Photo: Thomas D. Mangelsen
On Tuesday, July 23, environmental and legislative leaders spoke in support of the Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act of 2019 at a Congressional briefing hosted by Wildlands Network and collaborating organizations. Photo: Ron Holmes, USFWS
The Trump Administration is proposing stripping Endangered Species Act protection for all gray wolves in the lower 48 United States, except for the separately listed Mexican gray wolf. Comments on this proposal from conservation groups point to substantial flaws and omissions in the USFWS’s analysis of the relevant science and their interpretation of various ESA mandates. Photo: William C. Gladish
Oregon has the West Coast’s highest rate of vehicle-wildlife collisions, but road trips could soon be safer for both people and animals, thanks to new legislation signed by Gov. Kate Brown today. The bipartisan Oregon “Wildlife Corridors Bill” aims to reduce collisions by mapping the state’s major wildlife corridors and creating a plan to protect them. Photo: done4today / Adobe Stock
Marking the most significant step toward national wildlife conservation in decades, the Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act of 2019 was introduced today in both houses of Congress. Led by Sen. Tom Udall, the bill was co-sponsored in the Senate by Richard Blumenthal, Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, Jeff Merkley, Bernie Sanders, Jon Tester, Sheldon Whitehouse, and Ron Wyden. The bill was introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressmen Don Beyer and Vern Buchanan.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife (FWS) service reported earlier today that the Mexican gray wolf population had increased from 114 individuals in 2018 to 131 individuals in 2019. Kim Crumbo, Senior Carnivore Advocate for Wildlands Network, said that while the increase is good news, there is still much to be done to recover the endangered Mexican wolf to sustainable population levels. Wildlands Network encourages FWS to act upon the best available science for this species. Photo: Juan Carlos Bravo
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the Wildlife Corridors Act into law on Friday, making New Mexico the first state to adopt a comprehensive program to identify wildlife corridors and begin to address barriers to wildlife movement. Photo: William C. Gladish
This morning, an expert wolf taxonomy committee released their final report on the genetic and taxonomic status of red wolves, declaring the animals to be a distinct species. As a distinct species, red wolves are therefore deserving of specific protections under the Endangered Species Act. Photo: Becky Bartell, USFWS
El mes pasado, unos 40 líderes de conservación de la vida silvestre de Estados Unidos y México formaron la Colaboración para la Conservación de los Estados Fronterizos, un grupo de trabajo informal dedicado a preservar la conectividad y la biodiversidad única de las tierras fronterizas. Foto: Cortesía Colaboración para la Conservación de los Estados Fronterizos
Last month, some 40 wildlife conservation leaders from both the United States and Mexico formed the Border States Conservation Collaborative, an informal working group dedicated to preserving the connectivity and unique biodiversity of the borderlands. Photo: Courtesy Border States Conservation Collaborative
In response to today’s announcement that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service intends to remove Endangered Species Act protections for most gray wolves in the lower 48 states, Wildlands Network’s senior carnivore advocate Kim Crumbo condemned the move as premature and not based on sound science. Photo: William C. Gladish
El martes, el diputado local, Luis Mario Rivera Aguilar, presentó ante el Congreso del Estado de Sonora un proyecto de decreto que hace obligatorio incluir pasos de fauna en los Programas de Ordenamiento Territorial en el estado. Photo: Wildlands Network/EcoGrande/Sky Island Alliance
On Tuesday, Sonoran State Representative Luis Mario Rivera Aguilar presented a draft decree requiring wildlife crossings in the state’s Territorial Ordinance Programs to Sonora’s state Congress. Photo: Wildlands Network/EcoGrande/Sky Island Alliance
Representatives of the northern state of Chihuahua in Mexico recently approved an amendment in the state’s Transportation Law requiring the implementation of wildlife crossings in the design, construction and maintenance of roads and highways for preserving wildlife movements. Graphic: Pedro Capdeveille
The Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act was introduced today by Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM) and Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA). If passed, the Act will be a major victory for wildlife and wildlands across the country, restoring habitat and protecting America’s native wildlife by establishing a National Wildlife Corridors Program. Photo: Chip Carroon, BLM
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposal to remove protections from the nation’s only wild population of endangered red wolves has been met with near unanimous opposition from the public. Nearly 99.9 percent of comments submitted favored the need for strong federal protections for red wolves. Photo: Ron Sutherland