Endangered Species Program

Desert Bald Eagle Returns to Endangered Species List

bald eagle in flight.
 
Bald eagle in flight. Credit: USFWS

May 1, 2008
As a result of a recent court order, bald eagles in the Sonoran Desert of central Arizona are again protected as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act.  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published the special rule announcing the protected status in the May 1, 2008 Federal Register.

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Celebrate Earth Day - Let's Go Outside!

Maryland school children helping to restore a wetland by planting native wetland vegetation. Credit: USFWS
Maryland school children helping to restore a wetland by planting native wetland vegetation. Credit: USFWS

April 18, 2008
In celebration of Earth Day and National Children & Nature Awareness month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is encouraging you to get outside and enjoy the beauty and spring-time wonders of the natural world.

The Service recently launched its Let’s Go Outside! initiative to encourage Americans to spend time outdoors. It’s a great way to foster meaningful experiences for the entire family and create a life-long connection to the environment. Recent research has shown it can also improve one’s overall health and well-being.

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Amazing Images Shed Light on Rare Hawaiian Shrimp

Metabetaeus lohena red
Metabetaeus lohena Red.
© Mike Yamamoto

April 17, 2008
Scientists in Hawaii have captured some of the first images ever taken of six rare species of tiny, brilliantly colored shrimp that inhabit the subterranean world of cracks, crevices and lava tubes of coastal Hawaii. Called anchialine pool shrimp, these creatures range in size from a grain of rice to 1.5 inches and are threatened by habitat loss, nonnative invasive species and over-collection for the aquarium trade. Three of the shrimp species are candidates for protection under the Endangered Species Act.

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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Announces Endangered Species Recovery Champion Awards

2007 Recovery Champions
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March 27, 2008
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director H. Dale Hall announced the sixteen recipients of the Service's 2007 Recovery Champion award.  The Recovery Champion award recognizes outstanding contributions of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees and their partners toward efforts aimed at recovering threatened and endangered species in the United States.  

"The Recovery Champion award not only recognizes the exceptional conservation accomplishments of the honorees, it also provides the public with a unique opportunity to learn about endangered species conservation," said Hall.  "These Recovery Champions are extraordinary conservationists dedicated to protecting and restoring our nation's wildlife and ensuring that future generations of Americans enjoy the national treasures we experience today."
Learn More

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Secretary Kempthorne Announces $57.9 Million in Grants to Support Land Acquisition and Conservation Planning for Endangered Species

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Golden-cheeked Warbler. Credit: Steve Maslowski / USFWS

March 20, 2008
Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne announced more than $57.9 million in grants to 23 states and one territory to support conservation planning and acquisition of vital habitat for threatened and endangered fish, wildlife and plants. The grants, awarded through the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund, will benefit numerous species ranging from the red-cockaded woodpecker to the Lake Erie watersnake.

News Release
List of Grant Awards [PDF]

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Update on Bat Die-off in the Northeast

Bats with white-nosed fungus. Credit: Al Hicks, New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation
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Bats with white-nosed fungus. Credit: Al Hicks, New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation

March 19, 2008
Some 8,000 to 11,000 bats died in several Albany, N.Y.-area caves and mines last winter, more than half the bat population in those hibernacula. Many of the dead bats had a white fungus on their muzzles, dubbed white-nose syndrome. This year, biologists are seeing hibernating bats die by the hundreds - probably thousands - in New York, southwest Vermont and western Massachusetts.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service endangered species biologist Susi von Oettingen talks about white-nose syndrome in bats and investigates a hibernaculum in an abandoned mine.

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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Lists the Desert Bald Eagle As Threatened Under
the Endangered Species Act

Bald Eagle in Flight
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Bald eagle in flight. Credit: USFWS
March 18, 2008
Due to a recent court order, bald eagles in the Sonoran Desert of central Arizona are again protected as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act.
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Interior Department Removes Northern Rocky Mountain Wolves from Endangered Species List

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Gray wolf. Credit: Tracy Brooks / USFWS
February 21, 2008
The gray wolf population in the Northern Rocky Mountains is thriving and no longer requires the protection of the Endangered Species Act, Deputy Secretary of the Interior Lynn Scarlett announced today. As a result, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will remove the species from the federal list of threatened and endangered species.
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Secretary Kempthorne Announces Proposal to Remove the Brown Pelican from the Endangered Species List

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Brown pelican swimming. Credit: Lee Carney/USFWS.
February 8, 2008
The brown pelican, a species battered by more than a century of threats including widespread poaching and the pesticide DDT, is back from the brink. During a special event held in Louisiana, also known as "the pelican state" and a major contributer to the bird's recovery, Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne announced the Service is proposing to remove the pelican from the list of threatened and endangered species.

News Release
Q's and A's
Fact Sheet
VideoWindows Media icon

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Statement for Polar Bear Decision
polar bear resting but alert.
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Polar bear resting but alert. Credit: Susanne Miller/USFWS.
January 7, 2008
The Service expects to provide a final recommendation to the Secretary of the Interior and finalize the decision on whether or not to list the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act within the next month.

Bulletin

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Most Endangered Duck Finds Refuge on Midway Atoll
Laysan teal
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John Klavitter/USFWS
January 3, 2008
The Laysan teal, the world's most highly endangered duck species, is thriving at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge three years after 42 of them were reintroduced to what was once part of their historic range. Trapped in the wild in 2004 and 2005 from their only remaining population on Laysan Island, the rare ducks were carefully transported 750 miles by ship to re-establish a second population. This year, there are about 200 ducks on Midway.
Read more
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For past home page feature stories check out our new archived features page.
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Special Topics

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Endangered Species Bulletin, 2007 Highlights Edition
[3.09 MB]
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Visit our Bulletin Website for Previous Editions


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	Partnerships for Endangered Species Recovery (Poster)

Working Together -- Partnerships for Endangered Species Recovery


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Safe Harbors
Video
[157.3MB]


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Tools for private landowners to work with the Service and other partners are featured in this publication:
Working Together: Tools for Helping Imperiled Wildlife on Private Lands
[PDF - 2.18MB]


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Why Save Endangered Species? [PDF - 224KB]


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The voices of private landowners are featured in this publication: Conservation Profiles: Landowners Help Imperiled Wildlife

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Last updated: May 1, 2008