Tufted Puffins, Gray Wolves, and Grizzlies: 9 Species Likely Screwed Thanks to Trump’s Endangered Species Rollbacks
A grey wolfDennis Fast/Zuma Trump’s war on wildlife continued this week when new rules went into effect that weaken protections for plants and animals listed under the Endangered Species Act, a powerful environmental law responsible for saving the bald eagle, humpback whale, and brown pelican from extinction. The Trump administration announced the final set of rules last…
A Big New Study Finds Bee-Killing Pesticides Aren’t Even Worth it for Soybean Farmers
Dzophoto/iStock/Getty Images Ever year, farmers in the United States devote at least 80 million acres, a combined landmass three-quarters the size of California, to soybeans. At least half the crop comes from proprietary seeds coated with insecticides and fungicides. These chemicals infuse the plants as they emerge, protecting them from damage by insects and fungal…
Anglers Don’t Know How to Stop the Hordes of Hungry Sea Lions
Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty This story was originally published by High Country News and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. With the lights of Moss Landing, California, twinkling in the distance, Captain Porter McHenry stood on the top deck of the Merva W, a large commercial fishing boat. Ocean water sprayed his face and dampened his thick brown beard.…
Environmental Groups Just Sued the Trump Administration Over Its Endangered Species Act Rollback
Lance King/Getty Environmental and animal rights groups are taking the Trump administration to court over rules finalized last week by the departments of Commerce and Interior weakening the Endangered Species Act’s protections. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday by Earthjustice on behalf of seven groups including the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and Defenders of…
The Key to Saving Starving Koalas Might Be…Their Poop
manonvanos/Getty A few years ago, koalas were literally dropping dead off tree branches in Cape Otway, Australia. “The trees just started dying and there was a big crash in koala numbers—I was burying them everywhere because they were stinking, it smelled so bad,” Frank Fotinas, who manages a campground in Cape Otway, told the Guardian…
Behold the Return of the Amazing New Zealand “Owl Parrot.” Look at It Dance!
Kākāpō Recovery/New Zealand Government It’s Sunday, and before we begin another long week, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate some good news we discovered after going down a fascinating recent Twitter hole: the kākāpō, the world’s fattest parrot, long on the verge of extinction, is making a glorious comeback. Fluffy and flightless, these…