Keep Toxic Lead Out of Wildlife Refuges

Lead poses a serious poisoning threat to people, wildlife, and the environment — but this dangerous heavy metal is still allowed in hunting ammo and fishing tackle, including ammo used in many national wildlife refuges throughout the United States.

Thanks to an agreement between the Center for Biological Diversity and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in 2023 the agency finalized a rule banning lead ammo and tackle use in nine more national wildlife refuges, including Rachel Carson in Maine and Blackwater in Maryland. That was a welcome step toward making these places safe for wildlife.

Now the Trump administration has proposed repealing the ban — mere months before it’s supposed to take effect in September.

Wildlife who ingest spent lead bullets or tackle can suffer for years before dying painfully. Lead poisoning is infamous for killing endangered whooping cranes, and research has found that half of all bald and golden eagles endure chronic, toxic lead levels. People can be poisoned by eating animals contaminated with bullet fragments and lead dust.

Tell the Service to keep lead out of national wildlife refuges.

Trump Waives Laws to Speed Big Bend Blasting

President Donald Trump's U.S. Department of Homeland Security just waived dozens of environmental laws to fast-track construction of border barriers and roads through Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park in Texas. New barriers and infrastructure here would damage roadless canyon country, block river access, fragment habitat for wildlife like black bears and bighorns, and flood night skies with artificial light.

We’re already in court to stop it and to access public records on construction plans.

“The absolute disdain this administration has for our public lands is disgraceful, and now it’s targeting Texas’ most beloved wild place,” said Center advocate Laiken Jordahl. “We won’t stop fighting for this crown-jewel national park and the Rio Grande.”

You can help by contributing to our Future for the Wild Fund. Do it now to get your donation doubled.

Critical Habitat Goes to Rusty Patched Bumblebees

In the wake of a successful lawsuit by the Center, NRDC, and allies, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has finalized the designation of 1.57 million acres of critical habitat for rusty patched bumblebees — among the most imperiled pollinators in the United States.

Once common across the eastern and midwestern United States, rusty patched bumblebees have already disappeared from nearly 90% of the places where they once lived; the habitat that’s now protected is less than what the Service proposed in 2024.

“This is an important step toward preventing the bees’ extinction,” said Lori Ann Burd, our environmental health director. “But until we use this designation and other tools to rein in the escalating use of dangerous pesticides, the insects who are the foundation of life on Earth will remain at tremendous risk.”

New Podcast Episode: Panthers at the Crossroads

Florida panthers, once widespread throughout the Southeast, are now among America's most endangered big cats. Federal officials released a recovery plan for them nearly 20 years ago, but panthers have since lost more than 30,000 acres of habitat, mostly due to development. Meanwhile vehicle collisions remain a leading cause of death.

In the newest episode of our Sounds Wild podcast, cohost Mike Stark travels into Florida panther country with Jason Totoiu, a Center senior attorney, for an on-the-ground look at the challenges facing these iconic animals.

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

Suit Defends Wildlife From SpaceX Land Giveaway

On Wednesday the Center and allies sued the Fish and Wildlife Service to stop a deal that would give SpaceX 715 acres of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge in south Texas.

This refuge protects some of the best remaining U.S. habitat for endangered ocelots and is home to birds like endangered aplomado falcons, threatened piping plovers, and beloved green jays. SpaceX’s nearby operations and failed rocket launches have already damaged the habitat it’s seeking with this trade.

“We’re not letting Trump and his cronies lock the American people out of Texas’ cherished public lands to let Elon Musk trash them with exploding rockets,” said the Center's Laiken Jordahl.

Revelator: Butterfly Blues

What’s it like to live in close quarters with a critically endangered species? For environmental philosopher Kathleen Dean Moore, the sight of Fender’s blue butterflies on her Oregon fields offers an opportunity to examine both the horror of extinction and the hope that we can prevent it.

Read more in The Revelator.

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Join Us: Exploring Animal Lives, Worlds Through Art

From whale language to seemingly altruistic behavior among mountain lions, there’s plenty of evidence that nonhuman animals are intelligent, foster deep family bonds, and have complex societies.

What can other animals’ lifeways teach people about how best to pursue our own?

Explore that question at a unique interactive event with three Bay Area figures who use art to celebrate and connect with nature: fine artist Julie Grantz, cartoonist SS Julian, and Center scientist Tiffany Yap, who’s also written a graphic novel about pumas. They’ll lead attendees in thought-provoking conversations and creative activities.

What: Being (Non)Human: Exploring Animal Lives and Worlds Through Art and Storytelling

Where: Berkeley, CA

When: Thursday, June 18, 7-10 p.m.

The event is free, though donations are welcome. Register now for the exact location.

Hope to see you there.

That's Wild: Bruce the Brave

A kea parrot named Bruce, native to alpine New Zealand, lost his upper beak at a tender age. But, far from letting the missing beak get him down, Bruce has proved dominant in the wildlife reserve where he lives.

As the alpha kea of his community (known as a “circus”), he has long exhibited unique preening skills. Now a study published in Current Biology suggests he achieved his alpha status by using unique fighting skills to triumph over other males.

“Bruce was involved in 36 interactions and won them all,” reports Ars Technica. He also “had the lowest levels of stress hormone metabolites, was given priority access to the four central feeding stations on account of his rank, and even had a non-mate remove debris from his lower beak, the only individual in the circus to be so honored.”

Head to YouTube to see Bruce joust.

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Photo credits: Golden eagle by Kathy Munsel/USFWS; bighorn sheep by David Fitzpatrick (USFWS volunteer), black bear by Betty Blanton/NPS; rusty patched bumblebee by Dawn Marsh/USFWS; Florida panther family by David Shindle/Conservancy of Southwest Florida; green jay courtesy USFWS, ocelot by Robin Silver/Center for Biological Diversity, piping plover by Rhododendrites/Wikimedia Commons; Fender's blue butterfly © John Sullivan (CC BY-NC) via iNaturalist; {{if --[[Berkeley EEO]] SavedSearch_501981}}mountain lion by Evelyn Harrison/Magnific; alpine parrot by Ximena Nelson.

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