No. 1321, October 30, 2025

Lawsuit Aims to Help Olympic Marmots

Olympic marmots — large, round-bodied squirrels who live almost entirely inside Olympic National Park in Washington state — are threatened by climate change and coyote predation. So in May 2024 the Center for Biological Diversity petitioned for their Endangered Species Act protection, and this week we sued the Trump administration for failing to act on our petition.

Olympic marmots live in alpine and subalpine meadows, which are rapidly changing because of warming temperatures, snow loss, increased and longer wildfire seasons, and shifting tree lines. And losing wolves from the ecosystem has allowed in more coyotes — who eat more marmots.

“These adorable, fluffy marmots need action now to save them from extinction,” said the Center’s Aaron Kunkler. “We have to move quickly away from dirty fossil fuels if this species and so many other animals are to have any chance at survival. Reintroducing wolves to the park would help, too.”

Join Us: Standing Up for Alaska’s Wild Ecosystems

Extractive industries are working with the Trump administration to secure backdoor deals, regulatory rollbacks, and fake emergency declarations to desecrate public lands in Alaska for profit. The Center is fighting in the courts to stop logging, fossil fuel, mining, and industrial fishing interests from accelerating the extinction and climate crises in the heart of the largest intact habitats left in North America.

Join us on Thursday, Nov. 13, at noon PT / 3 p.m. ET for a special inside look at the Center’s powerful campaigns to save wildlife and wild places in Alaska. This webinar is your opportunity to hear directly from our Alaska director on how we’re leveraging cutting-edge litigation, science, and strong relationships with Alaska Native Tribes and local partners to save wildlife — and the tundra, old-growth forests, rivers, and wild seas they need for survival.

Register now to learn how your support is making a difference and ways you can strengthen us for the fights to come — in the Arctic and beyond.

New Podcast Episode: Species in the Waiting Room

The Endangered Species Act is one of the most powerful laws on Earth when it comes to saving species from extinction. But what happens when animals and plants who need help don’t get it in time?

In the newest episode of our Sounds Wild podcast, host Mike Stark talks with Noah Greenwald, codirector of our Endangered Species program, about species like lesser prairie chickens and black-footed ferrets, how the Endangered Species Act works, and what can be done to make the Act better.

Listen to the latest episode on our website or find it on Apple or Spotify.

Trump Trades Away a Precious Refuge in Alaska

Another salvo in the Trump war against public land in Alaska: The administration has just approved a deal trading away federal land in the heart of the stunning Izembek National Wildlife Refuge to a private corporation for road construction.

“Building a road through Izembek is a profoundly bad idea that will wreak havoc on one of the planet’s most important migratory bird sanctuaries,” said Cooper Freeman, Alaska director at the Center. “Once this door is opened, every national park, monument, and refuge in Alaska becomes unacceptably vulnerable.”

The land swap threatens some of the world’s largest eelgrass beds, crucial to the survival of whole populations of migratory birds like Pacific black brants, emperor geese, and endangered Steller’s eiders. So the Center, along with Alaska Native allies, will go to court to fight it.

Help us with a gift to our Alaska and Arctic Defense Fund.

How You Can Help Wildlife at Home

Are you hurting wildlife without even knowing it? Lots of things people do every day, whether in pest control or pet care, are detrimental to the wild creatures and plants we share the planet with — especially sensitive species. But product labels don’t tell us that.

The Center’s Senior Advocate Tara Zuardo hopes a new webpage can help.

In her past working in wildlife rehabilitation, Tara saw birds who’d been stuck in glue traps for many days, suffering horrifically and often fatally while struggling to escape. Remembering the harms those traps caused inspired her to compile a list of tips on what to do (like, nurture native plants) and not do (like, don’t use rat poison) to help struggling wildlife populations.

Read and share our page now.

Webinar: American Burying Beetles on the Brink

Join the Center on Wednesday, Nov. 5, at 11 a.m. PT/2 p.m. ET to learn about American burying beetles from conservation experts working to protect these vibrant orange-and-black beauties of the insect world.

American burying beetles are the largest carrion beetles in North America, known for breaking down bird and rodent carcasses and returning their nutrients to the ecosystem. Listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, they face habitat loss and scarce food sources due to expanding human development.

Register for our webinar to learn more about these efficient recyclers and the ongoing efforts to bring them back from the brink of extinction.

Revelator: Lively Cemeteries

Done right, many cemeteries can serve as more than a repository for dead people. They can also provide vital habitat for plants and wildlife — even endangered species.

Learn more at The Revelator before spooky season ends.

And if you haven’t yet, subscribe to The Revelator’s free weekly e-newsletter for more wildlife and conservation news.

That's Wild: Vultures Saved a 650-Year-Old Sandal

Bearded vultures are fascinating birds, large and beautifully colored and with an unusual diet that consists mostly of bones, which they drop from a great height to break into pieces. Multiple generations sometimes use the same nest over what can amount to centuries.

In southern Spain, sadly, they’ve been regionally extinct for at least three-quarters of a century. But their nests remain, and recently researchers discovered a treasure trove of human artifacts in those nests — including a complete, 650-year-old shoe made from esparto grass.

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Photo credits: Olympic marmot by John Gussman; brown bear mother and cub by K. Jalone/NPS; black-footed ferret by Seth Jones/USFWS, lesser prairie chicken by Patricia Zenone/USFWS; Mojave desert tortoise courtesy USFWS; Steller's eider by Peter Pearsall/USFWS; San Joaquin kit fox by Moose Peterson/USFWS, rusty-patched bumblebee by Tricia Leaf/iNaturalist, golden-winged warbler by Matt Felperin/iNaturalist, Tara Zuardo/Center for Biological Diversity; American burying beetle by Doug Backlund/South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks; Indian Ridge Meadow by Corinne Elicona/Mount Auburn Cemetery; bearded vulture by Chme82/Wikimedia Commons.

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Center for Biological Diversity
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