Center for Biological Diversity
[link removed]
Endangered Earth
No. 1295, May 1, 2025
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Suit Seeks Records on Harms of NOAA Firings
Mass firings and layoffs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have undoubtedly hurt the marine species — from whales to sea turtles to corals — the agency is tasked with protecting. But President Donald Trump’s administration has refused to be transparent and failed to release its records on those firings, which we requested in March.
So the Center for Biological Diversity has now sued [[link removed]] .
“Trump has sacked scientists who protected endangered species, surveyed fish populations, and restored habitat,” said Center attorney Mark Patronella. “The truth behind NOAA’s dismantling needs to be out in the open.”
If you live in the United States, you can help. Tell your legislators to push hard to reverse these terrible staff cuts. [[link removed]]
Collage of polar bear and manatee [[link removed]]
In Court Over Dismantling Wetlands Protections
In our second lawsuit this week against the Trump administration — and our 24th total — the Center sued the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers [[link removed]] for not sharing details on plans to speed up wetlands-destroying fossil fuel projects.
Under an “emergency” order by Trump, in February the Army Corps fast-tracked permits for almost 700 projects on wetlands nationwide, likely violating the Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act — and threatening protected species like polar bears, whooping cranes, and manatees.
The Corps reversed course after we warned we’d sue, but it still hasn’t released information on how (or if) it will try to use emergency approvals in future.
“The public has a right to know if the Trump administration is signing off on rampant, illegal destruction of imperiled wetlands,” said the Center’s Hannah Connor.
Join our fight with a gift to the Future for the Wild Fund — which will be doubled if you donate now. [[link removed]]
American bumblebee on a pink flower [[link removed]]
Court to EPA: Rethink Free Pass for Fracking Pollution
Thanks to a Center lawsuit, a court just ruled [[link removed]] that Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency illegally approved a Colorado loophole allowing unlimited air pollution from drilling and fracking without a permit. Now the EPA must reconsider its approval to comply with the Clean Air Act [[link removed]] . The ruling also casts doubt on other states’ air pollution loopholes.
It's a big win for Colorado’s Denver Metro/North Front Range area, which already has high levels of ozone — aka smog — from the fossil fuel industry. Besides harming human health, smog damages Colorado’s parks, natural areas, and aspen trees and makes it harder for bees and butterflies to pollinate flowers.
Close up of a pelican eel's face with an open mouth [[link removed]]
Trump Deep-Sea Mining Move Threatens Oceans
A Trump order signed last week would fast-track [[link removed]] a process that would allow U.S.-affiliated companies to mine the deep seabed in international waters — except that the United States isn’t a member of the International Seabed Authority, which oversees such mining globally.
The order would facilitate commercial extraction of minerals like cobalt, nickel, and manganese, including from deep-sea environments far beyond U.S. jurisdiction.
“Trump is trying to open one of Earth’s most fragile and least understood ecosystems to reckless industrial exploitation,” said Emily Jeffers, a senior Center attorney. “The deep ocean belongs to everyone, and protecting it is humanity’s global duty.”
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Watch These Adorable Kit Fox Kits
Need a dopamine boost? Take a minute to watch some baby kit fox siblings frolick near a California den site on Instagram [[link removed]] , LinkedIn [[link removed]] , or YouTube [[link removed]] .
These tiny foxes — North America’s smallest native canines — often move den sites to keep predators (like coyotes) guessing. They can use more than 60 different dens over the course of a year.
For decades the Center has been fighting to save these cute foxes from habitat loss, oil and gas development, rodenticides, and other threats.
Bird with white feathers and blue skin around the eye [[link removed]]
Revelator : Saving Bali Songbirds
Beautiful songbirds called Bali mynas once faced extinction from the illegal wildlife trade. As Paige Cromley reports in this new Revelator article [[link removed]] , an unusual approach may have helped save them.
If you don’t already, subscribe to The Revelator ’s free weekly e-newsletter for more wildlife and conservation news [[link removed]] .
Adult bonobo carrying infant [[link removed]]
That’s Wild: Bonobo Girl Groups
Bonobos, like chimps, are among humans’ closest relatives — and live in a famously female-dominated society, even though males are bigger and stronger than females.
A new study [[link removed]] published in Communications Biology — based on three decades of research in Congo — has solidified the notion that it’s the females’ social bonding that keeps them in charge. Girl groups chase males out of trees, secure food, and increase their status in relation to group size.
Now that’s girl power.
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Center for Biological Diversity
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