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Final Rescission of Public Lands Rule Reverses Modern Land Management, Threatens Wildlife Habitat
The Bureau of Land Management today announced a decision to roll back the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, commonly referred to as the Public Lands Rule. The policy modernized how BLM manages our national public lands and represented the critical incorporation of ecological resilience into management alongside traditional resource extraction. The rule required science-based decision-making, conservation considerations within multiple land uses and a focus on sustaining public lands for the long-term benefit of wildlife and the American people.
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Trump Administration Cancels Critical Offshore Wind Projects and Increases Costs for Taxpayers
The Department of Interior this week announced that two offshore wind companies, Bluepoint Wind and Golden State Wind, have abandoned their developments. According to reports, the companies received some $900 million to walk away from the projects.
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Defenders’ Laura Nunes Named to Prestigious ESIIL Working Group
Defenders of Wildlife scientist Laura Nunes has been selected to join the Environmental Data Science Innovation & Impact Lab’s third cohort of working groups.
Press Releases
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House Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Improve Outdoor Access, Imperiled Species Habitat
Rep. Kim Schrier (D-Wash.), Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) and Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.) reintroduced a bill today to authorize funding for the Legacy Roads and Trails Act.
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U.S. Wildlife Officials Petitioned to Ban Import, Sale of Banggai Cardinalfish
Conservation groups filed a petition today urging NOAA Fisheries to ban the import and sale of threatened Banggai cardinalfish from Indonesia. The Banggai cardinalfish, a coral reef inhabitant known for its bold black bands and white-speckled fins, has seen its numbers plummet by as much as 90 percent since the 1990s, due to decades of overexploitation by the aquarium trade.
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DOI Announces $78 Million in Funding for Wetland Conservation and National Wildlife Refuges
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland today announced that $78 million in grants were approved to help the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conserve or restore nearly 500,000 acres habitats for waterfowl, shorebirds and other migratory birds across North America.
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Oregon’s Wolf Population Continues to Increase Despite Poaching, Conflicts
Oregon is now home to 22 confirmed wolf packs, according to the state’s annual wolf report. The report, released by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), shared that the total wolf population was reported at an estimated173 wolves. This is an increase of 15 individuals, and 17 of the 22 packs contain breeding pairs.
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Tribes, Conservation Groups Urge Veto on Anti-Bison Bills
A group of Montana tribes and conservation groups sent a letter to Governor Gianforte today, urging him to veto a pair of state bills that will undermine reintroduction efforts of wild bison to Montana.
jcovey@defenders.org
