endangered species

Massive Fracking on Nevada Public Lands Sought by Trump Administration, Conservation Groups Launch Legal Protest

Massive Fracking on Nevada Public Lands Sought by Trump Administration, Conservation Groups Launch Legal Protest

Three conservation groups filed an administrative protest Monday against an enormous Bureau of Land Management oil and gas lease auction, scheduled for Dec. 12, that would allow fracking on more than 600 square miles of Nevada public lands. The 388,000 acres in eastern Nevada includes important regional springs and groundwater and critical habitat for imperiled […]

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    Whales, Sea Turtles Threatened by Trump Administration Proposal

    Whales, Sea Turtles Threatened by Trump Administration Proposal

    The Trump administration proposed a rule Tuesday to federalize regulation of drift gillnets used to catch swordfish on the West Coast. The rule would end California’s right to prevent the deadly entanglements of sea turtles, whales and dolphins in these underwater, mile-long nets. The Obama administration last year proposed a rule that would shut down […]

    Dogs Are a Kiwi’s Best Friend (and Worst Enemy)

    Dogs Are a Kiwi’s Best Friend (and Worst Enemy)

    By Jason Bittel The kiwi is a small, flightless bird that spends most of the day underground. At night, these needle-billed, chicken-size floofs emerge to hunt insects, crayfish, seeds and fruit, but as they waddle through New Zealand’s forests, they create invisible scent trails. By morning, kiwis have often unwittingly led a predator back to […]

    Greenpeace Launches Campaign to Create ‘Largest Protected Area on Earth’

    Greenpeace Launches Campaign to Create ‘Largest Protected Area on Earth’

    Greenpeace has launched a global campaign for an Antarctic sanctuary, covering 1.8 million square kilometers (approximately .7 million square miles) of ocean, to protect whales, penguins and other wildlife. Following a failure to agree on strong marine protection in the East Antarctic, Greenpeace has called for governments to show “greater vision and ambition” in the […]

    First Vaquita Rescued in Bid to Save the Porpoise From Extinction

    First Vaquita Rescued in Bid to Save the Porpoise From Extinction

    A project to save a small, critically endangered porpoise called the vaquita in the Gulf of California succeeded in capturing a 6-month-old calf in mid-October. Veterinarians noticed signs of stress, so they made the decision to release it back into the wild, rather than keep it in a sea pen. The project’s leaders are heartened […]

    Snow Leopards Still Threatened by Consumer Demand for Skins and Body Parts

    Snow Leopards Still Threatened by Consumer Demand for Skins and Body Parts

    Today is International Snow Leopard Day, a global observance commemorating the signing of the Bishkek Declaration on the conservation of snow leopards in 2013. The snow leopard has been listed on the IUCN Red List as “Endangered” since 1986, although it recently had its threat status downgraded to “Vulnerable.” Despite this shift, snow leopards remain […]

    Oil Spills Pose Dire Threats to Marine Life

    Oil Spills Pose Dire Threats to Marine Life

    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says oil pipelines have no place in BC’s Great Bear Rainforest. Opponents of the approved Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion to the West Coast and the cancelled Energy East pipeline to the East Coast argue pipelines and tankers don’t belong in any coastal areas. Research led by the Raincoast Conservation Foundation confirms […]

    Why Are America’s Bats Disappearing?

    Why Are America’s Bats Disappearing?

    By John R. Platt It’s Friday evening in Pittsburgh, and the mosquitoes are out in force. One bites at my arm and I try to slap it away. Another takes the opportunity to land on my neck. I manage to shoo this one off before it tastes blood. I’m at Carrie Furnaces, a massive historic […]

    After a Half-Century, Tigers May Return to Kazakhstan

    After a Half-Century, Tigers May Return to Kazakhstan

    Wild tigers may be on their way back to Kazakhstan. This news is surprising for a few reasons. First, most people associate tigers with the jungles of India or Sumatra, even the snowy slopes of eastern Russia—not the dry landscapes of Central Asia. But Iran, Turkey and Kazakhstan were once home to thriving populations of […]