environment Archives - Endangered Species Coalition

Trump Administration Declares a War on Wildlife with Nomination of Brian Nesvik

Endangered Species Coalition — Tue, 05 Aug 2025 17:01:01 +0000

Last week, the Senate confirmed Brian Nesvik as Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. While his appointment was endorsed by some within the traditional wildlife community, the Endangered Species Coalition and numerous conservation partners strongly opposed his confirmation based on his track record of undermining federal protections for imperiled wildlife and prioritizing extractive interests over science-based recovery.

Brian Nesvik has long championed efforts that weaken the Endangered Species Act (ESA), including campaigns to prematurely delist gray wolves, eliminate habitat protections, and sideline federal oversight, all while serving the interests of politically powerful industries in the West. His approach reflects the same harmful ideology behind recent legislative attacks like the ESA Amendments Act (H.R. 1897), which aims to hollow out the Endangered Species Act.

The Endangered Species Act is one of our nation’s most successful and beloved environmental laws. It has prevented the extinction of more than 99% of listed species — from bald eagles to gray whales — and remains a beacon of bipartisan conservation. What imperiled wildlife need now is a science-driven leader committed to recovery, not one who pushes states to sidestep federal accountability and science.

We are not alone in our concerns. Organizations across the country, including Wyoming Wildlife Advocates, Western Watersheds Project, WildEarth Guardians, Center for Biological Diversity, Sierra Club, and GreenLatinos, stood firmly against this nomination. These are frontline groups who have seen the real impacts of policies that erode protections, fragment habitats, and put species on a collision course with extinction.

In the words of our Executive Director, Susan Holmes:

“The Endangered Species Act only works when science leads the way. Political appointees who disregard habitat science, suppress recovery recommendations, or champion premature delisting put our most vulnerable wildlife at grave risk. This confirmation is a setback — but our fight to defend endangered species is far from over.”

We remain committed to holding the Fish and Wildlife Service accountable and to protecting the integrity of the Endangered Species Act against political interference. We urge members of Congress and the public to stand with us and with the science to ensure the future of America’s most at-risk species.

What our partners are saying:

“Nesvik has a track record of favoring industries over wildlife. Ranching and agriculture and extracted industries get all the concessions here in Wyoming,” said Kristin Combs, Executive Director of Wyoming Wildlife Advocates. “There’s no reason to think that it would be any different at the federal level.”

“Rather than ensuring the survival of America’s most at-risk wildlife, Nesvik’s history suggests he will do the opposite—greenlighting more destruction, more killing, and more habitat loss,” said Joanna Zhang, endangered species advocate at WildEarth Guardians. “WildEarth Guardians and our allies will fight every step of the way to hold this administration accountable and protect our nation’s wildlife from this disastrous leadership.”

“Nesvik’s lackadaisical response to the tormenting of that young Wyoming wolf speaks volumes about his lack of care for wildlife,” said Stephanie Kurose, Center for Biological Diversity Deputy Director of Government Affairs. “But his larger record truly underscores how deeply he despises the Fish and Wildlife Service’s fundamental mission. Most Americans want our imperiled wildlife protected, but we can’t count on Nesvik to lift a finger to prevent extinction.”

“Nesvik’s tenure as head of Wyoming Game and Fish prioritized trophy hunts and weakened protections for imperiled species over scientifically sound wildlife management,” said Bradley Williams, Sierra Club’s Deputy Legislative Director for Wildlife and Lands Protection. “One of the USFWS most important roles is upholding the Endangered Species Act, and given his experience, it’s not clear whether Nesvik will be able to fulfill that duty. Unfortunately, it appears that wildlife will pay the price.”

“California’s national wildlife refuges are a cornerstone of Latino communities’ access to nature and biodiversity,” said Pedro Hernandez, California State Program Manager for GreenLatinos. “Our refuge system and successful Endangered Species Act implementation have supported California as a global biodiversity hotspot. Yet, Brian Nesvik’s nomination risks years of progress and his track record threatens to roll back the clock to a time when our refuge system was even more under-resourced and dominated by extractive interests. Our communities can’t afford leadership that deprioritizes science, equity, species protections and ecological integrity.”

“Brian Nesvik has repeatedly used state power to undermine the very laws he’s now charged with upholding. His confirmation as Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is a gift to extractive industries and a threat to imperiled species across the West,” said Josh Osher, Public Policy Director for Western Watersheds Project. “From sanctioning wolf slaughter to promoting unsustainable livestock grazing on public lands, Nesvik has consistently prioritized industry profits over ecological integrity. We need leadership rooted in science and recovery — not someone who treats the Endangered Species Act as an obstacle to be dismantled.”

“Nesvik has a track record of favoring industries over wildlife. Ranching and agriculture and extracted industries get all the concessions here in Wyoming,” said Kristin Combs, Executive Director of Wyoming Wildlife Advocates. “There’s no reason to think that it would be any different at the federal level.”

“Rather than ensuring the survival of America’s most at-risk wildlife, Nesvik’s history suggests he will do the opposite—greenlighting more destruction, more killing, and more habitat loss,” said Joanna Zhang, endangered species advocate at WildEarth Guardians.

“WildEarth Guardians and our allies will fight every step of the way to hold this administration accountable and protect our nation’s wildlife from this disastrous leadership.”

“Nesvik’s lackadaisical response to the tormenting of that young Wyoming wolf speaks volumes about his lack of care for wildlife,” said Stephanie Kurose, Center for Biological Diversity Deputy Director of Government Affairs. “But his larger record truly underscores how deeply he despises the Fish and Wildlife Service’s fundamental mission. Most Americans want our imperiled wildlife protected, but we can’t count on Nesvik to lift a finger to prevent extinction.”

“Nesvik’s tenure as head of Wyoming Game and Fish prioritized trophy hunts and weakened protections for imperiled species over scientifically sound wildlife management,” said Bradley Williams, Sierra Club’s Deputy Legislative Director for Wildlife and Lands Protection. “One of the USFWS most important roles is upholding the Endangered Species Act, and given his experience, it’s not clear whether Nesvik will be able to fulfill that duty. Unfortunately, it appears that wildlife will pay the price.”

“California’s national wildlife refuges are a cornerstone of Latino communities’ access to nature and biodiversity,” said Pedro Hernandez, California State Program Manager for GreenLatinos. “Our refuge system and successful Endangered Species Act implementation have supported California as a global biodiversity hotspot. Yet, Brian Nesvik’s nomination risks years of progress and his track record threatens to roll back the clock to a time when our refuge system was even more under-resourced and dominated by extractive interests. Our communities can’t afford leadership that deprioritizes science, equity, species protections and ecological integrity.”

“Brian Nesvik has repeatedly used state power to undermine the very laws he’s now charged with upholding. His confirmation as Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is a gift to extractive industries and a threat to imperiled species across the West,” said Josh Osher, Public Policy Director for Western Watersheds Project. “From sanctioning wolf slaughter to promoting unsustainable livestock grazing on public lands, Nesvik has consistently prioritized industry profits over ecological integrity. We need leadership rooted in science and recovery — not someone who treats the Endangered Species Act as an obstacle to be dismantled.”

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Over 150,000 Americans Oppose Trump Administration’s Unprecedented Effort to Eliminate Habitat Protections for Vulnerable Wildlife

Endangered Species Coalition — Mon, 19 May 2025 17:30:00 +0000

Scientists, legal experts, and environmental groups also urge Trump administration to drop proposed rule

WASHINGTON D.C. — Over 150,000 Americans have opposed a proposed rulemaking by the Trump administration to eliminate major habitat protections for endangered species in the U.S. after it was unveiled in April — and as the period for public input concludes today. The proposed rule would rescind the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s and National Marine Fisheries Service’s definitions of what counts as illegal “harm” to threatened and endangered wildlife under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

“Harm” is currently defined to include significant habitat modification that kills or injures species by removing necessities such as food and shelter. The current definition of “harm” is an important tool for habitat conservation that has been in place for over 40 years and was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1995.

It has been integral to the ESA’s role in saving more than 99 percent of species under its protection including the bald eagle, Florida manatee, gray wolf, and many other iconic American wildlife. Even with the incredible success of the ESA, over 90 percent of listed species remain threatened by human-caused habitat destruction. If anything, the case for habitat protection under the ESA has grown even stronger over the years, with mountains of scientific evidence linking habitat and species’ survival.

The ESA was passed by Congress in 1973 with virtually unanimous bipartisan support. The lawmakers behind the ESA knew that scientists — not politicians — should decide whether vulnerable animal and plant species should be protected. In their spirit, three U.S. senators have officially demanded that the Trump administration explain how it came to its determination to eliminate habitat protections for U.S. wildlife and to answer whether industry influence was involved.

Additionally, a group of the nation’s leading scientists and experts on wildlife sent a letter to the Trump administration urging it to abandon the proposed rule, which the scientists state “lacks any scientific basis and misinterprets the Endangered Species Act.” And 25 legal scholars expressed “vehement opposition” to the proposed rule in a letter to the administration. The outpouring of public opposition to the proposed rule change is no surprise. Over 80 percent of Americans support the ESA. Most Americans know how important conserving habitats, lands, and waters are to our everyday lives and that protecting them should be a national priority. The stakes aren’t limited to wildlife — when ecosystems degrade, people suffer from threats to clean water, food security, and public health.

In response to the tens of thousands of Americans who are calling on the Trump administration to abandon its effort to eliminate habitat protections for vulnerable wildlife, 131 environmental and animal welfare groups from across the country issued the following statements:

“Tens of thousands of Americans have rejected the Trump administration’s callous effort to steal habitat away from our endangered species,” said Earthjustice attorney Kristen Boyles. “Trump’s proposed rule recklessly ignores common sense and common science. We’ll do all that we can to ensure vulnerable wildlife continue to have a livable habitat and a chance at survival.”

“Wildlife cannot survive without habitat — that’s not opinion, that’s biology,” said Josh Osher, public policy director for Western Watersheds Project. “This proposed rule is an industry-crafted blueprint for extinction, designed to let corporations destroy the very ground endangered species stand on, while pretending no harm is being done.”

“Loving wildlife is baked into our national heritage. Americans are very proud that our nation has prioritized conserving birds, fish and other wildlife that make our country so special,” said Ramona McGee, leader of the Southern Environmental Law Center’s Wildlife Program. “Here in the South, the stakes are much higher because of our world-renowned biodiversity, which is increasingly at risk from human-made factors like habitat destruction from unchecked, harmful development. It is unconscionable that our leaders are unnecessarily attempting to remove vital wildlife and habitat protections to placate extractive industries.” 

“This nonstarter proposal ignores critical conservation provisions in a law that supports America’s most at-risk fish, wildlife, and plant populations, including over 600 species with habitat in our national parks,” said Christina Hazard, legislative director for the National Parks Conservation Association. “When food sources, nesting grounds or mating grounds are lost outside of national park boundaries, park wildlife will be lost as well.”

“Habitat integrity is among the most significant determinants of species’ survival; this rule change would jeopardize imperiled animals and entire ecosystems,” said Danielle Kessler, US Country Director at the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). “Effective, science-driven implementation of the Endangered Species Act–including habitat protection–benefits animals and people alike.”

“The Trump administration is attempting to dismantle and discredit one of America’s most popular and successful laws,” said Sierra Weaver, senior attorney at Defenders of Wildlife. “The current definition of ‘harm’ is a large part of what has made the ESA so effective at conserving imperiled species. This isn’t just redefining one word — it is gutting the heart of the Act. It will have cataclysmic consequences to the habitats, lands and waters that America’s wildlife relies upon, and goes against Congress’ intent for the law.”

“Extinction is forever,” says Katherine Miller, Country Director for FOUR PAWS USA. “If we allow the ESA to be weakened and species’ habitats to be destroyed for profit, the consequences of these decisions will reverberate for generations. Science has shown that protecting a listed species’ habitat is vital to their survival and recovery. This is why we urge FWS and NMFS to withdraw their proposed rule and uphold America’s commitment to save endangered species, ensuring a livable planet for all of us.”

“Loss of habitat is the number one reason species become endangered,” said Susan Holmes, Executive Director of the Endangered Species Coalition. “Trump’s draconian proposal to end habitat protection for our most vulnerable wildlife rips out the heart of the Endangered Species Act and would put countless species on the path to extinction.”

“The Services’ proposal shows they are not serious about protecting imperiled species,” said Rebecca Riley, managing director for Food & Agriculture at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). “Habitat destruction is the number one threat to species’ survival, and yet they are coming up with weak excuses to claim Congress didn’t intend to address this existential threat.”

“Trump’s smash-and-grab habitat plan could welcome bulldozers and drilling rigs into the beautiful wild places that America’s most imperiled animals call home,” said Tara Zuardo, a senior campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The administration’s proposal seeks to rip a bloody hole in the Endangered Species Act, prioritizing industry profits over protecting habitat that’s crucial to preventing extinction. This is an illegal attempt to nullify a landmark wildlife law that’s supported by nearly every American who isn’t an oil executive, a timber baron or a Trump appointee.”

“Piping Plovers were set on a path to extinction due to millinery and hunting at the turn of the 19th century,” said Chris Allieri, founder and executive director, NYC Plover Project. “These are not the challenges the species is currently facing. The number one threat today is habitat loss, wherever they are found, including their wintering and breeding ranges. Without habitat protection, this species, and countless more, will go extinct.”

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Remembering Grizzly 399 – The Queen of the Tetons

Endangered Species Coalition — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 20:42:36 +0000

Grizzly 399 was far more than “just a bear.” She was legendary. She became a symbol of resilience, beauty, and the wild spirit of the Teton Range. Her passing marks the end of an era, and it is with a deep sense of reverence that we reflect on her remarkable story.

Purchase a Grizzly 399 memorial shirt through FLOAT through the end of the year and $8 from your purchase will directly support our work to keep these majestic bears protected.

Grizzly 399, often referred to as the “Queen of the Tetons,” captivated the hearts of many who were fortunate enough to witness her majestic presence. She was not only one of the most photographed bears in North America but also a mother of extraordinary resilience. Born in the wilds of the Teton wilderness, 399’s journey was one of survival, motherhood, and the complex relationship between humans and wildlife.

She was born in 1996 and came to be the bear we know today in 2006, when she first rose to prominence as a young mother with her three cubs. She navigated the challenges of motherhood in a landscape that was both perilous and beautiful. Over the years, 399 became a familiar face in the Teton National Park and the surrounding areas, often seen with her cubs, teaching them the ways of the wild. Her ability to thrive in such a challenging environment became a testament to the strength and intelligence of the grizzly bear. Despite the dangers she faced, including human encounters and changing landscapes, Grizzly 399 remained an enduring figure.

Memorialize 399’s legacy and help to keep grizzly bears across the West protected under the Endangered Species Act with your shirt purchase through FLOAT. This is only available for a limited time and your purchase directly supports the Endangered Species Coalition’s work to keep bears protected.

Her legacy is not just one of survival but of connection. 399 fostered an incredible awareness about wildlife conservation, helping to foster a greater respect for the need to protect grizzly bears and their habitats. Her unique relationship with the public also highlighted the importance of responsible wildlife viewing, education, and conservation efforts.

While we will deeply miss Grizzly 399, her legacy lives on in the hearts of those who admired her, and in the ongoing conservation efforts that will ensure the protection of her kin and the Teton ecosystem.

Join us in honoring and celebrating Grizzly 399 with your shirt purchase through FLOAT this week. The proceeds from the sale of this shirt directly support the Endangered Species Coalition’s work to keep grizzly bears protected under the Endangered Species Act.

Thank you for your commitment to wildlife and wild places.

Sincerely,

Susan Holmes
Executive Director

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Be a protector of wildlife with your support of the Pollinator Protectors campaign

ESC — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 17:59:16 +0000

As a protector of wildlife, you provide a solution that can revitalize the population of bees, birds, and butterflies that are disappearing due to habitat loss. Pollinators worldwide are disappearing. To save pollinators, we must act to bring back the plants that they rely on. We know that monarch butterflies and other pollinator species are suffering worldwide, because of the loss of milkweed and other plants they need to live.

Your $25 gift puts FIVE plants in the ground to save pollinators and show your support as a Pollinator Protector!

For the eighth consecutive year, the Endangered Species Coalition is organizing plantings at sites around the United States to help bring these plants–and pollinators–back.

Can you support this work? $25 will cover all of the costs to put FIVE plants in the ground. Your donation of $50 will mean that ten plants that are not there today, will be soon.

It is crucial to the health of pollinators that these plants be local, native species. In the weeks and months ahead, your donation will be used to purchase native plants from local nurseries and seed distributors. Milkweed and other native nectar and host plants will be planted to support the conservation of monarch butterflies and other native pollinators, including bees, birds, bats, and others.We will support our planting partners with necessary supplies and materials to realize these projects Please support our Pollinator Protectors campaign with a gift of $25 or any amount today.

Support the Pollinator Protectors

This year, planting sites range from Oregon to Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington DC and other US states. The incredible work you support not only achieves the direct impact of providing needed plants for bats, bees, butterflies, and birds, it is done in collaboration with local communities who care about native plants and pollinators. Being a Pollinator Protector means empowering people to transform local spaces for community well-being and the health of native pollinators.

Putting your hands into the earth and bringing a plant into the world is among the most rewarding and educational ways for new conservationists to save species. Seeing seeds or plugs become plants that attract pollinators is an immediate reward and encourages future acts of service. Please support our Pollinator Protectors campaign by funding a single plant or an entire garden with a tax-deductible donation today.

Thank you for your commitment to wildlife and wild places.

Sincerely,

Susan Holmes
Executive Director
Endangered Species Coalition
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PS. Links not working? Please support the Pollinator Protectors at this URL: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/2024planting

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Interview with sculptor, Rebecca Schultz

Jeanne Dodds — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 17:23:17 +0000

Against the backdrop of biodiversity loss and climate change, today, more than ever, it’s vital that people have opportunities to experience and develop relationships with local ecosystems and species. A World in our Streams is a site-specific sculptural project by artist Rebecca Schultz, designed to make important connections between people and place, relationships which are especially needed by many people at this moment.

Rebecca Schultz’ sculptures are inspired by the forms and materials utilized by Indigenous peoples to build traditional fish traps, along with Hester-Dandy substrate samplers, a tool used to collect macroinvertebrate samples from freshwater. Schultz’ compelling take on these forms are exhibited in Tookany Creek, in High School Park, Elkins Park, PA. A World in Our Streams combines creative artworks and conservation science to explore the dynamic habitat of aquatic macroinvertebrates.

Jeanne Dodds, Endangered Species Coalition Creative Engagement Director, shares a conversation with Rebecca Schultz about her creative project A World in our Stream, and how this project fits into her larger creative practice supporting biodiversity conservation.

Photo credits: Julia Way @jwayprojects and Djibrine Mainassara @djibrinemainassara

Jeanne Dodds: What are aquatic macroinvertebrates, anyhow? What makes them such fascinating and ecologically significant species? And amazingly, some macroinvertebrates are pollinators…. tell us how that works!

Rebecca Schultz: Macroinvertebrates are animals without a backbone that you can see without using a microscope or magnifying glass. This includes insect larvae–such as dragonflies, damselflies, stoneflies, and mayflies–who spend more of their lives in the water than they do on land. Many flies live only weeks, days, or even minutes after they emerge from the water as adults–they don’t have mouth parts to eat–and they focus primarily on reproducing before they die. Freshwater snails, worms, and crustaceans like crayfish and their smaller cousin called scuds are also macroinvertebrates.

One of the important things about macroinvertebrates is that they are excellent bioindicators. They help us to assess the health of a water body, because they live most of their life in the stream and different ones are more or less sensitive to pollution. So if you find certain species–for example, caddisflies, which I found in the stretch of Tookany Creek where I installed my sculpture–that are very sensitive to pollution. So their presence indicates that the creek is healthy. The other thing about macroinvertebrates is that some–like the stonefly–are pollinators, or they are food for other pollinators, such as hummingbirds. In short, they’re a critically important part of watershed ecosystems.

JD: Why do you think it’s important to recognize and pay attention to less well known species, such as macroinvertebrates?

RS: I consider myself pretty knowledgeable about the natural world and local ecosystems, but I didn’t know anything about macroinvertebrates until I took the training on them. This lack of knowledge was reflected in the audience for my artist talk–so many people came up to me afterwards and thanked me for raising awareness about these creatures that most of them have never thought about.

I think this awareness is particularly important because insects are a critical component of our ecosystems. They make up over two-thirds of the world’s 1.5 million known animal species, and current estimates indicate that 40% of insect species are in decline, and a third are endangered. Habitat loss, the use of pesticides and climate change are the most significant threats. So learning about macroinvertebrates is the first step to being motivated to protect their habitat.

Photo credits: Julia Way @jwayprojects and Djibrine Mainassara @djibrinemainassara
Photo caption: Rebecca Schultz delivering her Artist Walk and Talk to attendees at High School Park, for the opening of the A World in Our Streams installation

JD: How did you make the connection between your creative practice and themes of macroinvertebrate habitat in your current project, A World in Our Streams?

RS: For a number of years, the impetus for my creative work has been to help repair the relationship between us humans and the more-than-human world by reconnecting us with the ecosystems that surround us. I believe that doing so is critical to our collective survival in the face of the climate and biodiversity crises.

Watersheds have evolved as the ecosystems I’m particularly interested in–they are the essence of what scientists are increasingly calling the critical zone, where rock, water, plants, fungi, and–based on newer science, microbes–interact with each other to create the foundation for life. And, where I live, our environmental challenges center on water–how to adapt to heavier rainfall and stormwater runoff, combined sewer overflow, and flooding due to heavier rainfall. It’s important to me to have some baseline scientific knowledge of the ecosystems I work with, so in 2022 I became a streamkeeper with the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership (TTF). I monitor a section of Tookany Creek once a month, and through that work have attended trainings to better understand how to assess the health of watersheds. I was offered the opportunity to get certified as a Save Our Streams monitor, which entailed learning how to sample and identify macroinvertebrates. And I became really fascinated with them!

JD: How did you develop the relationship between your artwork and the location of High School Park and Tookany Creek? Why and how is this place specifically important to your work?

Photo credits: Julia Way @jwayprojects and Djibrine Mainassara @djibrinemainassara

RS: I moved to this area in 2016, after 20 years of living in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the regional parks were one of my favorite places to spend time. High School Park is a 10-minute walk from my home, and while it’s small, it’s mighty! For thirty years, our neighbors have worked diligently to restore diverse native ecosystems, from a meadow to woodlands, to the stretch of Tookany Creek that runs through the Park. It’s such a special place.

In the last 8 years, I have learned so much about native ecosystems–much of that from the relationships I’ve built with local environmental organizations, like Friends of High School Park and the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership (TTF). Tookany Creek winds through Cheltenham Township on its way to the Delaware River; through my volunteering as a streamkeeper and the continued evolution of my practice, I’ve become more and more connected to this landscape. So much so, that when my stepson passed away in January, our family planted a tree for him in High School Park. We all visit the tree–an American Persimmon–regularly. It has become a site of solace for us, in the face of profound grief.

JD: Please tell us a bit more about your artistic practice, specifically, your previous projects at High School Park involving watersheds and soils.

RS: About ten years ago, I re-focused my creative practice on visual art, after decades of making theater and performance art. At the same time, I was becoming more aware of the scale of the intertwined climate and biodiversity crises, and wanted my work to be a response. As I became more interested in art and ecology, I wanted to start making outdoor installations with natural materials. In 2020, during covid, I asked Cynthia Blackwood, the park manager, if I could do some installations in High School Park. I was very grateful to have the opportunity to experiment in this way. The following year, my friend and fellow artist Julia Way, who was on the Friends of High School Park board, started a summer outdoor art program. I collaborated with Brenda Howell on the piece Walk the Green Path, which created a pathway through the native meadow, with signage about the common, latin, and Lenape names of medicinal plants that were growing there. In 2023, my community-engaged, participatory art and community science project Mapping Our Watershed was also part of the summer series.

Also in 2023, Cynthia was in the process of creating a “stumpery” in the Park, and asked me if I would make a stump sculpture with pieces of trees that had been cut down. Tree stumps and fallen trees are the site of rich ecosystems, including plants, mosses, lichen, fungi, and insects. Once I had finished the piece, Cynthia put native plants in around it. I visit the stump sculpture every single time I’m at the park, because it is constantly changing and evolving. It is now a collaboration with thousands of other living things, what I call my more-than-human relations. This piece inspired me to want to create more sculptural habitat, and led me to A World in Our Streams.

JD: What do you hope that audiences and participants engaged with this project take away from their experiences with the installation and macroinvertebrates?

RS: I hope they gain a greater understanding of, and appreciation for, aquatic macroinvertebrates, so that they are more motivated to conserve and protect them as an essential part of our watersheds. In Cheltenham Township, water is one of our most pressing environmental issues–how we will adapt to increasing heavy rainfall and the resulting stormwater runoff, and how we will protect the biodiversity that keeps our watersheds healthy so that they are more resilient. My work is grounded by an intent so beautifully captured by Senegalese environmentalist Baba Dioum: “In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; and we will understand only what we are taught.”

I also want audiences to understand that art is an important vehicle for imagining and constructing the world we want, a world where we acknowledge and step into our role as a part of ecosystems, not separate from it. I was in France recently, and had the incredible experience of seeing cave paintings that were made 27,000 years ago. Our ancestors had short and hard lives, but they still made art. It’s essential to our humanity.

JD: Is there anything else about the project you’d like to share with the ESC audience?

RS: This project has been a lesson in resilience and flexibility. I installed three sculptures woven from willow branches, inspired by the forms of indigenous fish traps, in Tookany Creek the day before my artist talk. I also put two sculptures inspired by Hester Dendy macroinvertebrate samplers into the stream, tied to cinder blocks. That night, there was a storm where we had nearly an inch of rain in an hour and 35 mph wind gusts. I came back the next morning, and the woven sculptures were almost completely destroyed. One of the Hester Dendys was nowhere to be found. Water is extremely powerful. I quickly rebuilt two woven forms, that are shorter and more densely woven than the first set, and installed them in the creek. It’s now been more than two weeks, and they’re doing okay. They’re actually collecting leaves and other natural debris, which is a good thing. They’re evolving in collaboration with the creek. On August 24th, I will co-facilitate a workshop with my friend and collaborator Ryan Neuman from TTF, where we will sample macroinvertebrates from the sculptures and see what we find!

A World in Our Streams exhibit is sponsored by the Endangered Species Coalition Pollinator Protectors campaign, in collaboration with Friends of High School Park.

Photo credits: @jwayprojects and @djibrinemainassara

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Shoshone-Bannock Tribes and the Fort Hall Native Plant Distribution Project.

Jeanne Dodds — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 16:40:00 +0000

Authors: Sidney Fellows, Christina Stucker-Gassi, Choice Vaughn, Nolan Brown

In collaboration with our member organization, Alternatives to Pesticides, Endangered Species Coalition has supported photographic documentation of the Fort Hall Native Plant Distribution Project by the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. Please read the following article, describing this collaborative, Tribally led project, and to see the work of Choice Vaughn, project photographer.

In the summer of 2022, I took a walk with a group of fellow Shoshone-Bannock Tribal members and other friends and colleagues in the foothills of the Fort Hall Indian Reservation. The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes are made of Sosoni [Shoshone] and Panakwate [Bannock], collectively we identify ourselves as newenee, a plural term meaning human beings, or native people, and newe (pronounced with an ‘eh’ sound like the e in roses). Newe is a term used as either a noun or an adjective, such as the Shoshone word newe-dekape [native-food]. Our group visited the plants who give us our traditional newe-dekape [native foods], medicines, and fibers (figure 1). Tsiavui or Tsiambi (Rosa woodsii), Teavui or Deambi (Amelanchier spp.), Hupui or Weda’a Dekappe (Sambucus cerulea)(figure 2), and other unripe berries had our attention; we shared questions, observations, and knowledge about these plants who have been taking care of our people, and us them, for millennia. Months before the walk, the Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP) sought out recommendations from the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes to adapt existing projects, originally designed for native plant habitat installations to increase pollinator health and biodiversity, to the cultural needs of the Tribes. In doing so, the Fort Hall Native Plant Distribution Project was created as an effort to support tribal access to native plants.

Earlier that summer, four Tribal members were recruited by NCAP to help kickstart the Fort Hall Native Plant Distribution Project. In August 2022, Christina Stucker-Gassi (Euro-American; NCAP Healthy Food & Farms Program Manager), Choice Vaughn (Shoshone-Bannock), other community members, and I (Shoshone-Bannock, Chippewa-Cree; NCAP Program Specialist) organized to distribute free native plants, aka traditional newe-dekaape [native foods], medicines, and fibers, at the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes’ 57th Annual Indian Festival (figure 3). We held our second distribution the following year at the 58th Annual Shoshone-Bannock Festival. According to Shoshone-Bannock Creation stories, we have evolved with native plants since time immemorial. Similar understandings are found in other Indigenous communities across the world and in Western science. The plant-human connection happens through food, medicine, and fiber uses, but also through cultural practices, such as song and ceremony, that contribute greatly to the identity and health of Shoshone-Bannock Newenee.

Leading up to the 2022 Festival, the group of Tribal members and NCAP staff gathered throughout the summer to learn about plant practices and discuss elements that would enrich the Fort Hall Native Plant Project. Suggestions brought forward by Tribal members included more organized plant walks that encourage the transmission of knowledge and greater access to plants and seeds. The input from our Fort Hall community members guided our work’s focus and set new commitments around plants and the community into motion.

In spring 2023, NCAP continued building partnerships with the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes around culturally significant plants. Because of previous conversations between the NCAP team and Tribal interest in the historic staple food Teva or Deva (Shoshone and Bannock name for Pinus monophylla), Nolan Brown (Shoshone-Bannock Language and Culture Preservation Department [LCPD] Original Territories and Historical Researcher Manager), Carolyn Smith (Cultural Resources Coordinator for the Tribes’ Heritage Tribal Office/Cultural Resources), Louise Dixey (LCPD Cultural Resources Director), and other Tribal members considered how Deva could become accessible to current and future generations. We considered additional, related goals of the Tribes as well. For instance, the Tribes’ responsibilities and rights to hunt and gather on unoccupied lands, as declared by the Tribes’ 1868 Fort Bridger Treaty under Article 4, requires adequate populations and resources to do so, since the stipulation goes on to say, “so long as the game may be found thereon”. (Game refers to animals, plants, and other sources of livelihood and culture). For game to be found, and in this case Deva, the Tribes efforts to preserve and protect such traditional foods must remain dynamic to ensure plants, animals, waters, and other nonhuman persons are sustained. Additionally, Deva conservation addresses threats to the tree such as black stain mold, pine beetles, extreme heat events, and increases in wildfires. Thus, the Pinyon Project was born.

Through research, conversations with tribal partners and scientists, a story of a successful Deva transplanting at Fort Hall from a Shoshone-Bannock resident, and walks across landscapes suited for the tree (Figure 4), we decided to install a grove of Deva saplings onto the reservation. The intentions of the Pinyon Project are to increase tribal access to the plant, increase food production for future generations on the reservation (trees produce pine nuts around age 25), and uplift cultural practice in the community. A community planting is scheduled for Fall 2024 and our Pinyon team is working to make the planting educational, integrating knowledges from Western science around planting logistics and from our Shoshone-Bannock cultural practices that encourage human relationality to the Earth. This project is a great investment that NCAP and the Tribes will continue to develop and care for.

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Restoring Pollinator Habitat in Montana

Derek Goldman — Mon, 17 Jun 2024 21:00:18 +0000

In celebration of Endangered Species Day this year, we partnered with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes’ (CSKT) Wildlife Program to restore pollinator habitat in western Montana.

Bees, birds, butterflies and even bats are a few important animals for pollinating native plants. But as a result of habitat loss, invasive weeds and the spraying of pesticides, many of the plant species that pollinators need have been in decline for decades—and accordingly—the pollinators themselves. Thanks to a grant we received in support of our Pollinator Protectors program, we were able to help the CSKT purchase native plants and further expand work on a habitat restoration site along U.S. Highway 93 in the Mission Valley. Our staff spent a couple of days leading up to Endangered Species Day to work in the field with Tribal biologists and staff to place more than 200 native plants in the ground. Some of the native species we planted include Arrowleaf Balsamroot, Wild Bergamot, Showy Milkweed, Indian Paintbrush and more. All of the species we planted will help attract and provide habitat for some of western Montana’s native pollinators. Some local neighbors and community members dropped by to learn about pollinators and the help us put some plants in the ground, including Peter from Senator Tester’s office!

We are appreciative of all the planning and on-the-ground work the CSKT does to protect wildlife, including pollinators. We look forward to being able to provide additional financial assistance for this restoration site in the years to come.

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Celebrating and Conserving Sonoran Desert Species

Jeanne Dodds — Fri, 17 May 2024 15:34:34 +0000

Saguaro cactus. Agave. Monarch butterflies. These are just a few of the iconic plant and animal species of the Sonoran Desert spotlighted at one of our recent community events for biodiversity conservation, in Arivaca, Arizona. On April 20th, we celebrated and raised awareness of imperiled species, through visual art, community outreach, native plantings, science lectures, and youth activities. In partnership with the Arivaca Pollinator Pathway Project, and with a generous donation of agaves from member organization Bat Conservation International, the Endangered Species Coalition installed agave and other native plants to create a night blooming garden for nighttime pollinator specialists, including pollinating bats and moths.

While community members installed the native plants, including the agave along with night blooming yucca, datura, and others, Tohono O’odham artist Paul ‘Nox’ Pablo painted a representative mural, illustrating the nighttime garden species and the plants on which they rely. The center panel of the mural features a whirlwind design, which has significance in the Tohono O’odham culture as a representation of the wind and is an important symbol of pollination and the element of air.

This is the second mural created in Arivaca by Paul, with the first being a wrap-around mural showing daytime and nighttime native plants and pollinators, created for the 50th Anniversary of the Endangered Species Act. These murals demonstrate cultural and community connections to natural systems, and the importance of biodiversity.

Similarly, the Arivaca Pollinator Pathway Project is having a transformative impact in the community, through the installation of eight public pollinator gardens, funded with support from Endangered Species Coalition’s Pollinator Protectors campaign. The newest facet of the Arivaca Pollinator Pathway Project is the registration of home gardens and free consultation for their owners, to increase the availability of plants for pollinators and increase community awareness of native species.

Emily Bishton, founder of Arivaca Pollinator Pathway Project explains, “The community’s whole-hearted embrace of this project, from tots to seniors, is what has given it so much life and growth over the past 15 months”.

Endangered Species Coalition and our partners are working hard to create corridors for native plants and pollinators in Arivaca and across the US. You can be involved in funding the habitat creation work of ESC’s Pollinator Protectors by purchasing our newest Bonfire shirt, featuring artwork by Paul ‘Nox’ Pablo. In the southwestern United States, some of our most important pollinators migrate across international borders, including the imperiled monarch butterflies and the lesser long-nosed bat, a bat species whose population recovered, thanks to Endangered Species Act protection.

The shirt design features species with special meanings for the Tohono O’odham, including animals and plants featuring prominently in legends and winter storytelling traditions. Tohono O’odham consider saguaro cacti to be tribal members, and the saguaro fruit is an important traditional source of food and also used in traditional ceremonies. indicating the Tohono O’odham new year.

The Bonfire Campaign closes Monday, May 20th, so be sure to get the design while you can! Thank you for your support of imperiled native plants and pollinators.

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Endangered Species Coalition Welcomes Biden Administration’s New Conservation Tools

Endangered Species Coalition — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 14:48:17 +0000

New Policies Will Help Protect Biodiversity

For Immediate Release: April 19, 2024

Contact: Jewel Tomasula jewel@endangered.org
Susan Holmes sholmes@endangered.org
Tara Thornton tthornton@endangered.org

Endangered Species Coalition welcomes new conservation announcements from the Biden Harris administration: the American Conservation and Stewardship Atlas and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Public Lands Rule. These new federal policies elevate the national consideration of wildlife and wild places, after too many decades of being in the backseat for the management of public lands.

“We know from the scientific community that we must protect roughly half of our lands and waters to safeguard global biodiversity. Today’s announcement is a crucial step toward that goal,” said Susan Holmes, Executive Director of the Endangered Species Coalition. “Thirty percent of our lands and waters need conservation protections by 2030. But, these lands must be more than just lines on a map; they must safeguard our wildlife by protecting biodiversity hotspots and connecting lands with wildlife corridors.”

Biodiversity is declining across the United States and worldwide, endangering ecosystems, human health, and livelihoods. We are losing species at an accelerated rate; Earth’s wildlife populations have plummeted by nearly 70% since 1970, one-third of the animals and plants are at risk of extinction and 41% of ecosystems are at risk of range-wide collapse.

The American Conservation and Stewardship Atlas provides new tools for conservation efforts and, crucially, an interactive map of data related to the Biden Harris administration’s America the Beautiful initiative and its goal of protecting 30% of lands and waters by 2030 (30×30). “Endangered Species Coalition is a leading voice for wildlife within the America the Beautiful for All coalition, and we will continue to work to ensure that the lands and waters counting toward the Biden Harris 30×30 goal indeed meet the goals of biodiversity conservation and environmental justice,” said Jewel Tomalsula, Federal Policy Advisor.

The BLM Public Lands Rule is a step forward for the more than 3,000 wildlife species, including more than 300 federally listed threatened and endangered species, that depend on lands overseen by the BLM. After decades of the BLM prioritizing resource extraction over conservation, the Public Lands Rule is a much-needed course correction to enable proper stewardship of wildlife and wild places. The Endangered Species Coalition mobilized citizens to submit over 8000 public comments in support of the rule.

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What Everyone Can Do to Protect Endangered Species

ESC — Mon, 18 Mar 2024 18:46:13 +0000

Article by: Jane Marsh, Editor-in-Chief of Environment.co

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Have you ever seen a live golden toad? What about a Cryptic treehunter bird or a Chinese paddlefish? You probably never will. These animals all went extinct over the last five years. Without meaningful change, thousands more could follow as the list of endangered species grows longer each year.

While it’s true that extinctions occur naturally, human-driven climate change has certainly sped things along. As such, everyone must do their part to protect and preserve what life is left on the planet.

How Bad Is It?

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species shows more than 44,000 animals and 40,000 trees currently in danger of disappearing entirely off the Earth. From the skies to the seas, climate change is worsening conditions for these endangered species.

The resulting loss of biodiversity will be catastrophic across every facet of life. If nature loss stays its current course, there could be several more pandemics like COVID-19 in the near future, among other dire repercussions.

7 Things You Can Do Now to Protect Endangered Species

Saving near-extinct species requires a collective effort. Here are seven ways you can contribute to this endeavor.

1. Educate Yourself

The more you know about the natural environment and endangered species, the better you can determine the most impactful actions within your purview. You also get to identify larger, longer-term goals that align with your values to work toward.

2. Visit a Wildlife Park

Everyone should go on safari at least once in their lifetime. The raw connection to nature and the breathtaking views will forever remind you of what you’re protecting. While Africa is home to the authentic safari, you can always start with any of the 567 national wildlife refuges across the U.S.

3. Volunteer for Conservation Programs

There’s no better way to support a cause than to donate your time to it. Chances are there are dozens of local or state programs dedicated to protecting endangered species. These organizations almost always need support and will welcome all the help they can get. Endangered Species Day is coming up on May 17th and is a great way to meet like minded advocates and organizations. Find events and information at endangeredspeciesday.org.

4. Promote Natural Processes

If you can help it, let nature take its course. This means limiting actions that otherwise upset the ecological balance, such as using pesticides and other harmful synthetic chemicals. If you must rid your yard of pests, prioritize solutions that involve natural processes. For example, creating a bat habitat helps fight mosquitoes organically due to their predator-prey relationship.

5. Transition to an Anti-Consumerist Lifestyle

Consumerism is destroying the planet, depleting natural resources and destabilizing wildlife habitats faster than ever. Many people are obsessed with buying things that generate more waste and emissions, further harming ecosystems. It’s a vicious, highly unsustainable chain with no good outcomes.

To put things into perspective, humanity would need at least five new planets to support life if everyone lived like the average American consumer. Now’s the time to reexamine your lifestyle and how it impacts the world around you. Waste less and recycle more. If you must buy stuff, prioritize sustainable and responsibly sourced products.

6. Drive Responsibly

Vehicle collisions involving animals can hasten the rate at which certain species become endangered. Roadkill has wiped out up to 33% of beech martens, weasel-like animals native to North America, Europe and Central Asia. It’s also the leading cause of death for 28% of a studied population comprising 69 mammalian species. You could push back the extinction clock for many animals just by driving more carefully, especially around wildlife habitats.

7. Don’t Be a Nuisance

It’s great that you want to save endangered species, but acting sanctimonious about it will be counterintuitive. There are a lot of self-righteous movements that create divisions and stall the progress on global issues, such as environmental protection and climate change.

For example, even though their cause is necessary, Just Stop Oil’s method puts them in the news for the wrong reasons, generating more ire than support. Remember, this is an all-hands-on-deck mission and the best way to do this is drive public interest. When enough people care about something, policymakers must comply.

Do Your Part in Protecting Endangered Species

Rapidly declining populations need help now. Every deliberate action you take to assist endangered wildlife and plants counts. Commit to making a difference today and ensuring a healthy, sustainable planet for everything living.

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