NMFS gave notice that all Middle Columbia River steelhead occurring in all accessible reaches upstream of Round Butte Dam on the Deschutes River in Oregon will be designated as threatened under the ESA when the nonessential experimental population designation and accompanying protective measures expire on January 15, 2025.
Climate change and invasive species are jeopardizing already endangered and threatened species, prompting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to finalize its 2023 rule allowing experimental populations to be introduced into habitat outside their historical range, as long as the areas are capable of supporting the experimental population.
NMFS listed the Atlantic humpback dolphin as endangered under the ESA.
FWS determined threatened species status under the ESA for the silverspot butterfly from Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah, and issued a rule under §4(d) under the Act to provide for the conservation of the species.
NMFS listed the queen conch as a threatened species under the ESA.
FWS announced a 90-day finding on a petition to list the Kings River pyrg as endangered or threatened under the ESA, finding that the petitioned action may be warranted and initiating a status review.
FWS announced findings that listing the gray wolf in the western United States and in the northern Rocky Mountains as endangered or threatened species under the ESA are not warranted at this time.
FWS announced findings that listing two species—the north Oregon coast distinct population segment of the red tree vole and the Plateau spot-tailed earless lizard—as endangered or threatened species under the ESA is not warranted at this time.
FWS proposed new regulations to support conservation in the National Wildlife Refuge System by providing refuge managers with a consistent approach for evaluating and implementing management actions to ensure biological integrity, diversity, and environmental health, in accordance with the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997.
December 2023 marked 50 years since the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was signed into law. The ESA has proven resilient to numerous legal challenges and saved many species from extinction. But its overall success has been debated, as the list of endangered and threatened species continues to grow, and only 54 species have been taken off of the list completely. On October 26, 2023, the Environmental Law Institute hosted a panel of experts who explored the successes and shortcomings of the statute and discussed what might happen next as climate change increases the risk of extinction.