Victory: A Safe Future for Yellowstone Grizzlies

We're still buzzing with excitement over Monday's historic court ruling that restored Endangered Species Act protection to Yellowstone grizzlies.

The federal judge's decision to overturn a 2017 Trump administration order that stripped protection from these threatened bears is a massive victory. The Center for Biological Diversity, with our environmental and tribal allies, has been fighting that order since it was issued. Monday's decision not only returns protection but also halts plans in Wyoming and Idaho to hunt more than 20 bears.

Thanks to everyone who helped with this fight. We couldn't have done it without you.

But we fully expect the Trump administration to appeal this decision — and your gift to our Predator Defense Fund will help us defend this lifesaving victory.

A Crucial Win for Pacific Fishers

Thanks to another court victory won by the Center and allies, Pacific fishers now have a better shot at Endangered Species Act protection.

Relatives of minks and otters, Pacific fishers once lived in forests from British Columbia to Southern California. But intense logging and trapping drove their numbers way down, and now only two naturally occurring populations are left in California and Oregon.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed federal protection for the fishers in 2014, but in 2016 arbitrarily withdrew that proposal. So we challenged the decision, and a judge just ruled the agency must reconsider by March 2019. Hopefully that means these amazing, forest-dwelling creatures will finally get the protections they so badly need.

Read more in High Country News.

Do you live in Cincinnati? Join us tonight for the unveiling of the 17th installment in the Center's national Endangered Species Mural Project. The 1,000-square-foot mural of an Indiana bat was painted by Mural Project Director Roger Peet and two ArtWorks Cincinnati youth apprentices.

Unique Coral in Hawaii Moves Toward U.S. Protection

Hawaii's cauliflower coral, devastated by ocean warming, could soon be federally protected thanks to a Center petition.

The National Marine Fisheries Service has just announced that this beautiful shallow-water coral — named for the clusters it forms, usually green, pink or cream-colored — may warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act. The coral has been particularly vulnerable to bleaching episodes on reefs worldwide.

"Cauliflower corals are in crisis, so this is great news. We need to take care of our coral reefs to maintain a healthy biodiversity in our oceans," said Maxx Phillips, the Center's Hawaii director. A proposal for protection could come early next year.

Dive deeper in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

Appeal Filed Over U.S. Base That Would Hurt Dugongs

The Center and allies — both American and Okinawan — on Monday appealed a court ruling allowing construction of a U.S. military base on the Japanese island that promises to destroy crucial habitat for the last remaining Okinawa dugongs, critically endangered manatee relatives. The district court's August ruling overlooked key procedural and public-participation requirements of the U.S. National Historic Preservation Act.

"This could be our last chance to save the dugong. The court should compel the U.S. military to follow the law and not wipe out these amazing animals," said Center cofounder Peter Galvin. "The Trump administration can't ignore the devastating harm of building a military base in these beautiful coastal waters."

Get details in The Japan Times.

Share Condoms With a Conservation Message on Halloween

What's scarier than ghosts, ghouls and zombies? Extinction.

Species are disappearing at an unprecedented rate, and one of the biggest drivers of the sixth mass extinction is our runaway population growth. With more than 7.6 billion people on the planet, our demands for land, water and other resources are truly terrifying for wildlife.

But this Halloween you can help. Sign up to give away free Endangered Species Condoms at a costume party or other Halloween event, and get your friends, neighbors and coworkers talking about how safe sex can save endangered species. Please sign up by Oct. 5 to ensure your condoms arrive before the witching hour.

Wild & Weird: A Bobcat and Coyote Walk Into a Bar...

Water in the desert is so precious it can bring together so-called enemies.

Recently a trail camera set up in an Arizona backyard captured remarkable footage of a coyote and bobcat. In a precarious truce, the unlikely cat-and-dog duo takes a drink side by side — until a javelina startles them both.

Check out our video on Facebook or YouTube. (Turn on the sound to hear the slurps and stay till the end to see the javelina.)