Guest guest Posted May 15, 2009 Report Share Posted May 15, 2009 Center for Biological DiversityCenter for Biological Diversity Obama Adopts Bush's Polar Bear Extinction Plan In a supremely disappointing -- and, for polar bears, life-threatening -- move last Friday, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced he would endorse a Bush policy condemning the polar bear to extinction instead of rescinding the rule as requested by Congress. Salazar ignored hundreds of thousands of citizen petitions -- more than 94,000 of them from Center for Biological Diversity supporters -- plus letters from scores of lawmakers, 44 law professors, more than 130 conservation organizations, and more than 1,300 prominent scientists. The rule specifically exempts greenhouse gas emissions from Endangered Species Act review even though global warming is driving the polar bear extinct. " Salazar's decision today is a gift to Big Oil, " declared the Center's Biodiversity Program Director Noah Greenwald. We're already in court fighting the bad polar bear rule and will soon press for an injunction to bar its use. Read more in the New York Times http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2 & c=qmS08%2Fftz21osisJ%2B fnNDwqvK%2Bs8bLXr and express your extreme displeasure to Salazar himself: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2 & c=dwOO0MEW4nx%2F0p5WG9w Q7gqvK%2Bs8bLXr Lawsuit Brewing Over Death of Last Known U.S. Jaguar This Tuesday, the Center for Biological Diversity took the first step toward preventing future jaguar tragedies in the United States with a 60-day notice of intent to sue the Arizona Game and Fish Department for unlawfully causing the death of Macho B, the last great cat known to roam north of the U.S.-Mexico border. Macho B died in March after being captured, outfitted with a radio collar, rereleased, and then recaptured by the agency -- which unjustifiably euthanized him promptly after declaring he was suffering from kidney failure. But it's still unclear what his underlying ailment was, and more than one veterinarian has declared that capture contributed to his death. Our suit addresses the fact that the Game and Fish Department didn't have a permit to snare him in the first place -- in direct violation of the Endangered Species Act. " The death of Macho B was a tragedy that should never have happened, " said Michael Robinson, conservation advocate for the Center. " We're taking action to ensure that no more jaguars are captured like Macho B. " On the federal level, we had substantial success this spring in our efforts to earn protected habitat and a recovery plan for any jaguars remaining in the United States -- and to enable those south of the border to reclaim their historic U.S. turf. Condor-shooter Investigation Continues; You Can Help With the investigation in full swing to find the person (or people) who shot two endangered California condors full of lead bullets in March, the Center for Biological Diversity and Bruce Robertson, our private eye on the case, have produced a wanted poster to help with apprehension efforts. Both condors -- one of which was found shot with three lead bullets and the other of which was full of 15 -- are still alive but may never return to the wild, where every last California condor is crucial. In addition to hiring an investigator, the Center announced in mid-April that the reward fund for help in capturing the shooter or shooters has increased to $40,500, thanks to generous pledges made by several groups (including the Center, the Wendy P. McGaw Foundation, and the Humane Society). Lead bullets are the leading cause of death for the endangered condor -- but not from shooting. Many condors die from lead poisoning after scavenging game shot with lead ammo. Just this week, condor No. 236 -- one of the first six condors released to the wild in 2003 at Pinnacles National Monument -- died of lead poisoning. If you live in central California, where both shot condors were found, email and/or print out the wanted poster on our California condor Web page for all in condor country to read. http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2 & c=6tTToxO9HxfOTIgU5eTyP wqvK%2Bs8bLXr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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