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African elephant
Center for     Biological     Diversity   

Lawsuit Fights Trump's Decision to Lift Elephant Protections

When the Trump administration took aim at African elephants, the Center for Biological Diversity rushed into court to defend them. Our suit, filed Monday with NRDC, challenges the administration's abrupt reversal last week of an Obama-era ban on elephant trophy imports from Zimbabwe.

Africa's elephants have been in steep decline. The last thing they need is the United States lifting the trophy-import ban, setting off a new round of killing. Trump has tweeted he's putting the ban "on hold" — but tweets don't make policy. Until we're assured these elephants are safe and the crucial ban is firmly in place, we'll keep fighting.

"The Trump administration must clearly and permanently halt imports of elephant trophies to protect these amazing animals from extinction," said the Center's Tanya Sanerib.

Read more in The Hill and consider donating to our work to save elephants.

Texas turtle

Good News for Texas Turtles

In response to a petition filed by the Center and partners, Texas wildlife officials will propose a rule to end unlimited commercial trapping of the state's wild freshwater turtles.

Unregulated commercial collection is depleting turtle populations, including those of rare species that may already be at risk of extinction. For several years the Center has been pressuring states to tighten their trapping regulations — and with your help we've secured significant wins for turtles in Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Missouri and New York.

"We're hopeful the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission will do the right thing and ban the harmful turtle trade," said Jenny Loda, a Center attorney and biologist.

Read more in our press release.

$5,000 Reward for Info on Oregon Wolf Killing

Oregon wolf

The Center this week offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of whoever illegally shot a mother wolf in Oregon. Police announced Friday that the wolf, who had four pups, was found dead last Wednesday. At least 10 Oregon wolves have been poached or died under mysterious circumstances since they lost state protections in late 2015.

"If wolves are ever going to recover in Oregon, they have to stop being killed like this," said the Center's Amaroq Weiss.

Read more in our press release.

Ignite Change

Ignite Change Tops 10,000 Volunteers — Are You In?

Trump and his hostility toward wildlife and the environment seem to get worse by the day. But there's good news: The resistance is growing just as fast. Already we've had more than 10,000 activists sign up to be part of Ignite Change, the Center's nationwide network of volunteers speaking up — and acting — to save our lands, water and wildlife from Trump.

These groups of volunteers working in their communities have already organized rallies, pressured their members of Congress and told Trump not to tear apart our national monuments. But there's much more to be done.

Want to take part? Getting started is easy. Sign up for Ignite Change and we'll help you tap into this growing network wherever you are.

We're Standing Up for Rooftop Solar in North Carolina

Church with solar panels

We've taken legal action in North Carolina to challenge Duke Energy's controversial effort to stop a nonprofit from providing rooftop solar panels for a local church.

North Carolina is one of a handful of states that prohibits power purchase agreements — which lets utilities block or shut down distributed solar development.

"In true Goliath fashion, Duke Energy is bullying a community church out of choosing clean and affordable solar power," said Perrin de Jong, the Center's North Carolina staff attorney. Read more.

Grizzly mural

Our newest endangered species mural is up in Oakland and features grizzly bears, which have been absent from California for nearly a century. The mural's series of grizzlies — nicknamed the "Laurel space bears" because of the galaxies in their silhouettes — are along MacArthur Boulevard at three locations between High Street and Maybelle Avenue in Oakland's Laurel District. The muralists were Roger Peet, Fernando "Rush" Santos, Angel Dueñas and Maricela Gandara. Learn more about the Center's Endangered Species Mural Project.

San Pedro River in Arizona

Save the San Pedro River From Water Theft

Southeast Arizona's San Pedro River is one of the most beautiful, important riparian areas in the United States. More than 250 migrant bird species depend on it, and beneath its cottonwood trees, desert life abounds.

But "Villages at Vigneto," a new sprawl development in Benson, Ariz., could put the future of this river at risk. The Army Corps of Engineers is reevaluating the Clean Water Act permit it issued in 2006 when the project was known as Whetstone Ranch. But since then the proposal has mushroomed. Developers want golf courses, artificial lakes and more than 29,000 homes — a Tuscany-themed playground wasting lifesaving water in the desert.

We can't let it happen. Demand that the Army Corps revoke its 2006 permit and stop the theft of public San Pedro water.

Revelator Feature: The Crappiest Places in America

Map of crappy places in America

America's waters are infested with feces — and now The Revelator has made it easy to find the worst poop-waste locations in your area.

E. coli bacteria are a measure of fecal contamination because they live exclusively in human and animal intestines, so the only reason for them to be present in the environment is because they were excreted there. E. coli can also indicate the presence of dangerous chemicals, pharmaceuticals, heavy metals and pesticides.

Go ahead — dive into The Revelator and discover the filthiest places around.

Crop dusting

Trump Drags Feet on Saving Species From Deadly Pesticides

The Trump administration has asked a federal court to let it postpone assessing the wildlife risks of three deadly pesticides for two more years. This would roll back commitments made by the Obama administration to assess the chemicals' harm by year's end.

The EPA has found that malathion and chlorpyrifos (which can cause brain damage in children) likely harm 97 percent of federally protected species. The third pesticide, diazinon, is likely harmful to another 78 percent.

"Pruitt and Trump would rather protect their corporate buddies' profits than hundreds of species threatened by these pesticides," said the Center's Lori Ann Burd.

Read more in The Washington Post.

California condor chick

Wild & Weird: A Super-snuggly Condor Chick

With a wingspan of up to 9.5 feet and weighing as much as 25 pounds, the endangered California condor is North America's largest bird. But this huge, bald-headed scavenger has a tender side when it comes to family: Condors like to snuggle.

Check out this footage from a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service "condor-nest cam" on Facebook, YouTube or Instagram.

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Photo credits: African elephant by Peter Pham/Flickr; Texas turtle by Tom Benson/Flickr; Oregon wolf courtesy ODFW; Ignite Change logo courtesy Center for Biological Diversity; church with solar panels by Michael Coghlan/Flickr; video still of grizzly mural courtesy Center for Biological Diversity; San Pedro River by Bob Wick/BLM; map courtesy Center for Biological Diversity; crop dusting courtesy Oregon Department of Agriculture; California condor with chick by Joseph Brandt/USFWS.

Center for Biological Diversity
P.O. Box 710
Tucson, AZ 85702