Endangered Earth Online: Your weekly wildlife update.
If you like what you read here, sign up to get this free weekly e-newsletter and learn the latest on our work.

Bobcat
Center for     Biological     Diversity   

Big Win: California Wildlife More Protected From Traps, Guns

In response to a lawsuit filed by the Center for Biological Diversity and other wildlife-advocacy groups, a federal court has approved a deal requiring the USDA's Wildlife Services to implement more protections for wildlife in Northern California, including a ban on traps and aerial gunning in designated "wilderness areas."

The settlement also requires Wildlife Services to analyze the environmental impacts of its killing of coyotes, bobcats and other animals in 16 counties. Wildlife Services uses painful traps, strangulation snares, poisons and aerial gunning to kill wolves, coyotes, cougars, birds and other wild creatures — primarily to benefit the agriculture and livestock industries.

"We've saved hundreds of animals that would have suffered and died in traps set by Wildlife Services over the next several years," said the Center's Collette Adkins. "That feels really good."

Thanks to all of you who supported our work to fight Wildlife Services. Read more in our press release.

Jaguar

Court Sides With New Mexico Jaguars on Critical Habitat

Here's something worth celebrating: A U.S. District Court has just upheld protections for New Mexico's endangered jaguars, deciding against three livestock-industry plaintiffs seeking to eliminate protections for 59,114 acres of critical habitat.

"This is a big win for jaguars," said the Center's Michael Robinson. "Preserving places where these great cats can still cross the border to live once again in their native range has now been found fully legal. But we should go further, preserve bigger chunks of land and take active steps to help the jaguars get here."

The Center intervened on the side of the government in this case; our previous lawsuits for the jaguar and against the government resulted in the big cats receiving endangered status in 1997 and critical habitat in 2014.

Read more in our press release.

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

Stand Up to Trump's Attack on Utah Monuments

President Trump announced this week that he'll follow Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's recommendation to shrink two national monuments in Utah: Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante.

The Center's Ignite Change volunteer network is fighting back, and we need you with us. Trump has declared all-out war on our public lands, so this is the time to get off the sidelines.

Ready to join this important work? Take a moment to sign up for Ignite Change and we'll be in touch quickly about how to get involved.

The Revelator: As Trial Begins, Bundy Extremism Exposed

Cliven Bundy

As the Bundy clan goes on trial this week in Las Vegas, The Revelator's John Dougherty takes a deep look at the religious and political roots of the armed standoffs in Bunkerville, Nev., and at Oregon's Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

The Bundy family's authoritarian approach to the use of America's public lands spilled out from historic Mormon doctrines and an alarming fringe interpretation of the U.S. Constitution. To understand the Bundys and this week's trial, it's important to understand the deep and disturbing context. Read the story.

Point Reyes tule elk

Stop the Slaughter of Point Reyes Tule Elk

The National Park Service is working on a new management plan for California's Point Reyes National Seashore that could remove or even kill imperiled elk.

Point Reyes is the national park that tule elk — a subspecies existing only in California — call home. The Park Service let half the park's original herd die during the state's 2012–2014 drought by keeping them fenced in without adequate water and forage; then the Service shot 26 elk during 2015 and 2016.

Now the agency has plans to run the elk off 18,000 acres to allow cattle sole access to these public lands. Please act now to tell the Park Service you don't want to see tule elk killed or removed from their native land.

Center activists converse with Ryan Zinke

The Center's Ryan Beam went to the Grand Canyon to ask Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke a simple question about Trump's plans to scale back national monuments. Zinke's response is pretty telling.

Arkansas to Consider Regulation of Turtle Trapping

Painted turtle

Following a petition from the Center and allies, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has unanimously agreed to consider regulating commercial turtle trapping in the state.

Arkansas law allows unlimited commercial harvest of 14 types of turtles across half the state. Rulemaking to amend these laws will begin in the 2018 regulatory cycle.

"We hope Arkansas will join Alabama, Florida and many other southeastern states in ending this unsustainable practice to protect America's renowned turtle diversity," said Center attorney Elise Bennett. Learn more.

Ojai, Monterey Co. Stand Against Offshore Drilling, Fracking

Big Sur

The city of Ojai and Monterey County are the latest to join communities around California to oppose fossil fuel drilling and fracking off the California coast. They follow Oakland, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Berkeley, Arcata, Goleta, Malibu, San Luis Obispo and Cayucos in passing resolutions against new offshore drilling.

The resolutions follow Trump's order urging more oil and gas exploitation in federal waters, which could expose the Pacific Ocean to new oil leasing for the first time in more than 30 years. If you're a Californian, help us save the Golden State's coast.

Noble volute and mactra crab

Wild & Weird: The Great Clam Escape

The noble volute is a species of carnivorous sea snail with a large, beautiful shell, commonly overharvested by the shell trade. Although it's slow moving compared to other predators — such as, say, cheetahs — it's a terrifying hunter if you happen to be a smaller mollusk.

Watch a mactra clam narrowly escape being eaten by a noble volute on Facebook, YouTube or Instagram.

Follow Us
 Facebook  Twitter  YouTube  Instagram  Medium 

Center for Biological Diversity   |   Saving Life on Earth

Opt out of this mailing list.    |    View this email in your browser.

Donate now to support the Center's work.

Photo credits: Bobcat by e_monk/Flickr; jaguar by jcaputo4/Flickr; Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by Bob Wick/BLM; Cliven Bundy by Gage Skidmore/Flickr; Point Reyes tule elk by David Dugan/Flickr; video still of activist speaking with Ryan Zinke courtesy Center for Biological Diversity; painted turtle by batwrangler/Flickr; Big Sur by Filosoph/Flickr; video still of noble volute and mactra clam by Ria Tan.

Center for Biological Diversity
P.O. Box 710
Tucson, AZ 85702