Grizzly Delisting Challenged to Head Off Trophy Hunting Threat
As the threat of trophy hunting looms, conservation and tribal groups challenged the administration’s removal of Yellowstone grizzlies from the Endangered Species List.
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Ninth Circuit Offers No Help to Steller Sea Lions
Environmentalists failed to prove that increased industrial fishing in the Aleutian Islands will hurt endangered Steller sea lions, the Ninth Circuit said this week in affirming summary judgment for the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Read moreSea Ice Loss Dooms Walrus If not Protected, Groups Claim
“The Fish and Wildlife Service knows the Pacific walrus is in trouble. The only thing preventing its protection is politics. We hope officials do the right thing and give this majestic animal the protections it needs to survive,” Center for Biological Diversity scientist Shaye Wolf said.
Read moreMaryland Zoo Accused of Mistreating Lemurs, Big Cats
A small roadside zoo in western Maryland is once again accused of violating federal animal-protection laws by neglecting lemurs, tigers and lions.
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Indian Tribes Take the Lead in Fight for Grizzly Bears
Nine Indian tribes have beaten environmental groups to the punch by suing Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, claiming he violated their religious freedom by removing Yellowstone grizzly bears from the Endangered Species list without proper consultations.
Read moreFederal Fisheries Sign Off on Calif. Delta Tunnels Project
In a win for a monumental water plan that would re-plumb the largest estuary on the West Coast, federal fisheries officials on Monday approved California’s decades-old delta tunnels project.
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Agencies Ponder Next Steps for Northwest Grizzly Bears
With grizzly-bear recovery potentially complete in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem, agencies are daring to plan for a time when the bears are under state control.
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Lucky the Elephant Will Get Her Day in Court
The San Antonio Zoo will face an October trial on claims it violates the Endangered Species Act through its treatment of Lucky the Asian elephant, who has been at the center of a two-year legal battle over her habitat.
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California Tiger Salamander Finally Has a Recovery Plan
Thirteen years after designation as a threatened species, the central California tiger salamander finally has a required recovery plan.
Read moreFunding Woes Can Keep Whitebark Pine Off Endangered List
A Ninth Circuit panel ruled Friday that while whitebark pine trees are warranted for protection under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service acted within its authority to make other species a priority given its limited funds.
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Despite Ongoing Threats, Feds May Lift Protection of Grizzly Bears
Protection of grizzly bear and Canada lynx populations is often cited in lawsuits involving logging projects in the West, but grizzlies outside of Yellowstone National Park may be removed from federal protection this summer.
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Manatee Downlisted From Endangered
Even though threats are increasing, and deaths continue, an overall population increase justifies downgrading manatee protection levels, wildlife agency says.
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Greens Win One for the Northwest’s Coastal Marten
A federal judge ordered the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reevaluate its decision to deny endangered species listing to the coastal marten.
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Utah Prairie Dogs Get Federal Protection, Circuit Rules
The federal government has the right to protect the prairie dog population on nonfederal land in Utah, even though locals consider the animal to be a nuisance, the 10th Circuit ruled.
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California Moves to Thwart Trump’s Enviro Plans
Bracing for the possibility of widespread deregulation of environmental laws, California state Democrats on Thursday moved to preempt President Donald Trump’s expected policy shifts with their own legislation and accused him of holding “backwards” climate views.
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Wildlife Group Defends Tortoise at Ninth Circuit
A wildlife group claiming a Nevada solar power project endangers the Mojave Desert tortoise have urged the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a ruling in favor of the federal government.
Read moreAttorney Vows Frog Habitat Battle Headed for Supreme Court
Advocates for the dusky gopher frog have successfully blocked a $34 million land development project in Louisiana that they said would imperil the endangered amphibian. But the attorney for the land owner says it may be only a temporary reprieve as he intends to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Read moreTrump Sued Over Freeze of Bee Protection
An environmental group has sued the administration over its suspension of the endangered species listing of the rusty patched bumblebee.
Read moreBid to Update Endangered Species Act Triggers Alarm
Republicans appeared cordial Wednesday at a hearing on updating the Endangered Species Act, but conservationists who have seen an unending stream of explicit threats to the law’s existence over the years proved weary of lowering their guard.
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