Your weekly roundup of wildlife news from across the country

Let Wildlife Have a Happy 4th too!
It’s finally the 4th of July weekend! Many of you will be spending some time in the next couple of days on the beach, so it’s a good time for another reminder that we all share the beach with wildlife. Shorebirds and sea turtles in particular rely on our beaches this time of year for nesting, and shorebird chicks or sea turtle hatchlings can be particularly vulnerable to disturbances. Here are a few things to remember as you celebrate the red, white, and blue this weekend:

  • If personal fireworks are legal in your state, please keep them in designated areas, or better yet, off the beach entirely. These explosions (yes, even the small ones) can scare shorebirds from their nests, leaving the chicks vulnerable to predators or other threats. At the very least, keep fireworks very far away from any marked nesting areas.
  • Keep an eye out for signs that indicate an area is off limits, and be sure to use designated walkways. Disturbing nesting sites can have devastating consequences for young shorebirds or sea turtle hatchlings.
  • If you see wildlife on your trip, enjoy it! But keep your distance. Getting too close to a shorebird could frighten it away from its nest (which may be too well camouflaged for you to see), and leave its eggs or chicks vulnerable. And tiny sea turtle hatchlings need to be left alone to focus on the task of getting safely to the water.
  • Please no driving on the beach! Off-road vehicles can disturb, harm, and even kill birds, sea turtles, and other wildlife. If you do drive on the beach, stay on specifically designated areas, and never go near a marked nesting area.
  • When the party is over, be sure to clean up. Leaving trash on the beach can be very dangerous for the wildlife that live there. Birds that mistake it for food could choke on it, or become tangled in it. And sea turtle hatchlings need the beach clear for their dash to the water – leaving trash, outdoor furniture, or even digging holes on the beach can mean new obstacles for them to navigate.

Shark (Fact) Attack
If you’ve turned on the TV at all this week, you’ve probably noticed that Shark Week is back. And while movies like Jaws and Sharknado can be fun, for us, Shark Week is a time to bring some much-needed attention to some of the most important and misunderstood creatures in our oceans. For instance, did you know you’re far more likely to be hit by lightning than be attacked by a shark? Or that scuba divers have only a one in 136 million chance of a shark bite? Humans, on the other hand, kill more than 100 million sharks every year.

Get the real facts about shark attacks, and find out how you can help sharks >

RIP Bramble Cay Melomys
You’ve probably never heard of the Bramble Cay melomys. But this Australian creature, also known as the mosaic-tailed rat, now has the unpleasant distinction of being what scientists believe is the first mammal species to be driven extinct by climate change.

Read more about this now lost species >

Pass or Fail on Conservation?
If you care about wildlife, then by extension you should be interested in what happens on Capitol Hill and how that helps or harms wildlife in America. But no individual can possibly track all of the important legislation or sort through the maze of laws each session. So we do it for you.

Find out how your representatives voted on key issues >

Get Updates and Alerts