|
If you like what you read here, sign up to get this free weekly
e-newsletter and learn the latest on our work. |
|
|
|
|
No. 1,373, October 29, 2026 |
|
|
Worst Ever: Trump Lags in Species Protection |
|
|
|
Desert Wildflower Closer to Protection |
Proof that even under this administration, there’s still hope: A new legal agreement between the Center and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will push a rare desert wildflower closer to protection under the Endangered Species Act.
The Tecopa bird’s beak, which grows only in desert wetlands in Nevada and California, is threatened by groundwater pumping for mining, agriculture, and energy development. Its vulnerable habitats could dry up if the species isn’t protected.
We petitioned for federal safeguards in 2023 and sued last year over the Service’s delay in responding. The new agreement says the agency must reach a final decision by Sept. 13, 2028.
|
|
|
|
New Podcast Episode: Listening for Lost Birds |
Ever wondered what an extinct ivory-billed woodpecker sounded like? Or what a rare California condor sounds like now? As bird populations have declined and some species have disappeared, it’s gotten a lot more difficult to hear the songs of our avian friends. Thankfully there’s still a way to hear some of them — even some we’ve lost.
In the newest episode of our Sounds Wild podcast, cohost Mike Stark talks with Mike Webster, emeritus director of the Macaulay Library at the famed Cornell Lab of Ornithology. It’s the world’s largest and oldest archive of wildlife recordings, including the sounds of more than 10,000 bird species. Tune in and hear the calls of several extinct birds and a few that are now on the road to recovery.
Listen to the latest episode on our website or find it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
|
|
|
|
The Revelator: A Devastating New Bill |
|
|
|
You Wouldn't Forget to Vote, Would You? |
The past two years have been overwhelming. It feels like every day there’s a new attack on people’s rights and the environment. Now’s the time to fight back. This election is a critical moment to stand up against attacks by President Donald Trump and other anti-conservation politicians.
Not sure when, how, or where to vote? Visit vote.gov or your secretary of state’s website to check your voter registration and find your state’s official information on deadlines, early voting, voting by mail, and Election Day (Tuesday, Nov. 3). Thank you for taking this vital step to defend communities, support endangered species, push back on pollution, and protect public lands. |
|
|
|
That’s Wild: A Ghostly Discovery |
Just in time for Halloween, scientists probing a watery underground cave in China have found a new species of freshwater snail that’s eyeless and perfectly at home in the inky darkness. The newly discovered snails, called Erhaia dijiang, were named after a faceless mythical creature. They have a cone-shaped shell and long, slender tentacles. In the lab, individual snails retreated under rocks when exposed to light.
They’re considered the first of their kind to be found in the hidden aquatic ecosystems of eastern Asia but may already face a scary future: Researchers found only three living adults. Scientists are now calling for a larger investigation and better protection for vulnerable mollusks. |
Have a friend who'd like this email? |
|
|
|
Center for Biological Diversity | Saving Life on Earth
Donate now to support the Center's work.
Photo credits: Florida Keys mole skink by Jonathan Mays/Flickr (used with permission); Tecopa bird’s beak by Patrick Donnelly/Center for Biological Diversity; juvenile Cook Inlet beluga whale by Paul Wade/NOAA Fisheries; ivory-billed woodpecker illustration from The Birds of North America courtesy the Biodiversity Heritage Library; U.S. Capitol by Harold Mendoza/Unsplash; coyote howling by Ron Wheeler/USFWS; freshwater cave snail (Erhaia dijiang) by Yue-Ming He et al., Subterranean Biology 2026.
View our privacy policy. |
Center for Biological Diversity
P.O. Box 710
Tucson, AZ 85702
United States |
|
| |
|
