As Massive Hunts Loom, We Push to Save Wolves

After Idaho and Montana passed laws that could brutally massacre their wolf populations, the Center for Biological Diversity and allies petitioned this week to restore federal protection to those states’ wolves.

“Idaho’s and Montana’s legislative directives to kill wolves by nearly any means possible seriously endanger wolf populations in the West,” said the Center’s Andrea Zaccardi, who's based in Idaho. “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service should immediately return Endangered Species Act protection to these wolves to halt the impending statewide slaughters before it’s too late.”

Help us save wolves and other species with a gift to our Saving Life on Earth Fund. Your gift will be matched through May 31.

Lesser Prairie Chicken Proposed for Protection

We’re thrilled: After years of legal work by the Center and partners, on Wednesday the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed to protect lesser prairie chickens under the Endangered Species Act.

These birds need large, unfragmented parcels of intact native grasslands to maintain their populations. They once roamed the sagebrush and shinnery oak of the southern Great Plains by the millions, but today occupy only a fraction of their historic range.

“Lesser prairie chickens have to deal with loss of habitat due to conversion to cropland, grazing, and oil and gas development, as well as drought and high temperatures linked to global warming,” said the Center’s Michael Robinson. “These safeguards are coming not a moment too soon.”

Trump EPA Quashed Science to OK Dangerous Pesticide

A scathing new federal report shows that powerful pesticide officials in Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency purposely omitted evidence of the dangers of the pesticide dicamba before reapproving its use in 2018.

The Office of the Inspector General found that that senior Trump staffers changed and left out research-based evidence of dicamba’s risks, which has damaged millions of acres of crops — and also threatens monarch butterflies.

“The EPA should cancel dicamba’s recent approval, not try to defend it in court,” said Center lawyer Stephanie Parent. “It knows that anything less is likely to result in yet another summer of damaged fields and lost profits for farmers choosing not to use dicamba.”

Center Calls on California to Fund Wildlife Crossings 

The Center and allies wrote to California Gov. Gavin Newsom Tuesday urging him to set aside $1 billion for wildlife crossings and habitat connectivity. His latest budget proposal doesn’t include enough funding to protect the natural lands needed for connectivity — or to create wildlife crossings on existing highways.  

“Car strikes are killing California’s mountain lions, kit foxes and tortoises, while highways block their ability to find food, mates and shelter,” said Center biologist Tiffany Yap. “This investment would save countless animals’ lives and families.” 

TVA Used $3M in Ratepayer Money to Fight Clean Energy

The United States’ largest public energy provider, the Tennessee Valley Authority, used $3 million in customer money in three years for litigation and lobbying against Clean Air Act rules.

On Wednesday, after this was revealed in documents we uncovered, the Center and allies urged the utility’s Office of the Inspector General to start a formal investigation on whether TVA violated its board-approved policies.

“Rather than leading the way in cleaning up the energy sector, TVA is funding outside organizations actively fighting the renewable energy transition,” said Gaby Sarri-Tobar with the Center’s Energy Justice program.

Join Us: Watch and Discuss The Condor & The Eagle

You’re invited to a special screening and discussion of The Condor & The Eagle, an award-winning documentary featuring Indigenous leaders joining forces across the Americas for climate justice.

Watch the stunning film, streaming free for a limited time for our supporters. Then tune in on Thursday, June 3 at 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET for our next Saving Life on Earth webinar. The conversation will include the Center’s Energy Justice Director Jean Su and Bryan Parras, cofounder of Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services and organizer with the Sierra Club’s Beyond Dirty Fuels campaign.

You have to register to participate in the webinar, so sign up and then check your email for a link.

Florida's diamondback terrapins are needlessly drowning in crab traps, but there's a simple solution: “Bycatch reduction devices,” attached to trap openings, stop most terrapins from entering. We're urging Florida to require these devices on all blue crab traps. Watch our video on Facebook or YouTube and learn more at our website.

Bill Aims to Protect Americans From Utility Shutoffs

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) has introduced a much-needed bill to place a national moratorium on electric, water and broadband shutoffs due to uncollected payments. People nationwide face profound utility debt due to the pandemic-driven unemployment crisis — with families of color disproportionately affected — and studies show such a moratorium could’ve prevented COVID cases and even deaths.

“This bill is vital to address the reality that millions of families have been plunged into poverty because of COVID-19,” said Jean Su, energy justice director at the Center.

Vox: U.S. Must Join Convention on Biological Diversity

As the political will for conservation shifts in a positive direction in Trump’s wake, writes Benji Jones in Vox, there’s a gaping hole where an international treaty should be. It’s crucial that the United States, as a world leader, join the international Convention on Biological Diversity. We’re the only nation that hasn’t ratified this vital convention — and that needs to change.

Revelator: The Gentle, Quirky White-Bellied Pangolin

It’s not your everyday anteater. It’s one of the world’s only scaly mammals, representing millions of years of evolution. And it’s profiled in The Revelator’s latest Species Snapshot, where you can learn more cool facts about this unique and fascinating creature.

If you don’t subscribe already, sign up for The Revelator’s free weekly e-newsletter.

That’s Wild: Check Out These Sleeping Giants

Sperm whales love cat naps: A pod will gather, floating in place beneath the ocean, and snooze together like so many vertical school buses for 10-15 minutes. It’s a sight you won’t soon forget.

See a pod of Moby Dick’s real-life descendants taking a siesta in the sea on Nat Geo Wild’s Instagram.

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Photo credits: Gray wolf by Tim Rains/NPS; lesser prairie chicken by antpitta/Flickr; monarch butterfly by Lee Jaffe/Flickr; mountain lion in Joshua Tree National Park courtesy NPS; smokestacks by Ben Reierson/Flickr; The Condor & The Eagle poster; electricity meters by Curtis Gregory Perry/Flickr; Amazon rainforest by Jlwad/Wikimedia; Titan the white-bellied pangolin © Dr. Charles Emogor; mural of sperm whales by B.M. Pettit photographed by Bernard Spragg.

Center for Biological Diversity
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