Biodiversity

"A Wisconsin judge ordered the state Department of Natural Resources on Thursday to start a gray wolf hunt this month rather than waiting until November."

"A federal judge on Thursday overturned a Trump administration action that allowed mining and other development on 10 million acres (4 million hectares) in parts of six western states that are considered important for the survival of a struggling bird species."

"The Mexican wolf was hunted to the brink of extinction. But as it is reintroduced, conservationists hope to quell the old enmity between 'el lobo' and the farmer. "

"The Biden administration on Thursday delayed the implementation of a Trump-era rule that gutted protections for hundreds of species of migratory birds."

"The Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in a letter to environmental groups signaled it may not put the gray wolf back on the endangered species list after it was removed under the Trump administration."

"Two environmental groups on Monday petitioned the Biden administration to protect the bumblebee under the Endangered Species Act to prevent the pollinator’s further decline."

"Researchers with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration believe they have identified a new species of whale in the Gulf of Mexico. The Rice's whale is a filter feeder that can grow to 42 feet. It's also critically endangered. There are believed to be fewer than 100 of them left."

"With his Jan. 27 announcement that the U.S. will commit to protecting 30% of its land and ocean by 2030, President Joe Biden joins a growing community of scientists, Indigenous peoples, and world leaders dedicated to working together on putting ecosystems—land, ocean, and freshwater—on the best paths toward sustainability."

"Wildlife officials in Florida have reported an “encouraging” number of sightings of critically endangered North Atlantic right whales off the south-eastern US, including at least 14 new calves, three born to first-time mothers."