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Pacific walruses
Center for     Biological     Diversity   

We've Gone to Court to Save Pacific Walruses

The fight is on to save Pacific walruses. Just a week after the Trump administration denied Endangered Species Act protection to these amazing Arctic animals, the Center for Biological Diversity went to court, filing our official notice of intent to sue.

We've been fighting for walruses for years, including with our 2008 petition to win them federal protections.

Our latest legal filing argues that Trump's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service blatantly ignored the best available climate science, which clearly shows walruses are endangered by the dramatic loss of their Arctic sea-ice habitat. The Service's denial also reverses its previous decision — made under the Obama administration — that walruses deserve protection.

"Walruses will vanish if federal officials keep ignoring their plight," said Center attorney Kristen Monsell.

Thanks to all of you who donated recently to help in this fight to save walruses. We can't do this without you.

Read more in The New York Times.

Trader Joe's shopping carts

A Win for Vaquita: Trader Joe's Stops Buying Mexican Shrimp

After pressure from the Center and allies, Trader Joe's has just decided to stop buying shrimp from Mexico, whose fishery has contributed to decades of decline in the severely endangered porpoise called the vaquita.

The popular grocery chain's decision came as Mexican authorities prepared to begin capturing — with the help of U.S. Navy dolphins — some of the world's last 30 vaquitas in a Hail Mary pass to save the species.

"Trader Joe's knows American shoppers don't support the reckless fishing practices that have nearly wiped out Mexico's beautiful little porpoise," said the Center's Tanya Sanerib. "Now companies like Amazon need to stop selling vaquita-killing shrimp from Mexico too."

Read more in our press release.

Stop Congress From Opening Arctic Refuge to Drilling

Polar bears

We need your help to stop Congress from trashing the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This vast and beautiful wilderness in Alaska's northeast corner is absolutely no place for oil drilling. It's home to polar bears, musk oxen, massive herds of caribou and more than 200 kinds of migratory birds. The congressional budget resolution includes a veiled attempt to drill in the refuge, a goal of the Trump administration.

Take action today: Urge your elected officials to oppose any budget bill that opens the Arctic refuge to oil drilling.

Cascades frog

California Frog Moving Toward State Protection

In response to a Center petition, the California Fish and Game Commission has deemed the Cascades frog a candidate for permanent protection under the state's Endangered Species Act. This effectively grants the species state protection for the next year, until the commission decides whether to make safeguards permanent.

The hardy, speckle-backed Cascades frog is lost from most of its Northern California habitat, mostly due to disease and predation by introduced fish — but also pesticides, climate change, grazing and more.

"Cascades frogs are tough little amphibians, but they desperately need our help to survive the dramatic habitat changes happening in Northern California," said the Center's Jeff Miller.

Read more in our press release.

Snail

The Revelator: The Troubling Plight of Snails

What's not to love about snails? They're slimy, often colorful and they typically get nudged out of the spotlight by wolves, bears and other more "charismatic" species. But snails — and the sad prospects for their extinction — matter. This week The Revelator takes a close look at snails' plight and why it matters to people, other animals and the health of the planet.

Read (and share) this snail story and then check out two other great pieces in The Revelator: one about a trip into a cave whose bats have been wiped out by white-nose syndrome and another about three toxic crises boiling over in Florida.

Petition Filed to Save Unique Gulf Whale From Extinction

Cuvier's beaked whale

With just 74 Cuvier's beaked whales left in the Gulf of Mexico, the Center has just petitioned to protect them under the Endangered Species Act.

These whales can dive 10,000 feet and hold their breath for two hours. They're especially sensitive to military sonar and seismic air guns searching for oil. They're also threatened by boat strikes, fisheries, climate change and more.

"We need to protect them if they are to remain part of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystems," said Center scientist Abel Valdivia. Read more.

Santa Clara River

Agreement on Newhall Ranch Will Benefit Wildlife, Add Solar

Since Newhall Ranch was first proposed in the 1980s, Center Scientist Ileene Anderson and local allies have put thousands of hours into opposing this massive Southern California sprawl — and with the project fully permitted and the bulldozers revving up, they did manage to secure important protections for vulnerable wildlife and habitat, air quality and the Santa Clara River.

With the state and county authorities green-lighting the project, our agreement achieved key safeguards. These include protection of 11,000 acres of habitat, an enforceable commitment to "net zero" greenhouse gas emissions that's a first for a project this size, help for the endangered unarmored threespine stickleback fish, and 10,000 solar installations.

Read Ileene's op-ed about fighting for this remarkable landscape.

Rusty patched bumblebee

Lawsuit Launched to Save Rusty Patched Bumblebees

Rusty patched bumblebees have declined by 91 percent in recent years, so every population matters. In March these bees were awarded Endangered Species Act protections — but then the Fish and Wildlife Service and other agencies approved an Illinois highway project that will destroy some of their last habitat.

This week the Center filed a notice of intent to sue over the decision.

"Federal and state officials can't just walk away from their legal obligation to protect this unique bee," said the Center's Stephanie Parent. "Like many midwesterners, I had a childhood filled with the buzzing of fuzzy bumblebees. I'm angry that the agencies entrusted to protect this critically imperiled creature are refusing to do their jobs."

Read more our press release.

Six-gilled stingray

Wild & Weird: A Rare Glimpse of the Six-Gilled Stingray

Ocean scientists know very little about the biology of the deep-dwelling and uniquely snouted six-gilled stingray. Few people have ever seen one alive.

But you're in luck. Researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently captured rare footage of the ray at a depth of 2,246 feet near Hawaii.

Growing up to 5.5 feet long, the six-gilled ray has a flexible and gelatinous snout and a tubular jaw that some scientists believe might help it collect prey buried beneath the ocean floor.

Check out our new video of the six-gilled stingray on Facebook or YouTube.

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Photo credits: Pacific walruses by Joel Garlich-Miller/USFWS; Trader Joe’s shopping carts by nocklebeast/Flickr; polar bears in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge by Susanne Miller/USFWS; Cascades frog by zonotrichia/Flickr; snail by bcymet/Flickr; Cuvier's beaked whale by Charles Davies/Flickr; Santa Clara River by Ileene Anderson/Center for Biological Diversity; rusty patched bumblebee by gamelaner/Flickr; six-gilled stingray courtesy NOAA.

Center for Biological Diversity
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Tucson, AZ 85702