Stories from the Home Page
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USFWS Director Aurelia Skipwith. Credit: USFWS
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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Lauds Great American Outdoors ActAugust 3, 2020U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Aurelia Skipwith's recent op-ed in the Jackson, Miss., Clarion Ledger explains how the Great American Outdoors Act provides permanent funding to the Land and Water Conservation Fund that will be used to conserve public lands and support outdoor recreation across the country. |
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USFWS Director Aurelia Skipwith. Credit: USFWS
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This black rhinoceros horn mount was sold by an undercover special agent to a wildlife trafficker during Operation Crash. Credit: USFWS
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Rathkeale Rovers Member Sentenced to Prison for Wildlife TraffickingJuly 27, 2020As a result of Operation Crash, John Slattery was sentenced to serve one year in federal prison for his role in the trafficking of black rhinoceros horns. The investigation revealed that he, and other Rathkeale Rover members, not only illegally bought, sold, and transported rhinoceros horn, but also falsified documents and lied to federal agents. Working closely with the Irish Government, he was arrested on August 1, 2019 in Ireland and extradited to the United States to be prosecuted.
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This black rhinoceros horn mount was sold by an undercover special agent to a wildlife trafficker during Operation Crash. Credit: USFWS
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Some of the interns we are lucky enough to work with. Credit: USFWS
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Happy Latino Conservation WeekJuly 23, 2020As the nation’s make-up changes, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is privileged to partner with the Hispanic Access Foundation (HAF) to ensure that our next generation of conservationists looks like America. During Latino Conservation Week, we invite you to learn a little bit about the 2020 HAF Interns. |
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Some of the interns we are lucky enough to work with. Credit: USFWS
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The first common loon to hatch in southern Massachusetts in more than a century swims with its parents. Credit: Ericka Griggs
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A Tiny Bird Makes a Big Splash in Southern MassachusettsJuly 17, 2020For the first time in more than a century, a common loon hatched this year in southern Massachusetts, a testament to a group trying to bring common loons back to the area. Working on a Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration for an oil spill, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service helped direct settlement money to the group, ensuring that the work will continue. |
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The first common loon to hatch in southern Massachusetts in more than a century swims with its parents. Credit: Ericka Griggs
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#RecreateResponsibly. Credit: Sara Wolman/USFWS
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Recreate Responsibly on National Wildlife RefugesJuly 9, 2020National wildlife refuges have become popular “close-to-home” destinations to enjoy outdoor recreation during the COVID pandemic. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service needs your help to ensure the safety of our visitors — both human and wild. |
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#RecreateResponsibly. Credit: Sara Wolman/USFWS
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Foothill yellow-legged frogs were listed as endangered along the South Coast and most of the Sierra Nevada foothills, and threatened in the Feather River drainage under the California Endangered Species Act earlier this year. Credit: Rebecca Fabbri/USFWS
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Partnership Results in First Release of 115 Zoo-reared Foothill Yellow-legged FrogsJuly 6, 2020The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently joined a partnership of state and federal agencies, a zoo, businesses and a biologist, all dedicated to the conservation of the at-risk foothill yellow-legged frog. We were proud to be among the partners on June 30, releasing 115 foothill yellow-legged frogs along the Feather River in Plumas National Forest in California. |
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Foothill yellow-legged frogs were listed as endangered along the South Coast and most of the Sierra Nevada foothills, and threatened in the Feather River drainage under the California Endangered Species Act earlier this year. Credit: Rebecca Fabbri/USFWS
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Pictured from left to right: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Aurelia Skipwith, U.S. Secretary of the Interior David L. Bernhardt and Deputy Secretary of the Interior Katharine MacGregor. Credit: Tami Heilemann/DOI
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Service Debuts 2020-2021 Federal Duck Stamp and Junior Duck StampJune 26, 2020U.S. Secretary of the Interior David L. Bernhardt, Deputy Secretary of the Interior Katharine MacGregor and Service Director Aurelia Skipwith kicked off the first day of sale for the new 2020-2021 Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp – commonly known as the Duck Stamp – by purchasing the first stamps today at Interior’s Washington headquarters. The new Duck Stamp and its younger sibling, the Junior Duck Stamp, are now available for purchase by hunters, birders, stamp collectors and others at official locations across the country and online. |
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Pictured from left to right: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Aurelia Skipwith, U.S. Secretary of the Interior David L. Bernhardt and Deputy Secretary of the Interior Katharine MacGregor. Credit: Tami Heilemann/DOI
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Monarch butterfly and bumblebee on swamp milkweed in Michigan. Credit: Jim Hudgins/USFWS
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Our Future Flies with PollinatorsJune 25, 2020With the country celebrating Pollinator Week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reiterates its commitment to conserving pollinators, which play a part in producing one out of every three bites of food consumed including berries, melons, apples, tomatoes, pumpkins, potatoes, almonds, spices, coffee and chocolate. Pollinators help produce approximately $40 billion worth of products around the world each year. |
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Monarch butterfly and bumblebee on swamp milkweed in Michigan. Credit: Jim Hudgins/USFWS
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Boating Infrastructure Grant dollars at work on the Mississippi River. Credit: Mara Koenig/USFWS
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More Than $54 Million in Grants Will Help Keep Waters Clean, Support Outdoor RecreationJune 19, 2020The Secretary of the Interior today announced $32.8 million in grants – with an additional non-federal match of $22 million – for states and communities to support outdoor recreation and help boaters keep America’s waters clean. The funding comes from the Clean Vessel Act program and the Boating Infrastructure Grant program, both of which provide much-needed funding to communities.
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Boating Infrastructure Grant dollars at work on the Mississippi River. Credit: Mara Koenig/USFWS
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Western grebes perform their water ballet at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Utah. Credit: Wayne Watson/USFWS
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Summer Sights on National Wildlife RefugesJune 17, 2020The sun is high. The day is long. And there’s lots to see in summer at national wildlife refuges. Sea turtles are nesting. Tule elk are bugling. Dragonflies are staging crazy aerial displays. And so much more. |
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Western grebes perform their water ballet at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Utah. Credit: Wayne Watson/USFWS
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Crystal Leonetti is the Alaska Native Affairs Specialist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Alaska. Credit: Lisa Hupp/USFWS
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Healing from the Inside OutJune 15, 2020As the first Indigenous woman to ever serve as a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Native American liaison, the Alaska Region’s Crystal Leonetti helps make her colleagues aware. “So many of the mistakes we’ve made in our history are from not knowing.” |
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Crystal Leonetti is the Alaska Native Affairs Specialist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Alaska. Credit: Lisa Hupp/USFWS
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Thumnail of the Video: Dream Job. Click image to view video. Credit: USFWS
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Kayak Surveys Provide Important Data for Fish HabitatJune 12, 2020Imagine taking a kayak out on the water all day as a full-time job. That’s exactly what the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees from the Red Bluff office in California do for a portion of the year. The work is critical for surveying Clear Creek for the presence of steelhead, rainbow trout and late-fall Chinook salmon nests known as redds. |
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Thumnail of the Video: Dream Job. Click image to view video. Credit: USFWS
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The Borax Lake chub can be found in water with temperatures up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Credit: USFWS
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Partnerships Enable Recovery of Borax Lake ChubJune 11, 2020Thanks to the enduring and successful conservation efforts of federal, state and local partners, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has removed the Borax Lake chub from Endangered Species Act (ESA) protection. Threats to Borax Lake and its namesake chub have been eliminated or greatly reduced, and the fish no longer meets the ESA definition of an endangered or threatened species. |
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The Borax Lake chub can be found in water with temperatures up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Credit: USFWS
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Golden-cheeked warbler. Credit: Steve Maslowski/USFWS
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Service Solicits Comments on a Draft Environmental Impact Statement on Proposed Migratory Bird Treaty Act Regulatory ChangesJune 5, 2020The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has made available a draft Environmental Impact Statement under the National Environmental Policy Act. This action is a required next step for the Service in its regulatory undertaking to define the scope of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to provide regulatory certainty to the public, industries, states, tribes and other stakeholders. |
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Golden-cheeked warbler. Credit: Steve Maslowski/USFWS
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Double-crested cormorant. Credit: USFWS
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Service Proposes Rule on Cormorant ManagementJune 5, 2020Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is announcing a proposed rule and associated draft environmental impact statement to responsibly manage conflicts associated with double-crested cormorants in the United States. This is the latest in a series of actions the Service is taking regarding cormorant populations under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. |
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Double-crested cormorant. Credit: USFWS
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