Stories from the Home Page
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A male Attwater’s prairie-chicken. Credit: John Magera/USFWS
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Texas’ Attwater’s Prairie-Chicken Wild Population Highest Since 1993April 29, 2021After decades of protection and conservation efforts, Texas’ critically endangered Attwater’s prairie-chicken population is at its highest since 1993. Officials with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and The Nature Conservancy in Texas estimate the current population is at least 178 birds. During the 2021 spring count, a total of 89 males were spotted performing breeding displays known as “booming” at the Service’s Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge and on private ranch lands. |
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A male Attwater’s prairie-chicken. Credit: John Magera/USFWS
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Yangtze Sturgeon Illustration Credit: Josephe Huët / Nouvelles Archives du Muséum d'histoire Naturelle
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Yangtze Sturgeon Receives Endangered Species Act ProtectionApril 26, 2021The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has determined that the Yangtze sturgeon, a freshwater fish found within the upper and middle Yangtze River system in China, warrants listing as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Threats to the fish are principally the presence of dams and partly bycatch. The species is also negatively impacted by industrial pollution, riverbed modification and hybridization with non-native sturgeon. |
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Yangtze Sturgeon Illustration Credit: Josephe Huët / Nouvelles Archives du Muséum d'histoire Naturelle
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When the dwarf-flowered heartleaf was protected in 1989, there were only 24 known populations. Today, there are at least 119 populations. Credit: USFWS
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Collaboration Spurs Recovery of Carolina Plant, Proposed Removal From Endangered Species ListApril 23, 2021Partnerships across the Carolinas have led to the latest Endangered Species Act success story: the recovery of the dwarf-flowered heartleaf. Because of its comeback, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to remove the plant from the endangered species list. |
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When the dwarf-flowered heartleaf was protected in 1989, there were only 24 known populations. Today, there are at least 119 populations. Credit: USFWS
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Migratory bird species like the pintail will benefit from wetland conservation projects funded by the North American Wetlands Conservation Act. Credit: Tom Koerner/USFWS
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Secretary Haaland Announces Nearly $80 Million in Funding for Wetland Conservation Projects and National Wildlife RefugesApril 21, 2021The Migratory Bird Conservation Commission, chaired by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, approved $78 million in grants, which will provide the Service and its partners the ability to help conserve or restore nearly 500,000 acres of wetland and associated upland habitats for waterfowl, shorebirds and other birds across North America – including Canada and Mexico. The grants, made through the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, will be matched by nearly $125 million in partner funds. The Commission also approved $1.8 million from the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund to conserve waterfowl habitat on national wildlife refuges in three states. |
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Migratory bird species like the pintail will benefit from wetland conservation projects funded by the North American Wetlands Conservation Act. Credit: Tom Koerner/USFWS
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A fork of the Dog Salmon River winds through the lush green mountains of Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Credit: Steve Hillebrand/USFWS
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Celebrating Earth DayApril 21, 2021As Martha Williams, the Principal Deputy Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, writes: “Conservation is a shared responsibility. We each have different roles, but it requires a collective effort by all of us.” This Earth Day, April 22, find ways you can make a better planet for fish, wildlife, their habitats and people. |
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A fork of the Dog Salmon River winds through the lush green mountains of Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Credit: Steve Hillebrand/USFWS
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Service Regional Historic Preservation Officer Amy Wood. "Once you come for the history you’ll end up learning more about conservation." Credit: Library of Congress
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Partners Discover Site of Home of Harriet Tubman’s Father on National Wildlife RefugeApril 20, 2021Land acquired last year to help Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Maryland withstand rising seas contains the location of the home of Harriet Tubman’s father. Archaeologists confirmed the news after finding artifacts dating back to the 1800s. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service takes its role in preserving and sharing history seriously and wishes to thank the state and federal partners who helped unearth this discovery.
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Service Regional Historic Preservation Officer Amy Wood. "Once you come for the history you’ll end up learning more about conservation." Credit: Library of Congress
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The winning 2021 Junior Duck Stamp art, an acrylic painting of a pair of hooded mergansers by Margaret McMullen. Credit: © USFWS
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Kansas Youth Wins 2021 National Junior Duck Stamp Art ContestApril 19, 2021Margaret McMullen, an 18-year-old from Kansas, took top honors in the Service’s National Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest with an acrylic painting of a pair of hooded mergansers. Her artwork will grace the 2021-2022 Junior Duck Stamp, which will go on sale June 25 and supports conservation education for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. |
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The winning 2021 Junior Duck Stamp art, an acrylic painting of a pair of hooded mergansers by Margaret McMullen. Credit: © USFWS
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Whooping cranes lay two eggs, usually rearing only one chick during the breeding season. Credit: Courtesy of Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
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Comeback Trail: Whooping Cranes Nesting in TexasApril 16, 2021For the first time in recent history, two pairs of endangered whooping cranes have been found nesting in Texas. The whooping cranes, part of a non-migratory population introduced in Louisiana, are currently found on private land in Jefferson and Chambers counties. Whooping cranes are one of the rarest birds in North America. |
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Whooping cranes lay two eggs, usually rearing only one chick during the breeding season. Credit: Courtesy of Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
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Sandpipers fly over Kachemak Bay in Homer, Alaska, site of a May festival co-hosted by Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. Credit: Carla Stanley/USFWS
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Bird Festivals Are Back!April 13, 2021Many bird celebrations at or near national wildlife refuges are set to go again in 2021, after a year of widespread cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To ensure visitor safety, some festivals will be all-virtual, some will be on site, and others will be a mix. In-person events fill up fast, especially with attendance limits, so consider registering ahead if you go. Be safe, wear a mask, and avoid crowding. Some festivals charge a registration or activity fee. |
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Sandpipers fly over Kachemak Bay in Homer, Alaska, site of a May festival co-hosted by Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. Credit: Carla Stanley/USFWS
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Brian Hamlin, a forensics scientist at the Service’s Forensics Laboratory in Ashland, Oregon, uses a drill to extract DNA samples from a set of antlers from a bull elk that was killed in Crater Lake National Park. Credit: Kathy Spengler/USFWS
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Teamwork Brings Down Serial PoacherApril 8, 2021To catch a serial poacher at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon, it was going to take teamwork and dedication. Finally, after years of persistence and top-flight forensics work, the team used the evidence to develop the portrait of a poacher who was killing deer and elk within the park. With that evidence, the U.S. Department of Justice was able to secure a guilty plea to a Lacey Act violation for illegally poaching a trophy bull elk from the park. |
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Brian Hamlin, a forensics scientist at the Service’s Forensics Laboratory in Ashland, Oregon, uses a drill to extract DNA samples from a set of antlers from a bull elk that was killed in Crater Lake National Park. Credit: Kathy Spengler/USFWS
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New human rights and conservation curriculum in Cameroon aims to educate conservation practitioners on the importance of protecting human rights. Credit: Vincent Zoalang, Garoua Wildlife College
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U.S. Government Launches Human Rights and Conservation Curriculum for Central AfricaApril 1, 2021The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. Agency for International Development have launched a new human rights and conservation curriculum at Garoua Wildlife College in Cameroon. This technical and college-level curriculum reflects the growing concern in Central Africa that for conservation efforts in protected areas to be successful, they must reflect the interests and needs of indigenous communities. |
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New human rights and conservation curriculum in Cameroon aims to educate conservation practitioners on the importance of protecting human rights. Credit: Vincent Zoalang, Garoua Wildlife College
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Wildlife Inspector Camille Sims. Credit: USFWS
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Women Help Create Wildlife Law Enforcement SuccessesMarch 31, 2021During National Women’s History Month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service celebrates the women in our Office of Law Enforcement who do undercover and covert work, perform inspections and excel at public outreach, science and technology innovations, and intelligence gathering. Women represent the Service through our attachés, work as information technology and help desk specialists, ensure our seized items are properly logged and secured, and provide administrative support. |
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Wildlife Inspector Camille Sims. Credit: USFWS
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The Seaside daisy is one of a diverse collection of wildflowers that grow in the open dunes. These species have specialized adaptations to survive the harsh dune environment. Credit: Andrea Pickart/USFWS
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California Dunes Named National Natural LandmarkMarch 30, 2021The Lanphere and Ma-le’l Dunes have been recognized as a National Natural Landmark. Managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Land Management, the dunes are within Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge and Ma-le’l Dunes Cooperative Management Area. The National Park Service, which administers the landmark process, said: Andrea Pickart, coastal ecologist at the refuge, “has been working to conserve, restore and protect this site for over 30 years and deserves a large amount of credit for this project.” |
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The Seaside daisy is one of a diverse collection of wildflowers that grow in the open dunes. These species have specialized adaptations to survive the harsh dune environment. Credit: Andrea Pickart/USFWS
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A aeʻo standing in water. Credit: USFWS
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Partnerships Lead to Status Improvement for Hawaiian Stilt, Prompt Downlisting ProposalMarch 26, 2021Decades of work by conservation partners has improved the status of the aeʻo, or Hawaiian stilt. In response, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed downlisting the aeʻo to threatened from endangered under the Endangered Species Act. |
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A aeʻo standing in water. Credit: USFWS
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A bald eagle in flight. Credit: George Gentry/USFWS
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America’s Bald Eagle Population Continues to SoarMarch 24, 2021Populations of the American bald eagle have quadrupled since 2009, according to a new report by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its partners. Bald eagles once teetered on the brink of extinction, reaching an all-time low of 417 known nesting pairs in 1963 in the lower 48 states. However, after decades of protection, the banning of the pesticide DDT, and conservation efforts with numerous partners, the bald eagle population has flourished, growing to an estimate of 316,700 individual bald eagles, including 71,400 occupied nests. |
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A bald eagle in flight. Credit: George Gentry/USFWS
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