Center for Biological Diversity

Noisy, destructive off-road vehicles are threatening a fragile population of coastal martens in Oregon. Will you take a few seconds to help these shy carnivores? Only about 400 coastal martens remain on Earth, with about 70 of them living in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. Despite the risks to martens, every summer the U.S. Forest Service allows thousands of off-road vehicles in their dunes habitat. The dangers are highest during large riding events, which the Forest Service still welcomes to the Oregon Dunes. Even worse, the Forest Service is poised to allow even *more* of these events this year. Take action: Tell the Forest Service to stop letting off-road vehicle events imperil rare coastal martens. We'll make sure they get your comment. https://bit.ly/3WvIXtd

Did you know? Grizzlies were once common in California, but decades of hunting, killing, and persecution drove them out. The last California grizz was seen in 1924. One hundred years later, lawmakers have declared 2024 to be “the year of the grizzly.” Check our new visualization about the loss of these bears and learn more about our work to bring grizzlies back to the Golden State. #BringBackTheBears #grizzly

Streams, rivers, and wetlands are in trouble across the United States. The lower 48 states alone have lost 50% of wetlands since the 1780s, and the rate of wetland loss has accelerated by 50% since 2009. And in a devastating ruling last year, the U.S. Supreme Court erased 50 years of federal wetlands protections, leaving most of these ecosystems even more vulnerable. That’s terrible news for birds, fish, frogs, snakes, insects, and plants — including scores of imperiled species. The Center for Biological Diversity is working hard to save freshwater ecosystems and all the wild creatures who depend on them. We just launched a new webpage highlighting our campaigns, complete with photos, videos, and interactive maps. Check it out at SaveOurFreshWater.org.

We're celebrating a major legal win this week: In response to our lawsuit, a judge just overturned an offshore oil and gas lease sale in Alaska’s Cook Inlet — the only home of a very special, critically endangered population of beluga whales. Among other things, the court ruled that in holding the sale, the Department of the Interior failed to fully consider how blaring vessel noise might hurt belugas. These whales “see” with sound via echolocation, which they use for hunting, avoiding obstacles, and finding each other. The sale could’ve also harmed critical habitat for federally protected sea otters. “I hope this decision makes it clear to federal officials that they can’t keep ignoring the ways offshore drilling threatens Cook Inlet beluga whales,” said Center Kristen Monsell, senior attorney and our Oceans Program Litigation Director.

Meet Craig! He's one of the Amboseli-West Kilimanjaro elephants, a beloved and intensively studied population that range between Kenya and Tanzania. For 30 years these famed cross-border elephants have been safe from trophy hunters — but not anymore. Please take action to #SaveCraigAndCo. 🐘 🐘 🐘 https://biodiv.us/3VZjjLX The United States is the primary importer of Tanzanian elephant trophies. And at least one of five male elephants recently lost was killed by a Texas hunter. Shutting down the U.S. market could really help protect these elephants from trophy hunters' bullets. That's why we're asking you to tell U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams to ban all imports of elephant trophies from the Amboseli-West Kilimanjaro elephant population. 🐘 🐘 🐘 https://biodiv.us/3VZjjLX

At long last: In response to decades of advocacy from the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed protecting critical habitat for the endangered Barrens topminnow, an iridescent green fish from central Tennessee. Critical habitat designation is an additional layer of protection for endangered animals and plants that requires the Fish and Wildlife Service to review any federally funded or permitted activities to make sure the places they live aren’t harmed. Critical habitat is key to the survival of endangered species. Our study found that plants and animals with federally protected critical habitat are more than *twice* as likely to be moving toward recovery than species without it. One way we defend biodiversity is by constantly working to ensure that *every* species listed under the Act is granted critical habitat. Long live the Barrens topminnow!

Calling on our @centerforbiodiv community! 🙌 We're thrilled to be nominated for the Charity Navigator Community Choice Awards, and we need your votes to secure this honor. Vote now: https://biodiv.us/3W6lwoJ Every vote counts, and your support can help us continue our mission of saving life on Earth. Let's rally together and show everyone the power of our community. Click the link to vote and spread the word by sharing this post. #CommunityChoiceAwards https://biodiv.us/3W6lwoJ

Food X is our monthly newsletter written by Senior Food Campaigner Jennifer Molidor exploring the complex world of food and solutions to help stop the extinction crisis. In the latest issue, Jennifer discusses ways that food waste harms wildlife. Check it out — and then sign up to get the newsletter in your inbox. https://bit.ly/3La1xR3

Halting the extinction crisis isn’t just about saving a species when it’s dwindled to only a few. It’s vital that we keep track of animals and plants as they begin to decline so we can intervene with solutions before it’s too late. A recent study offered a sobering global assessment of where things stand with all types of species. Among the findings were that 63% of all amphibian species are in decline, as are 56% of mammal species and 53% of birds. The Center fights wildlife decline by protecting habitat, reining in pollution and wildlife exploitation, and battling industrial agriculture and climate change. Thank you for being our partner in saving species.

“The latest SpaceX Starship launch in June deposited mud, ash and chunks of sheet metal across a large area of sand flats that destroyed nine bird nests up to 500 metres away, according to a report by a local conservation group. The Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program found ‘bloody egg contents’ beside the nests of terns and plovers that they had observed intact the day before the June 6 launch.” The area around the SpaceX launch site in Boca Chica, TX, is important habitat for wildlife including piping plovers, northern aplomado falcons, Gulf Coast jaguarundi, ocelots, and the critically endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle. The Times of London talked with Center co-founder Peter Galvin about our work to protect this biodiversity hotspot. https://bit.ly/3zJbItf