The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has taken the initial step to downlist the Hill Country’s golden-cheeked warbler from endangered to threatened under the Endangered Species Act. According to a news release from USFWS, there will be a lengthy process before the bird’s official status is changed. The much-cherished songbird was listed as endangered in […]
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The federal conservation service that put Texas Salamanders on the list of Endangered Species.
Posted inEnvironment
Texas fatmucket mussel conservation provides significant value in regional water filtration efforts
At its regular meeting Sept. 18, the Environmental Commission heard updates on Austin’s freshwater mussel population from Matt Johnson, Texas freshwater mussel conservation and recovery coordinator with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and Bianca Perez, an environmental scientist with the Watershed Protection Department. Of significant conservation interest was the Texas fatmucket mussel species. Texas […]
Posted inEnvironment
Development and climate change continue to threaten Balcones Canyonlands creatures
Stewards of the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve checked in on the status of its most vulnerable residents at their last meeting. Debra Scott, who is the environmental project manager for Travis County, filled in members of the Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan Coordinating Committee on species that are “up and coming on the endangered species list.” In […]
Posted inEnvironment
Scientists discover three new species of salamander in Central Texas
A team of biologists announced this week they’d found three new species of rare salamanders in Central Texas. The discovery of any new species is big news in science, but in Texas – where the fate of salamanders and people are often linked – it could also set up a new fight over endangered species […]
Posted inCourts
Two environmental groups plan to sue TxDOT
The Center for Biological Diversity and the Save Our Springs Alliance have notified the Texas Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration that they intend to file suit against the agencies for approving the so-called MoPac Intersections project without consulting with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which oversees protection of endangered species. According […]
Posted inEnvironment, Local Government, Resources
Aquifer district finishes Habitat Conservation Plan
After a decade of research, public input and development, the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District is sending its completed draft Habitat Conservation Plan, approved last month, to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for approval. The aquifer district board’s recent approval of the plan brings a complex process begun in 2004 to an end. […]