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 […]
Tag: Migratory Bird Treaty Act

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 […]

Amid Global Pandemic, Federal Government Pushes Ahead on Fossil Fuel Leasing and Bird-Protection Rollbacks
There are new signs each day that the COVID-19 pandemic is fundamentally altering public life in America. Many schools will be closed for the rest of the academic year. Several states have postponed presidential primaries. State and federal courts have put trials on hold. But the coronavirus crisis is not stopping the U.S. Department of […]

In Virginia, a Race to Ready New Nesting Sites for 20,000 Returning Seabirds
Every spring since the 1980s, tens of thousands of seabirds have made their way from their South American wintering grounds to Virginia’s South Island to nest. Once there, raucous masses of Gull-billed Terns, Royal Terns, Common Terns, Black Skimmers, Laughing Gulls, and others combine to create the state’s largest breeding colony. But this April, when […]

Trump Administration Moves to Relax Rules Against Killing Birds
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Thursday moved to drop the threat of punishment to oil and gas companies, construction crews and other organizations that kill birds “incidentally,” arguing that businesses that accidentally kill birds ought to be able to operate without fear of prosecution. Conservation groups said the proposed new regulation from the United […]