Wildlife

Earthjustice’s vision for sustaining wildlife involves protecting habitat and at-risk species to ensure biodiversity and rebuild connections in ecosystems—so that wildlife have freedom to roam in a warming world.

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Earthjustice lawyers have helped save hundreds of species from extinction. It all began in 1976, when Earthjustice filed the first-ever lawsuit against the government to protect imperiled wildlife.

WILDLIFE AND ITS CONNECTIONS ARE STRAINED.

The iconic grizzly bear is losing a key food source—the whitebark pine seed—to climate change. West Coast salmon are being killed in dams and dry streams. And the Northern Rockies gray wolf is suffering an onslaught of state-sponsored killing that threatens to reverse recovery efforts for this iconic species.

EARTHJUSTICE IS CURTAILING WILDLIFE EXTINCTION BY:

PROTECTING AND RESTORING HABITAT through the preservation of millions of acres of pristine wilderness so that we can link up balanced ecosystems into a network of ecologically-rich, resilient refuges that give wildlife the freedom to roam in a warming world.
PROTECTING AT-RISK SPECIES AND ENSURING BIODIVERSITY through the use of laws like the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act to start endangered species on the road to a full recovery. Once listed, our policy and communications experts ensure that our courtroom wins aren’t compromised by politically-motivated permissions to kill.

WE’RE ENSURING THE SURVIVAL OF VITAL SPECIES.

In August 2013, some extra thunder rumbled into Montana after the state’s highest court cleared the way for some of the last wild bison in North America to finally return to their historic prairie habitat. Earthjustice successfully argued that, in addition to its importance for wildlife conservation and restoration, the bison’s return has cultural significance for Native American people.

"I think what really gets the federal government’s attention is a nice lawsuit by Earthjustice, so I thank you on behalf of my wolverine buds." – Doug Chadwick, wildlife biologist and journalist
whose work has appeared in "National Geographic"

The Web of Life

On Grizzly Bears and Whitebark Pine

Grizzly bear and white bark pine illustration.

The future of Yellowstone 's grizzly bears is closely tied with that of whitebark pine, which are rapidly declining from climate change impacts. The bears depend on the pine seeds as a key food source. Earthjustice attorneys made sure that cutting-edge science modeling the connection was put into the court record—leading to a landmark court victory in 2011 for the grizzlies.

Spotlight Features

Voyaging Back From an Age of Extinction

Steller’s sea cow was the first to disappear after a voyage of discovery accelerated a wave of extinction in North America. The tiny palila bird was the first to benefit from Earthjustice’s use of a law passed to end the extinctions.

Irreplaceable: Wildlife in a Warming World

Climate change is impacting wildlife the world over. Earthjustice partnered in a photo exhibit for which photographers from the International League of Conservation Photographers took incredible photos to showcase some of the irreplaceable wildlife in harm’s way.

Re-Born to be Re-Wild

More than 100 years ago, bison were slaughtered by the millions. In the spring of 2012, the great herds were being re-born on the Great Plains—one baby at a time.

74,000

Number of comments from Earthjustice supporters submitted to the Fish and Wildlife Service in 2013 urging the agency to keep gray wolves listed under the Endangered Species Act to prevent state-led hunts.