New vaccine expected to give endangered California condors protection against deadly bird flu
Antibodies found in early results of a historic new vaccine trial are expected to give endangered California condors at least partial protection from the deadliest strain of avian influenza in U.S. history.
Big fight for a little bird: Pygmy-owl gets threatened species status
Federal officials this week granted threatened species status to the cactus ferruginous pygmy-owl, capping 17 years of “litigation and controversy” from advocates fighting to win protection for the 6-inch raptor.
Openings for wildlife will be installed in areas of U.S.-Mexico border wall
Openings intended for wildlife will be put into portions of the U.S.-Mexico border wall -- including sections in Arizona -- under terms of a settlement in a 4-year-old lawsuit over how the Trump administration paid for new construction.
Conservationists sue to stop mineral exploration in biologically diverse southern Arizona mountains
Conservation groups are suing to stop two mineral exploration projects in southern Arizona's biologically diverse Patagonia Mountains.
Court rejects claim that copper mine land is needed for jaguar preservation
A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that regulators were wrong to conclude that parts of Pima County targeted for a copper mine are critical to the preservation of endangered jaguars.
Planned Senate bill would counteract Mining Law ruling
A Democratic U.S. senator is looking to Congress to ensure mining companies can use established mineral claims to dump waste on neighboring federal lands as they always had before a federal appeals court adopted a stricter interpretation of a 150-year-old law.
Desert Botanical Garden nurtures endangered monarchs, native butterflies
Butterflies are back at the Desert Botanical Garden, which has been working for years to help boost the still-endangered monarch butterfly’s population, as well as the milkweed plant it depends on for its lifecycle in the Grand Canyon State.
Mexican wolf program making strides after 25 years
On a frigid morning in late January, biologists set out in a helicopter to begin the annual Mexican wolf population count with hopes of finding at least one more wolf than last year. Their painstaking work helps identify the number of wolves in Arizona and New Mexico and is vital to the Mexican Wolf Recovery Program that began 25 years ago when the animals were nearly extinct.
Humane Society drops effort to ban ‘trophy hunting’ in state
The Humane Society of the United States has pulled the plug on its proposal to put a measure on the November ballot to make it illegal to pursue, shoot, snare, net or capture any "wild cat.''
With as few as 100 left, Arizona turtle wins endangered species status
It may not be surprising that an “aquatic desert” turtle faces long odds in life, but environmentalists and biologists still welcomed this week’s endangered species designation for the Sonoyta mud turtle.
Feds: 14 endangered Mexican wolves found dead in 2016
More than a dozen endangered Mexican gray wolves were killed in 2016, including two at the hands of wildlife officials who were trying to survey the struggling population early last year.
Environmentalists seek order preventing possible harm to ocelets
Two environmental groups are asking a judge to block moves by a federal agency to trap and remove predators from sections of Arizona and Texas until they ensure it won’t harm the endangered ocelot.