No. 1195, June 1, 2023

Court Win for Grizzlies Near Yellowstone

Following two lawsuits by the Center for Biological Diversity and allies, an appeals court just ordered the feds to reconsider a decision allowing the slaughter of up to 72 grizzly bears — including mothers and cubs — to make way for livestock grazing near Yellowstone National Park.

Among other issues, the court found, the decision would’ve allowed the killing of an unlimited percentage of female grizzlies — threatening the survival of their species, which is protected under Endangered Species Act.

“This ruling confirms that federal officials can’t sidestep the law to let grizzly bears be killed on public lands to appease the livestock industry,” said the Center’s Andrea Zaccardi.

Unfortunately, grizzlies could soon lose the federal protection they still desperately need. Take action to help these magnificent bears.

A Big Step for Tiny Vaquitas

The Interior Department just announced that Mexico is undermining the global wildlife-trade treaty by failing to halt illegal trade threatening vaquita porpoises.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (aka CITES) bans international trade in endangered totoaba. But for decades totoaba nets have been pushing vaquitas to the brink of extinction while Mexico has failed to halt totoaba fishing or trade.

Now President Biden must either embargo Mexico or explain why he won’t.

Without global pressure, these shy little porpoises will disappear forever. You can help: Tell Mexico to protect the world's most endangered marine mammal.

New Groups of Wolves Confirmed in Northern California

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife just confirmed the state has two new groups of wolves.

The agency is surveying Tehama and Lassen counties in Northern California to collect the new wolves’ scat for DNA testing. Test results will show whether they’re related to California’s existing three packs or are new to the state — adding needed genetic diversity to its small but growing wolf population. We’re looking forward to the department declaring these groups packs — they’d be the fifth and sixth wolf packs confirmed in the Golden State's past 100 years.

Thanks to the strong state and federal protections you helped us win for wolves, no member of these new groups can be legally killed.

Help us keep fighting for wolves with a gift to our Saving Life on Earth Fund.

Take Action: Reject a Dirty Debt-Ceiling Deal

The United States could soon default on its debt and be left unable to pay for vital programs like Social Security. To keep that from happening, Congress must pass a bill to raise the debt ceiling this week.

But in negotiations over the debt-ceiling bill, some members of Congress are only looking out for the interests of Big Oil. They won't cooperate unless they can attach provisions undermining bedrock environmental laws. They’ve also suggested gutting resources for the Environmental Protection Agency to address pollution and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to recover endangered species like California red-legged frogs.

Ask your senators to reject any dirty deals and raise the debt ceiling without adding harmful provisions or cutting funding for essential programs.

Endangered Species Act Wins for Shark, Beetle, Birds 

Thanks to Center work, four species just took big strides toward lifesaving Endangered Species Act protection. 

First, responding to our petition, last Monday NOAA Fisheries announced that smalltail sharks may deserve protection, and it must decide for sure by October. Found from the Gulf of Mexico to Brazil, these sharks only grow up to 5 feet long. They’ve declined by more than 80% in 27 years. 

Then, last Tuesday we reached a settlement forcing the Fish and Wildlife Service to decide on protecting Siuslaw hairy-necked tiger beetles by August 2026. These imperiled Pacific Northwest insects — severely threatened by habitat loss — are fierce, fast predators who chase prey across the sand in short bursts or hopping flights. 

And this Tuesday, following a Center lawsuit, the Service proposed protecting two South American birds: southern helmeted curassows of Brazil’s eastern Andes and Sira curassows of Peru’s cloud forests.

As we celebrate these victories, we’re also celebrating the Act’s 50th anniversary. Join us in taking action all year long. 

Minnesota Bans Commercial Turtle Trapping 

After years of work by the Center and allies, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has signed into law a ban on for-profit wild turtle trapping throughout the state. Every year, commercial trappers have snatched thousands of turtles from the state’s waterways — mostly to sell for food, traditional Asian medicines, or pets. Wild turtles can’t withstand that exploitation because they reproduce very slowly.

“The science shows that even a few turtle traffickers can quickly devastate turtle populations,” said Center biologist and lawyer Collette Adkins. “This ban is a big victory for all of us who care about the health of our state’s wildlife and waterways.”

Revelator: Four Books on Capitalism, Disinformation

“Not every environmental book is an environmental book,” writes John Platt in a recent Revelator review. “Sometimes the best wisdom on how to protect the planet comes from books on other subjects.”

This month he focuses on four new books about capitalism, misinformation, inequality and corruption — all of which people need to fight if we’re going to stop climate change or the extinction crisis.

After you read all about these books, make sure you’re subscribing to The Revelator’s e-newsletter bringing you every week’s best conservation news.

That’s Wild: An Orca Uprising

Off the coast of Spain and Portugal, a group of orcas have been attacking ships. Working together, they bite boat hulls, shake ships by their rudders, and repeatedly slam their bodies into vessels. So far they have succeeded in sinking three ships.

But why? Some experts theorize that the #OrcaUprising (as it’s being called on Twitter) is organized by a female orca named White Gladis in response to a “critical moment of agony” she experienced, like a boat strike or the loss of a calf.

Others speculate that it wasn’t just one incident kicking off this new behavior but an accumulation of stresses caused by humans: entanglement and entrapment in fishing gear, collisions with ships, competition with the fishing industry for food, noise pollution, and possibly even physical attacks on orcas by fishermen.

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Photo credits: Grizzly bear cub by cai~cai~/Flickr; vaquita by Barbara Taylor/NOAA; Lassen pack wolf pup courtesy CDFW; California red-legged frog courtesy Center for Biological Diversity; Siuslaw hairy-necked tiger beetle by Sarina Jepsen/Xerces Society; snapping turtle by Chitrapa/Wikimedia; burning money courtesy Pixabay; orcas courtesy Pxfuel.

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