Center for Biological Diversity

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Endangered Earth

No. 1,245, May 16, 2024


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Save the Okefenokee From a Devastating Mine
The Okefenokee is the wild heart of the Southeast.
Safeguarding one of the world’s largest intact freshwater ecosystems, the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is a place of wonder and contrast, from the ethereal beauty of Spanish moss draped over cypress bowers to the hulking forms of massive alligators sliding over mud banks and snapping turtles gliding through the tea-colored water.
But this vast swamp’s cypress sanctuaries and longleaf pine uplands are threatened by plans to strip-mine for titanium dioxide and other minerals less than 3 miles from the wildlife refuge’s southeastern border in Georgia. The mine would drain more than 1.4 million gallons of water from the aquifer beneath the swamp.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has warned Georgia regulators that federal law prohibits taking water if it would harm the refuge’s habitat-protecting function.
Join us — call on the Service to take bold action for the future of the precious Okefenokee and its wildlife.


Protection Sought for Olympic Marmots
Olympic marmots, who live only on the eponymous peninsula in Washington state, are the rarest of U.S. marmots — just 2,000 to 4,000 remain. So this week the Center for Biological Diversity petitioned to protect the playful, whistling rodents under the Endangered Species Act.
“These fluffy alpine critters could disappear if we don’t protect them,” said the Center’s Noah Greenwald. “Climate change and the loss of the wolves who once lived on the peninsula have changed things in the mountains.”
After people wiped wolves out of the area, coyotes moved in — and unlike wolves, coyotes hunt above the treeline, where marmots live. That means reintroducing wolves could be a boon for marmots.
Help us fight for marmots and other species with a gift to our Saving Life on E a rth Fund . Do it now and your donation will be doubled.
Tall waterfall pouring into a bright blue pool in a red-walled canyon [[link removed]]
Help Close This Grand Canyon Uranium Mine
Echoing pleas from the Havasupai Tribe, Navajo Nation and others, the Center and allies are calling on Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs to close the Pinyon Plain uranium mine, located in the country’s newest national monument near the Grand Canyon. Closing the mine will safeguard Tribal cultural heritage and prevent permanent damage to the Grand Canyon’s aquifers and springs, which support federally protected species like California condors and humpback chubs. 

Earlier this year we mobilized our Arizona supporters in asking the governor to shut down the mine. Unfortunately Hobbs hasn’t heeded — so we’re taking this campaign to a bigger stage.

If you live in the United States, urge Arizona Gov. Hobbs to take immediate steps to close the Pinyon Plain mine and correct its toxic legacy. 


Op-Ed: Let’s Give Legal Rights to Nature
Recognition of the rights of species and ecosystems to exist needs to be enshrined in law, writes Center staffer Lydia Millet in The New Republic .
Endowing nature with legal personhood is a global movement whose time has come: To empower native and local stewards to safeguard the rivers, forests, and biodiversity we all depend on, we need to give them the teeth to defend wild places and creatures.


Taking On the Tennessee Valley Authority
One week after we published a report on the connection between executive bonuses and fossil fuels [[link removed]] , the Tennessee Valley Authority reduced the compensation of its CEO, the country’s highest-paid federal employee.
Our report found that TVA, the largest federal utility in the United States, incentivized executives to plan a gigantic gas buildout despite the worsening climate emergency.
“We’re pleased the TVA board is taking a closer look at executive compensation and creating more pay transparency,” said report author Gaby Sarri-Tobar [[link removed]] . “TVA needs to completely toss out bonuses that keep the utility in the fossil fuel past and instead prioritize renewable energy, resilience, and environmental justice.”


The Revelator : Conservation Works
Good news: A new study proves that conservation efforts are worth the effort.
Check out this new Revelator article for several recent examples (along with one counterpoint that needs broader discussion).
And if you don’t already, subscribe to the free weekly e-newsletter for more wildlife and conservation news.


That’s Wild: Understanding Sperm Whale Sounds
A study of the sounds made by sperm whales near the Caribbean island country of Dominica has revealed a highly complex system of clicks that scientists are calling a phonetic alphabet, based on “codas” the whales use as building blocks for their language. Further research, including AI-augmented analysis, is needed to deepen our understanding.
These fascinating animals — who have the world’s biggest brains, sleep vertically, and live in matriarchal groups that sometimes meet up with hundreds of other whales — are still recovering from centuries of being hunted for the oil contained in their giant heads.
Watch a short video about the whales and the new study.
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Center for Biological Diversity
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