By Rhishja Larson •
January 5, 2010
More than 70,000 square miles of habitat has been proposed for critically endangered leatherback turtles in U.S. waters off California, Oregon, and Washington.
Endangered species protection finally advances in favor of leatherback turtles: The National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued a proposal today for 70,000 square miles of critical habitat in the waters off the U.S. Pacific Coast.
By Rhishja Larson •
December 2, 2009
The National Marine Fisheries Service has proposed to designate over 3,000 square miles of critical habitat for endangered Cook Inlet beluga whales.
Good news for critically endangered Cook Inlet beluga whales: The Center for Biological Diversity announced today that over 3,000 square miles of critical habitat has been proposed by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).
By Rhishja Larson •
August 28, 2009
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced that they will consider listing the Sonoran desert tortoise as a distinct population.
A 90-day finding on a petition to list the Sonoran desert tortoise (Gopherus agasizzii) as a distinct population (DPS) under the Endangered Species Act has been announced by the USFWS. This announcement has come after the review of filed petitions showed substantial evidence that the Sonoran desert tortoise may meet the criteria of “discreteness and significance” required for distinct population segments.
By Rhishja Larson •
August 19, 2009
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed the re-designation of 74,223 acres of critical habitat for the endangered California tiger salamander population in Sonoma County.
The action is in response to a lawsuit brought by the Center of Biological Diversity (CBD) to reverse the Bush administration’s illegal reduction of the California tiger salamander’s (Ambystoma californiense) habitat to zero in 2005. According to a CBD press release, the action is part of a larger campaign to overturn decisions made by the Bush administration regarding endangered species. The Cleaning up the Bush Legacy Campaign has so far addressed 8 million acres of critical habitat designation decisions in 28 states for 46 species.
Many of the illegal decisions, including the decision over critical habitat for the tiger salamander, were engineered by former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Julie MacDonald, who resigned in disgrace following a scathing investigation by the inspector general of misconduct at the Department of the Interior.
