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Yellowstone grizzly bears
Center for     Biological     Diversity   

Wyoming Proposes Cruel Hunt of Yellowstone Grizzlies

Yellowstone's grizzlies are some of the most famous bears in the world. But now, less than a year after Trump prematurely stripped their Endangered Species Act protections, Wyoming has hatched a plan to hunt up to 24 bears this fall after they leave the national park.

Grizzlies in the Greater Yellowstone area have gained numbers since 1975, when they were first protected. But grizzlies overall occupy less than 4 percent of their historic U.S. range — and Yellowstone's bears still face isolation from other populations, loss of critical food sources, and human-caused deaths ... now including by hunting.

"Yellowstone's amazing grizzly bears are loved by people around the world, and they deserve a real shot at survival," said the Center the Biological Diversity's Andrea Santarsiere. "It's horrific that Wyoming doesn't see the intrinsic value that these bears bring to the state's landscape."

Read more in our press release and stay tuned for how you can help.

Pacific walruses

Suit Filed to Make Trump Protect Walruses

Just as Arctic sea-ice coverage is hitting record lows, the Center has sued the Trump administration over its anti-science, anti-wildlife decision to deny Endangered Species Act protection to Pacific walruses.

Responding to our 2008 petition, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found in 2011 that the giant tusk-bearing animals — which depend on sea ice for courtship, giving birth and nursing their babies — deserve protection because climate change is destroying their home. But shortly after Trump became president, the agency suddenly claimed the species doesn't need protection.

"The Trump administration's outrageous reversal is a deathblow for the Pacific walrus," said the Center's Emily Jeffers. "Walruses are suffering catastrophic habitat loss from ice melt. We need to get these magnificent creatures the protection they need and deserve, right away."

Read this story from The Washington Post.

Don't Let the NRA Decide the Fate of Elephants

Elephant

The Trump administration is turning to the NRA and trophy hunters as it determines the future of elephant trophy hunting.

It's disgusting to watch them cozying up to those who see wild elephants and other rare animals as little more than trophies to be shot, stuffed and displayed. Bringing these death merchants to the table will lead to more trophy hunting and put more species on the path to extinction.

Please give to our Trump Resistance Fund so we can secure a permanent ban on imports of animals killed for trophies.

Cauliflower coral

Protection Sought for Hawaii's Cauliflower Coral

The Center filed a petition this week seeking Endangered Species Act protection for the cauliflower coral, a bushy species in the Hawaiian Islands that has been devastated by climate change and ocean acidification.

The shallow-water corals — which are typically green, pink or cream-colored — have declined significantly, including a 36 percent drop in coverage across Hawaii from 1999 to 2012.

"Cauliflower corals are really sensitive, so they're among the first to bleach and die when our oceans warm," said Abel Valdivia, a marine scientist at the Center who filed the petition. "Time is running out to save these corals and coral species around the globe. If we don't act quickly, 90 percent could be completely wiped out by 2050."

Read more in our press release.

The Revelator: The Turtle Extinction Crisis

Desert tortoise hatchling

The Revelator's newest offerings include an illuminating story on the plight of turtles: A new study finds that more than 40 percent of freshwater turtles and tortoises are at risk of extinction. The primary causes? Habitat loss, the illegal pet trade and consumption for food and traditional medicine.

Among those in the deepest trouble: the Yangtze giant Asian softshell, which is down to its last three individuals in China and Vietnam; the ploughshare tortoise of Madagascar; and the three-striped box turtle.

Read The Revelator's story.

Trump Administration Sued for Withholding Climate Records

Polar bear

The Center sued the Trump administration Tuesday for refusing to release public records regarding the overdue seventh U.S. Climate Action Report. The deadline to submit the report to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Secretariat passed on Jan. 1.

"With climate-denier Pompeo replacing Tillerson, we're even more concerned the State Department will bail on this report and other climate obligations," said the Center's Jean Su. "If Tillerson was a speed bump for our international cooperation on climate, Pompeo could be a wrecking ball." Read more.

Mountain lion

Suit Filed to Save Colorado Mountain Lions, Bears

The Center and our partners have sued the Fish and Wildlife Service for funding plans to kill hundreds of Colorado mountain lions and black bears without analyzing risks to the state's environment. The killing plans, which will cost the federal government more than $4.5 million, are designed to boost Colorado's mule deer populations. They were approved over the objection of leading scientific voices in Colorado and despite overwhelming public opposition.

"It's appalling that the Service bankrolled this killing without bothering to truly examine the environmental risks," said the Center's Andrea Santarsiere. "Reckless oil and gas drilling has destroyed mule deer habitat, and outdated predator-control techniques can't fix that. Slaughtering bears and mountain lions will only further damage these ecosystems."

Read more in The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel.

Help Sought for Salamanders Threatened by Logging

Siskiyou Mountains salamander

The tiny range of Siskiyou Mountains salamanders, in old-growth forests in southern Oregon and Northern California, means they're especially vulnerable to logging. And logging is ramping up — so the Center and allies have petitioned for their protection.

"This highly specialized animal can't adapt to logging, so it will be pushed to the brink of extinction without Endangered Species Act safeguards," said Jeff Miller with the Center. "The salamander is a unique indicator of forest health in the Siskiyou Mountains. It deserves immediate protection in the face of accelerated logging." Read more.

Backyard birds

Bringing Biodiversity to a Backyard

"The August we moved into this house, I found canister upon canister of herbicides and pesticides on the worktable in the garage. That first summer, very few pollinators braved the poisoned turf. They'd flit from one rare dandelion to the next, then buzz away, seemingly forlorn. But this year I've counted numerous species of bee, more than two dozen different kinds of birds, and a slew of moths and butterflies, including monarchs."

In this affecting essay, poet and writer Camille T. Dungy shares how she has transformed her formerly sterile yard into a habitat humming with native life — and how the process of doing it challenges her values and shifts her sense of self. Check it out in Terrain.org: A Journal of the Built + Natural Environments.

Wildlife cam footage

Wild & Weird: 11 of Our Favorite Trail-cam Moments

Remote cameras are a great, minimally invasive tool used by biologists to study wildlife. And sometimes they also provide pure entertainment: Think skunks doing handstands, bears taking baths, and baby Florida panthers (worth watching no matter what they're doing).

Check out the Center's new video of our favorite 11 trail-cam moments on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter.

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Photo credits: Grizzly bears by Jim Peaco/Yellowstone National Park; Pacific walruses by Joel Garlich-Miller/USFWS; elephant by C. E. Timothy Paine/Flickr; cauliflower coral by Mark Sullivan/USFWS; desert tortoise hatchling by K. Kristina Drake/USGS; polar bear by foilistpeter/Flickr; mountain lion by mtsofan/Flickr; Siskiyou Mountains salamander by Gary Nafis; backyard birds (house finch and white-crowned sparrow) by leafwarbler/Flickr; golden eagle facing off with bighorn sheep courtesy USFWS.

Center for Biological Diversity
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