U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Archives

MT Gov. Greg Gianforte sues to block Yellowstone’s bison management plan

January 2, 2025
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte and a pair of Montana state agencies are suing to halt Yellowstone National Park’s bison management plan. The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday, Dec. 31, by Gianforte, the Montana Department of Livestock and the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, named the U.S. National Park Service, U.S. Department of Interior and their leaders, including Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Cam Sholly, as defendants.

Montana state officials argued the new rules hurt the state’s ability to handle threats brought on by bison wandering beyond the park’s boundaries. They said they did not get a fair chance to participate in the planning process with park officials.

Gianforte said on Tuesday the National Park Service “failed” to work with Montana in “a meaningful and transparent” way “required by law.”

The governor and state officials contend that the review process for the plan was hurried. They say it left Montana officials with an impossible timeframe to fulfill to provide input on the new rules.

Yellowstone National Park officials said the new plan was adopted in July 2024. The plan allows it to address new scientific information since the last adopted plan back in 2000.

The new measures call for the park’s bison herd to remain between 3,500 and 6,000 animals.

State leaders immediately criticized the plan. They say they wanted the herd managed at around 3,000 bison, a number set under the plan adopted in 2000.

In its lawsuit, the state and Gianforte argue that the larger bison herd threatens Montana’s cattle through the spread of infectious disease.

The court filings also note state officials believe the larger herd will damage the landscape of Yellowstone’s northern range.

As Straight Arrow News previously reported, conservationists have argued against limiting the herd of bison to 3,000 animals. They claim state leaders don’t want to protect the species.

Conservationists note that in 2023, a record number of bison, nearly 1,600, were killed in Montana.

“The state of Montana does not consider our national mammal to be a wildlife species. They consider the buffalo to be a diseased species in need of management,” Tom Woodbury, the director of communications for the Buffalo Field Campaign, said.

The mass hunting of bison came largely from hunters among indigenous tribes. They have the right to hunt bison under historic treaties and reportedly face little to no regulations.

“The state of Montana doesn’t regulate the number of bison that tribal hunters can harvest or what their season dates are, things like that. Those are largely determined by each individual tribe,” Morgan Jacobsen, information officer for the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks agency said.

The 2023 killings of bison in Montana also raised concerns among conservationists. They said that Gianforte’s call for a herd of 3,000 bison is unrealistic for Yellowstone.

“Montana would like to see the bison population reduced to 3,000, which is not a viable population for bison and would result in them being listed under the Endangered Species Act,” Woodbury said.

Yellowstone officials said they are reviewing the 51-page lawsuit from the governor and are considering their next steps.
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Monarch butterflies could get federal protections as threatened species

December 11, 2024
Monarch butterflies could soon be added to the threatened species list. U.S. wildlife officials announced Tuesday, Dec. 10, they’re planning to extend federal protections to the beloved pollinators after years of warnings that the population is shrinking, and the species may not survive climate change.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said it plans to add monarch butterflies to the threatened species list by the end of 2025. That would make it illegal to purposely kill the butterflies or transport them.

Farmers and backyard gardeners will still be able to remove milkweed, which is a key food source for monarch caterpillars. However, it would become illegal to make changes to the land that would permanently make it unusable for the butterflies.

A 90-day public comment period opens Thursday, Dec. 12, for people to weigh in on wildlife officials’ decision. After that, officials could tweak the proposal based on comments, give up the effort or officially declare monarchs a threatened species in the U.S. A decision is expected by December 2025.

In 2022, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature added monarch butterflies to its “red list” of threatened species, categorizing them as “endangered.” That’s just two steps away from “extinct in the wild.”
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Panda diplomacy leads to millions going to China, with very little oversight

November 29, 2024
American zoos have sent tens of millions of dollars to China under the Endangered Species Act in what some have referred to as “panda diplomacy” over the past few decades. In exchange for the large amounts of money, China ships pandas, in pairs, to American zoos. The National Zoo in Washington and the San Diego Zoo are among them.

The money, by U.S. law, is supposed to be spent on protecting pandas in the wild. However, a New York Times investigation of thousands of pages of documents and interviews with dozens of witnesses indicates China has spent a lot of that money on things such as roads, apartment buildings and museums. In addition, China refused to explain where all the money goes.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service oversees the American payments. It raised concerns with American zoo officials and froze payments on a few occasions. But zoo managers worried if the agency cut off payment to China, the Chinese would want their pandas back.

Such a move would cost American zoos revenue, visitors, media attention and sales of merchandise. As a result, federal regulators allowed the payments to continue.

A former Fish and Wildlife official is quoted by The New York Times as saying the Chinese felt it should not be of any concern to the United States how they were using the money.

The Times investigation found the pandas are often used for breeding more so than conservation efforts. In tracking financial reports, the probe found that $86 million has gone from American zoos to a pair of organizations run by the Chinese government. The investigation discovered that some of the money was used to help transform a panda breeding center in Western China into an attraction.

The Times examined recent contracts and found no mention of checking to see how China is spending the millions of dollars by the National Zoo or the San Diego Zoo. American regulators who have been to China said they did see some evidence of conservation there. However, they also said the pandas habitat is shrinking, and the animals have less territory to roam.
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Federal officials review permit after bald eagle nest removed in Alabama

November 20, 2024
Federal wildlife officials are investigating the removal of a bald eagle nest in Alabama, one that they issued a permit for. The tree and nest were removed by a land developer over the weekend of Nov. 15, which locals say housed a bonded pair of the large birds.

Along with the permit being investigated by the Fish and Wildlife Service, Hughston Homes of Georgia, the land developer, is also under investigation. Wildlife officials say it was the responsibility of the permit holder to confirm that the nest was empty before taking it down.

The agency had determined the removal wouldn’t interfere with the overall eagle population. For its part, the developer stated it followed guidance from the Fish and Wildlife Service in the removal, stating that they believed the “nest in question is likely an alternate nest” for the pair of bonded eagles.

Locals of Auburn say there’s more to the story. The City of Auburn released a statement, saying the City Council was disappointed by the removal.

Residents say an investigation isn’t enough, and the Fish and Wildlife Service should’ve never issued the permit in the first place. Local Auburn officials say that eagle activity was reported in the area of the nest as early as January 2021. However, the city didn’t take their protection into consideration in approving or denying the developer’s requested application.

According to the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, disturbing gold or bald eagles is criminal, and can result in a fine of up to $200,000, and even imprisonment.
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Alaskan city says new road will save lives, opponents fear it will impact wildlife

November 15, 2024
The Biden administration expressed support for a controversial $24 million road project connecting the remote city of King Cove, Alaska, to the Cold Bay Airport. Proponents argue the road is critical for providing year-round access to medical evacuations. However, environmentalists are concerned about the project’s impact on the ecosystems within the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge.

The proposal has seen shifting federal stances over the years. The Obama administration initially rejected the idea, citing environmental concerns. However, the plan was later approved when the Trump administration took over.

That green-light was then withdrawn by the Biden administration, only for the White House to later reverse course. Officials now claim the latest plan addresses previous shortcomings including conservation trade-offs. Developers have agreed to transfer about 30,000 acres of land to the federal government to expand the wilderness refuge.

“The purposes of the proposed action are to provide a safe, reliable, year-round transportation system for health and safety purposes, with particular emphasis on emergency medical evacuations, between King Cove and Cold Bay, Alaska, and increase the overall conservation values of lands preserved in the National Wildlife Refuge System and also maintain or increase the opportunity for subsistence uses by rural Alaskans,” the federal government said in a statement.

Despite the revised plan, environmental advocacy groups, such as Defenders of Wildlife, argued building the road would disturb vital habitats for various animal species. They also question the necessity of this project, highlighting the risks posed by Alaska’s harsh winter storms. They said those harsh storms could render the road impassable for much of the year.

Critics further point to the $50 million in federal funding for emergency medical response King Cove has already received, including a $9 million hovercraft system that they claim is faster than the proposed road.

“Wilderness and national wildlife refuges are two of the most important conservation designations in the country and they are supposed to be permanent,” Defenders of Wildlife said in a statement. “The proposal at Izembek would trade out wilderness and refuge lands to skirt these protections, setting a terrible precedent for sensitive conservation lands across the country.”

The Fish and Wildlife Service opened a public input period as the government agency prepares to issue another supplemental environmental impact statement on the project. Meanwhile, experts expect that construction of the road will likely be allowed to move forward under incoming President-elect Donald Trump.
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Washington man sentenced in black market eagle killing operation

November 1, 2024

A Washington man received a nearly four-year prison sentence on Thursday, Oct. 31, for his involvement in a black market operation. Hundreds of protected eagles and hawks were killed and trafficked in the operation, coming from the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana, federal prosecutors announced.

Travis John Branson, 49, of Cusick, Washington, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and trafficking charges in March after investigators traced a pattern of illegal wildlife activities back to him.

Between 2015 and 2021, Branson traveled from Washington to western Montana, where he collaborated with co-defendant Simon Paul, currently a fugitive, in what prosecutors described as a “killing spree” targeting bald and golden eagles, as well as hawks.

U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen sentenced Branson to three years and 10 months in federal prison, ordered him to pay $777,250 in restitution, and mandated three years of supervised release following his prison term.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana said Branson was involved in the illegal killing of approximately 3,600 birds, including at least 118 eagles and 107 hawks, confirmed through digital evidence such as text messages.

In conversations with buyers, Branson referred to his activities as “killing sprees” and commented that he didn’t “get em for free though ..out hear committing felonies” and that his cost to kill them was “the price of a bullet.”

Prosecutors say Branson and Paul also used deer carcasses to lure eagles, enhancing their hunting effectiveness on the reservation, home to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.

The case underscores a larger issue, rising black market demand for eagle feathers and parts, which are used in certain Native American ceremonies.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has established a legal feather distribution program for tribal members, but a yearslong backlog has created a gap that traffickers have exploited. Eagle feathers, revered as symbols of strength and sacred to Native American traditions, are legally protected and cannot be sold on the open market.

Federal wildlife officials noted that their investigations into poaching often rely on tips from tribal communities and other citizens committed to ending wildlife trafficking.

“The unlawful killing of these majestic birds violates federal law and is a profound offense against our nation’s cherished natural heritage,” Edward Grace, Assistant Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement, said.

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes expressed deep concern about the impacts of the operation on their cultural heritage and ecosystem.

“Eagles are not only a treasured and important part of the Reservation’s ecosystem, but they also have a profound place in C.S.K.T. cultural and spiritual practices,” Tribal Chairman Mike Dolson said.
How biologists plan to help the ivory-billed woodpecker make a comeback

October 2, 2024
A species of woodpecker could help push genetic science into new territory. Whether or not the ivory-billed woodpecker is extinct is still up for debate. Either way, a team of biologists are hoping to help the bird make a comeback.

A bioscience company announced on Tuesday, Oct. 1, it is launching a process they’re calling “de-extinction” with plans to reintroduce the bird species as early as 2025.

The technology is reportedly based in large part on cloning, but this process is solely for avian species. Researchers say that they will use the DNA of the woodpecker and its closest living relatives, then, with the help of computer modeling, scientists will “edit” the genetic makeup of the lost species.

The ivory-billed woodpecker is the largest known species of woodpecker to ever exist in the United States.

The bird sports a wingspan of more than two feet and a length of nearly a foot. The giant woodpecker once roamed large swaths of the United States from Texas and Florida to as far north as Illinois.

However, its population began to dwindle in the 1800s as settlements cleared out forests. By the late 19th century, sightings became so rare that the birds were displayed in museums or people’s private collections. The woodpecker was rediscovered in the 1920s, with the last uncontested sighting occurring in 1944.

Still, there are reports of sightings of the avian species throughout the years, with the last one reported in 2021. A researcher in the southern U.S. obtained a photo and recorded the acoustics of the bird, although the findings have to yet to be fully verified.

The U.S. company behind the groundbreaking experiment, Colossal Biosciences, is also attempting to bring back the wooly mammoth and dodo bird.

Critics of de-extinction efforts warn of the potential environmental impact and say the risks outweigh the benefits. However, Colossal Biosciences said it also looks at the role that animal could play in the ecosystem before reintroducing the species.
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Montana man to be sentenced for creating then cloning giant hybrid sheep

September 30, 2024
A Montana man is set to be sentenced Monday, Sept. 30, for illegally creating hybrid sheep for captive trophy hunting. Arthur “Jack” Schubarth, 81, pleaded guilty in March to felony charges of wildlife trafficking and conspiracy to traffic wildlife.

Authorities said he used tissue and testicles from large, endangered sheep, the Marco Polo sheep, hunted in parts of Asia, to create the hybrids, which he dubbed the “Montana Mountain King,” then successfully cloned it.

Each charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, however, court records show prosecutors are not seeking prison time. Furthermore, the sentencing memorandum congratulates Schubarth on doing “something else no one else could, or has ever done.”

“On a ranch, in a barn in Montana, he created Montana Mountain King,” the memo said. “MMK is an extraordinary animal, born of science, and from a man who, if he could re-write history, would have left the challenge of cloning a Marco Polo only to the imagination of Michael Crichton.”

Michael Crichton wrote “Jurassic Park.”

Schubarth owns a ranch that buys, sells and breeds “alternative livestock” such as mountain sheep and mountain goats – mostly for private hunting preserves where people shoot captive trophy game animals for a fee. Charging documents showed Schubarth had reached an agreement to sell one of his Montana Mountain Kings to two people in Texas for $10,000.

His lawyer is asking for a one-year probationary sentence, saying breeding the cloned sheep already ruined Schubarth’s “life, reputation and family.”
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Texas Gov. Abbott issues another warning about alligators in Rio Grande

September 26, 2024
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, R, has once again issued a warning to migrants about the potential dangers in the Rio Grande, citing evidence of alligators in the river along the U.S.-Mexico border. The governor shared new footage on social media, highlighting potential wildlife threats in areas where migrants often attempt illegal crossings.

Abbott shared a video on social media platform X showing an alligator swimming in the river. The footage, originally posted by a NewsNation reporter, highlights a large alligator in the area, which Texas Department of Public Safety troopers say is regularly spotted where many migrants attempt to cross the border illegally.

This is not the first time Abbott has raised concerns about alligators in the Rio Grande. In April, the governor issued a similar warning, noting that alligators pose a serious threat in certain sections of the river and that signs are posted in some areas to alert migrants to the danger.

Getty Images

Abbott’s latest warning comes as tensions continue to rise over U.S. immigration policies, particularly ahead of the upcoming November presidential election. The Biden administration has faced ongoing criticism from Republicans over border security, with Abbott taking particularly strong measures, including installing razor wire along portions of the border to deter illegal crossings.

While alligator attacks are rare, they do occur. In Florida, the state’s Wildlife Conservation Commission has recorded more than 450 alligator bites and 30 fatalities since 1948.
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Is Temu spying on you? Lawmakers want the FBI to answer that

September 25, 2024
In a letter to the Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray on Tuesday, Sept. 24, members of the U.S. House Intelligence Committee requested a “joint briefing” on what the agency is doing to protect Americans personal data from alleged spying efforts from the Chinese-based app Temu and its parent company, Pinduoudou (PDD). Committee members wrote that they’re not the only ones concerned about Temu and PDD.

Lawmakers noted that U.S. senators, attorneys general and others have “raised the alarm” over the alleged practices of the entity’s connection to the Chinese government.

In the letter, lawmakers also point to PDD’s suspension from Google in 2023 after it was discovered that the app “exploited a zero-day vulnerability” allowing it to “steal personal data” from millions of Americans.

Since Temu and PDD are part of the U.S. stock market, lawmakers insist that they should face the same regulations as many other businesses listed on the Nasdaq.

The committee also wrote that it wants to know how the FBI is defending the “economic data of the U.S.” from the Chinese Communist Party (CPP), which the lawmakers allege is working in concert with Temu and its parent company.

Additionally, the group of lawmakers said it wants the agency to outline what it’s doing to thwart any attempts to “exploit democracy” and “free-market-principles.”

It’s not just spying Temu has been accused of in the past. The Chinese company has also faced allegations of stealing trade secrets, using child labor and other national security concerns.

It’s not yet known when or if the hearing will happen.
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MT Gov. Greg Gianforte sues to block Yellowstone’s bison management plan

Monarch butterflies could get federal protections as threatened species

Panda diplomacy leads to millions going to China, with very little oversight

Federal officials review permit after bald eagle nest removed in Alabama

Alaskan city says new road will save lives, opponents fear it will impact wildlife

Washington man sentenced in black market eagle killing operation

How biologists plan to help the ivory-billed woodpecker make a comeback

Montana man to be sentenced for creating then cloning giant hybrid sheep

Texas Gov. Abbott issues another warning about alligators in Rio Grande

Is Temu spying on you? Lawmakers want the FBI to answer that

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