Center for Biological Diversity

Comeback Kid #1: Record year for Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle
2006 was another banner year for the endangered Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle. A reintroduction program by the National Park Service steadily increased the number of Texas nests from 0 in 1993 to 101 in 2006. Intensive management of the Mexican population (heavily funded and organized under the U.S. Endangered Species Act) increased nesting from a low of 740 nests in 1985 to about 11,000 in 2006. Some scientists believe the sea turtle may qualify for downlisting to "threatened" status by 2012.

WildWeb: website targets Paris Hilton wildlife abuse
Calling her an "alleged singer and celebutante," www.TellParisNo.com takes Paris Hilton to task for "inflicting her lifestyle on a succession of exotic pets as a publicity ploy." Hilton has violated state and international wildlife laws by carting the kinkajou and other wild animals from party to party. Also known as "honey bears," kinkajous hail from the rainforests of Central and South America.

NASA: Arctic sea ice melting faster
NASA reports that arctic sea ice is melting much more rapidly than previously known. Perennial arctic sea ice, which usually survives the summer, shrank 14 percent from 2004 to 2005; it may shrink to a new record low this year.

NASA: Polar Bears threatened with extinction
A new report by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration concludes global warming has lowered the weight of polar bears and changed their migration patterns. The warmer ocean waters are leading to earlier breakup of the sea ice that Polar Bears use to hunt seals, causing earlier dispersal from hunting grounds and weight loss.

Global warming brings enviros and Christians together
The Associated Press reports that "shared concerns over global warming and protecting the Earth are bringing together the two groups in ways that could make the Republican Party more eco-friendly and lead some evangelicals to vote Democratic."

Administration stalls protection of 279 species
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued an updated "candidate" list on 9-12-06, identifying 279 species that qualify for Endangered Species Act protection but are not being protected due to what they call a lack of funds. Political opposition is a more fundamental reason. The Center for Biological Diversity and other groups are suing the Bush Administration to speed the listing of all candidates nationwide. Species denied protection via the new list include the New England Cottontail Rabbit, Red Knot, and 103 Hawaiian species.

USFWS proposes 95% cut in Marbled Murrelet protections
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a proposal on 9-12-06 to slash the Marbled Murrelet's existing critical habitat designation from 3.9 million acres to 221,692. The agency has delayed plans to remove the imperiled bird from the threatened species list due to opposition by scientists and its own consultants.

Judge strikes Bush refusal to protect Colorado River Cutthroat Trout
Concluding that the Bush Administration selectively sought information from groups and agencies opposed to adding the Colorado River Cutthroat Trout to the endangered species list, a judge struck down a 2004 decision denying protection on 9-7-06. Historically found in portions of Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and extreme northern New Mexico and Arizona, the Colorado River Cutthroat Trout has been reduced to less than five percent of its historic range due to livestock grazing, logging, mining, water diversions, and the introduction of nonnative trout. The lawsuit was brought by the Center for Biological Diversity and other groups.

Center for Biological Diversity PO Box 710 Tucson, AZ 85702 520-623-5252 center@biologicaldiversity.org