No. 1189, April 20, 2023

Habitat Won for 49 Hawaiian Species

In a legal victory stemming from a Center for Biological Diversity lawsuit, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agreed Monday to protect critical habitat for 39 endangered plants and 10 endangered animals in Hawai‘i — including the ‘akē‘akē (band-rumped storm-petrel) and nalo meli maoli, or Hawaiian yellow-faced bee.

Habitat loss, nonnative species, and wildfires are pushing these vulnerable species toward extinction — as well as sea-level rise and coastal inundation driven by climate change.

“Hawai‘i is in the midst of an extinction crisis, and habitat destruction is the number one cause,” said the Center’s Maxx Phillips. “There’s just no way these special plants and animals can recover if we don’t protect their homes.”

You can help: Urge President Biden to fund recovery efforts for imperiled Hawaiian wildlife.

RIP Rusty, the Mexican Wolf

This month federal employees killed a Mexican gray wolf named Rusty in New Mexico. A father in the Mangas pack, he’s survived by a likely pregnant mate and several yearling pups.

Because he killed cows, the Fish and Wildlife Service quietly authorized Rusty’s killing on March 29 — the 25th anniversary of Mexican wolves’ return to the wild. Also known as lobos, these unique wolves are the southernmost subspecies of gray wolf in North America — and the most endangered.

We helped get them reintroduced to Arizona and New Mexico 25 years ago, and we won’t stop standing up for these wolves. Join us by making a matched gift to our Saving Life on Earth Fund.

New Win to Save Orcas From Boat Noise  

Center supporters in Washington state emailed state legislators, and legislators listened: A bill creating a 1,000-yard boat buffer around critically endangered Southern Resident orcas just headed to Gov. Jay Inslee’s desk after passing the House. Boats, ships and other oceangoing vessels make noise that harms orcas’ ability to communicate and find their food.

Female orcas stop hunting when approached closer than 400 yards — yet recreational boats have been allowed within 300 feet of them. As soon as this bill becomes law, all boats will have to keep a safe distance from the imperiled whales, of whom only 73 remain.

Defending Public Lands From Private Greed

Are public lands really public?

As the Center’s Will Harlan explains, yes and no, because private interests get to destroy or degrade a huge portion of the federal lands that are supposed to be managed for all of us. For-profit uses like logging, drilling, grazing and mining all too often come before the public good, sacrificing things we love like scenic vistas, biodiversity and drinking water.

For example, although the Pisgah-Nantahala National Forest is the country’s most popular forest for recreation (and home to more salamander species than any other), the U.S. Forest Service still plans to quadruple logging there.

Check out Will's piece for a great overview of how and why public lands are under attack — and a reminder that you're a co-owner of these special places. 

Let’s Get Together for a Spring Event and Auction

The Center is hosting our first in-person member event in three years on Tuesday, April 25, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. near our headquarters in downtown Tucson, Arizona. If you’re in the area, join us for a celebratory evening of friends, food, and a live and silent auction of fine art, antiques, furniture and more.

If you can’t be with us in person next week, that’s OK — you can join our online auction from afar. Bid on a one-week stay at the five-bedroom Lahontan Lodge in Bodie Hills Preserve near Bridgeport, California, or to get a signed set of conservation-themed novels by the Center’s own Lydia Millet. All you need to do is register on our website, where you can track and update your bids till the auction closes at 8 p.m. on Tuesday. We’re adding more items to the online auction every day.

All proceeds from both events support our work to save life on Earth. Our thanks to everyone who attends — and of course all you members and other supporters across the globe.

50 Years of Saving Species (and How You Can Too)

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act, the United States’ most successful law for protecting animals and plants from extinction. The Act is the reason there are bald eagles on the wing from coast to coast, grizzly bears roaming the Rockies, sea turtles swimming in the ocean, and black-footed ferrets playing on the prairies. 

This work is far from over, but the Endangered Species Act is still the best path forward for saving life on Earth — and you can help. 

Learn more in our webinar today at 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET. We’ll celebrate the Act’s stunning record of success, hear from experts with inspiring stories about iconic U.S. species, and talk about ways to take action.

Register now; then check your email for a link to join.

Revelator: The Solution to Extinction Is You

As a biologist specializing in saving endangered species, the Center’s Tierra Curry is the perfect person to ask: How can we solve the extinction crisis?

In a new Revelator feature, she answers.

There’s no quick fix for this complex problem, she says. The good news is there’s a lot you can do to help — and fighting extinction means fighting the climate emergency, poverty and injustice at the same time.

If you like Tierra’s article, sign up for The Revelator’s e-newsletter bringing you more like it every week.

That’s Wild: Bachelor Eagle Adopts

In a bird sanctuary in Missouri lives a bald eagle named Murphy who recently had a windfall: The rock he’d been incubating for some time, which was unlikely to hatch, was replaced by a rescue eaglet who’d been orphaned.

Murphy’s been living at the sanctuary since the 1990s and has never fathered any chicks, but when the eaglet was placed in his enclosure and began to peep needily, he rose to the occasion.

Now the proud adoptive father’s tearing up fish for the baby (and going viral — for good reason — on social media).

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Photo credits: Yellow-faced bee on a silversword flower by Janice Wei/NPS; Mangas wolf pup courtesy Interagency Field Team; Southern Resident orcas courtesy NOAA; Pisgah National Forest by Todd42013/Flickr; jaguar via Shutterstock; grizzly bears courtesy NPS; Heliconius butterfly via Pixabay; Murphy the bald eagle with chick courtesy World Bird Sanctuary.

Center for Biological Diversity
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Tucson, AZ 85702
United States