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Jaguar photo by Tierra Curry/Center for Biological Diversity.
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Viewing recent news releases in the Southeast Region program.
Challenge Vowed After Court Stalls Everglades Detention Center Shutdown
MIAMI— A federal appeals court today paused a lower court order that required the state of Florida and the Trump administration to wind down environmentally destructive activities at a mass detention center in Big Cypress National Preserve known as “Alligator Alcatraz.”
Read more.Southern Hognose Snake Proposed for Endangered Species Act Protection
RALEIGH, N.C.— In a legal victory for the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed today to list the southern hognose snake as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. However, the proposed listing decision exempts logging and herbicide use and fails to provide critical habitat for these snakes.
Read more.Lawsuit Aims to Protect Rare Southeastern Pinesnake
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity sued the Trump administration today for failing to protect the Florida pinesnake under the Endangered Species Act. The pinesnake lives in South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Alabama.
Read more.Endangered Species Protection Sought for Rare Virginia Salamander
ROANOKE, Va.— The Center for Biological Diversity today petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the imperiled Dixie Caverns salamander under the Endangered Species Act. These salamanders are found in just three locations in Roanoke County, Virginia, and are threatened by deforestation, development, disease and climate change.
Read more.Judge to Hear Arguments on Red Wolf Endangered Species Protections
RALEIGH, N.C.— The Center for Biological Diversity will present oral arguments Wednesday in a federal court case that will decide whether the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service unlawfully refused to increase federal Endangered Species Act protections for critically endangered red wolves. The wolves are currently classified as a “nonessential” population, affording them fewer protections.
Read more.Tennessee’s Barrens Darter Proposed for Endangered Species Protection
NASHVILLE, Tenn.― In response to decades of advocacy by the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today proposed to protect the Barrens darter as an endangered species. Named for its home on the Barrens Plateau of central Tennessee, the darter is one of North America’s most imperiled fish.
Read more.Trump Administration Proposes Ditching Coal Mine Safety Protections
WASHINGTON— The Trump administration’s Department of the Interior has issued a proposal to roll back improvements made in 2024 to a rule that allows the public to request federal inspections of coal mines to address environmental, health and safety issues when states fail to force coal companies to correct violations. The rule is crucial for communities that often find state regulatory enforcement lacking.
Read more.Scorecard Highlights Pharma Companies Ending Use of Horseshoe Crab Blood
BALTIMORE— A new scorecard ranks the top pharmaceutical companies by their transition away from horseshoe crab blood used in drug safety testing. Horseshoe crab blood is used to detect toxins in a drug or vaccine but a synthetic alternative is safer and more reliable. Nine companies are already transitioning to synthetics.
Read more.Legal Agreement Sets Deadlines to Protect Bog Turtle, Roughhead Shiner
ASHEVILLE, N.C.— The Center for Biological Diversity and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reached an agreement today that requires the agency to make decisions on protecting two imperiled southern species under the Endangered Species Act. The Service must decide whether to protect southern bog turtles and roughhead shiners by October 2028.
Read more.Lawsuit Aims to Protect Nantahala-Pisgah Forest From Destructive Logging Plan
ASHEVILLE, N.C.— A coalition of conservation groups today sued the Trump administration over the U.S. Forest Service’s Nantahala-Pisgah forest plan. The plan allows for a five-fold increase in logging that violates federal law by overlooking harms to forests, water quality and wildlife.
Read more.Maryland Court Orders Release of Hidden Horseshoe Crab Mortality Data
ANNAPOLIS, Md.— A judge in Maryland today sided with the Center for Biological Diversity in a lawsuit arguing that the Maryland Department of Natural Resources must release its data on horseshoe crab deaths. The ruling states the agency must produce all relevant government records within 30 days.
Read more.U.S. Restricts Salamander Imports to Protect Species From Deadly Disease
WASHINGTON— In response to a petition from the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced final rules restricting the importation of salamanders for the pet trade. The restriction is designed to prevent introduction of the deadly fungus Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans, or Bsal, into the United States.
Read more.Reward Raised to $15,000 for Information on Bald Eagle Killing in Alabama
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.— The Center for Biological Diversity today increased the reward to $15,000 for information leading to a conviction in the illegal killing of a bald eagle in northern Alabama. The mature American bald eagle was found with several shotgun pellets lodged in the carcass, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Read more.$25 Million Federal Grant Awarded for Red Wolf Crossings
RALEIGH, N.C.— The Federal Highway Administration today announced a $25 million grant for North Carolina to build wildlife crossings that will help save critically endangered Red Wolves. Only 16 red wolves remain in the wild, and vehicle collisions have become their leading cause of mortality.
Read more.Forest Service Urged to Update N.C.’s Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Plan in Wake of Hurricane Helene
ASHEVILLE, N.C.— Conservation groups sent a letter Tuesday urging the U.S. Forest Service to amend the Nantahala-Pisgah forest plan because of the tremendous damage from Hurricane Helene to North Carolina’s Nantahala and Pisgah national forests.
Read more.Scorecard Will Grade Drug Companies on Phaseout of Horseshoe Crab Harvest
WILMINGTON, Del.— A coalition of pharmaceutical companies and conservation groups launched the Sustainability Scorecard for Endotoxin Testing to accelerate the adoption of synthetic alternatives to horseshoe crab blood, which is used for safety testing in vaccines and injectable drugs.
Read more.Lawsuit Aims to Protect North America’s Tiniest Turtle in Southern Appalachia
ASHEVILLE, N.C.— The Center for Biological Diversity sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today for delaying critically needed Endangered Species Act protections for the southern bog turtle and roughhead shiner.
Read more.Rare Southeast Flower Gets Endangered Species Protection in Georgia, South Carolina
ATLANTA— The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today issued a final rule to protect the Ocmulgee skullcap as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The Service also designated 6,661 acres of critical habitat for the flower in Georgia and South Carolina.
Read more.Endangered Species Act Protection Sought for Diamondback Terrapins
BALTIMORE, Md.— The Center for Biological Diversity and 20 partner organizations petitioned NOAA Fisheries today to protect diamondback terrapins as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Aquatic turtles who live primarily in coastal marshes and estuaries from Massachusetts to Texas, these animals have declined by 75% across most of their range in the past 50 years.
Read more.Five Red Wolf Pups Die After Vehicle Kills Their Father in North Carolina
RALEIGH, N.C.— Five endangered red wolf pups have died after their father was killed by a vehicle in their last remaining refuge in eastern North Carolina, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service confirmed today.
Read more.Kentucky Mussel Proposed for Endangered Species Act Protections
BOWLING GREEN, Ky.— The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today proposed to protect the Kentucky creekshell as endangered under the Endangered Species Act and designated 545 river miles of critical habitat in Kentucky and Tennessee.
Read more.Rare Southeast Freshwater Mussels to Receive Endangered Species Act Protection
NEW ORLEANS— The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today proposed to protect the Alabama hickorynut in the Mobile Basin as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The agency also proposed to protect a newly identified freshwater mussel species in Louisiana and Mississippi as threatened.
Read more.Reward Raised to $15,000 for Info on Texas Bald Eagle Nest Destruction
DALLAS— The Center for Biological Diversity today increased the reward to $15,000 for information leading to a conviction for the illegal destruction of an active bald eagle nest north of Dallas.
Read more.Alabama Shad One Step Closer to Endangered Species Protection
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.— NOAA Fisheries announced today that the Alabama shad may warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act. Alabama shad have been completely wiped out from 60 of the 75 Southeast and Midwest rivers they once inhabited, and now they’re rarely found across their once vast range from Oklahoma to Florida.
Read more.Lawsuit Launched to Protect Gulf Sturgeon from Dredging Project in Alabama’s Mobile Bay
MOBILE, Ala.— Mobile Baykeeper and the Center for Biological Diversity notified the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers today that they intend to sue over the Corps’ failure to protect threatened Gulf sturgeon from a massive dredging project in Alabama’s Mobile Bay. Gulf sturgeon are ancient animals capable of growing 9 feet long and weighing 385 pounds.
Read more.Pearl River Map Turtles Finally Protected in Mississippi, Louisiana
JACKSON, Miss.— In response to a 2010 petition from the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a final rule today protecting the Pearl River map turtle as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The final rule delays designating protections for the places the turtles live for one year.
Read more.Forest Service Urged to Better Protect Eastern Old-Growth, Mature Forests in New Plan
WASHINGTON— Environmental groups urged the U.S. Forest Service today to revisit new proposed forest management guidelines because they fail to provide enough protection, including against logging, for old-growth trees and forests in the Eastern United States.
Read more.Endangered Tennessee Fish Earns 11 Miles of Proposed Stream Protection
NASHVILLE, Tenn.— In response to decades of advocacy from the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today proposed to protect critical habitat for the endangered Barrens topminnow, an iridescent green fish from central Tennessee. The proposal includes 1.5 acres of spring pools and 11.4 miles of flowing springs in Cannon, Coffee, Dekalb, Franklin, Grundy and Warren counties.
Read more.Petition Seeks Endangered Species Protection for Alabama’s Stippled Studfish
ATLANTA— The Center for Biological Diversity today petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect a rare freshwater fish called the stippled studfish under the Endangered Species Act.
Read more.U.S. Forest Service Agrees to Protect Nantahala Forest From Logging
ASHEVILLE, N.C.— The U.S. Forest Service announced Friday that it will scrap plans to log a biologically important area of North Carolina’s Nantahala National Forest near the Whitewater River. The announcement came nearly six months after the Center for Biological Diversity and allies sued the agency over the planned logging.
Read more.$2 Million Offered for Wildlife Crossings to Protect Endangered Red Wolves
RALEIGH, N.C.— An anonymous donor has pledged a $2 million match to fund wildlife crossings across a North Carolina highway that’s especially deadly to critically endangered red wolves. The Center for Biological Diversity, Wildlands Network and coalition partners aim to raise $2 million in matching funds by October 31.
Read more.Lawsuit Demands Maryland’s Crucial Horseshoe Crab Death, Injury Data
ANNAPOLIS, Md.— The Center for Biological Diversity today sued the Maryland Department of Natural Resources under the state’s Public Information Act for failing to release information detailing exactly how thousands of horseshoe crabs are killed, bled or injured by pharmaceutical companies and fishermen annually.
Read more.Lawsuit Seeks Protection for Rare Tennessee Salamander
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.— The Southern Environmental Law Center, on behalf of the Center for Biological Diversity, sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today for denying Endangered Species Act protections to East Tennessee’s imperiled Berry Cave salamander.
Read more.Beloved Red Wolf Killed by Vehicle Strike in North Carolina
RALEIGH, N.C.— A beloved juvenile red wolf named Muppet has been killed by a vehicle strike, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced this week.
Read more.Tuscarora Nation of North Carolina Names Four Endangered Red Wolves
RALEIGH, N.C.— The Tuscarora Nation of North Carolina provided names for four critically endangered red wolves: a breeding male and female and their two daughters. They make up one of only two packs of red wolves in the wild.
Read more.Lawsuit Challenges National Forest Logging’s Threats to North Carolina Wildlife
ASHEVILLE, N.C.— A coalition of conservation groups sued the U.S. Forest Service today for failing to protect endangered bats in the Nantahala-Pisgah national forests from massively expanded logging allowed under the agency’s new forest plan.
Read more.Reward Raised to $15,000 for Info on Louisiana Whooping Crane Killing
NEW ORLEANS— The Center for Biological Diversity today increased the total reward to $15,000 for information leading to a conviction in the illegal killing of a whooping crane in Mamou, Louisiana.
Read more.Lawsuit Seeks Protection for Imperiled Arkansas Mudalia Snails
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today seeking Endangered Species Act protections for the Arkansas mudalia. The Arkansas mudalia is a critically imperiled freshwater snail found only in a few sites in Arkansas and Missouri, including along the North Fork River.
Read more.Lawsuit Launched Over Critical Habitat Delay for Threatened Louisiana Pinesnake
NEW ORLEANS— The Center for Biological Diversity notified the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today that it intends to sue over the agency’s failure to finalize critical habitat for the Louisiana pinesnake.
Read more.Endangered Species Act Protections Sought for American Horseshoe Crabs
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.— The Center for Biological Diversity and 22 partner organizations petitioned NOAA Fisheries today to list the American horseshoe crab as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. Horseshoe crab populations have crashed in recent decades because of overharvesting and habitat loss.
Read more.Lawsuit Seeks to Protect Nantahala National Forest From Logging
ASHEVILLE, N.C.— Conservation groups have sued the U.S. Forest Service, arguing that the agency’s plans to log a sensitive area of the Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina violate federal law.
Read more.Rare Appalachian Salamander Moves Closer to Endangered Species Protection
CHARLESTON, W.Va.— The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that it would consider protecting the yellow-spotted woodland salamander under the Endangered Species Act. The agency now has 12 months to decide whether to protect the salamander, which only lives in an Appalachian rock outcrops targeted by coal mining.
Read more.EPA to Consider Adding Chapel Hill Coal Ash Dump to Superfund Cleanup List
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.— The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has granted the Center for Biological Diversity’s petition requesting that the agency investigate whether the town of Chapel Hill’s coal ash dump should be cleaned up under the national Superfund program. The contaminated property at issue in the EPA’s Jan. 12 decision is surrounded by housing, businesses and wildlife habitat.
Read more.Lawsuit Launched to Protect Rare North Carolina Salamander
ASHEVILLE, N.C.— The Center for Biological Diversity filed a formal notice today of its intent to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for failing to decide whether the Hickory Nut Gorge green salamander could warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act.
Read more.Lawsuit Launched to Protect Rare Appalachian Salamander
CHARLESTON, W.Va.— The Center for Biological Diversity filed a formal notice today of its intent to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for failing to decide whether the yellow-spotted woodland salamander could warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act.
Read more.North Atlantic Right Whale Calf, Member of Critically Endangered Species, Likely to Die From Vessel Strike Injuries
EDISTO, S.C.— A two-month-old right whale calf whose head, mouth and lips were split open by a boat propeller was seen off South Carolina on Jan. 6. Fishermen who sighted the calf recognized the whale was injured and provided video and images to NOAA Fisheries.
Read more.Lawsuit Seeks to Protect Candy Darter From West Virginia Coal Hauling
WASHINGTON— Conservation groups sued the U.S. Forest Service today for failing to protect streams in the Cherry River watershed from the harmful effects of coal hauling in the Monongahela National Forest. Coal hauling imperils the critically endangered candy darter as well as nearby habitat for other endangered species.
Read more.Wide-Ranging Fish Petitioned for Endangered Species Act Protections
MOBILE, Ala.— The Center for Biological Diversity and 12 partner organizations petitioned NOAA Fisheries today to list the Alabama shad as an endangered species. The Alabama shad has disappeared from 90% of its range, and its few remaining populations are declining steeply.
Read more.Rare Alabama Fish Proposed for Endangered Species Protection
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.— Following 13 years of advocacy by the Center for Biological Diversity and allies, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today proposed to protect coal darters as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
Read more.Rare West Virginia Salamander Proposed for Endangered Species Protection
CHARLESTON, W.Va.— Following 13 years of advocacy by the Center for Biological Diversity and allies, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today proposed to protect the West Virginia spring salamander as endangered. The Service also proposed designating 2.2 miles of caves and streams in Greenbrier County as critical habitat for the endangered salamander.
Read more.Reward Raised to $10,000 for Info on Tennessee Bald Eagle Shooting
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.— The Center for Biological Diversity today increased the reward to $10,000 for information leading to a conviction for the illegal shooting of a bald eagle in eastern Tennessee.
Read more.Lawsuit Filed to Save Imperiled Appalachian Species From Coal Mining
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Center for Biological Diversity and Appalachian Voices today sued the U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for failing to protect highly imperiled wildlife from the devastating harms of coal mining in Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia.
Read more.Petition Seeks Endangered Species Act Protection for Coastal Black-Throated Green Warbler
WILMINGTON, N.C.— The Center for Biological Diversity and partners today filed a legal petition with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the coastal black-throated green warbler (also known as Wayne’s warbler) under the Endangered Species Act. As few as 1,000 of these colorful birds remain in only a few fragmented wetland forests in the Carolinas and Virginia.
Read more.Female Horseshoe Crabs Spared for Another Year in Delaware Bay
DOVER, Del.— The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission decided this week to forgo a 2024 bait harvest of female horseshoe crabs in Delaware Bay, where the crabs’ eggs provide a critical food source for endangered migratory shorebirds.
Read more.EPA Pressed to Add Chapel Hill Coal Ash Dump to Superfund List
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.— The Center for Biological Diversity today petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to investigate whether the town of Chapel Hill’s coal ash dump should be cleaned up under the national Superfund program.
Read more.Lawsuit Challenges ‘Nonessential’ Designation of Last Wild Red Wolf Population
RALEIGH, N.C.— The Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit today challenging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to classify the world’s last wild population of red wolves as ‘nonessential.’
Read more.Lawsuit Seeks Endangered Species Protection for Rare Fish in Georgia, Tennessee
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today for denying Endangered Species Act protection to the bridled darter.
Read more.Endangered Species Protection Sought for Rare Cave Millipede in Virginia
BLACKSBURG, Va.— The Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today to protect the Ellett Valley millipede under the Endangered Species Act.
Read more.Ohio to Consider Strongest Clean Water Act Protections for Two Rivers
COLUMBUS, Ohio— The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency announced today that it will consider recategorizing Big Darby Creek and Little Darby Creek as Outstanding National Resource Waters — the strongest level of protection under the Clean Water Act.
Read more.Four Freshwater Mussels, One Crayfish Proposed for Endangered Species Protection
NASHVILLE, Tenn.— In response to a legal petition and lawsuit from the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today proposed to protect four freshwater mussels and a crayfish under the Endangered Species Act. The Center and its allies petitioned for protection of all five species in 2010.
Read more.Rare Alabama Mussel Saved From Certain Extinction
STEELE, Ala.— The Center for Biological Diversity and allies celebrated a win today when Alabama Power filed a petition to surrender its preliminary permit for the Chandler Mountain pumped storage project.
Read more.North Carolina’s Magnificent Ramshorn Snail Receives Endangered Species Act Protections
WILMINGTON, N.C.— In response to a petition and lawsuit from the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today issued a final rule protecting North Carolina’s magnificent ramshorn snail as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The agency also designated two ponds and 739 acres in the Cape Fear River watershed as critical habitat for the snail.
Read more.Reward Raised to $15,000 for Information on Red Wolf Killing in North Carolina
RALEIGH, N.C.— The Center for Biological Diversity today increased the reward to $15,000 for information leading to a successful prosecution in the illegal killing of an endangered red wolf in Washington County, North Carolina.
Read more.Lawsuit Launched to Protect Nantahala-Pisgah Forest in North Carolina From Destructive Logging
ASHEVILLE, N.C.— Conservation groups filed a formal notice of their intent to sue the U.S. Forest Service to protect the Nantahala-Pisgah National Forest from a disastrous forest plan that threatens imperiled species, including endangered bats.
Read more.Lawsuit Launched Over Denial of Endangered Species Protection to Bridled Darter
ATLANTA, Ga.— The Center for Biological Diversity has just notified the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service it intends to sue the agency for denying Endangered Species Act protection to a fish called the bridled darter.
Read more.Dozens of Southern Animals, Plants Closer to Endangered Species Protections
WASHINGTON— In response to a lawsuit by the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today agreed to issue long overdue decisions on whether 31 Southeast and two Southwest animals and plants warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act.
Read more.Hundreds of Different Species Identified in Craggy Mountains BioBlitz in North Carolina
ASHEVILLE, N.C.— The Center for Biological Diversity and its partners recently completed a bioblitz in the proposed Craggy National Scenic Area that identified more than 1,600 organisms and 647 species. Dozens of expert naturalists and hundreds of community scientists teamed up to explore the Craggy Mountains in North Carolina and identify as many plant and animal species as possible.
Read more.Rare Southern Mussel Proposed for Endangered Species Protections
COLUMBUS, Ga.— Following a decade of advocacy by the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today proposed to list the southern elktoe mussel as endangered. The Service also proposed to designate 578 river miles in Alabama, Georgia and Florida as critical habitat.
Read more.