Lawsuit Aims to Protect Oregon Coast Red Tree Voles |
Red tree voles have graced the upper reaches of old forests on Oregon’s North Coast for thousands of years — some spend their entire lives in a single tree. But in recent decades, these arboreal, mouse-sized rodents have suffered, often from rapacious cutting of old trees and fires (set to become worse due to climate change). To help red tree voles survive, the Center for Biological Diversity just sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for denying them protection under the Endangered Species Act. We’ve been fighting for the species for years, including with our 2007 petition for federal protection and several lawsuits to spur action when the government dragged its feet. We’re not about to let these voles go extinct. |
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Trump, Army Corps Poised to Poison U.S. Waterways |
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Court Blocks Destructive California Development |
Following a lawsuit by the Center and AquAlliance, a federal judge just ruled that the U.S. government illegally approved the Stonegate development, a 314-acre project in Northern California that would’ve devastated seasonal wetlands called vernal pools.
Specifically, the judge said, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service failed to address how Stonegate’s contribution to climate change could harm vernal pool wildlife. And the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers broke the Endangered Species Act by not consulting the Service about how the project threatens protected giant garter snakes. Now the development can’t proceed until the agencies do a proper environmental review. |
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Demand a U.S. Ban on These Poisons |
Every year more than a billion pounds of pesticides are used in the United States, including about 300 million pounds of chemicals that are so dangerous, they’re banned in many other countries. These pesticides pollute air, water, and soil long after they're applied. Some (like organophosphates) have been used as nerve agents in chemical warfare; others (like atrazine) are linked to amphibian declines and severe human health problems.
The United States shouldn’t keep poisoning itself with these toxic chemicals.
There's still time to add your comment: Tell the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to ban pesticides that other countries already consider too dangerous to use. |
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Colorado Gets New Wolf Pups — and Three New Packs |
It’s a landmark moment for wildlife recovery: Colorado just confirmed that it has welcomed four new litters of wolf pups born to three new families — the One Ear, King Mountain, and Three Creeks packs — and the already established Copper Creek pack. This news marks a major success for Colorado’s science-based wolf reintroduction program, which the Center has actively backed since day one (and long before).
“I’m hopeful these budding packs will become the foundation for Colorado’s successful wolf restoration,” said the Center’s Alli Henderson. “Wolves belong in Colorado.”
Watch the puppies play on Facebook and Instagram. (Brace yourself for cuteness overload.) |
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Revelator: Global Shark Conservation |
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That’s Wild: Brahms, Beethoven … and Biodiversity |
The Vienna Central Cemetery, Europe’s second-largest cemetery, is the final resting place for Beethoven, Schubert, and Brahms. But it’s also providing important respite (and habitat) for critically endangered European hamsters. These puffy-cheeked, black-bellied rodents were once considered pests but have steeply declined because of urbanization and industrial farming. In fact scientists predict they could disappear by 2050 if things don’t change. Scurrying among the headstones, the hamsters have found a safe place at the cemetery. Groundskeepers are careful not to destroy their burrows, and visitors sometimes leave them bits of food. Perhaps it’s not surprising (if ironic): A 2019 review identified 140 protected species clinging to survival in cemeteries around the world. |
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Center for Biological Diversity
P.O. Box 710
Tucson, AZ 85702
United States 0-0-0-0 |
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