Trump Takes Aim at Lesser Prairie Chickens |
In a move both true to form and likely illegal, the Trump administration just asked a district court in Texas to end endangered species protection for lesser prairie chickens — without notice or comment. These unique, glamorous dancing grouse live in areas coveted by private interests for oil and gas extraction and cattle operations.
“The Trump administration is again capitulating to the fossil fuel industry, ignoring sound science and common sense, and dooming an imperiled species to extinction,” the Center for Biological Diversity’s Jason Rylander told The New York Times.
The Center tried to defend protections for the birds in 2023, as an intervenor, but we were denied on the grounds that the government would defend the listing in court. Under President Donald Trump that’s clearly no longer the case. So last week we renewed our motion to intervene and are considering further legal options.
Help the Center fight for these birds and other species with a gift to our Future for the Wild Fund. Your donation will be doubled if you give today. |
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Eleventh Hour Reprieve for Sacred Land at Oak Flat |
In the long struggle to save Oak Flat, Arizona — holy to the Apache and other Tribes — from destruction at the hands of a copper-mining company, on May 9 a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from moving ahead with its mining plan.
The government, said Judge Steven P. Logan, can’t finalize the land swap between Resolution Copper and the U.S. Forest Service until the U.S. Supreme Court either declines to take the case or rules against the grassroots group Apache Stronghold, which sued to stop the exchange in 2021 with the support of allies like the Center. It is “abundantly clear,” wrote the judge, “that the balance of equities 'tips sharply' in [the Tribes’] favor.”
The decision “brings us the bright hope that we can get on the path to protect Mother Earth," said Wendsler Nosie, Apache Stronghold leader. |
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Tell Amazon: Painted Bats Belong in the Wild |
Whether they're pinned in display cases or crammed into tiny fake coffins, painted woolly bats are snatched from the wild to be killed, stuffed, and hung on walls thousands of miles away. The United States is the largest known market for these beautiful orange-and-black bats, native to South and Southeast Asia. Their populations are declining, in large part due to overcollection for decor — and painted bats are especially vulnerable because they only have one baby at a time. In response to rising public concern, Etsy and eBay have barred the sale of bats. But Amazon hasn’t.
Tell Amazon to stop selling painted woolly bats so their populations can again flourish in the wild — where they belong. |
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Protection Sought for Rare Oregon Peavine |
Thin-leaved peavines live in forest edge areas with dappled sunlight, where they climb shrubs and put out bell-shaped clusters of white flowers. But sadly most of their native Willamette Valley habitat has been lost to agricultural development — and many remnant populations grow on roadsides and fencerows, vulnerable to mowing, herbicide spraying, invasive species like blackberries, and passing cars.
So the Center just petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect these rare plants under the Endangered Species Act. Botanists have tried to grow seedlings in captivity, but nearly all those populations have failed. “Protecting these beautiful, delicate plants will help ensure we’re also conserving the native pollinators and wild spaces of the Willamette Valley,” said Gwendolyn McManus, a Center scientist. |
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Join Us June 14 to Tell Trump ‘No Kings’ |
On June 14, Flag Day, Trump wants tanks in the street and a made-for-TV display of dominance for his birthday — a dictator-style flex. But real power isn’t staged. It’s given to leaders by the people. That's why, the second Saturday of June, folks across the country will march against authoritarianism and the billionaire takeover. Together we can reject Trump and Musk's gutting of critical government agencies responsible for protecting endangered species, wildlife, and wild places. This mobilization is inspired by the success of the Hands Off! rallies and is intended to once again motivate actions in towns and cities in every state.
Find an event near you. |
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Revelator: Five Books to Help Climate Anxiety |
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That's Wild: Squid in a Mega-Mating Frenzy |
In the ocean off La Jolla, California, a marine biologist and an oceanographer recently dove down to explore the aftermath of an unusual “squid run”: a massive gathering of opalescent squids, mating by the tens of thousands and then dying. This year, however, that massive gathering lasted not for the normal three days but a full three weeks. Scientists call that a mega-aggregation.
These fascinating Southern and Central California cephalopods are in fact the state’s most lucrative fishery — at least in non-El Niño years, when they make up 66% of revenues from fishing in the state. They now seem to be shifting northward as the climate changes; one recent year, following water rich with prey and oxygen, they even relocated temporarily to Alaska.
Learn more and watch a video of squid aggregations. |
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Center for Biological Diversity
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