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Humpback whales
Center for     Biological     Diversity   

A Historic Win for Whales and Sea Turtles

We're celebrating the news this week that whales, sea turtles and other endangered animals will be hurt and killed less often by crabbing gear off California's coast.

A landmark agreement just signed between the Center for Biological Diversity, the state and the fishing industry will require crabbing gear to be removed from the water while whales are most likely to be swimming there. It will lead to new conservation rules, promotion of safer ropeless fishing and a requirement that California seek an Endangered Species Act permit for its crab fishery.

The settlement follows a 2017 lawsuit we filed after a drastic increase West Coast whale entanglements. Ropes connected to heavy crab traps wrap around whales and sea turtles, cutting them, weakening them and sometimes drowning them.

"This agreement is a turning point that gets us closer to zero entanglements," said Center Senior Attorney Kristen Monsell.

Read more in the San Francisco Chronicle.

San Joaquin kit fox pups

Bernhardt Helped Suppress Damning Pesticides Report

David Bernhardt, President Trump's nominee to be the next secretary of the Interior, helped quash a federal report showing that a pesticide called chlorpyrifos jeopardized 1,399 endangered species, says a Wednesday front-page New York Times piece.

The story — based partly on documents the Center uncovered via the Freedom of Information Act — is a stunning indictment of Bernhardt, whose nomination was the subject of a U.S. Senate hearing today. The story also led House Democrats to immediately order the release of the suppressed report. And 160-plus conservation groups, including the Center, just sent a letter to senators urging them to oppose his confirmation.

"It's painfully clearer than ever that Bernhardt is totally unfit to run the Interior Department," said Lori Ann Burd, our Environmental Health program director.

Read the Times story and our press release.

Get Toxic Pesticides Out of National Wildlife Refuges

Whooping cranes

The United States' 562 national wildlife refuges are the world's largest collection of lands set aside specifically to preserve imperiled animals. But industrial-scale farming has become common on refuge lands. And with it come highly toxic pesticides and pesticide-treated seeds that threaten sensitive habitats and wildlife.

Sign our petition demanding that Trump remove toxic agricultural pesticides from wildlife refuges.

Laiken Jordahl

Construction of Trump's border wall continues. In this #BorderViews video, Center Borderlands Campaigner Laiken Jordahl reveals devastation in the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge. Here some of the best remaining habitat for South Texas wildlife is being bulldozed and turned into mulch to make way for the destructive wall. Watch the video on Facebook or YouTube.

Gray wolf

Demand an End to the War on Wolves

The future of America's wolves is being decided right now.

The Trump administration is taking comments on its official plan to strip protection from wolves throughout the lower 48 states.

Here's why this is so important: After being driven to the brink of extinction, wolves today only live in a small fraction of their historic range in the lower 48. The feds' plan would pull the plug on 40 years of wolf recovery and leave these incredible animals vulnerable to trophy hunts, trapping, poisoning and persecution.

Take a moment to tell the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that you oppose this wolf plan. Then check out this great Chicago Tribune editorial and sign up for our Call of the Wild campaign.

March Madness Mascots That Really Need Cheering

Anteater

Have you ever rooted for a sports team based solely on its cute, cool or weirdly wonderful wildlife mascot?

Well, Sarah Baillie has, and this season our Endangered Species Condom coordinator is going all the way — cheering on teams whose mascots are actually imperiled in the wild. Some of them will surprise you. (Turtles and anteaters come to mind.)

Read more on Medium.

Will You Choose the Center on Arizona Gives Day?

Saguaro and bobcat

Next Tuesday, April 2, is Arizona Gives Day. Since its inception, this annual day of online giving to Arizona nonprofits has raised more than $13.4 million. It boosts awareness about the role nonprofits play in creating a stronger Arizona for all.

The Center is proud to call Arizona our headquarters' home, and we encourage our supporters to take part in this important day of charity if they're able. If you participate, will you consider giving to the Center?

You can schedule your gift now or give on the big day itself. Thank you!

El Jefe

Suit Filed to Save Arizona Waters, Wild From Rosemont Mine

The Center and allies on Wednesday sued the Trump administration to overturn a key permit for the controversial Rosemont Copper Mine, proposed in southern Arizona.

The mine would destroy more than 5,000 acres, including jaguar habitat. About 4,000 of those acres would be covered in waste dumps, an open pit, and a processing plant and infrastructure.

"The decision to betray southern Arizona and greenlight this disaster won't stand," said the Center's Randy Serraglio. "We'll fight for Tucson's water security and the jaguars, ocelots and other wildlife that call the Santa Rita Mountains home."

Read more in the Arizona Daily Star and consider making a donation to our Wildlife and Wild Places Defense Fund.

Revelator: Could Mineral Supplements Stop Elephant Deaths?

Elephant

Human populations keep increasing, forcing big herbivores like African elephants into smaller and smaller areas. That means it's increasingly important we reduce conflicts between people and these intelligent goliaths, which can eat up to 600 pounds of vegetation a day. In The Revelator this week, a recent study offers a way in, revealing that elephants' search for nutritional minerals helps determine their migration paths.

Read the article and sign up for The Revelator's weekly newsletter.

Southern Resident killer whale

Take Action: Speak Up for Endangered Orcas

Washington's Southern Resident killer whales feed mainly on Chinook salmon — but salmon runs have been declining, leaving the orcas to starve. They also face serious threats from boat traffic and noise — which disrupt their feeding and communication — and water pollution.

The Center and allies are working hard to restore the orcas' salmon runs long-term and address the environmental challenges they face. But we also need to make sure there's salmon for them to eat right now.

Tell federal fishery officials to make sure there's enough salmon for these killer whales in the coming year.

Warty comb jelly

Wild & Weird: Transient Anus May Be Missing Link

What if we told you that a species called the warty comb jelly — besides having a cool name and translucent flesh — also seems to be packing a transient anus? Which forms for defecation purposes but then — poof! — vanishes? Invisible even under a powerful microscope?

According to scientists the recent discovery of this intermittent anus may represent a missing link in the evolution of the more common permanent anus, which we humans, and most other animals, trot around with every day.

Find out more about the jelly's on-demand anus at NewScientist and check out our video on YouTube.

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Photo credits: Humpback whale and calf courtesy NOAA; San Joaquin kit fox pups courtesy USFWS; whooping cranes by Klaus Nigge/USFWS; Laiken Jordahl; gray wolf by Isster17/Wikimedia; anteater by snapman50/Flickr; saguaro and bobcat courtesy NPS; jaguar "El Jefe" courtesy USFWS; elephant by Benjamin Hollis; Southern Resident killer whale by Miles Ritter/Flickr; warty comb jelly by amayu/Flickr.


Center for Biological Diversity
P.O. Box 710
Tucson, AZ 85702
United States