Get up close and personal with bats this week! The Service is joining a number of partners for events this week honoring our furry friends. The U.S. Department of Agriculture hosted a special Bats Live! event on Wednesday with live bat demonstrations. Thursday, there is a special Bats Live! Distance Learning event for educators and students. Learn how you can help conserve bats. Photo Caption: Bats. Credit: USFWS

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Seventy-one percent of the more than 10,000 visitors to national wildlife refuges who took part in a peer- reviewed survey – just released by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in 2010 and 2011 – believe that climate change poses a serious threat to wildlife and wildlife habitat. “We recognize the serious threats that climate change and other environmental stressors pose to wildlife, and we’re working with our partners to address these immense challenges using the latest science-driven approaches,” said Service Director Dan Ashe. Photo Caption: An aerial photo shows the impact of sea-level rise at Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina, where salt water intrusion is killing the pond pine pocosin (forested wetland) habitat. Atmospheric warming is contributing to sea-level rise. Credit: Steve Hillebrand / USFWS

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On May 18, 2012, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and numerous organizations will honor Endangered Species Day, and the nationwide conservation efforts underway protecting America’s threatened, endangered and at-risk species. The bald eagle, brown pelican, American alligator and Maguire daisy are all species that were on the brink of extinction, but have successfully rebounded. These species are just a few examples of those benefiting from the protections afforded by the Endangered Species Act and the dedicated people who work to ensure their continued existence. Photo Caption: Under the Endangered Species Act, we can celebrate the successful recovery of the once thought extinct black-footed ferret. Credit: Ryan Hagerty / USFWS

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As part of the Joining Forces initiative to support our nation’s service members and their families, the Fish and Wildlife Service and other federal agencies have created an annual pass that will give active duty service members and their dependents free access to more than 2,000 national wildlife refuges, national parks, national forests, and other public lands around the nation in the coming years. Photo Caption: FWS Deputy Director Greg Siekaniec chats with a soldier from Walter Reed. Credit: Nell Baldacchino

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Surveyed visitors to national wildlife refuges in 2010 and 2011 were favorably impressed with the recreational opportunities, education and services on these public lands, according to a peer-reviewed national survey released today. The survey, commissioned by the Fish and Wildlife Service and designed, conducted, and analyzed by researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey, evaluated responses from more than 10,000 adult visitors surveyed at 53 of the country’s 556 national wildlife refuges between July 2010 and November 2011. Photo Caption: Kayakers at Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, North Carolina. Credit: Steve Hillebrand / USFWS

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The owners of two turtle aquaculture facilities in Florida and an employee at one of these farms face felony Lacey Act charges in connection with illegal sales of wild-caught freshwater turtles to buyers in California and China. Such transactions are prohibited under an aquaculture permitting system established by the State in response to declining wild freshwater turtle populations. Photo Caption: Florida red-bellied turtle. Credit: NASA

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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced the extension of a public process exploring the expansion of incentives for voluntary partnerships with private landowners and other land stewards to help conserve imperiled wildlife. This effort is part of the Service’s commitment to use innovative approaches to restore and protect the habitats for wildlife and improve implementation of the Endangered Species Act. The comment period will now close on July 13, 2012. Photo Caption: Partners for Fish and Wildlife. Credit: USFWS

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Interior Department Deputy Assistant Secretary Eileen Sobeck testified this week before a House subcommittee to express concerns with two bills amending the Lacey Act – the Nation’s oldest and most wide-reaching wildlife and plant protection law. Sobeck told lawmakers that the Administration opposes one of the bills, H.R. 4171, in its entirety. The bill would remove essential authorities in the Lacey Act, and in doing so, the legislation "would significantly weaken" the statute, "severely undercutting its effectiveness to enhance conservation internationally and here in the United States." Photo Caption: Eileen Sobeck, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks. Credit: DOI

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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has extended the comment period on the proposed rule, published on April 13, 2012, to revise the regulations governing the issuance of permits under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. The Service is also inviting ideas from the public on how the permit program can be improved. The comment period will now close on July 12, 2012. Photo Caption: A banded adult bald eagle perches on a tree. Credit: USFWS

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