U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)

Today and every day, we remember the innocent lives lost in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. We also honor the memory of our colleague, Service employee Richard Guadagno, who was on board Flight 93 when the hijacked plane crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. At the time of his death, Richard served as the manager at Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge in California. His leadership and passion for conservation included a 17-year career with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Richard worked at national wildlife refuges across America and served as a biologist, manager and law enforcement officer. Learn more about Richard’s life and legacy: https://ow.ly/8iXj50TgBIQ

As days get shorter and temperatures start to drop, flowers fade and the monarch butterfly super generation gets the signal it's time to move. These butterflies live 8 times longer than their parents and grandparents and travel 10 times farther. ?? Brett Billings/USFWS

JOIN OUR TEAM! We're hiring a FISH BIOLOGIST, based out of our Lodi Fish and Wildlife Office in California. Are you passionate about aquatic ecosystems? As a fish biologist/habitat restoration coordinator, you’ll play a pivotal role in revitalizing and safeguarding fish habitats through the Anadromous Fish Restoration Program and the Central Valley Project Improvement Act. Closing date is September 18 but may close sooner pending on number of applicants. Apply here: https://lnkd.in/eEziDd8E Photo by John (JD) Wikert/USFWS

Ever wondered what a year in the life of a Mexican wolf looks like? From puppy cuteness to pack play to solo adventures, we stitched together a year of trail camera footage to give you a glimpse into the lives of wild Mexican wolves. This footage was all captured by trail cameras in New Mexico and Arizona throughout 2023. Audio-described version of video: https://lnkd.in/gMRQzBKA Video: Mexican Wolf Interagency Field Team. A series of clips of Mexican wolves from trail cameras in different locations across New Mexico and Arizona. Each clip progresses through the seasons, showing snow, then spring, summer, fall, and winter snow again.

The American kestrel is North America’s smallest raptor, but it’s very talon-ted at hunting. A kestrel will sit and wait until it sees a sign of prey. When a perch isn’t available, it’s capable of hovering in one position over an open field. When there is low light, a kestrel can see ultra-violet light which allows it to track urine trails of small animals. Photo: American kestrel in North Dakota by Gary Eslinger/USFWS

The American Eel: very demure, very mindful. So demure, in fact, that nobody has ever seen them spawn! ?? These wonderfully mysterious fish start and end life in the Sargasso Sea with an incredible freshwater migration in between. Pelagic eggs give way to leaf-like/transparent leptocephali. The "glass" eel phase is followed by cylindrical/bottom-dwelling/pigmented elvers. Next, yellow eels transform into silver eels. We continue to unravel some of the mystery around this migratory fish on our latest episode of "Fish of the Week!" (every Mondays, wherever you get your podcasts). Our guest is ámbar Torres Molinari, who dedicates this episode to her late advisor Dr. Thomas J. Kwak and all the amazing field technicians who helped make her American Eel research possible in Puerto Rico. Some of the many looks of an American Eel. ?? credit: Nature Donovan, Roger Dennison, Erikson Smith. #AllTheFish Photos: CC by NC 4.0 https://lnkd.in/e_GNqPwH https://lnkd.in/eP38UW9f https://lnkd.in/eiMPuTq2

Black-eyed Susan. Lazy Susan. What did Susan do to deserve all this heat? Black-eyed Susan is a sunlight loving native plant that comes in a few different varieties and is cherished for its golden blooms. But how did it get its name? It appears that no Susans were harmed in the naming of the flower and according to the lore, the name of this plant may come from a ballad by a famous poet and playwright named John Gay. "Sweet William’s Farewell to Black-ey’d Susan: A Ballad" details a sad women named Susan, who boards a ship to tell her sailor, Sweet William, goodbye. She cried so hard that she had black circles around her eyes. Alright, now that we know that story, how about Lazy Susan? That's a tale for another day. Y'all need to lay off of Susan. She's doing her best. Photo of a sachem skipper butterfly on a black-eyed Susan by Erin Huggins/USFWS

In search of a tiny, endangered spider... Sue Cameron is a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and her job has brought her to the top of the Appalachian Mountains in search of the endangered spruce-fir moss spider. Here's what we know about this elusive arachnid. ??? It's tiny - fitting on the top of a pencil eraser ??? It’s only found in the highest places of Southern Appalachia ??? The spider faces threats from invasive species and climate change Learn more about this spider as well as the work that biologists like Sue Cameron are doing to help preserve this species, in the comments below. Photo of Sue Cameron by Gary Peeples/USFWS

You can do it -- we believe in you! Honu, or Hawaiian green sea turtles, crawl onto beaches to bask and help settle their digestive system. They are an impressive migratory species, traveling hundreds or even thousands of miles from foraging areas to nesting beaches. This honu was seen earlier this summer basking at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in the outer northwest end of the Hawaiian archipelago. If fortunate enough to see a green sea turtle on a beach or in the ocean, be sure to give it plenty of space – at least 10 feet, per NOAA. USFWS volunteer video: Dan Rapp Video description: Large sea turtle slowly moves itself up on a sandy beach, with ocean waves crashing in the background.

?Important News! ? After FIFTY YEARS of conservation work, the Apache trout has been removed from the federal list of endangered and threatened wildlife. This unprecedented success was led by the White Mountain Apache Tribe and decades of dedicated partnerships between federal, state, Tribal, and non-profit organizations. The Apache trout was one of the first species added to the the federal list of endangered and threatened wildlife when the Endangered Species Act was passed in 1973. Year by year, as the decades rolled by, small groups of dedicated people worked together to solve problems, restore habitat, and develop captive propagation methods. Together, they kept hope alive in the White Mountains of the Fort Apache Indian Reservation - the only place in the world where Apache trout can be found in their natural habitat. ?? Apache trout - Jeremy Monroe/Freshwaters Illustrated - Used by Permission https://lnkd.in/dCJD6rUt