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Beaver
Center for     Biological     Diversity   

Victory for Beavers, Other Wildlife in Oregon

Chalk up a win: In response to legal action by the Center for Biological Diversity and allies, the Trump administration's wildlife-killing program has agreed to stop killing Oregon's beavers, river otters, muskrats and mink.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services also promised to work under the Endangered Species Act to analyze the program's effect on endangered fish like salmon and steelhead. Despite the fact that beavers benefit these fish, in 2016 Wildlife Services killed 400 beavers.

"Wildlife Services' recent commitment is good news for beavers, salmon and everyone who cares about them," said the Center's Collette Adkins. "We'll keep the pressure on Wildlife Services to make sure beavers are protected, not persecuted."

Your support makes this work happen, so thank you. Read more in USA TODAY, and learn about our work to make Wildlife Services stop killing wildlife.

Canada lynx

Trump Decides to Strip Protection From Canada Lynx

Trump's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service just announced plans to strip endangered species protection from Canada lynx, claiming they've recovered — despite ongoing threats to the great snow cats, especially from climate change.

The agency was supposed to finish a recovery plan, and has no idea how many lynx occur across the animals' range, but instead decided to strip safeguards away.

"The lynx is the latest victim of the Trump administration's ruthless disregard for rare and vanishing wildlife," said the Center's Andrea Santarsiere. "The science doesn't support this sad and shocking move. With lynx facing climate change, continued trapping and habitat lost to logging, there's no way protections for this beautiful cat should be removed."

Read more in our press release.

Take Action: Protect Whales From Crab Traps

Entangled whale

Thousands of vertical fishing lines off the West Coast create a dangerous labyrinth that whales must navigate to complete their migrations. These lines get caught on whale tails and flukes, leading to laceration, infection, and death by starvation or drowning.

The problem has worsened in recent years. Please take a moment right now to demand immediate reforms of California fishery practices to protect marine wildlife.

Dr. Rebecca Hernandez

UC Davis Professor to Get E.O. Wilson Conservation Award

The Center is giving its fifth annual E.O. Wilson Award for Outstanding Science in Biodiversity Conservation to Dr. Rebecca R. Hernandez for working to protect desert lands and wildlife and advocating for sustainable renewable-energy development.

"We're honored to present this award to Dr. Hernandez for promoting smart solar energy that safeguards our climate and precious desert landscapes," said Kierán Suckling, the Center's executive director. "Her willingness to speak out to protect wildlife and wild places sets an example of the crucial role scientists need to play in moving beyond research to advocate for the protection of life on Earth."

Hernandez, an assistant professor at the University of California, Davis, researches global environmental change, focusing on how renewable-energy development and policymaking can combine to address energy insecurity, climate change, water scarcity and environmental degradation.

Read more in our press release.

In The Revelator: The Human Face of Climate Change

Globe

Communicating truths about climate change can be difficult. One way to do it more effectively is by showing that climate change is affecting us now — and also showing how.

This week The Revelator consults with climate experts to do just that, helping put a "human face on the effects of climate change ... in ways we can see, feel and understand." There's a good chance this piece will help you better engage with others on this crucial issue.

Read more in The Revelator.

Suit Filed to Save Southern California Mountain Lions

California mountain lion

The Center and allies have sued the city of Temecula, Calif., for approving a housing development that could doom local mountain lions by cutting off their access to a critical wildlife corridor that allows them to travel between inland and coastal mountains.

The Santa Ana population of mountain lions is already very small — about 20 adult individuals. They suffer from lack of genetic diversity due to existing restrictions on their movements. But with your help, we've taken on the fight to save these rare cats.

Read more in our press release.

Women's March 2018

Women's March: Power to the Polls and the Planet

A year ago the Center joined an estimated 4 million others to protest Trump's inauguration in the Women's March, the largest single-day protest in U.S. history.

This year the Center will march at the National Women's March in Las Vegas on Sunday, Jan. 21, and the scores of sister marches — including in Los Angeles and Oakland, Calif. — occurring over the same weekend. We stand in solidarity with #PowerToThePolls, the Women's March campaign to register new voters and advocate for policies that reflect our own values: protecting our one and only planet.

Ready to march with us? Join the National Women's March in Vegas or a sister march near you.

Cliven Bundy

Interior Secretary Urged to Round Up Bundy Cows

The Center and allies are calling on Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to remove the cattle of rancher Cliven Bundy from public lands in Nevada.

U.S. District Court Judge Gloria Navarro last week dismissed all charges related to the 2014 Bunkerville standoff against Bundy and his sons. But she didn't exonerate the gun-wielding extremist for his two decades of illegal grazing on public lands — including what's now Gold Butte National Monument — from which he was ordered to remove his cows in 2013.

"The Trump administration's coddling violent zealots," said Patrick Donnelly, the Center's Nevada state director. "Zinke needs to take action to stop this criminal behavior. Bundy's robbing the American people and future generations."

Read more in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Nevada bighorn sheep

Tell the Air Force: Don't Bomb Bighorn Sheep

Encompassing 1.6 million acres of pristine Mojave Desert, Nevada's Desert National Wildlife Refuge was designated in 1936 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to protect the largest herd of desert bighorn sheep in the southwestern United States.

The U.S. Air Force is eyeing the vast majority of the refuge to use for military training and bomb tests. This land grab would destroy bighorn sheep habitat — and forever take these public lands out of public hands.

Take action: Tell the Air Force you don't want the refuge taken over for bomb tests.

Sun bear

Wild & Weird: Take a Look at the World's Smallest Bear

No species of bear is smaller than the sun bear, but don't let its size fool you. Packing oversized claws and an extremely long tongue, this Southeast Asian tropical teddy can be a terrifying hunter if you happen to be honey.

Check out our video of sun bears on Facebook, YouTube or Instagram.

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Photo credits: Beaver by Antranias/Pixabay; Canada lynx by Alan D. Wilson/Nature's Pics Online; entangled whale courtesy NOAA; photo of Dr. Rebecca R. Hernandez; globe by Slava Bowman/Unsplash; mountain lion courtesy California Department of Fish and Wildlife; graphic courtesy womensmarch.com; Cliven Bundy by Gage Skidmore/Flickr; Nevada bighorn sheep by James Marvin Phelps/Flickr; sun bear footage courtesy Forest Clay Productions.

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