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Red wolf
Center for     Biological     Diversity   

North Carolina's Red Wolves Could Disappear in 8 Years

Dire news for one of America's most endangered mammals: A just-released federal report says there are only 40 wild red wolves left in North Carolina — and their population could go extinct in eight years.

The Center for Biological Diversity has been fighting to save these wolves, including by pushing the feds to continue their crucial recovery program and work harder to halt shooting and poisoning.

We're glad the report says red wolves must retain Endangered Species Act protections and need more help to survive.

"Time's running out," said the Center's Collette Adkins. "We need to move fast if we're going to keep red wolves from vanishing forever. First we need immediate measures to stop people from killing them."

Read more in The Washington Post and stay tuned for how you can help.

River otter

Wildlife Services Killed 1.3 Million Native Animals in 2017

The arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture known as Wildlife Services killed more than 1.3 million native animals last year, the agency has revealed.

These notoriously underreported numbers include more than 600,000 red-winged blackbirds, 69,041 adult coyotes, 23,646 beavers, 3,827 foxes, 1,001 bobcats, 675 river otters, 552 black bears, 357 gray wolves and 319 mountain lions.

The multimillion-dollar federal wildlife-killing program targets wolves, coyotes, cougars, birds and other wild animals for destruction — primarily at the whim of the agriculture industry.

Please donate to help us stop the slaughter.

California Protects Tricolored Blackbirds

Tricolored blackbird

Tricolored blackbirds just won a reprieve: California's Fish and Game Commission has voted to protect these uniquely feathered birds as a threatened species under the state's Endangered Species Act. This decision comes 14 years after the Center first petitioned to protect the blackbirds, whose population has plummeted by nearly 90 percent since the 1930s.

Tricoloreds face threats from loss of nesting habitat, pesticides and climate change. "I'm thrilled they'll finally get protection," said Center Senior Attorney Lisa Belenky.

Read more in our press release.

Rooftop solar panel

10 Sunny States Get Failing Grade for Rooftop-solar Policies

Ten of the nation's sunniest states get failing grades for policies that discourage rooftop-solar development, according to the Center's new report Throwing Shade.

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin accounted for more than 33 percent of the total rooftop-solar potential of small buildings in the contiguous United States in 2017. But they contributed less than 8 percent of net generation. All of them get an "F" in our report.

"Instead of leading us out of the climate crisis, these sunny states are casting a long shadow across our potential for rooftop solar," said the Center's Greer Ryan. "The Trump administration certainly isn't going to fix our climate, so it's vital that these states step up."

Read more in our press release.

Shasta Salamanders Are Really 3 Species Needing Protection

Shasta salamander

A paper just out from scientists at U.C. Berkeley shows that California's Shasta salamanders, which the Center petitioned to protect in 2012, are three species rather than one — each rarer in their small, single-county range than previously believed. Threats to their existence include plans to raise the level of Shasta Dam, limestone quarrying, timber harvesting and roads.

"This study shows Shasta County salamanders desperately need federal protection," said the Center's Jenny Loda. "The Fish and Wildlife Service has to protect them as fast as humanly possible." Read more.

Automobile exhaust

Court Nixes Trump's Attempt to Let Big Auto Polluters Slide

A win for the Earth just after Earth Day: Federal judges on Monday reversed a bizarre attempt by the Trump administration to encourage toxic tailpipe pollution.

In response to a lawsuit by the Center and allies, the court's ruling overturned the administration's move to suspend climate-protecting higher penalties — put in place by Congress — for automakers whose new vehicles violate minimum fuel-economy standards.

"Cheaper fines let automakers get away with producing gas-guzzlers that fuel climate change and spew harmful pollutants," said the Center's Vera Pardee. "Reinstating proper penalties will help protect our kids' lungs and our planet's future."

Get more from Reuters.

An IUD for Earth Day? Yes, Thank You Very Much

Globe in hands

For Earth Day last week, the Center's Sarah Baillie had an op-ed published in Ms. magazine about her decision to get an IUD three years ago — on Earth Day.

"I didn't intentionally plan to get the long-acting birth control on a day marked by celebrations of the planet, but it was actually pretty appropriate," she writes.

"The decision wasn't just a great choice for my own health — it was also a great way to improve my carbon footprint."

Check out Sarah's op-ed.

David Dunn and Dayna Reggero

Are You Listening?

We learn a lot about nature by listening to it — and a lot about the impacts of climate change by hearing those affected on the front lines.

Those are the first topics of The Revelator's 5 Questions feature. Our inaugural installment is a conversation with filmmaker Dayna Reggero, whose "Climate Listening Project" interviews people who are coping with the climate crisis every day. The other conversation is with David Dunn, an acoustic ecologist and composer who asks us to listen to what the natural world is saying.

Wolverine

Wild & Weird: Rare Footage of a Wolverine Wolfing Down

In order to study highly elusive wolverines in Wyoming, biologists with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service devised the following plan:

1) Find a cold, isolated spot high in the mountains that's suitable for wolverines but not other species (say, scavenging birds).

2) Hang a deer carcass in a tree, high enough that it won't get buried in snow.

3) Set up a trail camera.

4) Wait for wolverines.

Looks like it worked — check out this wily wolverine munching on a frozen deer on remote camera on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter.

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Photo credits: Red wolf by B. Bartel/USFWS; river otter by mitzy123/Pixabay; tricolored blackbird by Robin Agarwal/Flickr; solar panel by kincuri/Flickr; Shasta salamander courtesy USFS; tailpipe exhaust by rustybrick/Flickr; globe by tranbina/Flickr; David Dunn by Richard Hofstetter; Dayna Reggero by Andrea Desky; wolverine courtesy of the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes and USFWS.

Center for Biological Diversity
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Tucson, AZ 85702
United States