CDP: Wildlife Clips: February 22, 2023
Judge Restricts Trapping To Protect Minnesota's Threatened Lynx. According to MPR News, “A federal judge has ordered Minnesota wildlife managers to restrict traps that can inadvertently harm the threatened Canada lynx, ending a nearly 20-year dispute over wildlife trapping in northeastern Minnesota. The rare wildcat is about the size of a bobcat, about three feet in length. They have long ear tufts, a pronounced goatee and large “snowshoe” like feet that allow them to walk on top of deep snow. There are only an estimated 50 to 200 lynx in far northern Minnesota. Lynx are considered threatened under the endangered species act and can’t be legally hunted.” [MPR News, 2/21/23 (=)]
SCOTUS Stocks Docket With Blockbuster Regulatory Battles. According to Politico, “In the next four months, the Supreme Court is expected to deliver a spate of rulings that will reshape administrative and environmental law. At the midpoint of their term, the justices have nearly a dozen cases — and a handful of petitions — that provide plenty of openings for the court to undercut the Biden administration’s climate agenda. And many of the court’s six conservative justices appear hungry for those opportunities, said Tanya Nesbitt, a partner at the firm Thompson Hine LLP.” [Politico, 2/21/23 (=)]
Departments
EPA Orders Norfolk Southern To Clean Up Toxic Derailment. According to the AP, “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ordered Norfolk Southern on Tuesday to pay for the cleanup of the East Palestine, Ohio, train wreck and chemical release as federal regulators took charge of long-term recovery efforts and promised worried residents they won’t be forgotten. Speaking to reporters near the derailment site, Norfolk Southern’s CEO promised to undertake necessary steps to ensure the long-term health of the community and become a “safer railroad.” EPA used its authority under the federal Superfund law to order Norfolk Southern to take all available measures to clean up contaminated air and water. It also said the company would be required to reimburse the federal government for a new program to provide cleaning services for impacted residents and businesses.” [AP, 2/21/23 (=)]
Another Whale Found Dead In N.Y. With Signs Of Vessel Strike. According to Politico, “A 25-foot minke whale that washed ashore on a New York City beach had injuries that were consistent with being struck by a vessel, according to a conservation group. The female whale was found on Rockaway Beach in Queens on Friday morning. Since Dec. 1, it was the fifth large whale found stranded in New York, the 12th found in the New York and New Jersey area, and the 23rd found along the East Coast, according to the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society.” [Politico, 2/21/23 (=)]
Aerial Shooting of Feral Cattle Closes NM's Gila Wilderness Area. According to Public News Service, “A helicopter will be used starting tomorrow to fly over a portion of the Gila Wilderness in southwestern New Mexico, searching for feral cattle to shoot and kill. The U.S. Forest Service said the animals were abandoned there by a rancher in the 1970s. Todd Schulke, co-founder of the Center for Biological Diversity, said the estimated 150 cattle overgraze, trample stream banks and degrade water quality.” [Public News Service, 2/22/23 (=)]
Wildlife Species Worldwide Exposed To ‘Forever Chemicals,’ Survey Shows. According to The Hill, “Wildlife from around the world — from polar bears, to monkeys, to dolphins — may be exposed to cancer-linked “forever chemicals,” a new survey has found. A comprehensive map curated by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) provides a window into just how many kinds of animals, including some that are endangered or threatened, may be contaminated by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Hundreds of studies have already identified these so-called forever chemicals in wildlife populations around the world, but the new map aims to consolidate that research into one interactive, accessible venue, according to EWG.” [The Hill, 2/21/23 (=)]
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