Endangered Species Act

This summer, the Trump Administration proposed several small changes to the Endangered Species Act.  And while many in the Ag community call them minimal and common sense, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed suit against President Trump.   ...

Both the Washington and Oregon departments of Fish and Wildlife reported an increase in the gray wolf population this month.  At least 126 wolves have been confirmed in Washington, 137 in Oregon.  Representative Dan Newhouse said the statistics show strong growth in the Northwest wolf population, which he says confirms what he’s been saying for years.   “As fa...

U.S. wildlife officials announced Wednesday plans to remove the gray wolf from the endangered species list in the lower 48.  Acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said in Wednesday’s announcement the decision was based on gray wolves successfully recovering from widespread extermination last century.  Fish and...

The number of wolves in the state of Washington is likely much higher than previously thought, according to a University of Washington researcher who spent two years studying the animals using scat-sniffing dogs.  Samuel Wasser said his dogs detected 95 wolves in one area of Stevens and Pend Oreille counties, in the northeast corner of the state, during the 2016-17 season.  Th...

Gray wolf populations continue to grow in Washington, Oregon and across much of the west, so many in the farming community are wondering if the animal will be removed from the Federal Endangered Species List.  Representative Dan Newhouse said work to delist the wolf continues, but at a slow pace.  He...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries announced Thursday proposed revisions to the Endangered Species Act.  Several proposed changes deal with procedures for listing species, recovery and designating critical habitat. The agencies propose to revise the procedures for designating critical habitat by reinstating a requirement that they will first evaluate areas currently occupied by

The Endangered Species Act is in need of reform that benefits both conservation and farming practices, according to the Farm Bureau.  Arizona Farm Bureau Federation President Stefanie Smallhouse went before Congress Thursday, an urged lawmakers to streamline environmental regulations to preserve ranching as well as the land itself.  ...

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and Public Lands Council say a recent court decision regarding the gray wolf demonstrates the need for modernizing the Endangered Species Act.  Earlier this week, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the listing of the gray wolf under the Endangered Species Act in the Western Great Lakes Region.   P...

On Wednesday, Representative Dan Newhouse introduced a pair of bills that he says would reform the Endangered Species Act.  He said this is an effort to add more accountability to the federal government.   “Plus, improve the ability of local governments to be heard, have their voices heard in any kind of a listening process.  So, it really...

A species of bees in on the Endangered Species list for the first time in American history.  A CNN report says seven bee species native to Hawaii are on the protected list as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service added yellow-faced bees to the list after years of research showed they are endangered.  ...