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☆ Why axolotls are everywhere — but a rarity in the one lake they call home
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Kate Golembiewski | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“They’re teenagers, at least in appearance, until they die.”Mexico's Lake Xochimilco is the only spot where axolotls are found in the wild. Daniel Cardenas/Anadolu/Getty ImagesWhile the wild axolotls of Lake Xochimilco have dwindled to near-extinction, countless axolotls have been bred for scientific laboratories and the pet trade. However, the axolotls you might find at a pet shop are different from their wild relatives in Lake Xochimilco. That means that the axolotl extinction crisis can’t simply be solved by dumping pet axolotls into Lake Xochimilco. (Plus, the pet axolotls likely wouldn’t fare well with the poor habitat conditions in the lake.)

Persons: Randal Voss, Voss, “, ’ ”, Xolotl, “ ACK, uhl, ” Voss, Hector Vivas, they’re, Luis Zambrano, ” Zambrano, Daniel Cardenas, they’ve, Axolotls, Zambrano, axolotls, ”, ” Kate Golembiewski Organizations: CNN, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, “, Aztecs, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Axolotl, Amphibians Conservation, Anadolu, Getty Locations: Mexican, Xochimilco, Mexico City, It’s, Lake Xochimilco, Mexico, French, Europe, California , Maine , New Jersey, Washington, Minecraft, Chicago

Michelle Lujan Grisham has advocated for a more robust spending package, a 10% annual spending increase that would shore up housing opportunities, childhood literacy and health care access. Senate budget amendments apply $75 million in state matching funds to the effort. Under another $1.5 million budget provision, New Mexico would for the first time help compensate landowners and agricultural producers when wolves are confirmed to have killed livestock or working animals. The fund underwrites an array of conservation programs at state natural resources agencies, from soil enhancement programs in agriculture to conservation of threatened and big-game species. The Legislature's budget bill would place $512 million in the trust.

Persons: Michelle Lujan Grisham, Sen, George Muñoz, ” Muñoz, Biden, ”, Nathan Small Organizations: SANTA FE, Texas, New, New Mexico Gov, Democratic, Gallup, ” Locations: SANTA, New Mexico, Las Cruces

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' lawsuit against the Republican-controlled Legislature arguing that it is obstructing basic government functions. The court's liberal majority agreed to hear the case, with the three conservative justices dissenting. The court only agreed to immediately hear one of the three issues Evers brought forward in the complaint. The Legislature convened a lame duck session just weeks before Evers took office to weaken the incoming governor’s powers.

Persons: Tony Evers, Evers, Janet Protasiewicz, Rebecca Dallet, Jill Karofsky, Ann Walsh Bradley, Annette Ziegler, Brian Hagedorn, Rebecca Bradley, ” Evers, Knowles, Devin LeMahieu Organizations: Wisconsin Supreme, Democratic, Republican, University of Wisconsin, Conservative, Legislature, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Nelson Stewardship Program, Republicans, GOP, Natural Resources Board Locations: MADISON, Wis, Wisconsin

For decades, federal and state officials have struggled to control farm runoff, the biggest source of nutrient pollution that is not typically federally regulated. Water pollution from factories and industry is typically federally regulated. The Biden administration recently proposed toughening regulations on meat and poultry processing plants to reduce pollution, Wall said. When nutrient pollution flows into the Gulf of Mexico, it spurs growth of bacteria that consume oxygen. That affects the productivity of commercial fisheries and marine life in general, but nutrient pollution is also damaging upstream.

Persons: that's, It’s, ”, Olivia Dorothy, Tom Wall, Biden, Wall, Nancy Rabalais, Anne Schechinger, Gregory Klinger, Brad Carlson, Martin Larsen, He's, Larsen, ___ Walling, ___, Melina Walling Organizations: LOUIS, Environmental, Agency, Midwest, EPA, Louisiana State University, University of Minnesota, U.S . Department of Agriculture, Associated Press, Walton Family Foundation, AP Locations: Gulf of Mexico, Mississippi, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Midwest, Minnesota, Olmsted County, Chicago

☆ Malaysia’s last tigers: Why this rare image is giving conservationists hope
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Rebecca Cairns | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“This image is the last image of the Malayan tiger — or it’s the first image of the return of the Malayan tiger,” he says. ‘A million-dollar shot’Regular camera traps — like the hundreds already used by the park’s scientists, researchers and conservationists — are typically the size of a large smartphone and activated by broad-range motion sensors. Rondeau's high-resolution camera traps included a DSLR camera in a waterproof casing. Emmanuel Rondeau, wildlife photographerBut there’s still more work to be done. As a keystone species, tigers are essential to a healthy ecosystem – and without them, the 130-million-year-old rainforests around the Belum-Temengor complex could be threatened, too.

Persons: CNN — Emmanuel Rondeau, “, ”, Rondeau, ” Rondeau, ‘, —, I’m, ” Rondeau didn’t, ‘ I’m, Carol Debra, Azlan Mohamed, Mohamed, Debra, Emmanuel Rondeau, Stuart Chapman, Chapman, ” Stuart Chapman, Merapi Mat Razi, there’s Organizations: CNN, WWF, Peninsular Malaysia, Malayan, Malaysia, Malaysia WWF, Malaysia —, country’s, “ Tigers, US, Malayan Tiger Conservation, Tiger, WWF’s Tigers, Initiative, Tigers, WWF – Malaysia, Royal, United Nations, Conservation Task Force, Bureau Locations: Asia, Siberia, Bhutan, Malaysia, Peninsular, Southeast Asia, Belum, Asli, “, Royal Belum, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Park

☆ Kiwi birds born in New Zealand’s capital for first time in over a century
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Tara Subramaniam | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The two new chicks come just a year after the Capital Kiwi Project reintroduced the country’s iconic national bird to the city of around 400,000 people. The brown kiwi is one of New Zealand’s most common kiwi species, but according to New Zealand’s Department of Conservation, the birds could be extinct in the wild within two generations without adequate conservation and support. Another 18 brown kiwi chicks are expected to hatch as part of the Capital Kiwi Project, which hopes to restore a large-scale wild population of kiwi to New Zealand’s capital. 95% of wild born kiwi in New Zealand are killed before they reach adulthood, according to Save the Kiwi. Where they get hammered is stoats eating the chicks before they get up to their fighting weight,” Capital Kiwi Project team leader Paul Ward told CNN earlier this year.

Persons: Paul Ward, Ward Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Capital Kiwi Project, New Zealand’s Department of Conservation, Capital Kiwi, Kiwi, New Zealand Department of Conservation, ”, Kiwi Project, CNN Locations: Hong Kong, Wellington, New Zealand, Makara, Wellington’s, Zealand

In their main habitat the population density of Mexican axolotls (ah-ho-LOH'-tulz) has plummeted 99.5% in under two decades, according to scientists behind the fundraiser. Still, there are not enough resources for thorough research, said Alejandro Calzada, an ecologist surveying less well-known species of axolotls for the government's environment department. A more recent international study found less than a thousand Mexican axolotls left in the wild. In the past, government conservation programs have largely focused on the most popular species: the Mexican axolotl, found in Xochimilco. But other species can be found across the country, from tiny streams in the valley of Mexico to the northern Sonora desert.

Persons: ”, Alejandro Calzada, Calzada, Luis Zambrano González, Zambrano, Andrés Manuel López Obrador Organizations: MEXICO CITY, Mexico's National Autonomous, National Autonomous, Associated Press Locations: MEXICO, Mexican, Xochimilco, Mexico City, axolotl, Mexico, Sonora, Europe, Australia

In a statement, Shapiro didn't pledge to enforce the regulation, should his administration win the appeal at the Democratic-majority state Supreme Court. Tom Wolf’s plan to fight global warming and make Pennsylvania the first major fossil fuel-producing state to adopt a carbon-pricing program. The regulation had authorized Pennsylvania to join the multistate Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which imposes a price and declining cap on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. Republican lawmakers had hailed the court’s decision to block the regulation and had urged Shapiro not to appeal it. Opponents included natural gas-related interests, industrial and commercial power users and labor unions whose members build and maintain pipelines, power plants and refineries.

Persons: Josh Shapiro's, Shapiro didn't, ”, Shapiro's, Tom Wolf’s, Wolf, Shapiro, Joe Pittman, ” “, Pittman, “, —, Marc Levy Organizations: —, Democrat, Democratic, Republican, Greenhouse Gas Initiative, ” Locations: HARRISBURG, Pa, Pennsylvania, Indiana County

The San Diego Zoo sent its pandas home in 2019 and the last bear at the Memphis, Tennessee, zoo went home earlier this year. Whatever the reason, San Diego Zoo officials were hopeful. "It is a moment with some heartbreak in it,” National Zoo Director Brandie Smith said at the time. The San Diego Zoo has been panda-less for four years and may need to upgrade or refurbish its facilities. The National Zoo had announced plans to renovate its panda house and outdoor enclosure, but the timing on those plans is unclear.

Persons: —, Xi Jinping, Xi, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji —, ”, Daniel Ashe, ” Dennis Wilder, ” Wilder, Wilder, Gavin Newsom's, Xi’s, Paul A, Baribault, Ling, Hsing, Brandie Smith, Le Le, Didi Tang, Amy Taxin Organizations: WASHINGTON, San Diego Zoo, National Zoo, Atlanta Zoo, Veteran, Economic Cooperation, Association of Zoos, Aquariums, Georgetown University’s Initiative, U.S, California Gov, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, “, Zoo, Associated Press Locations: America, California, San Diego, U.S, Memphis , Tennessee, China, Veteran China, People's Republic, Asia, San Francisco, United States, Washington, Memphis, Santa Ana , California

Later, Beijing loaned the pandas to other U.S. zoos, with proceeds going back to panda conservation programs. The National Zoo’s three giant pandas, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji, eight days ago began their long trip to China. After their departure, only four pandas are left in the United States, in the Atlanta Zoo. Unproven allegations that U.S. zoos mistreated the pandas, known as China’s “national treasure,” flooded China’s social media. The San Diego Zoo returned its pandas in 2019, and the last bear at the Memphis, Tennessee, zoo went home earlier this year.

Persons: Xi Jinping, ” Xi, Xi, Joe Biden, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji, Biden, Ashraf Khalil Organizations: FRANCISCO, U.S ., National Zoo, Atlanta Zoo, San Diego Zoo, Garden, China Wildlife Conservation Association, Associated Press Locations: China, United States, California, San Diego, U.S, Beijing, Washington, San Francisco, Memphis , Tennessee

The pandas, accompanied by three zookeepers, will travel to a reserve in China’s mountainous Sichuan province, where an estimated 1,800 pandas are still found in the wild, according to the National Zoo. "It's a moment of joy because this is one more step in 50 years of a successful giant panda conservation program and hopefully the beginning of 50 more years of successful giant panda conservation," she said. Mei Xiang, 25, and Tian Tian, 26, arrived at the National Zoo in 2000. The trio, made famous by the zoo's "Giant Panda Cam" with more than 100 million views, were part of a fading legacy in which giant pandas served as animal ambassadors. Kimberly Blalock, a young visitor at the National Zoo on Tuesday, was among the last to see the pandas on display in Washington.

Persons: Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji, munch, Brandie Smith, It's, Mei Xiang, Richard Nixon's, Kimberly Blalock, Kevin Fogarty, Kia Johnson, Rich McKay, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Boeing, FedEx Panda Express, Dulles International, National Zoo ., National Zoo, U.S . Pandas, China Wildlife Conservation, U.S, Georgia's Zoo, Thomson Locations: China, Sichuan, U.S, Memphis, San Diego, Georgia's, Georgia's Zoo Atlanta, Washington, Atlanta

☆ Mosquitoes are driving the ‘akikiki’ to extinction. With only 5 birds left in the wild, scientists are racing to save the species
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Nell Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

This summer, the team successfully rescued 10 eggs that were placed in a portable incubator and brought safely back to the Kauaʻi Bird Conservation Center. The goal is that as soon as the threat of avian malaria is eradicated, the birds can be released back into their native habitat. Eradicating mosquitoesThe looming challenge is how to eradicate avian malaria – which not only threatens the ‘akikiki but also other endangered forest birds. In June, the US government committed nearly $16 million as part of an initiative to prevent the imminent extinction of Hawaiian forest birds. The process could help to reduce the likelihood of forest birds being affected by avian malaria, which is only carried by female mosquitoes.

Persons: ”, Hannah Bailey, Bailey, we’ll, “ Organizations: CNN, state’s Department of Land, Resources, Conservation Program, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Department of Land, Bird Conservation, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Hawaii’s Department of Land Locations: Hawaii, Kauaʻi, Maui, San

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania cannot enforce a regulation to make power plant owners pay for their planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, a state court ruled Wednesday, dealing another setback to the centerpiece of former Gov. Tom Wolf's plan to fight global warming. Shapiro's administration had no immediate comment on the ruling, and Shapiro hasn't said publicly if he would follow through on it. 2 gas state, industrial and commercial power users and labor unions whose members work on pipelines and at power plants and refineries. The regulation written by Wolf's administration had authorized Pennsylvania to join the multistate Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which imposes a price and declining cap on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.

Persons: Tom Wolf's, Wolf, Josh Shapiro, Shapiro hasn't, Shapiro, Critics, Wolf's, Marc Levy Organizations: Commonwealth, Republican, Democrat, Democratic, Greenhouse Gas Initiative Locations: HARRISBURG, Pa, Pennsylvania

Tony Evers on Tuesday sued the Republican-controlled Legislature, arguing that it is obstructing basic government functions, including signing off on pay raises for university employees that were previously approved. Republican legislative leaders, Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, did not immediately return emails seeking comment. In addition to not approving the pay raises for about 35,000 University of Wisconsin employees, Evers argues that the Legislature is blocking state conservation programs, updates to the state's commercial building standards and ethics standards for licensed professionals. But pay raises also must then be approved by a committee of legislative leaders. Evers and the GOP-controlled Legislature have had a contentious relationship from the moment Evers was elected in November 2018.

Persons: Tony Evers, Evers, Devin LeMahieu, Robin Vos, ” Evers Organizations: — Wisconsin Democratic Gov, Tuesday, Republican, University of Wisconsin, UW, GOP, Natural Resources Board Locations: MADISON, Wis, Wisconsin, Alaska , Kentucky, Michigan , Missouri , New Jersey, West Virginia

☆ Conditions are ripe for a global coral bleaching event: ‘Florida is just the tip of the iceberg’
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

NOAA, coral reefs, Florida Keys, coral reefs, coral bleaching, climate change, warm oceansCoral reefs off the coast of Florida are being hit by a mass bleaching event due to record high ocean temperatures, and early indications suggest a global mass bleaching event could be underway. The Sentinel climate research and monitoring site in the Florida Keys has recorded 100% coral bleaching since late July. There have been eight mass coral bleaching events that have impacted the entire Florida Keys since 1987, Manzello said. "We're talking about thousands upon thousands of miles of coral reefs undergoing severe bleaching heat stress," Manzello said. "Now, it's still way too early to predict whether or not there will be a global bleaching event, but if we compare what is happening right now to what happened in the beginning of the past global bleaching event, things are worse now than they were in 2014 to 2017."

Persons: Derek Manzello, Ian Enochs, They're, Enochs, Manzello, zooxanthellae, El Nino, Andy Bruckner, Bruckner, what's, Jennifer Koss, Koss Organizations: NOAA, National Oceanic, Reef Watch, Oceanographic, Meteorological Laboratory, Southeast, Florida Keys, Florida Keys National, Islands, Reef Conservation Locations: Florida, Southeast Florida, Columbia, Cuba, El, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico, Panama, Belize, Panama , Puerto Rico, elkhorn

The letter written to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy reflects rising partisan tensions in Congress over the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The Democrats, all members of the House Agriculture Committee, told McCarthy that continuing Republican talk of SNAP cuts could jeopardize progress on this year's farm bill. Democrats now are seeking to protect the program from further cuts in the farm bill, which comes up every five years and funds farm commodity and conservation programs as well as SNAP and other food aid. Thompson, has said it will complete a farm bill draft by the end of August. The current farm bill expires on Sept. 30.

Persons: Mary F, Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy, David Scott, Joe Biden, Garret Graves, G.T, Thompson, Leah Douglas, Will Dunham Organizations: U.S, Washington , D.C, REUTERS, Democratic, Monday, U.S . House, Assistance, Agriculture, Republicans, SNAP, Republican, Senate, Thomson Locations: Washington ,

☆ The world’s most shark-filled waters
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Maureen O'Hare | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

There were just 57 confirmed unprovoked shark attacks last year, out of a global population of 8 billion, five of which were fatal. However, some places around the world have much higher rates of shark attacks than others, with the numbers rising with the passing years. Let’s take a look at the locations worldwide with the highest rates of shark attacks between 2012 and 2021 and the reasons they’ve become hot spots. South Africa (29 bites)South Africa had 29 unprovoked shark bites between 2012 and 2021, of which six were fatal. South Carolina (45 bites)None of the 45 unprovoked attacks in South Carolina in the decade-long time frame were fatal.

Persons: Let’s, ”, Gavin Naylor, Gansbaai, they’ve, ” Neil Hammerschlag, “, ” Richard Peirce, orcas, Brad Leue, Chuck Bangley, Fernando de Noronha, Katarina Zarutskie, ” Zarutskie Organizations: CNN, Discovery, Discovery Channel, Warner Bros ., ISAF, Volusia, Florida Program, Shark Research, orcas, Conservation, University of Miami Rosenstiel School, Shark Conservation Society, International, of Oceanography, Aquaculture Locations: New York, Florida, Florida’s Volusia County, ”, Smyrna Beach, Australia, New South Wales, Western Australia, Victoria, Hawaii, Windward Oahu, South Africa, Carolina, South Carolina, Charleston, Horry, Beaufort, ” California, San Diego, California, Brunswick County, North, North Carolina, Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion, Brazil, Pernambuco, Bahamas, Staniel Cay

☆ Agriculture Dept. to Invest $300 Million to Measure Greenhouse Emissions
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Linda Qiu | More About Linda Qiu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Agriculture Department said on Wednesday that it would establish a monitoring and data collection network to measure greenhouse gas emissions and determine how much carbon can be captured using certain farming practices. The network, using $300 million in funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, will help quantify the outcomes of so-called climate-smart or regenerative agricultural practices, a cornerstone of the department’s approach to addressing a warming planet. The research and data that is collected will also be crucial to measuring progress on President Biden’s goal of halving greenhouse emissions by the end of the decade. “It’s not just simply about promoting climate-smart agriculture, not simply about promoting proper science,” Tom Vilsack, the agriculture secretary, said in a news conference on Tuesday ahead of the announcement. The department has also provided billions in additional funding to farming projects that reduce emissions, in part by capturing carbon dioxide, one of the main greenhouse gases, from the atmosphere and storing it as carbon in the soil.

Persons: Biden’s, “ It’s, Tom Vilsack, Biden Organizations: Agriculture Department

Beijing/Hong Kong CNN —US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen urged China on Saturday to combat the “existential threat” of climate change by supporting international funds intended to help developing countries confront the crisis. On the second full day of her visit to Beijing, Yellen said the United States and China should work together to tackle global challenges despite differences over a range of issues. Yellen said China’s support for existing multilateral climate institutions like the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the Climate Investment Funds, alongside the United States and other partners, could improve their impact. The GCF is the main climate financing mechanism of the United Nations and helps developing countries to tackle climate change. Kerry would be the third Cabinet official from the Biden administration to travel to China, after Yellen and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who visited in June.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Yellen, —, ”, Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi’s, China Nicholas Burns, John Kerry, Kerry, Biden, Antony Blinken Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Climate, United Nations, Amazon Fund, US, Yellen Locations: Beijing, Hong Kong, China, United States, Taiwan

☆ Scientists were 'shocked' to discover that juvenile white sharks regularly venture near swimmers and surfers but don't attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Rupendra Brahambhatt | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Juvenile white sharks grow up to become great white sharks, known for being dangerous to humans. Why juvenile white sharks swim near humans so oftenFrom the researchers' drone footage, it may look like juvenile white sharks like to hang around swimmers and surfers. The shallow water near the beaches "is actually the natural habitat the juvenile white sharks use. Why juvenile white sharks don't typically attack humansAlthough great white sharks are infamous for attacking humans, the actual number of attacks is low. However, it doesn't mean the risk of a bite from a juvenile great white is zero — it's just very low.

Persons: —, Sean DuFrene, Christopher Lowe, Carlos Guana, you'll, that's, it's, Yannis Papastamatiou, Stephen Frink, Catherine Macdonald, Patrick Rex, Macdonald, there's, Alexis Rosenfeld, Rex, Brett Monroe Garner, Papastamatiou, Carlos Gauna Organizations: Service, California State University Long, CSULB, Boston Herald, Florida International University, Stingrays, University of Miami Shark Research, Conservation Program, Animal Foundation Locations: California

The case is the latest bid asking the Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, to rein in the authority of federal agencies. The companies are asking the Supreme Court to overturn its own decades-old precedent calling for judges to defer to federal agency interpretation of U.S. laws, a doctrine called "Chevron deference." The New England herring fishing regulations were issued by the fisheries service, part of the U.S. Commerce Department. The Biden administration said in court papers that the monitoring program will be suspended for the fishing year starting in April due to insufficient federal funding. The Supreme Court is due to hear the case in its next term, which begins in October.

☆ Biden pledges $500 million to fight Amazon deforestation, but Congress must approve
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

President Joe Biden announced plans to boost U.S. funding to slash deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest and to help developing countries combat climate change during a meeting with world leaders on Thursday. The president, during a virtual meeting with the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate, committed $500 million over five years to reduce deforestation in Brazil. Biden also pledged $1 billion to the Green Climate Fund, a United Nations-led program aimed to help developing countries become more resilient to climate change and transition to clean energy sources. The funding comes after the president in 2021 pledged to work with Congress to quadruple U.S. climate support for developing countries to $11.4 billion each year by 2024. The president's request for additional climate funding will likely face strong opposition from the Republican-controlled House.

☆ The Biden administration is offering to pay Colorado River farmers to let fields go dry during a devastating drought. They're worried it's just the first step in losing their way of life.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Ethan Dodd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The Biden administration is paying Colorado River farmers and ranchers to let their fields run dry. Climate change has made the Colorado River the dryest it's been in more than a thousand years. Knowing they have to do something, Grand Valley farmers and ranchers want better compensation to make fallowing worth their while. At this better price they received enough applications from agricultural producers to cover the thousand acres Grand Valley offered, he said. Are you a farmer, rancher, or resident of the Colorado River basin concerned about water conservation?

☆ Are Butterflies Wildlife? Depends Where You Live.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +10 min

The creatures are simply left out of state conservation statues, or their situation is ambiguous. “State agencies are really at the forefront of conservation for wildlife,” said Scott Black, executive director of the Xerces Society, a nonprofit group that advocates for insect conservation. Sometimes, aquatic insects come under the purview of state wildlife agencies. But across the states without insect authority, officials are often reluctant to broach adding it, Mr. Winton said. Seven of the states without insect conservation authority are in the West, which has felt the effects of climate change intensely.

☆ U.S. food benefits for poor to shrink as pandemic provisions end
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Leah Douglas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives may also pursue further cuts to food assistance to shrink the U.S. deficit. “It’s going to put millions of households at risk of hunger,” said Eric Mitchell, president of the Alliance to End Hunger. The changes mean cuts of about $82 a month beginning in March for recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, said Ellen Vollinger of the Food Research & Action Center, an anti-hunger group. But in December’s spending bill fight, Congress negotiated a compromise to end them in February in exchange for a new summer food program for children. More than 76% of the current farm bill’s $428 billion price tag went to food assistance programs that serve 41 million people annually.

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