Displaying items by tag: endangered species act
Updated: Feds agree to reconsider ESA status of big, elusive salamander known only in Knox County area
The limestone cliffs and bluffs of Ijams Nature Center are home to the Berry Cave salamander. The cave is very hard to find, is gated, and entry is forbidden to protect both the salamander and bat populations. Thomas Fraser/Hellbender Press
Lawsuit prompts federal agency to reconsider protections for rare East Tennessee salamander
KNOXVILLE — The Southern Environmental Law Center, which championed the conservation of a salamander found only in a series of caves within the Knoxville Metropolitan Area, announced Jan. 16 that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agreed to reconsider inclusion of the Berry Cave salamander on the Endangered Species List.
The release from SELC follows; the original story published in July 2024 continues below.
“The Southern Environmental Law Center, on behalf of the Center for Biological Diversity, reached an agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that requires the agency to reconsider listing the Berry Cave salamander—a rare salamander that is only found in a handful of East Tennessee caves—as an endangered species.
The already rare salamanders are under immense pressure from sprawling development in the region, and even the largest observed populations of the Berry Cave salamander are quickly declining. Survey results indicate that a population found in Knoxville’s Meads Quarry Cave—historically one of the salamander’s relative strongholds—fell by 65 percent between 2004 and 2019.
Thursday’s agreement comes eight months after the conservation groups sued the Service, arguing that the agency violated federal law when it denied Endangered Species Act protections for the Berry Cave salamander in 2019. The surprising denial came at a time when the agency’s regional leadership had directed staff to implement a quota system that set annual targets for denying species protections—a system that may have inappropriately influenced the Berry Cave salamander decision.
The agreement requires the agency to reevaluate the Berry Cave salamander’s status and determine by August 2029 whether it should be listed for protection under the Endangered Species Act.
“This agreement is an important step toward securing long-overdue protections for the Berry Cave salamander and correcting a harmful mistake from the Fish and Wildlife Service,” said Liz Rasheed, a staff attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center. “We hope the agency will follow the science — as required by law — and give these one-of-a-kind salamanders the protections they need to have a shot at survival.”
- center for biological diversity
- endangered and threatened species
- berry cave salamander
- john nolt
- foundation for global sustainability
- ijams nature center
- limestone caves
- knox county caves
- endangered species act
- mead’s quarry
- gyrinophilus gulolineatus
- james white parkway extension
- southern environmental law center
- salamanders
- cavedwelling amphibians
- southern appalachian salamanders
- environmental ethics
- esa lawsuit
- east tennessee endangered species
- hayworth hollow
Rare Tennessee salamander at center of new Endangered Species Act lawsuit
Environmental groups are suing the U.S. government to force addition of the Berry Cave salamander to the Endangered Species List. It is one of the largest cave salamanders, and can grow up to 6 inches. Dr. Matthew Niemiller
50 percent of the known Berry Cave salamander population is in rapidly developing Knox County
KNOXVILLE — The Southern Environmental Law Center, on behalf of the Center for Biological Diversity, sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on May 7, arguing that the agency violated federal law when it denied Endangered Species Act protections for a rare salamander that is only found in a handful of East Tennessee caves.
The Berry Cave salamander has pink feathery gills, lives its entire life in caves, and can grow to over 9 inches in length — making it the largest cave-dwelling salamander in North America. The salamander is also incredibly rare. Populations have been found in just a small number of isolated caves, and in several of these caves only one salamander has ever been observed.
Unique to our bioregion
“The Berry Cave salamander is found nowhere else on Earth, and its populations are dwindling in the face of rapid development and a changing climate,” said Liz Rasheed, a senior associate attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center. “This lawsuit seeks to correct an egregious error that puts this incredible salamander at an even greater risk of extinction.”
- berry cave salamander
- endangered species act
- southern environmental law center
- center for biological diversity
- matthew niemiller
- us fish and wildlife service
- liz rasheed
- meads quarry cave
- chelsea stewartfusek
- knox county caves
- east tennessee water quality
- endangered species act lawsuits
- salamanders
- salamander biodiversity
- salamander populations
- mead's quarry
From Lil Jefe to hellbenders, wild animals inspired hope and validation for the conservation of the world in 2023
In September, six California condors repeatedly ventured north from their Pinnacles National Park homeland to Mount Diablo in the San Francisco Bay area, becoming the first condors seen in that area in over a century. Biologists speculate the sorties may indicate new nesting territories. Seen here is a condor deemed California condor 87 by biologists tracking the rare bird population. Michael Quinn/National Park Service
Rare and threatened animals used innate skills and courage to recover lost territory, expand their ranges, or simply survive against the odds. Humans helped.
It’s tradition to honor the past year’s human achievements. From peacemakers and scientists to athletes and artists, we celebrate those who inspire us. But what about the wildlife who surround us who make up the biodiversity that sustains us? Each year standout members of those populations also set records and push boundaries, many with lasting results.
Consider P-22, also known as the “Hollywood cat.” In 2012 this young mountain lion surprised biologists and captured hearts by establishing a decade-long residency in the Griffith Park area of Los Angeles. Stealthily threading through backyards and freeways, he demonstrated the value of landscape connectivity, even in urban areas. And though he died in 2022, he inspired a massive fundraising campaign that helped build the largest wildlife bridge in the United States, to be completed in 2025 over California’s 10-lane Highway 101. In this way he changed the world.
- wildlife conservation
- ozark hellbender
- california condor
- tim lydon
- the revelator
- prince william sound stewardship foundation
- hollywood cat
- mountain lions
- ocelots
- grizzlies on the great plains
- endangered species act
- missouri river breaks
- wolverines endangered species act
- american prairie
- wolves in southern sierras
- flamingos
- hurricane flamingoes
- huachuca mountains
- saint louis zoo
- okaloosa darter
50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act
For decades, the Endangered Species Act has served valuable in preserving species and making our region so unique
Dec. 28 marks the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act — an important legal tool for protecting imperiled Southern species and their habitat. Since its passage in 1973, we’ve seen a nearly 99 percent success rate in preventing the loss of animals and plants protected under the law, including the iconic bald eagle and American alligator.
The Endangered Species Act establishes protections for fish, wildlife and plants that are listed as threatened or endangered; provides for adding species to and removing them from the list of threatened and endangered species, and for preparing and implementing plans for their recovery; provides for interagency cooperation to avoid take of listed species and for issuing permits for otherwise prohibited activities; provides for cooperation with States, including authorization of financial assistance; and implements the provisions of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna.
This bedrock environmental law reminds us there is still more work to do to protect the South’s rich biodiversity — including fighting in court to save at-risk species, advocating for more protective regulations, and defending the Endangered Species Act.
APIEL 2023, Oct. 21 — the 14th Appalachian Public Interest and Environmental Law Conference
ELO is a student-run organization at the University of Tennessee College of Law. It is not directly affiliated with the University of Tennesse or any particular non-profit organization. It is dedicated to providing students and attorneys with learning opportunities and leadership experiences.
Networking environmental leaders across Appalachia and the State of Tennessee
Knoxville — APIEL is a relative newcomer to the small circle of inclusive U.S. public interest environmental law conferences. Because it is organized by law school student volunteers, APIEL is affordable to attend for citizens from all walks of life. Students are free!
APIEL is much loved and considered essential by regional nonprofit leaders and activists. It is also highly acclaimed by seasoned environmental lawyers. With just 13 conferences under its belt, APIEL has risen to rank among leading peer conferences with a much longer track record, such as the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference (PIELC) at the University of Oregon School of Law (41 events), the Red Clay Conference at the University of Georgia School of Law (35) and the Public Interest Environmental Conference (PIEC) at the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law (29).
- public interest
- environmental law
- university of tennessee college of law
- environmental issue
- tva
- pipeline controversy
- natural gas
- climate change
- public interest lawyering in appalachia
- continuing legal education tennessee
- appalachian public interest and environmental law conference
- endangered species act
- national environmental policy act
- nepa
Quaff some brews and pour some out on Endangered Species Day
Barrens topminnow (Fundulus julisia) at Conservation Fisheries, a native stream fish breeding center. This species is endangered (IUCN). It is only found in the Barrens Plateau in middle Tennessee, making it one of the rarest fish in eastern North America. © Joel Sartore 2023
Friday, May 19 is Endangered Species Day. Not just in Knoxville. The U.S. Postal Service is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act by releasing a collection of stamps featuring endangered animals and fishes. All 4,000 of the Endangered Species Limited Edition Collector's Sets are already sold out, but other collector items are still available. The fish were photographed by Joel Sartore, a friend of local nonprofit Conservation Fisheries. His National Geographic Photo Ark collection also features boulder darters, which are native to the Elk River in Middle Tennessee and have been federally listed as endangered since 1988.
Here’s another link to the celebration: Endangered Species Day in the Old City.
Join in various festivities, ranging from Riverside Tattoo Flash Day to Pint Night at Merchants of Beer to honor those critters who may not be with us much longer.
Dixie Valley toad receives final endangered species protections
Dixie Valley Toad. Patrick Donnelly / Center for Biological Diversity
The Dixie Valley toad — among the most vulnerable amphibians in the country — is an irreplaceable piece of Nevada’s and our nation’s biodiversity, according to an Instagram post shared by the Center for Biological Diversity (@centerforbiodiv). It includes a brief video of the species.
For the win: The storied snail darter swims back from the brink
The snail darter, which caused an epic battle around TVA plans to dam the Tellico River in the 1970s, was recently removed from the Endangered Species List. Jeremy Monroe/Tennessee Aquarium
The little fish that caused a maelstrom over a TVA dam project gets the last laugh
TELLICO — In a win for endangered species protected by federal law, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced this week the fabled snail darter’s recovery and removal from the Federal List of Threatened and Endangered Wildlife.
Native to the Tennessee River watershed in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee, the fish has long been an Endangered Species Act icon thanks to conservation efforts to save its habitat starting in the 1970s, when the Tennessee Valley Authority proposed construction of a dam on the Little Tennessee River. The snail darter (Percina tanasi) was central in the 1978 U.S. Supreme Court case Tennessee Valley Authority v. Hill, which solidified the scope of the then recently passed ESA.
- snail darter
- endangered species
- endangered species act
- tellico dam
- southern environmental law center
- snail darter removed from endangered species list
- tva vs hill
- little tennessee river
- eastern band of cherokee indians
- ramona mcgee
- george nolan
- tennessee valley authority v hill
- habitat conservation
- us supreme court
- percina tanasi
- threatened species
Rare bipartisan legal effort under way for widespread wildlife protections
NYT: Recovering America’s Wildlife Act a big bipartisan push to preserve animal species
New York Times columnist Margaret Renkl noted recently that a precious opportunity has presented itself to strengthen wildlife-protection laws and add to environmental protections across the nation.
The Nashville-based journalist said the act, known as RAWA, “is poised to become the single most effective tool in combating biodiversity loss since the Endangered Species Act.” The resolution is carried in the House by Michigan Democrat Rep. Debbie Dingell.
“This bill provides funding for (1) the conservation or restoration of wildlife and plant species of greatest conservation need; (2) the wildlife conservation strategies of states, territories, or the District of Columbia; and (3) wildlife conservation education and recreation projects,” according to the U.S. Congress.
Zoo researchers raising hell(benders) in Chattanooga
The Chattanooga Zoo will soon open an exhibit to hellbenders, such as the one seen here in a tank at the zoo. Courtesy Chattanooga Zoo
New hellbender exhibit at Chattanooga Zoo will serve as a hub for cooperative research
Thanks to grants from two generous organizations, some oft-elusive hellbenders have a new home at the Chattanooga Zoo. The Hiwassee Education and Research Facility is nearly complete, and it features hellbender exhibits and a classroom. The exhibit includes juvenile hellbenders hatched from eggs collected from the Duck River in central Tennessee in 2015.
The zoo is also fabricating a stream environment exhibit that will house nine larger sub-adult hellbenders, each about 10 years old and 14.5 inches long. Visitors can observe hellbenders feeding in the completed exhibit, but it will be open only during limited hours. After the project’s completion, the zoo plans to partner with researchers who hope to learn more about hellbenders.
“The Chattanooga Zoo is thrilled at the introduction of its new Hiwassee Hellbender Research Facility,” zoo officials said in a statement to Hellbender Press.
“We believe that this new facility will open rare opportunities for guests to be educated on this otherwise elusive native species, and that the project would lead to important strides made in hellbender research.
“From all of this, our hope is for more conservation efforts made in our local waterways, also known as the eastern hellbender’s home.”
- chattanooga zoo
- hellbender
- threat
- hellbender research
- where to see hellbender
- hiwassee education and research facility
- public land
- zoo
- native species
- conservation
- waterway
- photosensitive
- stream
- habitat fragmentation
- salamander
- biodiversity
- dam
- reservoir
- agriculture
- siltation
- endangered species act
- research
200 wolves killed in Wisconsin after ESA restrictions are lifted
NYT: Gray wolf hunters sued state to move season up; first state wolf hunt since 2014 following delisting
Hunters killed 212 gray wolves during a three-day frenzy in Wisconsin after the gray wolf was removed from the Endangered Species List by the Trump administration.
State wildlife officials had wanted to delay the hunt until November so a science-based and fair game plan could be finalized. Wolf-hunting advocates sued to move the hunt up to last week; biologists and indigenous groups said they hunt occurred during breeding season, so the full effects on gray wolf populations could be far-reaching.
The state estimated there were about 1,200 wolves in Wisconsin prior to the hunt.