Two new lawsuits are on the table to protect wildlife species, and headway has been made for other species up for protection.
A group of environmental organizations filed suit in mid-August to challenge the U.S. Forest Service’s plan to build new roads in the Chiricahua Mountains in southeastern Arizona. The groups allege the roads will compromise jaguar and spotted owl recovery plans.
Groups also sent notice to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) of their intent to sue the agency for failing to protect the pygmy rabbit under the Endangered Species Act.
“The agency has been aware of the pygmy rabbit’s imperiled status since 1991, but it has never been protected,” the Western Watersheds Project said.
In California, the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife found that protecting the western burrowing owl under the California Endangered Species Act may be warranted. The decision comes following a March 2024 petition by environmentalists.
On Aug. 16, the USFWS announced nearly $20 million in funding for endangered species recovery efforts. The funding will support species like the Hawaiian and Pacific Island plants, butterflies, moths, freshwater mussels and Southwest desert fist.
