No. 1301, June 12, 2025

Wins Against California Pipeline, Arizona Land Exchange

Crucial victories in ongoing legal fights: Courts just halted two disastrous projects while our lawsuits proceed.

In California we scored big in our fight against restarting the oil pipeline behind the devastating 2015 Refugio oil spill near Santa Barbara. It dumped 450,000 gallons of oil, harming local communities, oiling coastal habitat, and killing hundreds of marine animals. But Sable Offshore Corp. wants to start using it again — before public input and environmental review. So the Center for Biological Diversity and allies went to court, and last week we secured a temporary restraining order stopping Sable from pumping oil through the pipeline at least until our court hearing next month.

And in Arizona, thanks to work by the San Carlos Apache Tribe and allies (including the Center), a federal judge granted a temporary injunction blocking the land exchange that would let a massive copper mine destroy Oak Flat. Sacred to the Western Apache and other Tribes, this beautiful place in the Tonto National Forest is home to species like ocelots and endangered Arizona hedgehog cacti. Now the land exchange can’t go forward until 60 days after the publication of a new environmental impact statement.

These wins give us time to keep working on defeating both projects for good. Stay tuned for more updates.

Ramping Up Our Fight for Manatees

We just warned the Trump administration that we plan to sue over its failure to provide enough staff to protect Florida manatees at the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge.

Looming staff cuts driven by President Donald Trump and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency threaten to leave these gentle giants more vulnerable to harm and harassment, including via tourist operations that separate mothers from calves. The refuge — established in 1983 specifically to help manatees — is Florida’s most important natural warm-water habitat.

Fuel our fight for manatees with a gift — doubled if you donate now — to the Center’s Future for the Wild Fund.

Tell Trump: Don't Sell Out Whales

North Atlantic right whales are among the world's most endangered whale species, with only around 370 left on Earth. Since 2017 more than 140 of them have been killed or injured, mostly by ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear — the leading causes of their decline.

Now President Trump wants to slash federal rules protecting the whales from both threats. That could leave them functionally extinct in just a decade.

Watch (and share) our new video about the 140 lost whales on Facebook or Instagram.

Then take action: Tell the Trump administration to leave these critical whale protections alone.

Take a Stand for Public Lands In Peril

Our national public lands are at risk: President Trump and his cronies want to sell them off to private interests. Some right-wing residents of western states, where most federally owned land is located, see this as a chance to gain control of public lands and exploit them for profit.

“The threat level is red alert,” the Center’s Randi Spivak told Stateline. “Some of these states have been champing at the bit for decades to privatize. They’re certainly not going to let this opportunity pass without an aggressive effort.”

But public lands are wonderfully wild and harbor unique species, from sage grouse to black-footed ferrets.

Urge Congress to take a stand for public lands.

Protection Proposed for Ghost Orchids

Following a petition and lawsuit by the Center and allies, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service just proposed to protect ghost orchids under the Endangered Species Act. They’re some of the most famous flowers in Florida, and their population has declined by more than 90% globally and by up to 50% in the state. But the Service didn’t propose protecting critical habitat.

“We’ll continue to do what’s necessary to ensure the ghost orchid and every other iconic Florida species has a fighting chance to thrive in our beautiful state,” said the Center’s Elise Bennett.

The Revelator: Jaws at 50

Pop culture often has deep effects on the real world, but rarely has a film influenced society — or nature — as much as Steven Spielberg’s Jaws. Since the movie’s release in 1975, shark populations around the world have plummeted. Is the film to blame? Shark scientist and journalist David Shiffman went looking for answers, and they might surprise you.

Read them in The Revelator.

And if you haven’t yet, subscribe to The Revelator’s free weekly e-newsletter for more wildlife and conservation news.

That’s Wild: A New Start for an Injured Sea Turtle

A young loggerhead sea turtle named Dilly Dally crawled back into the Atlantic Ocean last week after a predator apparently wounded her front flipper, and she had to have it amputated at a turtle rehab center in Florida.

When she was healthy enough to return to the wild, a crowd of beachgoers cheered as she made her way back to the ocean. A satellite tracking device was attached to her shell so biologists (and the public) can monitor her progress. It’s a landmark moment, said one veterinarian who helped her, because “we don’t really know what happens to our three flipper turtles once you release them.”

Read more and watch a video about the endangered turtle’s story.

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Photo credits: Ocelot by Martinus Scriblerus/USFWS, brown pelican by Gary Stolz/USFWS; manatee mother and calf by Gregory Sweeney/USFWS; right whale and calf by NOAA; ghost orchid by Tony Pernas; black-footed ferrets by Kimberly Fraser/USFWS, sage-grouse pair by Gary Kramer/USFWS; tiger shark by Tane Casserley/NOAA; loggerhead sea turtle by Ryan Hagerty/USFWS.

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