The Endangered Species Act Turns 35 |
December 23, 2008
In 1972, President Nixon declared that conservation efforts in the United States aimed toward preventing the extinction of species were inadequate and called on the 93rd Congress to develop comprehensive endangered species legislation. Congress responded, and on December 28th, the Endangered Species Act of 1973 was signed into law.
Unlike other laws that focus on individual animals, such as the U.S. Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, or groups of species like the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Endangered Species Act, is applicable to all species of fish, wildlife, and plants.
This year the Endangered Species Act turns 35.
Learn More |
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Service Proposes Addition of Penguin Species to Endangered Species List |
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African penguins. Credit: Maryland Baltimore Zoo |
December 17, 2008
The Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to list one penguin species as endangered and five penguin species as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The Service also found that three species of penguins do not warrant listing throughout their range and is proposing listing one species as threatened in a significant portion of its range.
News Release
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New Rule Unifies Domestic and International Conservation Laws
to Manage Polar Bear |
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Polar bear. Credit: Dave Olsen / USFWS |
December 11, 2008
Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne announced today that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has finalized a Special Rule under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) providing for the conservation of the polar bear.
News Release
Polar Bear Information
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Service
Releases Annual List of Candidates for Endangered Species
Act |
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Gierisch mallow. Credit: BLM |
December 10, 2008
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today
released its Candidate Notice of Review, a yearly appraisal of the
current status of plants and animals that are candidates for
protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Two species have
been removed from candidate status, one species has been added, and
11 have a change in priority from the last review in December 2007.
There are now 251 species recognized by the Service as candidates
for ESA protection.
News Release
List of Candidates
Federal Register Notice
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What's Weird, Wonderful, and Needs Help? |
September 16, 2008
What does a Black Warrior waterdog look like? How about a fine-lined pocketbook or spectacled eider? Weird & Wonderful Wildlife, our new Endangered Species poster for kids and the young at heart, answers these questions and more. The free poster features 14 strangely-named or otherwise unusual plant and animal species. Most are endangered or threatened, and several are candidates for listing under the Endangered Species Act. Inspired by their names, fanciful artwork illustrates what you might imagine the species to look like. The other side features photos of the same species with some fun facts.
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New Conservation Effort Benefits Rare Species in Southeastern New Mexico |
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L to R: Deputy Regional Director Brian Millsap, Regional Director Benjamin Tuggle; Chris Brininstool, a rancher from Lea County NM; Doug Lynn, Executive Director, Center of Excellence for Hazardous Materials Management; and Deputy Secretary of the Interior Lynn Scarlett. |
December 9, 2008
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management have launched an innovative conservation program that encourages landowners, energy companies, and ranchers to help protect and restore habitat for lesser prairie chickens and sand dune lizards in southeast New Mexico.
USFWS News Release
Candidate Conservation Agreement and Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances signed documents
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Endangered mussels get pumped-up in the Upper Mississippi river |
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Scott Gritters of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources holds a Higgin’s eye pearlymussel. |
December 1, 2008
Biologists have found Higgin’s eye pearlymussels 19 miles below the site of their release two years ago. Placing bass and walleye as host fish in cages in the river has been an essential technique in enabling mussel larvae to survive—and helping the endangered species to recover.
Learn more from Fish Lines
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400 Pallid Sturgeon Released in the Missouri River |
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Neosho National Fish Hatchery staff prepare to stock Federally endangered pallid sturgeon. |
December 1, 2008
Marked with tags from the Neosho National Fish Hatchery in Missouri, 400 endangered pallid sturgeon were released on September 23, 2008 into the Missouri River near Bellevue, Nebraska. Originating from wild brood stock, the fish were transported by plane in 2007 as small fry from Garrison Dam National Fish Hatchery in North Dakota to Neosho.
Learn more from Fish Lines
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Service Reopens Public Comment Period On 2007 Proposal to Delist Northern Rocky Mountain Population of Gray Wolves Under the Endangered Species Act |
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Gray wolf. Credit: John
and Karen Hollingsworth / USFWS |
October 24, 2008
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today
announced it is reopening the public comment period on its proposal
to delist the gray wolf in the northern Rocky Mountains.
News Release
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Kempthorne Announces Proposal to Protect 48 Hawaii Species |
September 30, 2008
HONOLULU,
HI - Applying a newly developed, ecosystem-based approach to species
conservation, the Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne today
announced a proposal to add 48 species found only on the island of
Kauai to the federal endangered species list and designate critical
habitat. This new approach, undertaken by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, provides hope for Kauai’s natural ecosystems and the
species that call them home. The 48 species include 45 plants, two
birds and one Hawaiian picture-wing fly.
News Release [pdf]
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Captive Breeding used to Boost Declining Population of Lange's
Metalmark Butterfly at Antioch Dunes National Wildlife Refuge |
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Lange's Metalmark
Butterfly. Credit: Jerry
Powell |
September 11, 2008
In August
biologists from Moorpark College, The Urban Wildlands Group, and the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released adults and caterpillars of
the Lange's metalmark butterfly to increase their numbers at Antioch Dunes National Wildlife Refuge. Antioch
Dunes NWR is the only place on earth where the Lange's Metalmark
Butterfly exists. The release was the culmination of a successful
captive breeding program that began last year when monitoring found
dangerously low numbers of the Lange's metalmark butterfly two years
in a row. The breeding program is part of a two-pronged effort to
save the species.
Learn More [pdf]
Pollinators Home Page
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Service Supports 2008 Year of the Frog |
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Click image for slide
show. Frog presentation courtesy of Joe Milmoe /
USFWS. |
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September 5, 2008
Amphibian
populations are in decline in many areas of the world. Areas which
previously hosted a range of healthy frogs and other amphibian
populations now have fewer, or even no frogs, toads, and
salamanders. 2008 has been declared the "Year of the Frog" to
highlight this crisis and emphasize the importance of amphibian
conservation.
Learn More
Slide Show
Endangered Species Bulletin, Spring 2008, "Year of the
Frog" [PDF]
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West Virginia Northern Flying Squirrel has Recovered, Glides Off Endangered Species List |
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West Virgina Northern flying squirrel. Credit: US Army Corps of Enginers |
August 25, 2008
Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne announced today that the West Virginia northern flying squirrel has recovered from the brink of extinction and will be removed from Endangered Species Act protection. The species' rebound can be attributed to a combination of conservation efforts and regeneration of the flying squirrel's forest habitat.
News Release
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Endangered Species Chief and Oregon Rancher Walk a Mile in Each Other’s Boots |
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Ranch Manager Stacy Davies (L) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Assistant Director of Endangered Species, Bryan Arroyo on Roaring Springs Ranch in Frenchglen, Oregon. Credit: (c) Roberta Guarino |
August 21, 2008
U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service Assistant Director for Endangered Species, Bryan
Arroyo and Stacy Davies, manager of the Roaring Springs Ranch in
Frenchglen, Oregon, recently traded jobs for a week as part of the
“Walk a Mile in My Boots” exchange program. This innovative program
was established in 2003 between the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service,
the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the National
Cattlemen’s Foundation to give Service employees and ranchers a
better understanding of and mutual appreciation for each other's
roles and responsibilities.
News Release [pdf]
Walk A Mile In My Boots -
Podcast
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Service Announces New Tool for Endangered Species Conservation |
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The golden-cheeked warbler in Texas has benefitted from the new endangered species recovery crediting system. Photo
Credit: Steve Maslowski/USFWS
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July 31, 2008
The Service has developed the final guidance for an innovative new tool designed to help federal agencies conserve imperiled species on non-federal lands. The Recovery Crediting System will give federal agencies greater flexibility to offset impacts to threatened and endangered species caused by their actions by undertaking conservation efforts on non-federal lands, with the requirement that there is a net benefit to recovery of the species impacted.
News Release
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Wisconsin Nest Produces First - Ever Endangered Kirtland's
Warbler for that State |
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This young Kirtland's warbler is among the first ever to fledge in the State of Wisconsin. Credit: Jennifer Goyette (under contract by Wisconsin DNR as a nest monitor) |
July 30, 2008
A partnership
of private, state and federal agencies has sparked a flicker of hope
in Wisconsin for an endangered wood warbler. Efforts by Plum Creek
Timber Company, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service have led to the first successful nesting of Kirtland’s
warblers in the state.
News Release |
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Endangered Species Act Protections Reinstated for Northern Rocky Mountain Wolf Population
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Gray wolf. Credit: John
and Karen Hollingsworth |
July 24, 2008
The U.S.
Federal District Court in Missoula, Montana, issued a preliminary
injunction on Friday, July 18, 2008, that immediately reinstated the
Endangered Species Act protections for wolves in the northern Rocky
Mountains. That area includes all of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming and
the eastern one-third of Washington and Oregon and parts of
north-central Utah.
News Release
Learn More
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Celebrate Pollinator Week, June 22-28, with U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service!
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Bee on a flower. Credit: Mike Higgins, USFWS. |
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June 23, 2008
In celebration of Pollinator Week the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is releasing a series of podcasts about pollinators throughout the week. Each day learn more about pollinators, such as native bees and endangered butterflies, and what you can do to help them. Visit the Pollinators Web site to get started. |
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Draft Revised Recovery Plan for Northwest Atlantic Loggerhead Turtles Available
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Loggerhead sea turtle. Credit: Donna Dewhurst / USFWS |
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May 30, 2008
NOAA's Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are seeking public review and comment on the draft revised recovery plan for the northwest Atlantic population of the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta). This plan is significant in that it identifies five unique recovery units for the northwest population of loggerhead turtles and describes recovery criteria for each unit. Recovery of the northwest Atlantic loggerhead will require the commitment and cooperation of a wide array of partners. The species is listed globally as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The agencies will accept public comments until July 29, 2008.
News Release
Recovery Plan |
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Service to Honor Endangered Species Act Bald Eagle Agreements
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Bald eagle in flight. Credit: USFWS |
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May 20, 2008
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today issued revised regulations under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act that will enable the Service to continue honoring authorizations for "take" of bald eagles previously granted under the Endangered Species Act. The regulations are part of an ongoing effort to ensure that the bald eagle is effectively conserved and managed under the Eagle Act now that the eagle is no longer protected as a threatened species.
News Release
Learn More |
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Maguire Daisy Proposed for Delisting
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Maguire Daisy. Credit: NPS |
May 15, 2008
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to remove the Maguire daisy (Erigeron maguirei), a perennial herb found in southeastern Utah, from the Federal list of Threatened and Endangered Species. The best scientific and commercial information available indicates the Maguire daisy has recovered and no longer meets the definition of threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Cooperative recovery efforts have substantially increased the known number and distribution of Maguire daisy populations range-wide, stabilized populations, addressed threats, and provided adequate protection and management to ensure the plant's long-term persistence.
News Release
Learn More |
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Secretary Kempthorne Announces Endangered Species Act Protection for Polar Bear
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Polar bear whisper in ear.© Jessie Harris |
May 14, 2008
Secretary Kempthorne announced today that the polar bear will be protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) as a threatened species due to the threat of decreasing sea ice habitat caused by climate change.
Fact sheet
News Release
Get maps, videos, and more information |
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Desert Bald Eagle Returns to Endangered Species List |
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Bald eagle in flight.
Credit: USFWS |
May 1, 2008
As a result of a
recent court order, bald eagles in the Sonoran Desert of central
Arizona are again protected as “threatened” under the Endangered
Species Act. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published the
special rule announcing the protected status in the May 1, 2008 Federal Register.
News Release
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Celebrate Earth Day - Let's Go Outside! |
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Maryland school children helping to restore a wetland by planting native wetland vegetation. Credit: USFWS
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April 18, 2008
In celebration of Earth Day and National Children & Nature Awareness month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is encouraging you to get outside and enjoy the beauty and spring-time wonders of the natural world.
The Service recently launched its Let’s Go Outside! initiative to encourage Americans to spend time outdoors. It’s a great way to foster meaningful experiences for the entire family and create a life-long connection to the environment. Recent research has shown it can also improve one’s overall health and well-being.
News Release
Learn More |
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Amazing Images Shed Light on Rare Hawaiian Shrimp |
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Metabetaeus lohena Red.
© Mike Yamamoto |
April 17, 2008
Scientists in
Hawaii have captured some of the first images ever taken of six rare
species of tiny, brilliantly colored shrimp that inhabit the
subterranean world of cracks, crevices and lava tubes of coastal
Hawaii. Called anchialine pool shrimp, these creatures range in size
from a grain of rice to 1.5 inches and are threatened by habitat
loss, nonnative invasive species and over-collection for the
aquarium trade. Three of the shrimp species are candidates for
protection under the Endangered Species Act.
News Release |
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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Announces Endangered Species Recovery Champion Awards |
March 27, 2008
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director H. Dale Hall announced the sixteen recipients of the Service's 2007 Recovery Champion award. The Recovery Champion award recognizes outstanding contributions of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees and their partners toward efforts aimed at recovering threatened and endangered species in the United States.
"The Recovery Champion award not only recognizes the exceptional conservation accomplishments of the honorees, it also provides the public with a unique opportunity to learn about endangered species conservation," said Hall. "These Recovery Champions are extraordinary conservationists dedicated to protecting and restoring our nation's wildlife and ensuring that future generations of Americans enjoy the national treasures we experience today."
Learn More
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Secretary Kempthorne Announces $57.9 Million in Grants to Support Land Acquisition and Conservation Planning for Endangered Species |
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Golden-cheeked Warbler. Credit: Steve Maslowski / USFWS
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March 20, 2008
Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne announced more than $57.9 million in grants to 23 states and one territory to support conservation planning and acquisition of vital habitat for threatened and endangered fish, wildlife and plants. The grants, awarded through the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund, will benefit numerous species ranging from the red-cockaded woodpecker to the Lake Erie watersnake.
News Release
List of Grant Awards [PDF] |
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Update on Bat Die-off in the Northeast |
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Bats with white-nosed fungus. Credit: Al Hicks, New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation
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March 19, 2008
Some 8,000 to 11,000 bats died in several Albany, N.Y.-area caves and mines last winter, more than half the bat population in those hibernacula. Many of the dead bats had a white fungus on their muzzles, dubbed white-nose syndrome. This year, biologists are seeing hibernating bats die by the hundreds - probably thousands - in New York, southwest Vermont and western Massachusetts.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service endangered species biologist Susi von Oettingen talks about white-nose syndrome in bats and investigates a hibernaculum in an abandoned mine.
Video Interview
How You Can Help
New York Department of Conservation
Cornell University
YouTube Coverage |
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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Lists the Desert Bald Eagle As Threatened Under
the Endangered Species Act |
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Bald eagle in flight. Credit: USFWS
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March 18, 2008
Due to a recent court order, bald eagles in the Sonoran Desert of central Arizona are again protected as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act.
News Release
Map of affected area [PDF]
Learn More
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Interior Department Removes Northern Rocky Mountain Wolves from
Endangered Species List |
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Gray wolf. Credit: Tracy
Brooks / USFWS
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February 21, 2008
The gray
wolf population in the Northern Rocky Mountains is thriving and no
longer requires the protection of the Endangered Species Act, Deputy
Secretary of the Interior Lynn Scarlett announced today. As a
result, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will remove the species
from the federal list of threatened and endangered species.
News Release
Q's and A's
Learn More
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Secretary Kempthorne Announces Proposal to Remove the Brown Pelican from the Endangered Species List |
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Brown pelican swimming. Credit: Lee Carney/USFWS.
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February 8, 2008
The brown pelican, a species battered by more than a century of threats including widespread poaching and the pesticide DDT, is back from the brink. During a special event held in Louisiana, also known as "the pelican state" and a major contributer to the bird's recovery, Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne announced the Service is proposing to remove the pelican from the list of threatened and endangered species.
News Release
Q's and A's
Fact Sheet
Video |
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Statement for Polar Bear Decision |
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Polar bear resting but alert. Credit: Susanne Miller/USFWS.
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January 7, 2008
The Service expects to provide a final recommendation to the Secretary of the Interior and finalize the decision on whether or not to list the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act within the next month.
Bulletin |
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Most Endangered Duck Finds Refuge on Midway Atoll |
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John Klavitter/USFWS
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January 3, 2008
The Laysan teal, the world's most highly endangered duck species, is thriving at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge three years after 42 of them were reintroduced to what was once part of their historic range. Trapped in the wild in 2004 and 2005 from their only remaining population on Laysan Island, the rare ducks were carefully transported 750 miles by ship to re-establish a second population. This year, there are about 200 ducks on Midway.
Read more
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