Wildlife

04/21/2009 -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today took action to avoid harmful impacts to the state’s economy following the California Fish and Game Commission’s vote to close the 2009 recreational salmon season. The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) voted to close the commercial salmon season on April 8. This is the second consecutive year that the state’s salmon fishery has been closed.

The Governor issued a proclamation declaring a state of emergency in California and sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke asking for his support in obtaining federal disaster assistance.    » read more »

Bush Plan Neglected Impacts on Marine Mammals, Environment

April 17, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. A federal appeals court threw out plans to expand off shore drilling in Alaska today. The court sided with environmentalists, ruling that a Bush administration plan opening drilling in Alaska's Chukchi and Beaufort Seas failed to consider impacts on marine life and the environment. The Chukchi and Beaufort Seas are home to roughly one-tenth of the world's polar bears, as well as walruses, seals and whales.

Statement of Sierra Club Lands Director Athan Manuel:    » read more »

Winter Dredge Survey Indicates Bi-State Management Actions are Having Desired Effect

April 17, 2009 --
ANNAPOLIS, MD and RICHMOND, VA — Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine and Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley today announced the Chesapeake Bay's adult population of blue crabs has increased substantially over last year, indicating management measures put into place in 2008 to address population declines are working.

The results of the most recent Bay-wide winter dredge survey, which is conducted annually by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), estimate the total number of crabs overwintering in the Chesapeake Bay during 2008-2009 has increased from 280 million in 2007-2008 to just over 400 million.    » read more »

April 17, 2009, Juneau, Alaska - Alaska Governor Sarah Palin today objected to a court ruling that undermines the federal leasing program for oil and gas reserves in the Beaufort, Bering and Chukchi seas.

The finding by a three-judge panel in Washington, D.C., in a lawsuit brought by environmentalists against the Interior Department during the Bush administration, comes just three days after Alaskans had an unprecedented opportunity to voice their opinions on off-shore drilling in a hearing before Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.    » read more »

Quirky fish is key to protecting coast's most fragile ecosystems

LOS ANGELES (April 15, 2009) – In an attempt to save a unique and endangered fish found only in the most fragile of California coastal habitats, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) will file a suit today against the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service after habitat protections were needlessly limited. NRDC fought to keep the fish on the Endangered Species List in 2000, and now a removal of habitat that the Service had previously labeled as essential to the species’ survival have forced a return to the courts.    » read more »

April 13, 2009 -- United States Commerce Secretary Gary Locke today notified New York Governor David A. Paterson that the Secretary of Commerce has sustained New York’s objections to the application by Broadwater Energy LLC and Broadwater Pipeline LLC to construct a Floating Storage and Regasification Unit for imported Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) in the Long Island Sound.    » read more »

April 13, 2009 -- Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that Connecticut has applied for $12.6 million in federal stimulus grants to help fund four projects that will restore fragile marine and costal habitats, protect aquatic species and improve recreational fishing opportunities across the state.

The projects are:

· Removal of the Springborn Dam on the Scantic River in Enfield

· Construction of a fish passage at the Tingue Dam on the Naugatuck River in Seymour

· Construction of a fish passage at the Rainbow Dam on the Farmington River in Windsor

· Restoration of tidal wetlands along the lower Connecticut River in the towns of Chester, East Haddam, Essex, Haddam, Lyme, Old Lyme and Old Saybrook    » read more »

Says Misguided Project Is “Down for the Count”; U.S. Dept. of Commerce rules in favor of N.Y. action to deny approval

April 13, 2009 -- Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell today hailed a federal decision on the proposed Broadwater liquefied natural gas platform as a “knockout” blow for the project.

“With the U.S. Department of Commerce now upholding an action by New York state to deny a coastal consistency approval for Broadwater this misguided project is now down for the count. The words of the Secretary of Commerce speak loud and clear and deliver a decisive verdict: that the national interests served by Broadwater do not outweigh the adverse impact it would have on coastal waters.”    » read more »

March 25, 2009 -- Washington, D.C.- The biggest public lands bill in decades cleared its final hurdle today, when the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass it. The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 safeguards millions of acres of new wilderness, protects hundreds of miles of rivers, expands trails, and keeps critical habitat in Wyoming safe from oil and gas leasing.    » read more »

NWF CEO testifies before House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on global warming impacts, solutions for wildlife and natural resources

Washington, DC (March 25) – National Wildlife Federation CEO Larry Schweiger testified today before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Environment on the urgent need for comprehensive climate and energy legislation that includes large-scale dedicated funding to protect and restore wildlife and natural resources threatened by global warming.

Larry Schweiger, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, had this to say in his testimony:    » read more »

Office of Habitat currently seeking project proposals from coastal and Great Lakes communities

March 23, 2009 -- NOAA has begun accepting proposals for coastal habitat restoration projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The effort will foster healthy and resilient American communities while generating and protecting jobs for the thousands of people whose task it will be to restore valuable coastal and marine habitat.

NOAA anticipates that up to $170 million may be available for coastal and marine habitat restoration; typical awards are expected to range between $1.5 million and $10 million.    » read more »

Highlights Role of Partnerships in Conservation

March 19, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today released the first ever comprehensive report on bird populations in the United States, showing that nearly a third of the nation’s 800 bird species are endangered, threatened or in significant decline due to habitat loss, invasive species, and other threats.

At the same time, the report highlights examples, including many species of waterfowl, where habitat restoration and conservation have reversed previous declines, offering hope that it is not too late to take action to save declining populations.    » read more »

Omnibus Bill Provides for Crucial Wildlife Habitat, Healthy Watersheds and Streams, and Resources and Recreation Opportunities that Drive Local Economies

March 18, 2009 -- On a telephone press conference today, hunters and anglers from across the country pushed for passage of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, a collection of bills vital to America’s sporting heritage.

U.S. Representatives Nick Rahall (D-WV), Shelley Capito (R-WV), Buck McKeon (R-CA), and Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) also stood with hunters and anglers at a separate Capitol Hill press conference to push for swift legislative action.    » read more »

Nearly $12 Million for Refuge Acquisitions Benefiting Migratory Waterfowl

March 11, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission has approved more than $26 million in grants to protect and restore more than 200,000 acres of wetland areas and wildlife habitat in the United States and Mexico.

The commission awarded the grants under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA). They also approved $11.5 million in Federal Duck Stamp funds to add more than 3,500 wetland acres to seven units of the National Wildlife Refuge System.    » read more »

Washington, DC - 03/09/2009 - The Pew Environment Group today called upon the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council to diligently implement important new federal requirements designed to prevent overfishing and rebuild depleted fish populations.

The council is currently developing plans to apply the new federal rules, which became effective on February 17, 2009. These rules correspond to 2006 congressional amendments to the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the nation’s primary law governing management of U.S. fish populations.    » read more »