Endangered Species Law & Policy

The recent California wildfires have been devastating.  But it is during such times of devastation that we also get to see the good in people.  We see communities coming together, and support from around the State.  As reported by a number of news agencies, that support has extended to not just people, but also pets.  There are stories with pictures of police officers corralling pot belly pigs, horses being guided through smoke and flames, and dogs and cats being rescued by a variety of organizations.  However, it isn't just people and pets who called these places ...

On December 15, 2016, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) published a proposed rule to remove the black-capped vireo (Vireo atricapilla) from the list of Endangered and Threatened Species. The Service has concluded that listing is no longer warranted due to the species’ recovery.

The vireo is a small migratory songbird that breeds and nests in south-central Oklahoma, Texas, and the northern states of Mexico, and winters in Mexico’s western coastal states. The species was initially listed as endangered in October 1987 due to various threats, including nest parasitism ...