Wildlife

1,000-pound, pregnant manatee released after rehabilitation from fishing line entanglement

May 15, 2009 -- HOMESTEAD – Florida Governor Charlie Crist today joined Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Chairman Rodney Barreto for the release of Patsy the Manatee, a 1,000-pound pregnant manatee rescued last month in Key Largo. The Governor assisted staff from the FWC, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the United States Geological Survey, the Miami Seaquarium and other organizations as they released the manatee back into the wild at Biscayne National Park headquarters.    » read more »

WASHINGTON, DC (May 14, 2009) – Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, unveiled his version of an energy bill today.

Joe Mendelson, director of global warming policy for the National Wildlife Federation, said today:

“Rep. Barton, who’s received millions in campaign contributions from electric utilities and the oil and gas industries in recent years, has introduced a bill that’s nothing short of bailout for big polluters. We don’t need more fat paychecks for oil executives – we need clean energy jobs for Main Street.    » read more »

May 11, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today asked the Department of Justice to seek clarification from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on the scope of its April 17, 2009 decision that Bush Administration officials did not conduct sufficient scientific and environmental analysis before scheduling oil and gas lease sales on the Outer Continental Shelf off Alaska.    » read more »

2-Year milestones to target nutrient reduction deadline of 2020

MOUNT VERNON, VA (May 12, 2009) - Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley today announced a suite of ambitious two-year milestones to accelerate Maryland’s on-the-ground efforts to reach its current nutrient reduction goals by a newly established end date of 2020. The Governor made the announcement at the 26th meeting of the Chesapeake Executive Council, the multi-jurisdictional partnership that coordinates regional Bay restoration programming.    » read more »

The planet’s largest animal may be returning to pre-whaling feeding grounds

May 11, 2009 -- Scientists have documented the first known migration of blue whales from the coast of California to areas off British Columbia and the Gulf of Alaska since the end of commercial whaling in 1965.

In the scientific journal Marine Mammal Science, researchers from Cascadia Research Collective in Washington state, NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center in California, and Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans identified 15 separate cases where blue whales were seen off British Columbia and the Gulf of Alaska. Four of the whales were identified as animals previously observed off the coast of California, suggesting a re-establishment of a historical migration pattern.    » read more »

Underlines Need for Comprehensive Energy and Climate Change Legislation

May 8, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that he will retain a special rule issued in December for protecting the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act, but will closely monitor the implementation of the rule to determine if additional measures are necessary to conserve and recover the polar bear and its habitat.    » read more »

May 6, 2009 -- (BOISE) – Idaho Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter is urging Congress to reject yet another sweeping attempt by singer/activist Carole King and her supporters to lock up about 9 million more acres of Idaho in wilderness – almost tripling the amount of Idaho acreage withdrawn from multiple use.

In a letter to Congressman Nick Rahall of West Virginia, chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources, and Congressman Doc Hastings of Washington, the committee’s ranking Republican, the Governor called the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act (NREPA) “a radical wilderness bill of unprecedented scale that will have disastrous consequences for Idaho and the West.”    » read more »

April 28, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced that the two departments are revoking an eleventh-hour Bush administration rule that undermined Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections. Their decision requires federal agencies to once again consult with federal wildlife experts at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – the two agencies that administer the ESA – before taking any action that may affect threatened or endangered species.    » read more »

Reversal Signals Renewed Focus on Science at the Heart of Federal Actions

CHICAGO (April 28, 2008) – The Obama administration announced today that they would be dumping eleventh-hour Bush Administration changes to the Endangered Species Act that would have dramatically weakened the landmark wildlife protection law.

The decision will once again require federal agencies to consult with experts at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration before taking action that could impact threatened or endangered species. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and other groups had sued to roll back the Bush Administration changes that have now been repealed.    » read more »

Statement by Francesca Grifo

April 28, 2009 -- Today, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar rescinded eleventh-hour Bush administration changes to Endangered Species Act regulations that allowed federal agencies to decide for themselves if their own projects—such as roads and dams—would threaten imperiled species. Federal agencies again will be required to consult with expert biologists at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or National Marine Fisheries Service before undertaking or permitting new projects.

The rule change was just one of several controversial Bush administration actions that undermined the scientific foundation of the Endangered Species Act, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).    » read more »

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to Undertake More than 770 Projects Under President’s Economic Recovery Plan

April 26, 2009 -- HELENA, MT -- In an announcement that will both create jobs and promote the conservation of our nation’s fish and wildlife, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will invest $280 million in more than 770 projects through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to build visitors centers, improve infrastructure, and bolster conservation at national wildlife refuges and hatcheries across the country.    » read more »

Interior and Commerce Secretaries Must Act by May 9

April 27, 2009 -- More than 1,300 federal and independent scientists with biological expertise and three leading scientific societies today called on the Interior and Commerce departments to overturn rule changes made in January that weaken the scientific foundation of the Endangered Species Act.    » read more »

Brussels, Belgium - 04/22/2009 - Uta Bellion, director of the Pew Environment Group’s EU Marine Programme, issued the following statement in response to the European Parliament’s vote today in favour of stronger control of the EU fleet.

“Today’s vote by the European Parliament reinforces the need to reverse the damage due to overfishing, such as decreased fish stocks and fewer fishing jobs.

“Annually, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is valued at an estimated €10 billion worldwide, and contributes substantially to overfishing and the depletion of marine resources. In EU ports, and for the EU fleet, there is currently no coherent or effective control.    » read more »

April 22, 2009 -- Colorado Governor Bill Ritter today ushered in a new era of energy development in Colorado, signing into law a bill that implements new oil-and-gas drilling guidelines.

"House Bill 1292 and the new guidelines will allow the industry to grow in a way that is sustainable and compatible with our entire economy," Gov. Ritter said. "These rules were shaped with valuable input from people all across the state and unanimously adopted by the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. They strike the right balance, a balance that recognizes the importance of a healthy industry and the importance of healthy communities, water supplies and wildlife.    » read more »

Low returns of Sacramento River fall Chinook will curtail commercial salmon fishing; Governor orders state agencies to help struggling coastal fishing communities

April 21, 2009 -- (Salem) - Today, Oregon Governor Kulongoski and California Governor Schwarzenegger requested that U.S. Commerce Secretary Locke declare both a resource disaster under the Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act, and a commercial fishery failure under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.

Securing federal declarations under the Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act and the Magnuson-Stevens Act will provide important leverage for ocean fishermen seeking vital economic assistance.

“Salmon are a vital component of California and Oregon’s natural resources and provide    » read more »