Center for Biological Diversity

Last week, NOAA Fisheries confirmed that a North Atlantic right whale found entangled in Maine fishing in January did indeed die from that "chronic entanglement." Tragically, hundreds of thousands of #marineanimals suffer or die every year from entanglement in fishing gear. It doesn't have to be this way. There's a solution: pop-up fishing gear. Join us in urging NOAA to support the widespread adoption of pop-up fishing gear that will save the lives of countless marine animals ➡️ https://biodiv.us/3XZIzmb 📷: Georgia Department of Natural Resources

U.S. trophy hunters slaughtered two critically endangered black rhinos named Lippie and Willem, ages 28 and 31, in Namibia. Now the rhino-killers are asking the U.S. government for permits to import their body parts or products into the United States. Although hunters pay exorbitant fees that are supposed to go toward conservation in Namibia — and some of the money does go toward keeping some animals safe from poaching — this use-based system perpetuates demand that's leading rhinos down the path to extinction. No endangered species should be killed or imported for thrills or decor. As a major endpoint for hunting trophies from all over the world, the United States should lead in stamping out this practice. Join us in urging the Fish and Wildlife Service to deny the permits to import trophies made from Lippie and Willem's remains to the U.S. ➡️ https://biodiv.us/3NiKpJW 📷: by Brett Hartl/CBD

Did you know that giant clams weigh around 500 pounds? That's as much as an average male grizzly bear. These very special animals are declining — and in some areas disappearing entirely. But there's hope: NOAA Fisheries has proposed protecting 10 #giantclam species under the Endangered Species Act. If the proposal is finalized, the Act's safeguards will help these animals overcome threats like overexploitation, international trade, and climate change. Please, add your voice in support of protecting these colorful clams ➡️ https://biodiv.us/4dzOcgB

The smallest gray wolf subspecies in North America, the Mexican gray wolf is also one of the rarest and most imperiled mammals on the continent. The Center has worked continuously to recover Mexican wolves in the wild, beginning with a 1990 lawsuit that led, eight years later, to reintroduction. Along the way we’ve sought to protect the wolves from persecution. Our work to protect them continues. Yesterday, the Center alongside Western Watersheds Project and GRAND CANYON WOLF RECOVERY PROJECT, notified state and federal agencies that ongoing efforts to trap and relocate Mexican gray wolves west of Flagstaff, known as the Kendrick Peak pack, violate the #EndangeredSpecies Act. Learn more about #MexicanWolves and our work to protect them ➡️ https://biodiv.us/43dFpgK

‘Three Rivers of Woe’ — David Quammen on Climate Change, Extinction, and Epidemics https://lnkd.in/gat9Gcux

Horseshoe crabs are older than dinosaurs. But in the blink of an eye — in the past three decades — their populations have crashed. Commercial fishers chop them up for bait, and the biomedical industry drains them of their blood for medical testing (even though safer synthetic alternatives are available). Both of these pressures are driving horseshoe crabs toward extinction. We're working to get them Endangered Species Act protection. In the meantime, these ancient creatures desperately need help from the states where they live. You can help by urging New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign the Horseshoe Crab Protection Act ➡️ https://biodiv.us/4es9BcQ

Check out this stunning new video footage of a rare wild #ocelot in a Sky Island mountain range in Arizona, within the ancestral homelands of the Tohono O’odham Nation. Fewer than 100 ocelots are thought to remain in the U.S., with the majority residing in southern Texas. Arizona is home to a small but crucial population, which exists at the northernmost part of the species' range. Ocelots rely on the intact, interconnected wildlands of the Sky Islands. These ranges are biologically rich, creating unique ecosystems that support an incredible diversity of plants and animal species including ocelot, jaguar and black bear. Learn more ➡️ https://biodiv.us/3ZKlM0h 📹 : Russ McSpadden / Center for Biological Diversity

Cheers to a brighter future for California's diverse wildlife 🎉: Last Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law the Room to Roam Act (A.B. 1889) that will set measures that will improve statewide wildlife connectivity in California. Many animals like mountain lions, desert tortoises and more are struggling because ill-conceived development has sliced up their habitat, leaving them unable to find food and shelter. Some suffer from harmful inbreeding due to habitat fragmentation. These challenges not only make it hard for wildlife to thrive, it also makes it hard for them to survive. This bill lays out clear guidelines for cities to address wildlife connectivity in their long-range plans. More info on our work to improve wildlife connectivity ➡️ https://biodiv.us/4aH0B2b 📷: National Park System

We're making waves to protect our marine life! We're excited to share that we have reached an agreement with the USEPA that paves the way to protecting imperiled fish and southern resident killer whales from toxic cyanide in Washington state’s waters. The best available science indicates that Washington’s current cyanide pollution limits are harmful to endangered salmon and the orcas that depend on the fish as their primary food. Since 1993 the EPA has repeatedly approved water quality standards for cyanide pollution set by the Washington State Department of Ecology under the Clean Water Act without analyzing how those lax standards harm endangered and threatened species. Yesterday's agreement puts the EPA on the path to updating those standards and better protecting these animals. Learn more 🌊➡️ https://biodiv.us/4gOAucD

It's been more than 50 years since the EPA ended most uses of the notorious pesticide DDT back in 1972. Among several concerns from DDT, evidence suggested that the chemical would bioaccumulate in living things and persist in the environment for centuries, threatening the health of our children, our children’s children and beyond—a disturbing reality confirmed by recent research. Yet now, a growing body of research reveals the EPA is failing to fully address a similar, and potentially even greater, multigenerational chemical threat: the skyrocketing presence of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), aptly dubbed “forever chemicals,” in millions of gallons of pesticide products that are widely used across the U.S. Read more about the looming and poorly regulated PFAS threat comes from these chemicals’ common use in pesticides on farms nationwide from our Environmental Health Science Director, Nathan Donley ➡️ https://bit.ly/4eLuv6u