To seabird scientists, it was an ominous sign when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced, back in January, that it was putting together a plan to ramp up the lethal control of Double-crested Cormorants. The birds eat about a pound of fish per day and are much maligned by fishing groups. But they’re a […]
Tag: Migratory Bird Treaty Act

Trump Administration Continues to Defend its Illegal Bird-Killing Policy
WASHINGTON – “It is past time to end this futile attempt to weaken the 100-year-old Migratory Bird Treaty Act,” said Sarah Greenberger, interim chief conservation officer for the National Audubon Society. “We’ve lost 3 billion birds in North America in the last 50 years and two-thirds of those birds are at risk of extinction due […]

Victory! Federal Judge Rules Trump Administration’s Bird-Killing Policy is Illegal
NEW YORK – “Like the clear crisp notes of the Wood Thrush, today’s court decision cuts through all the noise and confusion to unequivocally uphold the most effective bird conservation law on the books–the Migratory Bird Treaty Act,” said Sarah Greenberger, Interim Chief Conservation Officer for the National Audubon Society. “This is a huge victory […]

Trump Administration Moves Forward With Plan To End Wild Bird Protections
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Trump administration moved forward Friday with plans to scale back a century-old law protecting most American wild bird species despite warnings that billions of birds could die as a result. Officials said in a draft study of the proposal that it could result in more deaths of birds that land […]

Wildlife authorities kill over 100 Canada Geese at Sloan’s Lake as culling enters its second year in Denver
Federal authorities won’t kill as many geese this year as they did last year because, well, the geese population has waned at Denver parks since the city started its “culling” program to cut down on poop and clean the water. Denver Parks & Recreation Deputy Manager Scott Gilmore said biologists with the United States Department […]

Trump Opens Atlantic’s Only Marine National Monument to Commercial Fishing
Today President Trump announced that he would open the Atlantic Northeast Canyons and Seamounts National Monument, a vital source of food for seabirds and where Atlantic Puffins overwinter,to commercial fishing.Declared a monument in 2016 by President Obama, the area is located about 130 miles off the coast of Cape Cod and covers 4,913 square miles […]

Prickly Pair: Cactus-dwelling Couple Prove Rumors That Bald Eagles Nest in Saguaros
Back in mid-March, Kenneth Jacobson found what he’s been seeking for 18 years. Responding to a tip, Jacobson and his team at the Arizona Game and Fish Department set out for a reservoir in the middle of the state with a healthy skepticism. But even from a distance, what he saw through his binoculars left […]

Trump rule could kill “billions of birds” and devastate endangered species, former wildlife chief says
BUTTE, Mont. — At a former open pit copper mine filled with billions of gallons of toxic water, sirens and loud pops from propane cannons echo off the granite walls to scare away birds so they don’t land. After several thousand migrating snow geese perished in the Berkeley Pit’s acidic, metal-laden waters in 2016, its […]