No. 1,336, February 12, 2026

Remove Partisan Politics From Public-Lands Access

Few acts rival the smug arrogance of President Donald Trump putting his own image on the America the Beautiful Annual Pass. Used by more than a million public-lands visitors every year, the pass allows entry to every national park and special-fee area on national forests, wildlife refuges, and other federal lands across the United States.

By law the 2026 version was supposed to feature a contest-winning photograph of Glacier National Park. But on U.S. residents’ pass, last November the Trump administration abruptly inserted the president’s face instead, discouraging many people from buying it. Others bought the pass anyway — and have now learned that it may be voided if they dare to cover Trump’s image with stickers or decals.

A new bill would ban any images of living political figures on digital and physical park passes — because partisan politics shouldn’t hinder our ability to find spaces where all Americans can gather and find common ground.

If you live in the United States, tell your representative to support the Prohibit Partisan Park Passes Act to make sure public-lands passes feature pretty places and wildlife — not political figures.

Lawsuit Pushes for Monarch Protection

The Center for Biological Diversity and our allies at the Center for Food Safety just sued to make the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service set a date to finalize Endangered Species Act protection for monarch butterflies.

Thanks to our 2014 petition and follow-up litigation, the Service finally proposed monarchs’ protection in 2024. But instead of finalizing it in December 2025, the agency delayed the decision indefinitely. Meanwhile monarchs continue to plunge toward extinction: In the next 60 years western monarchs (who winter in California) have up to a 99% chance of going extinct, and eastern monarchs (who winter in Mexico) have up to a 74% chance.

“Monarchs unite us,” said the Center’s Tierra Curry. “It’s disgraceful that their future is being sacrificed to political nonsense.”

Join our fight for these migratory wonders with a gift to the Future for the Wild Fund.

Suit Will Challenge Zombie Liberty Project in Alaska

Along with allies the Center just notified the federal government of our intent to sue over its reanimation of a previously dead offshore-oil project in federal waters in the Arctic.

The infamous Liberty Unit project was denied a lease extension under President Joe Biden — basically, refused more time to get up and running. But last November the Trump administration reversed that denial, falsely claiming a national energy emergency.

“The only real emergency is the threat to bowhead whales, walruses, and polar bears from Trump’s push for oil drilling in the Beaufort Sea,” said Rebecca Noblin, the Center’s senior attorney in Alaska. “These leases were ended fair and square, and it’s time to focus on protecting the precious Arctic rather than plundering it for short-term profits.”

Agreement Struck to Help 11 South Florida Species

Represented by the Jacobs Public Interest Law Clinic at Stetson University, the Center has reached an agreement that moves 11 Florida species closer to Endangered Species Act protection.

The agreement requires the Fish and Wildlife Service to make final protection decisions for Florida Keys mole skinks, Rim Rock crowned snakes, and Key ring-necked snakes by this July. By January 2027 it will make final habitat-protection decisions for eight South Florida plants — three of which are imperiled by a notorious detention center in the heart of the Everglades (which we’re fighting).

“This destructive detention center is a clear example of why we need timely protection for Florida’s rare plants and animals and the places they live,” said Elise Bennett, the Center’s Florida and Caribbean director.

Study Shows Vietnam Trade Threatens Rare Bats

Painted wooly bats are rare, striking orange-and-black animals — so beautiful that they’re collected from the wild to be killed, dried, and hung on walls thousands of miles from their Southeast Asia homes. Taxidermized painted bats are particularly popular in the United States, where they’re largely sold on online platforms as decorations and wall hangings.

Now a new scientific study, co-authored by the Center’s Chris Shepherd, reveals that these bats are also heavily exploited for the ornamental wildlife trade in Vietnam. Even this relatively small trade, the study warns, could cause rapid population declines — making the species’ plight even more dire than we already knew.

Yet Amazon still allows the sale of painted wooly bats. Tell it to stop selling these unique creatures so their populations can again flourish in the wild — where they belong.

The Revelator: Ditching Disposables

Did you know an average-sized stadium can go through 5.3 million disposable cups every year? That’s why several organizations are working to reduce people's addiction to single-use plastic and replace it with reusable items. Individuals can help, too.

Read more in The Revelator.

And make sure you’re subscribed to the free Revelator weekly e-newsletter for more wildlife and conservation news.

That's Wild: Beetles Come Out Smelling Like Roses

The larvae of certain blister beetles, a new study shows, have a rare and brilliant strategy for luring in prey: Clustered on the tops of grass stems in early spring, they emit a floral scent that floats over the breeze, attracting bees. Once the bees alight on the fake flowers, the larvae latch onto them, hitch a ride back to their nests, and proceed to dine on their eggs.

This may be the first known-to-science example of an animal imitating a floral smell.

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Photo credits: Glacier National Park by Akshay Joshi, America the Beautiful Annual Pass courtesy U.S. Department of the Interior; monarch butterfly by Daniel Peterson/NPS; walrus by Sarah Sonsthagen/USGS, polar bears by Alexey Seafarer/Shutterstock; Florida Keys mole skink by Jake Scott/FWC; painted wooly bat by Pitoon Kitratanasak/Shutterstock; plastic bottles by engin akyurt/Unsplash; Meloe proscarabaeus beetle © Hjalte Kjærby via iNaturalist (CC BY-NC, cropped).

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