Public Lands Enemies
Center for     Biological     Diversity   

The Center for Biological Diversity released a groundbreaking report this week identifying the top 15 members of Congress trying to seize, destroy, dismantle and privatize America's public lands. These "Public Lands Enemies" are part of a growing movement to industrialize public lands for profit -- increased exploitation for oil and gas drilling, fracking, logging, mining and development.

The Center's report analyzed 132 anti-public-lands bills that were introduced in the past three congressional sessions and the lawmakers who authored and cosponsored those bills.

"These 15 members of Congress are trying to turn America's public lands into an open cash register for corporations," said Randi Spivak, the Center's public lands director. "Everyone who cares about our national forests, wildlife refuges, national parks and monuments need to watch these elected officials very closely -- and oppose them at every step."

Check out our new Public Lands Enemies website, where you can download shareable "Wanted" posters and find out if your congressional rep is on our list.

Black bear resting in a tree

Grim Toll: Wildlife Services Killed 2.7 Million Animals in 2016

The latest numbers are out on the deadly toll on animals taken by Wildlife Services' killing program. Last year this secretive arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture wiped out more than 2.7 million animals, including 415 gray wolves, 76,963 adult coyotes, 407 black bears, 334 mountain lions, 997 bobcats, 21,184 beavers and 3,791 foxes.

The Center has worked for years to reform this rogue program, whose killing -- with traps, poisons, guns and gases -- is mostly done as a misguided favor for agriculture.

"Despite mounting public outcry to reform these barbaric, outdated tactics, Wildlife Services continues its taxpayer-funded slaughter of America's wildlife," said the Center's Collette Adkins. "These cruel practices not only fail to effectively manage targeted wildlife but also pose ongoing threats to other animals, including endangered species and pets."

Read more in our press release.

Court: California Can Require Cancer Warning on Roundup

Monarch butterfly

Victory over toxics: A court ruled last Friday that the state of California can move forward with plans to designate glyphosate -- the main ingredient in Monsanto's destructive herbicide Roundup, a major contributor to the endangerment of monarch butterflies, among other harmful impacts -- as a known carcinogen.

Glyphosate is the most widely used pesticide in the United States and the world. This decision sets the stage for the California Environmental Protection Agency to be the first regulatory body in the United States to recognize glyphosate as a carcinogen. Read more.

Earth2Trump banner

The Earth2Trump Roadshow of Resistance Is Back -- Join Us

More than 5,000 people turned out to our first round of Earth2Trump shows in January; we're launching another tour in April along the East Coast, and we hope you can join us.

Conservationists and indigenous groups are uniting to stop Trump's dangerous agenda. This is a new, powerful opportunity to join a growing movement of resistance and oppose all new policies hurting wildlife, undermining Native American sovereignty, poisoning our air and water, destroying our climate, or promoting bigotry in any form.

The free shows will feature music by singer-songwriter Casey Neill and Diné and Cheyenne hip-hop artist Lyla June. They'll also include speeches by Cheryl Angel, a Lakota elder fighting the Dakota Access and Keystone XL pipelines, and the Center's Brytnee Laurette.

Learn more and RSVP to a show near you.

Act Today to Save Vaquitas

Vaquita

Vaquitas -- the world's most endangered porpoises -- live in Mexico's northern Gulf of California. After decades of decline due to entanglement in shrimp-fishing gear, only 30 of these unique creatures are left on Earth. Without immediate action they may disappear forever by 2020.

We must pressure the Mexican government to commit to saving the species. Join us in telling Mexican officials that you'll be participating in an international boycott of the country's shrimp until they step up enforcement of existing protections of vaquitas and permanently ban all dangerous fishing gear in their habitat.

Central California hills

Big Win Over Oil Trains in California -- Thank You

We're celebrating the news this week that the San Luis Obispo Board of Supervisors rejected Phillips 66's proposed oil-train offloading terminal.

The oil-train terminal would have allowed more than 7 million gallons of crude oil to be shipped via rail to its local refinery each week, and made it possible for Phillips 66 to refine volatile and carbon-intensive tar sands crude from Canada. These trains also would have jeopardized numerous ecologically sensitive areas along California's coast.

More than 25,000 Californians opposed the project -- many thanks those who spoke out.

"This is a huge victory for public safety, health and California's environment," said the Center's Valerie Love. "Hopefully it spells the end for this reckless plan. Our communities will be safer and our air will be cleaner because of it."

Read more in the East Bay Times.

Peninsular bighorn sheep

Stop Mojave Desert Water Grab -- Take Action

A commercial water-pumping scheme threatens to devastate a large portion of California's beautiful Mojave Desert -- and we need to stop it.

The Cadiz Valley aquifer is an ancient groundwater basin in the heart of the Mojave Desert. It supplies water to springs and seeps in Mojave Trails National Monument and Mojave National Preserve, sustaining wildlife including imperiled desert tortoises and bighorn sheep.

A corporation wants to pump water from the aquifer to sell for a profit -- and it's trying to weasel out of the federal environmental review that would reveal the project's deadly impacts. Please take a moment to tell Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and other officials to defend our public lands and wildlife from this greedy water grab.

Amazon customer service center

Amazon Begins to Shine

Through our "Amazon Shine" campaign, the Center and more than 23,000 supporters called on Amazon to go solar to help offset the online retail giant's giant environmental footprint.

Our work started to pay off last week, when the largest internet-based retailer in the world announced that by 2018 it will have solar panels on 15 of its U.S. warehouses, providing about 80 percent of the energy needed to operate the facilities  -- enough to power 7,000 homes -- and promising to install solar on 50 global facilities by 2020.

"With an additional 150 warehouses worldwide without a solar commitment, Amazon has a long way to go to truly shine," said the Center's Greer Ryan. "But it's most definitely a step in the right direction."

Thank you for your help in pushing Amazon. Read more on Medium.

Damselfly

Wild & Weird: Damselflies Are Not Dragonflies

There comes a time in many parents' lives when -- out walking near a pond, say, on a summer's day -- their young child spots two thin-bodied, winged insects mating and asks, "Why are those two dragonflies stuck together?"

If you're one of these parents, don't worry -- be brave. This is a learning moment. Just sit the child down calmly and say, "Honey, those are damselflies, not dragonflies."

Because if you're not talking to your kids about entomology and the difference between damselflies and dragonflies, who is?

Watch our new video on Facebook or YouTube so that you can tell the difference.

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Photo credits: Public Lands Enemies graphic by Center for Biological Diversity; black bear by Courtney Celley/USFWS; monarch butterfly by volvob12b/Flickr; Earth2Trump graphic by Center for Biological Diversity; vaquita by Thomas A. Jefferson/VIVA Vaquita; central California hills by randomcuriosity/Flickr; bighorn sheep by Steve Elkins; Amazon customer service center by Wvfunnyman/Wikimedia; damselfly by Gilles San Matin.

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