US Fish and Wildlife Service 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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The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is siding with the NRA and trophy hunters

ESC — Wed, 09 Oct 2024 18:23:43 +0000

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) has lost its way on wolf protection. The agency recently announced that it was joining with the National Rifle Association and a trophy-hunting lobbyist group in going to court once again to defend the Trump Administration’s nationwide delisting of gray wolves.

Make a tax-deductible gift today to hold the USFWS responsible for doing the work.

This whiplash decision after they announced a year ago they will create a national wolf recovery plan is troubling. And the Administration’s partnership with groups who routinely oppose conservation and wildlife protections is a grave concern.

The path that the agency is choosing would give up on what has been one of the world’s greatest conservation successes. We should all beam with pride at bringing wolves back from the edge of extinction.We began to right a wrong and have made real progress. But that work is nowhere near complete.

Wolves have been restored to a fraction of their former range. By the most forgiving interpretation, wolves occupy less than 10% of their former habitat.¹ That success rate would not be acceptable in any other place in any other job and it is not acceptable here. The agency can’t just move on because they do not want to do the work.

What the USFWS is saying is that wolves no longer need the protections of the Endangered Species Act, now that they believe that they have recovered in three states: Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. While we question their assertion that wolves in those states should be without protections (and have fought to restore them), the suggestion that we can call this job done everywhere else is ridiculous. And they are making that argument in court, with the NRA and trophy hunting lobbyists, in defense of a Trump Administration rule that another court already overturned.

Keep the Endangered Species Coalition fighting for wolves until the job is finished with your gift today.

This Administration has made a number of curious and sometimes troubling decisions around endangered species protections. This decision is among the worst. By defending the Trump delisting rule that a court already rejected and overturned, the agency is paving the way for more wolf killing–wolves will die by bullet, trap, and brutal neck snares if the USFWS, NRA, and trophy hunters succeed.

Unlike the USFWS, we won’t quit on wolves. We hope you won’t either.Please make a gift today to keep the pressure on this once-proud agency to do the work.

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 our wolf-saving work at this URL: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/wolfusfws

1. https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/gray_wolves/

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Wyoming Wolf Tortured and Killed. USFWS Must Act.

ESC — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 15:58:31 +0000

On February 28th of this year–just 26 days after the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service denied gray wolves protections–Cody Roberts of Daniel Wyoming tortured and killed a female yearling gray wolf after running her down with a snowmobile and taping her mouth shut.

This abhorrent act of cruelty cannot become normal or acceptable. The wildlife that you and I fight for every day face enough threats from habitat loss, climate change, and over consumption by lawful hunters. Torture cannot be added to that already-grave list.

Share this story to build pressure on decision-makers to act.

While this disgusting action likely shocks you as much as it does me, Mr. Roberts is currently facing a mere $250 fine for possessing a live wild animal. To put a fine point on that: running a wolf to exhaustion with a snowmobile and incapacitating her, taping her mouth shut, parading the still-live wolf around a bar, and finally killing and skinning her do not violate state law. Only the possession of the live animal is a low-level infraction.

Wyoming’s Governor,¹ the local sheriff,² the Director of the state’s fish and wildlife agency, and former U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) Director Dan Ashe³ have issued statements condemning this brutal attack. But to date, the current Director of the USFWS, Martha Williams, and her boss, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, have had no comment.

The USFWS could have prevented this. We worked for more than two years to organize support for the protection of gray wolves in Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana under the Endangered Species Act.⁴ Scientists, legal experts, activists, biologists, and Tribal representatives advocated to Secretary Haaland and Director Williams in support of protection.

And let’s be clear: Wyoming’s designated “predator zone,” 85 percent of the state where wolves can be shot on sight (without even a hunting license,) should never have been approved by the USFWS as an acceptable wolf management plan. Such a classification sends a message to the public that state wildlife officials consider wolves a pest and enables the type of horrific treatment of wolves that we witnessed last week.

As I wrote above, their decision to deny those crucial safeguards preceded this act of cowardly torture by just 26 days. I do not know if Mr. Roberts felt empowered by the USFWS deciding that these wolves did not warrant protection–but I do know that the agency could have acted before it and it can surely act now.

Today, I am asking you to share this story. The more people who know what happened to this wolf, the more the Administration will feel pressure to act. Please post to social media or share this story with a friend.

We will be in touch soon with additional actions that we can all take to protect wolves in the Northern Rockies and Colorado from similar acts of torture.

Thank you for your commitment to wildlife and wild places.

Sincerely,

Susan Holmes
Executive Director
Endangered Species Coalition

PS. Are the links not working? Please take action to share this story on this page: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/wolves-are-not-safe

1. https://cowboystatedaily.com/2024/04/08/gov-gordon-joins-outrage-over-torment-of-wyoming-wolf/

2. https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/natural-resources-energy/2024-04-08/wolfs-capture-alleged-abuse-by-wyoming-man-condemned-highlights-legal-limitations

3. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/10/wyoming-wolf-bar-animal-abuse

4. https://www.endangered.org/statement-of-endangered-species-coalition-on-todays-announcement-by-the-u-s-fish-and-wildlife-service-to-deny-federal-protections-to-gray-wolves-in-the-northern-rockies/

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Ask the Biden Administration to FULLY reverse the Trump Extinction Legacy

ESC — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 15:11:17 +0000

This year is the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act. For five decades, this law has helped to keep iconic–and not iconic–species from disappearing forever. Bald eagles, gray whales, grizzly bears, and dozens of other species owe their existence in large part to the protections of the Endangered Species Act.

Despite this law’s effectiveness and the urgency of addressing both the climate and biodiversity crises, the Biden Administration is not fully scrapping the Trump Administration’s extinction plan that weakens this law.

While the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA) have begun to reverse a few of the Trump Administration’s attacks, they left the majority of these damaging policies in place.

Species such as polar bears, gulf sturgeon, and Northern spotted owls will continue to suffer and slip even closer to extinction if the Biden Administration continues to fail to reverse the Trump Administration’s extinction plan. Please speak out during the public comment period today and ask that the Administration do more to fully restore the Endangered Species Act.

Speak out for Endangered Species

Tell the Biden Administration to restore the Endangered Species Act

Take action

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Court grants temporary reprieve for Montana’s wolves

Email Poster — Wed, 16 Nov 2022 15:39:16 +0000

Judge issues temporary restraining order, requiring Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to return to several 2020 regulations

Contacts:
Lizzy Pennock, WildEarth Guardians, (406) 830-8924, lpennock@wildearthguardians.org

Michelle Lute, Project Coyote, (406) 848-4910, mlute@projectcoyote.org

HELENA, MONTANA— Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks announced wolf hunting and trapping regulation changes as required by a Montana State Court granting a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the State of Montana, and the Fish and Wildlife Commission. These changes significantly curb the number of wolves permitted to be killed in hunting and trapping districts adjacent to Yellowstone and Glacier national parks, reduce the annual “bag limit” of individual hunters by 75%, and stop the use of strangulation snares once trapping season begins later this month.

The TRO was issued in response to a Motion for Temporary Restraining Order filed by conservation groups WildEarth Guardians and Project Coyote, a project of Earth Island Institute, on November 10, 2022. The order expires on November 29, 2022 and a hearing is scheduled in Helena for November 28 at 1:30 pm, which is the same day that the wolf trapping season is set to start.

According to a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks announcement, “the changes outlined in the temporary restraining order are as follows:

• Reinstitutes wolf management units (WMU) 110, 313, and 316 as they existed in the 2020 wolf regulations. WMU 110 borders Glacier National Park and WMUs 313 and 316 are north of Yellowstone National Park

• Reinstitutes the quotas for WMU 110, 313, 316 as they existed in the 2020 wolf regulations, which are two wolves in WMU 110 and one wolf each in WMU 313 and 316. Currently, one wolf has been harvested in WMU 313 and no wolves have been harvested in WMU 316 and 110. Wolf hunting and trapping in WMU 313 is now closed.

• Restricts all hunters and trappers to harvesting five wolves total per person, per season.

• Prohibits the use of snares as a legal method of take for trapping wolves.”

“We collectively breathed a sigh of relief when we saw this order, knowing that Yellowstone’s wolves—and wolves across the state—will have some protections in place while we wait for their day in court,” said Lizzy Pennock, the Montana-based carnivore coexistence advocate at WildEarth Guardians. “This is a promising step in the right direction, and we will continue using all means necessary to end the senseless, politically-motivated slaughter of Montana’s beloved wolves.”

“This temporary restraining order is a critical cessation of the irreparable harm being waged on wolves and wildlands,” said Michelle Lute, PhD in wolf conservation and carnivore conservation director for Project Coyote, an organization that works to protect native carnivores. “It tells you how egregiously unscientific and unethical Montana’s war on wolves was—and would continue to be—if it weren’t for the judicial branch defending law, science, and reason. Montana’s wolves and America’s ideals won an important battle, but the war rages on.”

As Judge Christopher Abbott explained, yesterday’s decision considering only the TRO, concludes “that interim relief is necessary to ensure there is no acceleration of wolf kills that would impede relief at the preliminary injunction stage,” which will be the next stage of the legal process and further consider conservation groups’ claims that “over-hunting of wolves constitutes an irreversible act.”

There will be a hearing on November 28, 2022 at the Montana First Judicial District Court on the Motion for Preliminary Injunction at which point the court will decide whether or not to issue a preliminary injunction pending resolution of the merits of the case.

For more information, please read the co-plaintiff’s press release regarding the lawsuit filing from October 27 and motion for temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction from November 10, 2022.

# # #

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Celebrate National Wildlife Refuge Week with action to get the lead out

ESC — Wed, 12 Oct 2022 14:12:18 +0000

This week the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is celebrating National Wildlife Refuge

Week across the public lands that it manages. Sadly, many already-imperiled species of wildlife on these lands and waters are being left to suffer painful and often-deadly lead poisoning due to inaction by the Department of Interior.

Wildlife refuges should be safe for wildlife who live there. Instead, these natural areas have been allowed to become littered with lead ammunition fragments and fishing equipment. These toxic metals are killing some of our most treasured species.

A recent study in the journal Science documented the mass poisoning of eagles by lead left in animals shot by hunters. It found that nearly fifty percent of eagles to have “bone lead concentrations above thresholds for chronic poisoning.”

The recovery of highly endangered California condors has been slowed by lead poisoning as a result of spent ammunition.

Despite that, the Department of Interior has opened more land and water acreage to hunting and fishing than any previous administration–and has only proposed banning the use of lead in a fraction of these refuges.

If the Department of Interior is unable to act to make our public lands safe for wildlife, Congress must. Senator Tammy Duckworth and Representative Ted Lieu have introduced bills in the House and Senate to phase out the use of lead ammunition in National Wildlife Refuges.

Please ask your senators and representative to support the LEAD Act (S. 4157 and H.R. 405) to phase out lead on all lands and waters under the jurisdiction and control of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Take Action For National Wildlife Refuge Week

Tall Congress that you support legislation that would require the Biden Administration to phase out lead ammunition on national wildlife refuges.

Take action

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The Endangered Species Act in a New Administration

Corry Westbrook — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 11:52:55 +0000

The Endangered Species Act in 2021

The Trump Administration has rolled back more than 130 environmental safeguards, including those intended to protect wildlife. We are now in a biodiversity extinction crisis, but we did not get into this state in just the past four years, it was decades in the making.

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) has not been a priority to any Administration or Congress, unless to harm it. Every Administration and Congress has been willing to trade ESA, and wildlife protections, away. President Obama did more to protect the environment then President Trump, yet he weakened ESA protections, enforcement and implementation, destroyed wildlife habitat for profit and failed to help some highly endangered species. As we move forward with the new Biden-Harris Administration we must ensure history does not repeat itself.

BIODIVERSITY CRISIS NEEDS EMERGENCY RESPONSE

The sixth mass extinction of wildlife is accelerating and scientists warn it may be a tipping point for the collapse of civilization.

THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION

SALAZAR

President Obama nominated a very moderate Secretary of Interior. Salazar’s voting record while in Congress was weak in the arenas most important to a Secretary of the Interior: protecting scientific integrity, combating global warming, reforming energy development and protecting endangered species.

SPECIES

Wolves: The Obama administration issued a rule that would delist wolves across the United States in 2013.

Grizzly Bears in the Northern Rockies: The Obama Administration tried to delist the Yellowstone grizzly bear population, only to have the courts reverse the decision and reinstate ESA protections.

Whales: The Obama Administration advocated to suspend the international whaling moratorium and, separately, declined to adequately enforce international agreements on commercial whaling.

HABITAT

Oil and Gas: After the Deepwater Horizon Gulf of Mexico oil spill, Obama’s Department of Interior (DOI) did not ban seismic testing and oil and gas drilling in the Arctic ocean and off the Atlantic Coast until shortly before the 2016 election.

Obama signed legislation in 2015 ending the decades-old ban on crude oil exports creating an economic incentive to “drill baby drill”. Oil production doubled between 2009 and 2016 and the administration aggressively pursued the XL pipeline.

THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT

The Obama Administration created a regulation that put hundreds of endangered plants and animals at greater risk of extinction by dramatically reducing protections for their designated critical habitat.

The administration issued a policy that allows the FWS to exclude areas from critical habitat based on, in many cases, vague promises from landowners to conserve habitat.

The administration enacted a policy that drastically limits which species get protection in the first place by changing the “significant portion of range” provision.

ESA 4(d) rule – loophole

The 4(d) rule was created to provide the USFWS with flexibility to protect threatened species. However, it has been exploited and used as a loophole to weaken or not protect species at all. The Center for Biological Diversity found that the Obama Administration used this detrimental loophole more than any other Administration.

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AND ESA

Finalized five rules that weaken protections for threatened species and consultation requirements, allow consideration of economic impacts, rather than just science, when doing listing determinations; make it more difficult to consider impacts from climate change on imperiled wildlife; and weaken the critical habitat protection provisions.

Finalized wolf delisting rule, removing all protections of grey wolves in the lower 48.

CONCERNS REGARDING THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION

Not reversing Trump’s assaults because not considered a priority in light of multiple, more obvious direct “human crises,” and/or some Democrats prefer they stay in place, which creates death blow precedents.

Not supporting legislation to strengthen the ESA and wildlife protections and/or supporting harmful legislation.

THE 117th CONGRESS

With Democrats in control of the House, Senate and White House we could do much to protect wildlife. However, every vote would be very close, requiring every Democrat, in both the House and the Senate. With a 50-50 split in the Senate, Vice-President Harris will have to break ties. In the House, the Democrats have only a four member lead to get to the all important 218 to pass a bill.

We will need to push moderates hard and grassroots action will be crucial. We will also have to work with Republicans for any legislation that requires cloture, or sixty votes to pass, and bi-partisan legislation is always stronger.

We will have less fear of harmful bills passing into law, however we will have to watch for provisions that may be added here and there to “must-pass” legislation. We will have to push and work moderate Democratic Senators, and educate new Senators, so they do not cut deals and set damaging precedents.

MOVING FORWARD WITH THE BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION

Now that we understand the recent past, and what the previous administrations did to wildlife and the ESA, we move forward and ensure the Biden-Harris Administration does better. In addition to the great legislation, we might pass in Congress, we have the potential to do great things for imperiled wildlife with the Biden Administration.

President Obama filled his cabinet with moderates and conservatives that were not helpful for wildlife. So far, some of President-Elect Biden’s nominations have given us hope, including Deb Haaland as Secretary of Interior, Michael Regan as EPA Administrator, and Gina McCarthy and John Kerry working on climate change.

We do have concerns about some others but we will watch as the nomination hearings progress and will weigh in throughout the process on behalf of wildlife and plants for our members and supporters.

In 2021, we must, as a coalition, not get intoxicated by access or be seduced by leadership using words, like “science” and “biodiversity” and “environmental justice”. We must look at their actions and push them hard to keep their promises.

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1.8 Million Americans Speak Out Against Stripping Federal Protections from Wolves

Endangered Species Coalition — Mon, 15 Jul 2019 16:53:30 +0000

Contact: Leda Huta, Endangered Species Coalition, (202) 320-6467
Diane Summers, Humane Society of the United States, (301) 258-1456
Virginia Cramer, Sierra Club, (804) 519-8449
Lindsay Larris, WildEarth Guardians, (310) 923-1465
Daniela Arellano, Natural Resources Defense Council, 310-434-2304
Marjorie Fishman, Animal Welfare Institute, (202) 446-2128
Emily Samsel, League of Conservation Voters, 202-454-4573
Erik Molvar, Western Watersheds Project, (307) 399-7910
Maggie Caldwell, Earthjustice, (415) 217-2084

Federal Proposal Would Halt Wolf Recovery, Allow More Wolf Killing

WASHINGTON, DC— Almost two million Americans stated their opposition to the Trump administration’s proposal to strip endangered species protections from gray wolves in a comment period that closed today. This is one of the largest numbers of comments ever submitted on a federal decision involving endangered species and reflects broad dissatisfaction with the Trump administration’s politically driven move to turn wolf management over to state agencies across most of the lower 48 states.

In addition to the 1.8 million comments submitted by the public, 86 members of Congress (House and Senate letters), 100 scientists, 230 businesses, and 367 veterinary professionals all submitted letters to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service opposing the wolf delisting plan. Even the scientific peer reviews written at the behest of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s state that the agency’s proposal contains numerous errors and appears to come to a predetermined conclusion, not even supported by its own science, to remove federal protections for wolves.

“The incredible volume of comments give voice to a sad fact: the delisting proposal is a radical departure from the optimism and courage we need to promote endangered species recovery in this country. The comments show that Americans believe the Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposal falls well short of the conservation ideals this country stood for 45 years ago when the Endangered Species Act was signed,” said Defenders of Wildlife President Jamie Rappaport Clark.

“The restoration of the gray wolf could be one of the great American wildlife conservation success stories if Secretary Bernhardt would just finish the job,” Leda Huta, executive director of the Endangered Species Coalition said.

“The Fish and Wildlife Service is snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Instead of restoring wolves to their rightful places in prime wilderness around the country — as it did for bald eagles — the agency wants to abandon wolf recovery before the job is done,” said Drew Caputo, Earthjustice Vice President of Litigation for Lands, Wildlife, Oceans. “Today 1.8 million people in America told the Trump Administration to go back to work and protect our wolves.”

Scientists estimate that there were once hundreds of thousands of wolves in the lower 48 states, but the animals had been driven to near-extinction by the early 1900s. After passage of the Endangered Species Act in 1973 and subsequent federal protection of the wolf, federal recovery programs resulted in the rebound of wolf populations in limited parts of the country. Today roughly 5,500 wolves currently live in the continental United States — a fraction of the species’ historic numbers.

The Trump administration’s proposal would remove existing protections for gray wolves everywhere in the lower 48 states except Arizona and New Mexico, where the Mexican wolf is struggling to survive with an estimated population of just 131 wolves. This proposal would abandon protections for wolves in places where wolf recovery is just in its infancy, such as California, Oregon and Washington, and would prevent wolves from recovering in other places where good wolf habitat has been identified, including the southern Rocky Mountains and the Northeast.

“By delisting the gray wolf, Secretary Bernhardt is providing a massive giveaway to the oil and gas industry he once lobbied for,” said Josh Nelson, Co-Director of CREDO Action. “Big Oil has spent years lobbying against ESA protections and sees gray wolves – as well as the entire ESA – as a huge barrier in its pursuit to exploit natural resources and increase profits. If Bernhardt’s extinction plan is enacted, it would be a death sentence for the gray wolf.”

“Trump cannot ignore almost two million voices calling for the protection of wolves,” said Sylvia Fallon, Senior Director of the Nature Program for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). “Science should determine how species are protected, not politics or special interests,” Fallon added. “Wolves need continued protections to recover and the American public agrees.”

Nicole Paquette, chief programs and policy officer for the Humane Society of the United States said: “Anti-wolf sentiments nearly led to the extermination of America’s wolves, and just when populations are starting to bounce back, the federal government is considering a plan that could place them in jeopardy. Rather than catering to interests from trophy hunters and fear mongering, we hope the federal government rejects this proposal and works toward the recovery of this species.”

“American wolves deserve better than the FWS’s reckless delisting proposal,” said Sara Amundson, president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. “As an apex predator and keystone species, these national icons provide innumerable ecological benefits and are vital for local economies that rely on wolf-watching tourism.”

“Americans are outraged and hundreds of thousands are saying it loudly and clearly; the job of wolf recovery is not done,” said John Horning, executive director of WildEarth Guardians. “The Fish and Wildlife Service is not only wrong on the science of wolf recovery but also wildly out of step with the desires of most Americans who want to see federal protections for wolves maintained.”

“The American public has overwhelmingly weighed in: We must not prematurely delist wolves, but instead give them the time they need to truly and fully recover,” said Lena Moffit, director of the Sierra Club’s Our Wild America campaign. “Secretary Bernhardt must abandon plans to remove vital protections for still-recovering gray wolves, which remain absent from much of their historic range. Instead of persecuting wolves, we should put more effort into coexistence and appreciate the critical role wolves play in maintaining the natural balance.”

“This attempt to eliminate crucial protections for gray wolves demonstrates an anti-predator bias that continues to influence wolf management decisions. The undeserved hostility toward wolves is not based on principles of sound scientific management. These apex predators play a vital role in ecosystems, contribute to a multibillion-dollar outdoor tourism industry, and are an iconic symbol of our beloved native wildlife,” said Cathy Liss, president of the Animal Welfare Institute

“Removing protections for an at-risk species like the gray wolf would be yet another in a long line of harmful policies by the most anti-environment administration in history,” said Alex Taurel, Conservation Program Director at the League of Conservation Voters. “President Trump and Secretary Bernhardt should stop doing favors like this for the oil and gas industry and instead protect our public lands and endangered species for the benefit of the people of this country.”

According to Angela Grimes, CEO of Born Free USA, “The American people have firmly rebuked the Trump administration’s attempt to remove critical federal protections from the gray wolf, flooding the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with a record 1.8 million public comments. We urge the agency to give full consideration to this incredibly strong response, as well as to the best available science, which concludes that this keystone species has not yet fully recovered and merits further protection under the Endangered Species Act.”

“From California and Nevada to Colorado, vast stretches of public land are perfectly suited to wolf recovery, yet the howl of the wolf remains tragically absent from most of the West,” Erik Molvar, a wildlife biologist and executive director with Western Watersheds Project, said. “The nationwide de-listing rule represents an extinction plan on behalf of a handful of public land profiteers, at the expense of restoring healthy native ecosystems that will benefit all Americans.”

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For Wildlife, There’s No App for That

ESC — Tue, 25 Jun 2019 20:12:34 +0000

This is a guest post from Trisha White at the National Wildlife Federation.

Thanks to smartphones and applications (apps), we can easily swipe and tap for everything we need right from the comfort of our couch and have it delivered to our door. From food to friends to fantasy vacations, we humans now have it all at our fingertips.

But wildlife can’t be slackers–no one delivers to a nest or den.

Turtles don’t have Tinder to find mates, they have to travel to breeding areas.
Deer can’t use Doordash when they get hungry, they have to forage for food.
Opossum don’t have Priceline to help them get away from predators.
Armadillo can’t use Zillow to find a new home, they have to search for territory.
Foxes can’t Facetime when they want to communicate with family, they have to find them.

To get what they need to survive and thrive, animals need to leave home and move around their habitat to meet their daily and lifetime needs. And too often that travel puts them in harm’s way.

On the Move

Wildlife move in daily, seasonal, annual, and lifetime cycles. Within a single day, they may only leave home to find food. Seasonally, wildlife move to adapt to changes in weather. And over the course of a lifetime, animals move extensively throughout their habitat for the many stages of life.

Some animals spend their entire life in a small area, while others may travel hundreds of miles a year. For example, an urban squirrel may find all the food, nesting material, and mates they need within a single city block. Alternatively, some pronghorn travel 300 miles roundtrip each year to follow available vegetation.

For wide ranging species like the pronghorn, getting from point A to point B and back often means having to navigate over several dangerous roads and highways. More than four million miles of concrete criss-cross the U.S. Our impressive infrastructure makes it easy for us to get around, but creates a deadly gauntlet for wildlife. In fact, an estimated 1-2 million large animals are killed by motorists every year; one animal every 26 seconds.

Wildlife Bridges

Not as easy as getting a Lyft, but innovative solutions for restoring wildlife movement have emerged over the last three decades. Wildlife biologists teamed up with highway engineers to design/build/create wildlife crossings to allow animals to cross over or under roadways, never having to enter the right-of-way. Wildlife crossings include bridges, enlarged culverts, and tunnels combined with fencing along roads to funnel animals to the crossings. These structures have proven to be the most effective measure to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions. Some examples of successful wildlife crossing projects in the United States include:

Photo credit USFWS

WYOMING: The Trapper’s Point project near Pinedale, Wyoming, which includes six underpasses and two overpasses, has become world-renowned for reducing pronghorn and mule deer collisions and for protecting the “path of the pronghorn” migration corridor.

Photo credit USFWS

FLORIDA: Florida has taken a proactive approach to protecting the endangered Florida panther, constructing over 60 wildlife crossings and installing accompanying fencing targeted at making it safer for panthers to cross the road. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, “Panther deaths caused by vehicle collisions have been sharply reduced in areas where crossings and fencing are in place.”

Photo credit Colorado Department of Transportation

COLORADO: The Colorado Highway 9 Crossing Project with two overpasses and five underpasses has reduced wildlife-vehicle collisions by 87 percent in the first year. Success rate for mule deer has ranged from 82 percent in an underpass to 98 percent on an overpass.

But wildlife can’t be slackers–no one delivers to a nest or den.

Turtles don’t have Tinder to find mates, they have to travel to breeding areas.
Deer can’t use Doordash when they get hungry, they have to forage for food.
Opossum don’t have Priceline to help them get away from predators.
Armadillo can’t use Zillow to find a new home, they have to search for territory.
Foxes can’t Facetime when they want to communicate with family, they have to find them.

To get what they need to survive and thrive, animals need to leave home and move around their habitat to meet their daily and lifetime needs. And too often that travel puts them in harm’s way.

On the Move

Wildlife Bridges

Photo credit: Tim Lewis / Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission

Great strides have been made but much more needs to be done. National Wildlife Federation is currently working with members of Congress to include funding for wildlife crossings in the upcoming surface transportation bill. With adequate funding, state transportation agencies can make wildlife crossings standard practice.

You can learn more about keeping wildlife on the move and next time you pick up your phone to order a curry in a hurry, be thankful that you don’t have to dodge highway traffic to get to your next meal!

This originally appeared on the National Wildlife Federation website.

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