Center for Biological Diversity

The marvelous orange and black insect we all know and love, monarch butterflies, are in severe decline. The western monarch population, which winters on the coast of California, has fallen by 95%. Meanwhile, the eastern population, which migrates to Mexico for the winter, was at its second-smallest size ever recorded last year. While they showed improvement in this year's count, doubling in size, their population remains perilously low. But there's hope: A decade after the Center + allies petitioned to protect monarchs under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has *finally* proposed the iconic butterflies for protection. You can help by helping urge the Service to finalize their protections ASAP. The public comment deadline is March 12th! ???? https://biodiv.us/40ZSf2Y

Some howlin' good news: The Mexican gray wolf population has increased again for for the ninth consecutive year! The smallest gray wolf subspecies in North America, the Mexican gray wolf is also one of the most imperiled mammals on the continent after nearly being wiped out in the U.S. by the mid-1970s. But, thanks to the passage of the Endangered Species Act and the success of a captive breeding program of the last six surviving wolves, this species has made a remarkable comeback. Though their numbers have since grown to a reported 286 wolves in 2024, Mexican gray wolves still suffer from a lack of genetic diversity. For more than 30 years, the Center has worked to recover Mexican wolves in the wild and we won't stop until this species is fully recovered. Learn more about our work to save this species ?? https://bit.ly/4hcOgoz

The Center for Biological Diversity is hiring a paralegal to support our Regions Programs as we fight to protect wildlife and wild places across the United States. This remote position will provide paralegal, legal secretarial, and administrative support to our dynamic, regional teams to support litigation, policy advocacy, grassroots organizing, and media outreach. The working environment is fast-paced, exciting, and supportive. If you know an amazing paralegal looking for work, please share the link so they can apply: https://lnkd.in/ev6F2AS6

The dangerous effects on endangered species of mass firings by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, are already coming into focus. We recently learned that surveys for northern spotted owls will not occur this year because of the hiring freeze. This leaves conservation agencies without crucial information needed to prevent the imperiled owls from sliding into extinction. It's not just these adorable owls at risk — it's also Florida's cherished manatees, Hawai'ian native plants and many more. Here's how you can help: Tell your representative and senators to stand up against DOGE ?? https://bit.ly/3X4tdNM

Tragic news: Last week a 10-year-old endangered Florida panther was killed by a vehicle. This marks the second panther death by cars this year, following a tragic year in 2024 where 36 panthers were killed — mostly by vehicle strikes. With fewer than 200 individuals remaining in the wild, every individual is indispensable. Florida panthers are primarily threatened by habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation — all driven by Florida's growing human population and the developments and highways that accommodate it. How you can help: Contact your state legislators and urge them to support more wildlife crossings and dedicate a funding stream to build them. Learn more about Florida panthers and our work to save them: https://bit.ly/4hIyzG4

This World Wildlife Day, we’re celebrating the astonishing biodiversity of our beautiful planet. We’re so lucky to share Earth with millions of species, from tiny insects to massive blue whales and every other living being in between. We stand commited to doing all that we can to protect all creatures great and small. Make sure to join our email list so you never miss the latest on our work to save the wild ?? https://bit.ly/4h1WcJ8 Then, take a pause today to enjoy a glimpse of some wild neighbors. ??

DOGE's latest target: NOAA: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration — mass firings began yesterday, affecting climate scientists and other crucial public servants within the agency. The cuts, estimated to be between 560 and 1,830 workers represents approximately 10 percent of employees. Why it matters: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provides weather watches and warnings, monitors and studies the Earth's climate, operates weather satellites and protects marine life. This is the agency that warns of upcoming earthquakes, hurricanes and other natural disasters and the same agency that rescues engangled whales from fishing lines, among other responsibilities. “Trump’s mass firings at NOAA are an act of sabotage aimed at one of our most important federal agencies,” said Miyoko Sakashita, the Center for Biological Diversity’s oceans director. At the Center, we stand committed to doing all that we can do defend them.

See one of our cutest clients in action: Mount Graham red squirrels. Good news for these endangered squirrels: The most recent survey of Mount Graham red squirrels counted 233 individuals in the Pinale?o Mountains of southeast Arizona, their only habitat on Earth. The new number is an exciting jump from just 144 squirrels counted in 2023 — but these tiny mammals are isolated in the area’s last islands of canopied forest, with nowhere else to go. These tiny mammals’ tiny population desperately needs better safeguards to survive, so last year the Center went to court to expand the squirrels’ critical habitat.

We sent a notice of intent to sue the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for illegally expediting 700 pending permit to fill or destroy wetlands across the U.S. The permits have been fast-tracked under the executive order declaring a national energy emergency. This action violates the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act. Learn more: https://bit.ly/41xJzAY

Montana and Wyoming have long been petitioning to remove Endangered Species Act protection from grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone and Northern Continental Divide ecosystems. Why? So the bears can be persecuted and killed. The good news is, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently denied the states' petitions. But at the same time, it proposed new management directives giving state agencies and landowners more latitude to kill grizzlies. Join us in urging the USFWS to keep grizzlies protected and to oppose and rules that would permit hunting them. ?? https://bit.ly/4kfeqtj