Senate Approves Slaughter in Alaska Wildlife Refuges

Senate Republicans this week passed a resolution to strip federal safeguards from wolves, bears and other predators on national wildlife refuges in Alaska, allowing the unsportsmanlike killing of wolves and their pups in their dens and the gunning down of bears and their cubs at bait stations.

Joint Resolution 69, passed on Tuesday, repealed protections put in place by the Obama administration in 2016.

"This isn't hunting -- it's slaughter," said Brett Hartl with the Center for Biological Diversity. "Killing wolves and bears in this cruel fashion is outrageous, especially in national wildlife refuges. Repealing protections also undermines predators' critical ecosystem role. The Center will continue its fight to defend these important animals."

Read more in The Huffington Post.

Join the March for the Peoples Climate Movement April 29

April 29 is the March for the Peoples Climate Movement, with sister marches taking place around the country -- our chance to hit the streets and raise our voices for action on the climate crisis.

The Trump administration has already started dismantling key climate wins from recent years. We need to show massive opposition to this dangerous agenda. So Center staff and supporters will be at the march in Washington, D.C., and you're invited to march with us. If you're not in D.C., we encourage you to find and attend a march near you.

This is a critical moment in history -- and to change everything, we need the participation of everyone.

What's Really at Stake in Our Beautiful Borderlands

The Center has joined with the Borderlands Project, the International League of Conservation Photographers and other conservation groups in launching "Embattled Borderlands," a story-map project that combines stunningly beautiful photography with cutting-edge mapping and scientific research to tell the story of the border wall and the harm it would do.

From jaguars and ocelots to Sonoran pronghorn and desert tortoise, the U.S.-Mexico borderlands harbor a wildly diverse and complex web of life. Trump's border wall would divide human and animal communities and do egregious damage to both.

Check out the story map and read more in The Huffington Post.

Ethics Complaint Targets EPA Chief Scott Pruitt

The Center filed a formal ethics complaint this week with the Oklahoma Bar Association against new EPA chief Scott Pruitt, seeking an investigation into whether the Trump-appointed climate denier lied to Congress while under oath.

The investigation would target possible ethical violations stemming from Pruitt's misrepresentation to senators of his use of a personal email address, during his tenure as Oklahoma attorney general, for official business -- an act that can expose government records to theft and hacking.

"Lawyers and public servants must adhere to the strictest ethical standards," said Amy Atwood, a senior attorney at the Center. "The Oklahoma Bar should investigate Pruitt's apparent carelessness with the truth."

Read more in our press release.

Scientist Panel: Decision That Roundup's Safe May Be Flawed

A new report by a key scientific advisory panel rebuked the EPA last week for failing to follow its own guidelines when it found last year that glyphosate -- the active ingredient in Monsanto's flagship pesticide Roundup -- isn't likely to cause cancer in people.

The panel remained split on whether the EPA's conclusion was justified; some of its scientists believe there's evidence of carcinogenic potential. Glyphosate is the most heavily used herbicide in the United States -- 220 million pounds in 2015 alone.

"When the pesticide office doesn't even follow its own guidelines in determining the safety of glyphosate, how can we trust its conclusions?" said Nathan Donley, a senior scientist at the Center.

Read more in our press release.

The Earth2Trump Roadshow of Resistance presents six free shows in the Northeast this April, featuring inspiring music by Lyla June and Casey Neill and empowering speeches and calls to action by Cheryl Angel -- a Lakota elder fighting the Dakota Access and Keystone XL pipelines -- and the Center's Brytnee Laurette. Join us in celebrating our strength and resisting Trump's dangerous agenda.

Watch the #Earth2Trump roadshow video on Facebook or YouTube, then visit the #Earth2Trump website for more details and to RSVP.

Wild & Weird: Giant Haboobs in Arizona

"Haboob" is an Arabic term meaning strong or blasting wind, used by meteorologists to describe a kind of massive dust storm that occurs in deserts like the U.S. Southwest, Saharan North Africa and Arabian Peninsula.

Haboobs form when a thunderstorm collapses and pushes desert sediment up into vast walls of dust -- as high as 6,000 feet and 50 miles wide -- that can travel at speeds up to 60 mph.

Phoenix, Ariz., and surrounding areas are famous for big haboobs.

Experience these unique dust storms rolling through the Sonoran desert and enveloping a major metropolitan area in our new video on Facebook or YouTube.