Breaking News... Center for Biological Diversity has just broadcasted on FB and You Tube their new video. Please take the time to watch and share this video. Now on to our Breaking News, Congress has just begun their sessions, and what do we hear, the GOP has already started their attacks on the Endangered Species Act. A long time hater of the Endangered Species Act and what it stands for, Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, introduced two bills last week to hobble wildlife protections. These bills will definitely have effects on all species of wildlife and their protection will be in jeopardy. Our wolves, bears and many other species are high on their hit list, and hopefully these bills will not allow any government services to go rogue and start their own cull. The Endangered Species Act is very important, because it saves all our native fish, plants and wildlife from completely going extinct. The Endangered Species Act itself may be facing its own EXTINCTION and this will be a disaster to our ecosystems worldwide. Future generations, will not know the beauty of our wildlife, forests, and marine life, as we did growing up. Now as adults, we all should be working with many of the organizations who fight everyday to save and protect their rights to life. We are their voice, from petitions, to rally's, writing letters and calling our State Representatives showing our deepest concerns for our EARTH, as well as all species of life.... Let's all take a stand, see and know exactly what is happening, have no blinders on and your heart will always stand true. FOLLOW YOUR HEART THE TRUTH WILL BE THERE... Mahalo

Texas Senator Introduces Bills to Gut Endangered Species Act The new Congress is barely in session, and already the attacks on the Endangered Species Act have begun. Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, a longtime foe of endangered species, introduced two bills last week to hobble wildlife protections. The first, S. 375, would make it harder for citizens to ensure wildlife get protection promptly; the second, S. 376, would put new burdens on the beleaguered U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by requiring that it publish reams of paperwork needed for protection decisions online -- wasteful red tape, since the documents are already available on request. "Senator Cornyn's bill would make it much harder for endangered species to get the safeguards they desperately need," said the Center for Biological Diversity's Noah Greenwald. The Center will fight these bills tooth and nail -- and any others like them. Read more in our press release.

Gas Leaks in Endangered Belugas' Only Habitat Natural gas has been leaking for more than two weeks from a broken underwater pipeline in Alaska's Cook Inlet, the sole habitat of one of the world's most endangered whales, the Cook Inlet beluga, which numbers only 340 animals. The leak could last another month or more. Even as the pipeline leaks on -- gravely threatening belugas and diverting maritime traffic around bubbling flammable gas -- its owner, Hilcorp Alaska, wants to build another. This pipeline, the "Liberty project," would extend 5.6 miles through the treacherous Beaufort Sea. The company has already been fined by state regulators more than any other Alaska oil company in recent years; the feds have warned it to improve its poor pipeline maintenance. "Offshore drilling in Alaska's dangerous waters is no place to ignore safety rules," said the Center's Kristen Monsell. Read more in our press release.

280 Groups Urge Governors to Save Endangered Species Act More than 280 environmental, faith-based, outdoor-recreational and social-justice groups sent a letter this week to the National Governors Association urging it to oppose any upcoming legislative changes to the Endangered Species Act. Specifically, the letter asks the national organization not to support an ongoing effort led by the Western Governors' Association and Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead to weaken the bedrock wildlife law. The Center helped lead the coalition in pursuing the group letter as part of our ongoing work to protect the Act from attacks in Congress and beyond. Read more.

Mexican Wolf Numbers Up More Than 10 Percent Good news for Mexican gray wolves: Their numbers in the wild increased by 16 animals this year, from 97 to 113. The Fish and Wildlife Service reported the new number Friday, not long after its announcement of a plan to release two packs -- including newborn pups -- into the wilds of New Mexico and Arizona in 2017. "I'm encouraged that Mexican wolf numbers have rebounded and that the feds seek to release more wolves," said the Center's Michael Robinson. The Center has appealed a court order banning releases in New Mexico and recently helped lead a protest against Gov. Susana Martinez, who orchestrated the ban. Read more in The Arizona Republic.

Congress Advances Bill to Kill Wolves, Bears in Alaska The House of Representatives has just used the Congressional Review Act to try to strip protections from wolves, bears and other predators in Alaska wildlife refuges. It's an unprecedented move that would let wolves and pups be killed in their dens, and bears could be gunned down from the air. "Refuges are places where we celebrate biological diversity, not where wolves and bears are inhumanely killed for no reason," said Center lawyer Emily Jeffers. "We'll do everything in our power to fight this mean-spirited attack on these animals and stop it from becoming law." Read more.

#EcoList of Things We Love 5 Animals Threatened by the Border Wall

Biodiversity Briefing: The Fight Is On -- Listen Now The Center's latest quarterly "Biodiversity Briefing" phone call, led by Executive Director Kierán Suckling, focused on our 2017 priorities -- which now revolve around the new reality of Trump in the White House. Kierán recounts the success of our #Earth2Trump campaign kickoff, which began as a nationwide roadshow of rallies and is now a Center-led movement, and details our 25-point "100 Days of Resistance Plan." In the first 100 days of Trump's administration, the Center will hire 10 new lawyers, fight off attempts to weaken or repeal the Endangered Species Act, work to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline and much more. The campaign also includes our Trump Action Toolkit, full of actions you can take to oppose Trump's dangerous agenda. Learn more and take action at our #Earth2Trump website and listen to a recording of Kierán's briefing. These personal phone briefings, including Q&A sessions, are open to all members of the Center's Leadership Circle and Owls Club. For information on how to join and be invited to participate live on the calls, email Development Associate Colleen Iuliucci or call her at (520) 623-5252 x 312.

Op-ed: Shooting Holes in NRA's Lead Ammo Addiction It hardly came as a surprise that within days of President Trump taking office, the National Rifle Association (which spent $30 million on pro-Trump ads) unloaded on the Obama administration's science-based decision to begin the process of gradually getting the lead out of our most pristine wildlife refuges. Reversing the wildlife-refuge lead ban would require the president to ignore the scientific truth about the immense dangers lead poses to the health of people and other animals. Read more in this op-ed by the Center's Nathan Donley.

Wild & Weird: Nudi by Nature Nudibranchs are brilliantly colored, shell-less mollusks that dwell on the ocean floor. There are more than 3,000 species globally. Snail relatives, nudis are slow-moving predators. They graze on corals, sponges, barnacles, other nudis and sometimes jellyfish. Most are toxic, but they don't produce toxins themselves; they gather them from their prey to use as a defense against attackers. Nudis are hermaphrodites whose mating pairs use both male and female sex organs simultaneously. Some shed their penis after mating, only to grow a new one the very next day. Watch the new video on Facebook or YouTube to witness nudibranchs' bizarrely beautiful diversity for yourself. Mahalo