News
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Lighthouse at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. Photo by Steve Hillebrand, USFWS.
St. Marks lighthouse beacon will shine Saturday May 2
April 28, 2020 | 1 minute read
St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge announced that the historic St. Marks Lighthouse beacon will once again shine over Apalachee Bay on May 2, 2020. Approved by the Coast Guard as a Private Aid to Navigation, the beacon features a replica 4th order Fresnel lens that recreates the light that shone continuously from 1867 to 2000. The modern version of the light is an LED lamp equivalent to a 150 watt incandescent bulb, with a photocell detector to automatically operate illuminating the light in the evening and extinguishing it in the morning. Read the full story...
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Hunting. Photo by USFWS.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposes more opportunities to hunt, fish across South Atlantic, Gulf and Mississippi Basin
April 27, 2020 | 5 minute read
Atlanta, Georgia — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposes to expand hunting and fishing opportunities on another 500,000 acres of national wildlife refuge lands across the South. If approved, the new regulations will take effect this fall. In all, 22 refuges will offer more than 110 new or expanded hunting and fishing opportunities — new species to hunt, more acres to hunt and more times to hunt. “We continue to build upon our recent successes to expand our recreational offerings,” said Leo Miranda, an avid hunter and regional director for the South Atlantic-Gulf & Mississippi Basin. Read the full story...
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Cumberland sandwort. Photo by Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
Service proposes delisting the Cumberland sandwort
April 24, 2020 | 4 minute read
Found only in a small portion of the Cumberland Plateau in northern Tennessee and southern Kentucky, the Cumberland sandwort was headed toward extinction before it was listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1988. That’s when the states of Tennessee and Kentucky, federal agencies and conservation groups stepped in to protect and restore this unique plant. Thanks to these ESA-inspired partnerships, Cumberland sandwort populations are now healthy, robust and stable, and a scientifically rigorous review of the best available science has determined the species no longer faces the threat of extinction. Read the full story...
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Secretary Bernhardt proposes historic expansion of hunting and fishing opportunities
April 8, 2020 | 7 minute read
Washington, D.C. – Continuing the Trump Administration’s significant efforts to increase recreational access on public lands, U.S. Secretary of the Interior David L. Bernhardt announced today a historic proposal for new and expanded hunting and fishing opportunities across more than 2.3 million acres at 97 national wildlife refuges and 9 national fish hatcheries. This proposed rule is the single largest expansion of hunting and fishing opportunities by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) in history. Read the full story...
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Mallards fueling for their migration in a cooperative agriculture field. Photo by USFWS.
Comment period for use of genetically engineered crops on National Wildlife Refuges extended
April 1, 2020 | 1 minute read
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has extended until April 19, 2020, the period of time in which the public can comment on the proposed use of genetically engineered crops (GECs) on Southeastern National Wildlife Refuges. The public is welcome to comment on the proposal, which the Service has prepared as a draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA). Comments and questions must be submitted in writing to fw4_gmcpea@fws.gov or mailed to Pamala Wingrove, Branch Chief of Planning, National Wildlife Refuge System, U. Read the full story...
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Mallards fueling for their migration in a cooperative agriculture field. Photo by USFWS.
Public input requested on environmental assessment for genetically engineered crops on national wildlife refuges in the Southeastern United States
March 19, 2020 | 2 minute read
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has prepared a draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) for the potential use of genetically engineered crops (GECs) on national wildlife refuges in the southeastern United States. The National Wildlife Refuge System, the public lands network managed by the Service, employs a number of wildlife management practices to deliver specific conservation objectives on each of the nation’s 568 national wildlife refuges. The use of GECs by farmers on refuges in the Southeast Region can help refuge managers meet the purposes of the refuge and provide wildlife forage for birds and other wildlife. Read the full story...
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*Lepanthes eltoroensis*. Photo © O Monsegur.
Partners celebrate recovery of tiny orchid in Puerto Rico
March 9, 2020 | 3 minute read
Thanks to a successful conservation partnership involving the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, a tiny orchid, Lepanthes eltoroensis, is being proposed for delisting from the Federal List of Threatened and Endangered Plants. The orchid is restricted to one general area within El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico at elevations above 2,461 feet. However, the orchid’s estimated population has increased from around 140 individuals, when it was listed as an endangered species in 1991, to a current estimate of about 3,000 individuals. Read the full story...
