A new study suggests ESA doesn’t stop economic growth, but the devil’s in the details.
Endangered Species
Posted inArticles
Interactive timeline: Fish & Wildlife Service proposes to delist Yellowstone grizzly
Decision marks the second time the grizzly has faced loss of federal protection.
Posted inArticles
Don’t delist: Yellowstone grizzlies still need federal protection
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has indicated that it plans to remove the iconic Yellowstone grizzly bear from the protection of the Endangered Species Act early this year. The federal agency’s plan is irresponsible and premature because grizzlies are struggling to adjust to declining food sources, even as they face an uncertain future caused […]
Posted inArticles
Fishers recolonize Washington, part of a Northwest rewilding
The forest carnivore’s return was helped by human intervention.
Posted inNovember 23, 2015: Water Hustle
Why are Western attorneys general going rogue?
Attorneys general sue the federal government, despite state governors’ objections.
Posted inArticles
Oregon delists wolves, but protections remain
As in Washington, reactions to the predator reflect deep east-west divides in the state.
Posted inArticles
BLM mulls energy development in sage grouse habitat
Feds may restrict hardrock mining and put oil and gas leases on auction block.
Posted inOctober 26, 2015: Clean Energy's Dirty Secret
Washington welcomes wolves back — across deep political divides
The state’s emphasis on non-lethal control is saving livestock and wolves, but rural residents are still leery.
Posted inOctober 12, 2015: The Rise of Lisa Murkowski
For the Lassics lupine, wilderness is a mixed blessing
The Wilderness Act has complicated efforts to protect the rare California wildflower.
Posted inArticles
Sheep wars rage on in southwest Montana
Was this the final grazing season in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest?
Posted inArticles
Cue the greater sage grouse lawsuits
With the bird’s non-listing under the Endangered Species Act, expect more of the legal crawl that got us here in the first place.
Posted inArticles
Sage grouse decision demonstrates clout of the Endangered Species Act
On Sept. 22, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service made a landmark decision, declaring that the greater sage grouse, that icon of the Western High Plains, does not warrant federal protection. The chicken-sized bird’s numbers have dwindled from a historic high of perhaps 16 million to about 400,000, as its sagebrush range has been transformed […]
Posted inArticles
Mexican wolf restoration hits (another) snag
The feds want to release captive animals to increase genetic diversity in the wild, but New Mexico isn’t having it.
Posted inArticles
Invasive crayfish in Oregon devastate native newts
At Crater Lake, the National Park Service is seeking solutions — but it could be too late.
Posted inArticles
KDNK Radio and HCN editor Jodi Peterson talk sage grouse
The greater sage grouse is at the center of the biggest experiment in the history of the Endangered Species Act.
Posted inAugust 17, 2015: Little Big Bird
The Endangered Species Act’s biggest experiment
Will an unprecedented collaborative effort and lots of tax dollars be enough to finally save sage grouse?
Posted inAugust 17, 2015: Little Big Bird
Timeline of the sage grouse saga
One step forward, two steps back, starting from 1995.
Posted inAugust 17, 2015: Little Big Bird
Tracking grazing’s impacts on bugs
A Montana biologist studies how livestock influence a favorite sage grouse food source.
Posted inAugust 17, 2015: Little Big Bird
Sea lions feast on Columbia salmon
Fishermen, tribes and environmentalists flummoxed as predator numbers swell below Bonneville Dam.
Posted inAugust 3, 2015: Outflanked
Does the fate of the silvery minnow foretell the Rio Grande’s future?
Biologists go to great lengths to keep the fish alive, but it’s nearly extinct in the wild.