Through decades of monitoring we have learned that the upper El Dorado and Piute valleys in far southern #Nevada are a stronghold for Bendire’s Thrashers in NV and LeConte’s Thrashers in the world.
#desertthrashers #conservation #birds
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Morning Glory Pool, Yellowstone 
This geothermal spring gets its colors from heat-loving microbes, thriving in the extreme heat of Yellowstone’s volcanic environment. It’s stunning—but also a lesson in respecting nature. The vent has been partially blocked by human activity, altering its appearance over time.
Yellowstone National Park
Coral reefs around the world have been subjected to unprecedented heat stress since early 2023. A new report finds heat-related coral bleaching has damaged corals in more than 80 countries, making it the most extensive bleaching event ever recorded, with no clear end in sight.
By Shanna Hanbury
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/04/ongoing-global-coral-bleaching-event-affects-84-of-worlds-reefs/
Mongabay Environmental News · Ongoing global coral bleaching event affects 84% of world’s reefsCoral reefs around the world have been subjected to unprecedented heat stress since early 2023. A new report finds heat-related coral bleaching has damaged corals in more than 80 countries, making it the most extensive bleaching event ever recorded, with no clear end in sight. Between January 2023 and April 2025, heat stress impacted 84% […]
Endangered sea #turtle populations show signs of recovery in more than half the world, survey finds
https://phys.org/news/2025-04-endangered-sea-turtle-populations-recovery.html paper: https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esr/v56/p247-276/
"Many of the populations have come back, though some haven't... Overall, the #SeaTurtles story is one of the real #conservation success stories... #GreenTurtles are still endangered globally, but their populations show signs of recovery in many regions of the world... #LeatherbackTurtles are not faring as well as other species of #turtles"
#Mongolia is known for #desertification, but very few people realise that #mining industry is largely to blame. Thanks to the cooperation with #herders and their knowledge, Batmunkh Luvsandash has fought to #protect more than a million acres of #steppe lands.
An interview by Yale E360 with the Goldman Environmental Prize laureate about how #resistance + #conservation can succeed: https://e360.yale.edu/features/batmunkh-luvsandash-interview
Yale e360How a Former Herder Protected Mongolia's Vast GrasslandsBatmunkh Luvsandash has fought to protect more than a million acres of steppe lands in his native Mongolia. In an interview with Yale Environment 360, he explains how, by drawing on the knowledge of local herders, he was able to take on the powerful mining industry and win.
This #EarthDay I see that the Turtle Survival Alliance is launching their 5th Annual Turtle Month so I thought I would share these two prints they commissioned of turtles supporting the Earth featuring endangered turtle species of special focus: one for turtles from North America, and one for turtles from around the world. TSA works to prevent extinctions of these amazing and varied animals worldwide, so I was very glad to make art for this cause! 
The unlikely comeback of one of #Brazil’s rarest parrots https://news.mongabay.com/2025/04/back-to-the-skies-the-unlikely-comeback-of-one-of-brazils-rarest-parrots/
"Habitat loss and the illegal pet trade drove the red-tailed amazon, endemic to the southeastern Brazilian coast, to fewer than 5,000 individuals by the end of the 20th Century. Thanks to a project to install artificial nests on an island on the #Paraná coast, the number of #parrots almost doubled in 20 years, taking the #bird from endangered to near threatened status"
This Day in #History: John Muir, Father of National Parks
On this day in 1838, John Muir was born in #Scotland. This pioneering naturalist's camping trip with Pres. Theodore Roosevelt in #Yosemite in 1903 helped save the valley from development and strengthened the movement to protect America's natural treasures.
If you've ever visited Northern #California, you've encountered Muir's name on trails, forests, and landmarks—a testament to his enduring legacy in #conservation that continues to influence efforts balancing public access with ecological #preservation across America's 421 national park sites.
Learn more: https://zurl.co/6gdTt
Good news - I hope
Orkney’s curlew population recovering as stoats are wiped out
In 2023, DTWG partners captured and tagged the first LeConte’s Thrasher ever banded in #Nevada, the first in an ongoing study examining how these nonmigratory birds use the landscape at different times of year.
Continued thread
This isn’t progress, don't be fooled. It’s a huge step backwards.
One of Galicia's traditional dishes is octopus, and with their population decreasing due to overfishing, this is the only solution they came up with. Remember that if there isn't demand, there won't be any market.
- Seaspiracy
#Trump says he is opening Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Monument to commerical fishing. This huge restricted area in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands was protected by the Dubya admin in 2006.
They haven't ransacked the website yet: https://www.papahanaumokuakea.gov/new-about/
www.papahanaumokuakea.govAbout Papahānaumokuākea
#NewSpecies!
New forest lizard from #china just snuck in:
Calotes zhaoermii
Treatment: https://treatment.plazi.org/id/685B87BB-BF17-231B-5BD5-FF023664FEBE
Publication: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5609.2.8
#Zootaxa #CalotesZhaoermii
#FAIRdata
#science #OA #openaccess #biology #taxonomy #ecology #biodiversity #nature #wildlife #conservation #animals #herpetology #herps #reptiles #lizards #forest
#NewSpecies!
New spider from #china just caught us:
Hippasosa yunnanensis
Treatment: https://treatment.plazi.org/id/E16D5C18-C352-5453-A176-46DB36DE9DCB
Publication: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1226.137240
#ZooKeys #HippasosaYunnanensis
#FAIRdata
#science #OA #openaccess #biology #taxonomy #ecology #biodiversity #nature #wildlife #conservation #animals #invertebrates #arachnology #arachnids #spider
#NewSpecies!
A newly discovered fungus from #china for #FungiFriday:
Mycena hongfengensis
Treatment: https://treatment.plazi.org/id/14E4D78C-D4A0-59D4-83D8-18071AFBDBD8
Publication: https://doi.org/10.3897/mycokeys.115.144137
#MycoKeys #MycenaHongfengensis
#FAIRdata
#science #OA #openaccess #biology #taxonomy #ecology #biodiversity #nature #wildlife #conservation #fungi #mushrooms #mycology
Replied in thread
"You're not actually harming any of them directly," he said, but the end result is essentially the same.
The public has 30 days to comment on the proposed rule change. The move will also likely be challenged in court.
#Law #Science #Wildlife #Habitat #EndangeredSpecies #Conservation #Climate
Replied in thread
The #Trump admin cites Scalia's argument in its proposal, saying it's "undertaking this change to adhere to the single, best meaning of the ESA."
#Conservation experts argue that it makes no sense to adopt such a narrow definition of harm. "If you're a prairie chicken in the Southwest, & there's an oil & gas developer & they want to destroy your prime breeding display grounds, the bird can't mate," said Hartl.
Replied in thread
In the 1990s, #timber companies that wanted to harvest those old-growth #forests challenged the govt's broad interpretation of #harm. #SCOTUS ultimately upheld that interpretation in a 6-3 decision.
Justice Antonin Scalia dissented w/that interpretation. He argued that in the context of wild #animals, "take" should be interpreted more literally, as an affirmative act directed against a particular animal, not an act that indirectly causes injury to a population.
Replied in thread
That interpretation has been a crucial part of how the #EndangeredSpecies Act has protected over 1,700 species since its passage in 1973, said Hartl. It's helped preserve spawning grounds for #AtlanticSturgeon, allowing them to mate & sustain the population. It has protected old-growth #forests in the Pacific Northwest that house northern #SpottedOwls, saving them from #extinction.
Replied in thread
"Any conservation gains species were making will be reversed—we're going to see losses again," he said.
Under the #EndangeredSpecies Act, it's illegal to "take" an endangered species. By #law, "take" is defined to mean actions that harass, harm, or kill species. For decades, federal agencies have interpreted "harm" broadly, to include actions that modify or degrade #habitats in ways that impair endangered species' ability to feed, breed or find shelter.