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Latest Posts tagged with "Endangered Species Act"

Spotted owls and ancient forests: Court ruling could be a game changer

Juvenile spotted owl. Photo by Rayma Anne, Flickr.

With the spotted owl population in the Pacific Northwest continuing to decline, a long awaited decision on the status of the 2008 spotted owl recovery plan was welcomed last week by those of us who work on northwest forest issues. Read more

Marbled Murrelet retains federal protections

Marbled Murrelet. Courtesy USFWS.

A tiny Northwestern seabird got some great news on Jan 20. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service declared that the marbled murrelet is still in need of federal protection and declined petitions to remove the bird from the list of threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. The Fish and Wildlife Service cited declining populations in Oregon, Washington, and California as proof that the marbled murrelet was not ready to be removed from the protective measures that have been in place since the early 1990s. Read more

A promising trend - science and policy are reunited

Juvenile Northern Spotted Owl. Photo by RaymaAnne, Flickr.

This year is shaping up to be a banner year for environmental policy. The Obama administration is making decisions based on sound science and reason, peeling away actions and policies created in the past administration that significantly weakened environmental protections. The administration is establishing a new hope for our forests and wildlife. Read more

Environmental damage control: Which Bush policies should Obama scrap first?

Washington is abuzz right now with talk of how the new Obama administration can undo some of the environmental damage done by their predecessors in the White House. There’s so much to be done, and everyone’s asking where to start. Read more

Bush’s Final Days: The last-minute environmental roll-backs you should know about

Grand Canyon National Park at risk to Uranium mining, Arizona.

In November, we told you about sweeping environmental roll-backs the Bush administration is rushing through in its final months in office. Since then, and just as expected, the news has not been good. In the short weeks since the presidential election, the administration has finalized numerous land management plans, regulations and policy changes that could severely damage our wild lands for decades to come. Read more

Bush’s Last Assault: Changes to Endangered Species Act a bad deal for everyone (Part 2 of 6)

Pika. Photo by William C. Gladish.

On a recent vacation in California, my family and I decided to venture over to the San Diego Zoo. It was a beautiful day and I was raring to get in and learn about all the fascinating creatures. Just inside the entrance of the zoo was a display illustrating the recently extinct species. A sobering feeling came over me as I looked over the list. These species were gone forever…and that was it. Read more