Frostpaw hugs an activist
Center for     Biological     Diversity   

#Earth2Trump Roadshow Off to a Roaring Start -- Join Us

Wow, what a kickoff. This week we launched the #Earth2Trump cross-country roadshow with events in Seattle, Portland, Oakland and Los Angeles. Every show was jam-packed as hundreds turned out at each stop to join this national movement.

The turnout is a powerful testament to the network of resistance that's forming against Trump's agenda, which threatens our environment, civil rights, equality and democracy. Each of the 16 free #Earth2Trump shows includes amazing live music, an opportunity to meet other locals in this growing movement and a chance to write personalized messages to Trump that will be delivered to Washington, D.C.

Thanks to all of you who came to the first shows this week -- we're inspired to see so many joining this fight. We'll be in Tucson, Salt Lake City, Silver City and Denver in the coming days. Check out this gallery of photos from #Earth2Trump, follow our "roadshow diary" on Medium and sign up for an #Earth2Trump show near you.

Florida phosphate mining

Lawsuit Launched Against Phosphate Mining in Florida

Florida is saddled with 1 billion tons of radioactive phosphogypsum -- the result of turning phosphate mined in Florida into fertilizer -- as well as scars and pollution from thousands of acres of phosphate mining.

So just before the holidays, the Center and allies tackled the problem, notifying two federal agencies we'll sue over their approval of more than 50,000 additional acres of mining in central Florida unless they take steps to improve the situation. The new mining would destroy habitat for eastern indigo snakes and Florida panthers, hurt water quality and damage the landscape.

"Phosphate mining violently disfigures the environment, destroying habitat and displacing wildlife," said Jaclyn Lopez, our Florida director.

Read more in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and check out our new phosphate mining webpage.

Endangered Species Act Win: Tobusch Fishhook Cactus

Tobusch fishhook cactus

In a new victory for the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed last week to downlist the Tobusch fishhook cactus from endangered to threatened, meaning the tiny, spiny plant has begun recovering under the Act's protection.

Found in oak woodland savannahs of the Edwards Plateau in Texas, the cactus faces threats from livestock grazing, urban sprawl, periodic fires, parasites, small population size and climate change. Since it was protected under the Endangered Species Act in 1979, many more populations have been found and several have been protected. Read more in our press release.

Red wolf

Reward Upped to $16,500 to Help Nab Red Wolf Shooter

The Center recently doubled a reward for clues aiding in the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in the latest killing of an endangered red wolf, bringing the total to $15,000 (and since then, another group added another $1,500). The wolf's body was discovered on North Carolina's Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, where red wolves have the greatest amount of protection under the Endangered Species Act.

Decades of persecution had left only 17 wild red wolves by 1973, when they were protected and taken in for captive breeding. But ever since wolf releases began in the mid-1980s, shootings have thwarted recovery efforts.

"There are only 45 wild red wolves left," said the Center's Brett Hartl. "The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must rejuvenate stalled efforts to save these amazing animals now."

Read more in The Virginian-Pilot.

Companies Seek 50-year Free Pass to Kill Endangered Bats

Indiana bat

Nine oil and gas companies are proposing to be legally allowed to harm -- and kill -- imperiled bat species in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia over the next 50 years, including from fracking and pipeline construction. All the species (Indiana, northern long-eared, little brown, eastern small-footed and tricolored bats) are already in extreme danger from white-nose syndrome, a fungus that has killed more than 6 million of the flying mammals nationwide.

Said Center attorney Jared Margolis: "As these bats get ever closer to extinction, we must do more to protect them -- not further endanger them."

Read more in our press release.

Save the Weirdos logo

#SaveTheWeirdos

A Snail's Tale: The Itsy-bitsy, Teenie-weenie Ichetucknee Siltsnail

Amaroq Weiss

"As Donald Trump's administration gears up, there are signs the four decades of work to return wolves to parts of their historic range may be in trouble."

—Amaroq Weiss in her op-ed, "Can California's Wolves Survive Trump's America?" Read more.

10,000 Endangered Species Condoms Distributed at Year End

Endangered Species condoms

As Americans marked the end of 2016 and prepared for the inauguration of president-elect Donald Trump, the Center distributed 10,000 free Endangered Species Condoms nationwide. Why? As concern grows about reproductive rights under the new administration, the condoms highlight the connection between unsustainable human population growth and the wildlife extinction crisis -- and the need for universal access to reproductive healthcare and education.

"Human population growth drives the majority of environmental problems, so making it harder to prevent unplanned pregnancies isn't good news for women or for wildlife," said the Center's Leigh Moyer.

Read more in our press release.

Tosanoides obama

Obama's Name on Turtle Parasite, Hairworm, Spider

President Obama will step down as commander in chief on Jan. 20, leaving pundits and professors to ponder how he'll go down in history. One thing's for sure: With nine different species named after him -- including an extinct lizard, two parasites and a trapdoor spider -- President Obama leaves behind a larger taxonomic legacy than any of his predecessors.

Teddy Roosevelt -- with a shrew, some beetles and a fish bearing his name -- ranks second, with seven species.

Read more and check out photos of the nine species named after Obama at Science.

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Photo credits: Frostpaw hugging an #Earth2Trump participant by Robin Parker; Florida phosphate mine courtesy Jacki Lopez, Center for Biological Diversity; Tobusch fishhook cactus courtesy USFWS; red wolf courtesy USFWS; Save the Weirdos logo courtesy Center for Biological Diversity; Indiana bat by nessie grace/Flickr; Amaroq Weiss staff photo; Endangered Species Condoms courtesy Center for Biological Diversity; Tosanoides obama by Richard L. Pyle.

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