— thanks to the powerful conservation tools provided by the esa and the work of countless dedicated people, plovers are steadily recovering. hardly are plovers alone in their slow but encouraging return. that important point was driven home by a new study by the center for biological diversity showing that a remarkable 85 percent of all u.s. continental birds currently protected by the endangered species act are increasing or stabilized. read article : rebound of great lakes plovers a sign that endangered species act works
art ecology science & animals
Tagged ESA
SEIZED SKULL
— u.s. customs and border protection officers seized the skull of an african elephant on the endangered species list last week after a man tried to drive a truck with the skull into mexico. read article : endangered species elephant skull seized at anzalduas bridge
FIX THE PROBLEMS ON THE GROUND
— “today’s changes reduce the damage, but this whole proposal should still be withdrawn.”
$1.21 BILLION/YEAR
— the ideal “cost-effective” group is what we should be aiming for with every endangered species: enough funding and evidence of recovery. read article : overpaying to save some endangered species and barely funding others
DO IT IN A SMART WAY
— cases like these rile up the law’s critics. after a 2008 delta smelt “jeopardy finding,” california republicans and farmers accused the government of creating the drought just to save a “stupid little fish.” read article : a new study suggests ESA doesn’t stop economic growth, but the devil’s in the details.
TO HUNT OR NOT TO HUNT
— in 1975, when grizzlies in the yellowstone area dipped to fewer than 140 individuals, ursus arctos horribilis was hastily given federal protection by a still-young federal law called the endangered species act. read article : yellowstone’s grizzly bears should not be hunted
BELOVED SPECIES
— trophies could still be imported as long as they met the standards set under the special rule and the animals were killed legally. read article : u.s. aims to protect lions through endangered species act
THRIVING PEREGRINES
— birds that migrate at night make different sounds and give different calls while flying in the dark, than they do in the day. read article : peregrine falcon population sees record growth more : falcons in migrating season over the cape and islands
THEY SAY STATES SHOULD RUN PROTECTION PROGRAMS FOR RARE ANIMALS INSTEAD
— the federal government and animal rights groups contend that the ruling was a radical departure from previous court decisions, and it could weaken protections for animals all over the country because most animals listed as endangered species are only found in a single state
WE’LL BE LUCKY
— the smelt’s decline has come to symbolize both california’s history of dysfunctional water politics and the bay delta’s slow-motion ecological collapse. read article : swimming upstream: plight of delta smelt exposes flaws of the endangered species act
NEW DESIGNATIONS
— there are 730 chimpanzees in the custody of biomedical laboratories, the changes require that any research that might harm or harass chimpanzees requires a permit read article : u.s. will call all chimps endangered
SAGE GROUSE NEWS
— the interior department, said the conservation plans could be enough to avoid a listing. such a designation, could have a broad impact on the west’s economy, including energy development read wall street journal article : u.s. to limit drilling to aid greater sage grouse
worldsendangeredspecies 