Trump reportedly eyes m in funding cuts for US national parks

Trump reportedly eyes $26m in funding cuts for US national parks

The Trump administration is reportedly eyeing dozens of grants across the National Park Service for termination, according to reporting from the New York Times, one of several moves destabilizing the US’s investment in public lands. According to the newspaper, staff members at Elon Musk’s unofficial “department of government efficiency” have created a spreadsheet of federal […]

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Indigenous nations fought for a new national monument. Will it survive Trump?

Indigenous nations fought for a new national monument. Will it survive Trump?

In northeastern California, the Upper Pit River undulates through evergreen forests, wet meadows and rugged mountains. It’s part of the snow-fed headwaters of the Sacramento River, the largest river in the state. The Sacramento flows some 611 kilometers (380 miles) to the San Francisco Bay, supporting diverse and unique ecosystems and carrying water to cities […]

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‘No One Voted to Slaughter Hummingbirds’: Trump’s DOI Guts Bird Protections, Again

‘No One Voted to Slaughter Hummingbirds’: Trump’s DOI Guts Bird Protections, Again

The Trump administration moved on Friday to weaken protections for migratory birds threatened by industrial activities, including oil and gas operations. Acting Solicitor of the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Gregory Zerzan restored an opinion from the first Trump administration that the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) “does not apply to the accidental or […]

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Trump administration seeks to narrow Endangered Species Act by redefining ‘harm’

Trump administration seeks to narrow Endangered Species Act by redefining ‘harm’

The Trump administration on Wednesday proposed a rule to redefine what it means to “harm” a protected species under the Endangered Species Act, a move conservationists say will strip vulnerable plants and animals of habitat they need to survive. The proposal advanced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service would […]

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Trump administration cuts to NOAA threaten efforts to save sea lions from toxic plankton

Trump administration cuts to NOAA threaten efforts to save sea lions from toxic plankton

Federal research and funding plays a crucial role in enabling scientists to monitor ocean conditions — including the domoic acid outbreak that is now killing hundreds of marine mammals up and down the California coast. “Everything we do — all that data we collect — it couldn’t be done without the federal government,” said Clarissa […]

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Court orders Trump administration to address pesticide risks to endangered species

Court orders Trump administration to address pesticide risks to endangered species

A U.S. federal judge recently ordered the Trump administration‘s Fish and Wildlife Service to complete assessments on the impacts of six pesticides and the steps needed to protect endangered species from them. This isn’t the first time pesticide safety has come before the Trump administration. In 2017, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) conducted an […]

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