsletter for more conservation news.

That’s Wild: Orangutan Uses Medicine to Heal Wound
An orangutan named Rakus, who lives in the rainforest of Sumatra, was observed in 2022 with a gaping wound beneath one eye — and then, according to a new study in Scientific Reports [[link removed]] , repeatedly seen chewing the leaves of a liana ( Fibraurea tinctoria ). At least once, he was also seen applying the chewed-up plant paste to his injury.
About a week later, the wound closed up.
It’s the first time a nonhuman animal has been documented applying what appears to be medicine to a skin wound.

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