While it's not a done deal, the US Fish and Wildlife Service and WildEarth Guardians have agreed on a list of 251 species that warrant the most immediate attention. Not all environmental groups support the choices, though.
"Since the first plea for help came over a Keys radio station, hundreds of volunteers have worked around the clock to save pilot whales that mysteriously stranded themselves in shallow waters."
"The state of Idaho has authorized sheriff's deputies in a tiny mountain town to kill wolves blamed for preying on pets and elk, a spokesman for the state fish and game department said on Tuesday."
To illustrate those impacts in each state — and related attempts at mitigation and collaborative projects — the US Fish and Wildlife Service is publishing a new article every weekday for fifty consecutive days. For example, one story is on Wisconsin's innovative native prairie restoration program.
"Hundreds of police raided illicit markets to crack down on the lucrative trade in wild animals and rare flowers, arresting 15 traffickers across Mexico this weekend in one of the biggest swoops of its kind."
"Conservation groups are concerned that new National Forest Management planning rule announced by the Obama administration last month takes away the single most important measure to ensure wildlife protection afforded by the 1982 regulations they will replace."
States and territories have just been allocated about three-quarters of a billion dollars for their use in building facilities, providing services, and conducting planning and research related to fishing, hunting, wildlife conservation, and recreational opportunities. This is a gold mine for local environmental stories.
2011 is the "Year of the Turtle," orchestrated by Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation. A USA Turtle Mapping Project and other resources offer opportunities to cover turtle declines and related issues.
"Rising demand for powdered rhino horn in Vietnam and China has driven the price as high as US$50,000 per kilogram, roughly equal to the street price for cocaine in the UK, says a international wildlife conservation organization headquartered in the hamlet of Kingsfold, West Sussex."
"Sen. Frank Lautenberg introduced legislation Tuesday designed to give the federal government more tools and financial resources to combat such wildlife diseases as white nose syndrome, a fungus that has contributed to the death of more than a million bats in New Jersey and other states in the past few years."
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