Stoked for the Okefenokee

 

No. 1303, June 26, 2025

A Historic Win for the Wild in the Southeast A long and fierce campaign to protect the Okefenokee Swamp from mining has finally paid off.   For years, the Center for Biological Diversity and allies have held the line against a proposed mine abutting Georgia’s Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge — and late last week, a nonprofit called the Conservation Fund announced that it’s buying the mine site.   The Twin Pines mine would’ve been a disaster for the Okefenokee, one of the world’s largest intact freshwater ecosystems and home to countless species — including wood storks, eastern indigo snakes, and gopher tortoises.   The nearly 8,000-acre purchase protects the area from mining and includes acquisition of the underlying mineral rights.   We’re deeply grateful for each of you who spoke up for this incredible place over many years.

In Court Over Efforts to Weaken Habitat Protection This spring the Trump administration proposed to revoke the longstanding definition of “harm” under the Endangered Species Act, eliminating habitat protections — even though habitat destruction is the main extinction driver for U.S. species, from Oregon spotted owls to Florida manatees.   The Center officially requested public records that might explain the proposal, which is contrary to science and Supreme Court precedent. But so far, the Department of the Interior hasn’t disclosed anything — so we just sued.   “Trump should be stepping up to protect our vanishing wildlife — not hammering their coffin nails,” said Center attorney Ryan Shannon.   Be part of the fight with a gift to our Future for the Wild Fund.

Victories Against Water Pollution, Biofuels Good news in the fight against plastic and pollution: Siding with the Center and allies, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wrongly decided not to update water pollution standards for several industries, including chemical plants, plastic factories, and fossil fuel refineries. It’s a key win for people, clean water, and critters who rely on fresh water.   Meanwhile, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the EPA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service need to take a closer look at how the production of biofuels affects endangered wildlife. When corn is grown for fuel, for instance, pesticides and fertilizers run off into nearby streams and rivers. This pollution harms endangered species such as the pallid sturgeon in the Mississippi River.   Both of these court wins will hopefully keep our waters safer and cleaner for all.

Petition Pressures Oil Companies to Plug Offshore Wells The Center and allies just petitioned the Trump administration to stop giving oil and gas companies new offshore-drilling rights if they haven’t cleaned up old wells and platforms.   Thousands of wells and hundreds of platforms in the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific are overdue for decommissioning. They may leak oil, chemicals, and more, threatening people and wildlife — including federally protected species, like critically endangered Rice’s whales. But President Donald Trump’s Interior Department keeps letting deadbeat oil companies expand drilling.   “Oceans aren’t the oil industry’s junkyards,” said the Center’s Rachel Mathews. “They’re home to whales and other wildlife who deserve unpolluted waters.”

Join Us in Fighting Extreme Heat If you’re in the United States, you probably suffered the sizzling temperatures gripping most of the country this week. Meanwhile President Donald Trump has threatened millions of lives by dismantling federal agencies and programs that help working families cool their homes and survive deadly heat waves.   So on Tuesday the Center and more than 150 other groups urged federal, state, and local officials to ban utility shutoffs, deploy climate-resilient rooftop solar and storage, tax polluters to finance renewable energy, and strengthen worker protections.   Join the movement: Tell your governor to treat extreme heat like the deadly emergency it is.

The Revelator: European Wolves The European Union just lowered its conservation status for wolves, a move that appears — as we’ve seen in the United States — to be more about politics than science. Expert conservationists, meanwhile, offer several reasons why wolves in the EU should remain protected.   Read more in The Revelator.   And if you haven’t yet, subscribe to The Revelator’s free weekly e-newsletter for more wildlife and conservation news.

That’s Wild: Hummingbird Beaks and Bird Feeders According to a new study, the size and shape of some hummingbirds’ beaks seem to be changing in response to human influence — specifically, backyard bird feeders popping up in their habitat. Scientists looking at Anna’s hummingbirds in the U.S. West say their bills are getting longer and slenderer, apparently to ensure they can slurp homemade sugar water through the feeders’ narrow openings.   The prevalence of feeders is also apparently expanding the hummingbirds’ range to the north, from Southern California up the West Coast into Canada.   It’s not good that bird feeders have replaced so many natural food sources — but it’s amazing that hummingbirds can adapt almost as quickly as their wings beat.

Follow Us Center for Biological Diversity | Saving Life on Earth   Donate now to support the Center's work.   Photo credits: Wood stork by Susan Young/USFWS, eastern indigo snake by Kevin Enge/GTM NERR; Florida manatee by Keith Ramos/USFWS, spotted owl by Emily Brouwer/NPS; pallid sturgeon by Ryan Hagerty/USFWS; Rice’s whale courtesy NOAA; vaquita by Barbara Taylor/NOAA; sign with the words "Caution! Extreme heat danger" by sprokop/Canva Pro; Eurasian wolf by Jukka Lämsä; Anna’s hummingbird by Alan Schmierer/USFWS.   View our privacy policy. Center for Biological Diversity P.O. Box 710 Tucson, AZ 85702 United States 285299-qgbmb-0-0