Nature In Need

• On May 7, the Trump administration filed a motion in court to vacate Endangered Species Act protections for the lesser prairie-chicken.
• Center For Biological Diversity and Texas Campaign for the Environment have taken legal action in response. The species remains protected for now, but its future depends on the outcome of the case.

• Protections Removed:  The Trump administration has moved to strip Endangered Species Act protections from the lesser prairie-chicken, a grassland bird - known for its dancing mating rituals. 
• Sharp Population Decline:  The lesser prairie-chicken's population has dropped to around 30,000 birds - a 97% decline since 1800. 
• Habitat Loss:  The lesser prairie-chicken has lost approximately 85% of its available habitat due to oil and gas drilling, agriculture, and development. 

• American Bird Conservancy is leading the advocacy and on-the-ground conservation efforts to protect and recover the lesser prairie-chicken. Please follow them on social media and support their efforts any way you can. 
• Center for Biological Diversity is leading the legal challenges to the administrations action on this issue. 

• A Critical Decision:  Right now, Congress is deciding on the future of AmeriCorps. This is happening in the 2026 Budget negotiations. Trump proposed total elimination of AmeriCorps in his 2026 Budget Request. 
• Urgent Action:  This is a code red moment. Please call your representative and senators. Urge them to reject Trump's proposed cuts to AmeriCorps. Tell them to fully fund AmeriCorps in the 2026 Budget. See script examples. 

• What AmeriCorps Does:  AmeriCorps is like the Peace Corps, but in the United States. Members dedicate up to one year of service to their country in exchange for professional development and very modest pay. 
• A Huge Loss:  Ending AmeriCorps would be a huge loss for nature conservation and local communities. AmeriCorps volunteers do critical work. They build and maintain our nation's trails, reduce wildfire risk, control invasive species, and educate our youth. 
• Massive Terminations:  Trump terminated 32,000 AmeriCorps volunteers, and cancelled $400 million in AmeriCorps grants to nonprofits and agencies. This resulted in closure of over 1,000 local service programs. 
• Staff Layoffs:  Trump laid off 85% of AmeriCorps agency staff. 
• Legal Action:  24 Democrat-led states and DC filed suit in the courts to reverse the cuts. A court ruled in their favor and ordered the cuts for those states to be reversed. However, the administration continues to withhold funding.
• Public Backlash:  There has been local outrage nationwide about the cuts. This includes in red states like West Virginia, Ohio, and Wyoming. 

• Urgent Action Needed:  Right now Congress is deciding the future of AmeriCorps. Please call your representative and senators. Urge them to fully fund AmeriCorps in the 2026 Budget. 
• Please Support This Nonprofit!!  Voices for National Service is the leading advocate specifically for AmeriCorps service. This small nonprofit desperately needs your help! Please follow them on social media (or subscribe to their emails). Engage with their content. Visit their Take Action page.  Support them any way you can!

• Urgent Action:  The House and Senate are negotiating the 2026 budget. Trump has proposed steep cuts to NPS funding. Please call your representative and senators. Urge them to reject Trump's proposed cuts. Tell them to fully fund the National Park Service at 2025 levels. 

• Staffing Reduced:  So far, 13% of NPS staffing has been reduced from the federal hiring freeze, layoffs, and buyouts. Additional reductions in workforce have been planned. This would further reduce NPS staffing levels. 
• Major Budget Cuts Proposed:  For the 2026 budget, Trump has proposed over $1 billion in funding cuts to NPS operations and grants program. This would be a 30% drop from 2025 levels. It would likely result in the closing of many park units. 
• State Control Transfer:  Trump also proposed transferring control of some parks to the states. 
• Funding Clawed Back:  Separately, the House and Senate have both passed Trump's tax cut bill, which rescinds $267 million in existing NPS funding. This money was previously approved under the Inflation Reduction Act. 

• Urgent Action:  Please call your representative and senators about the 2026 budget. Urge them to fully fund the National Park Service at 2025 funding levels and to reject the transfer of any parks to the states. 
• Organization To Support:  National Parks Conservation Association is the leading advocacy organization specifically for the National Park Service. 

• What Comes Next:  The Administration’s announcement triggers a new rule making process. This will include a 60-day public comment period and ultimately a final decision. So far, there has been no indication when the rule making process will begin.
• Rally for Public Comments:  When the public comment period is announced, we need to spread the word far and wide. We need to rally the public to submit a massive number of comments in support of keeping the Roadless Rule restrictions in place.  

• History of the Roadless Rule:  The Roadless Rule was adopted in 2001 under Bill Clinton. The rule was the product of a 3-year process that included 600 public meetings and 1.6 million public comments in favor of adopting it. 
• Roads Dominate Our National Forests:  An estimated 380,000 miles of Forest Service roads criss-cross our National Forests. This is 8 times longer than our entire US Interstate highway system. 
•  Roadless Areas Are Wild:  Roadless protection keeps forests wild. Many roadless areas under the Rule have wilderness-like qualities with little human impact. They offer some of the best opportunities in the United States for outdoor adventure including hiking, backpacking, wildlife viewing, hunting, and fishing.  
• Roadless Areas Protect Water Supplies:  Roadless areas include the headwaters for 358 municipal watersheds that provide the drinking water for millions of Americans. The Roadless Rule protects these water supplies.
• Wildlife Need Roadless Areas:  Many species of wildlife need large unbroken blocks of habitat or their populations will drop. This includes wide-roaming animals such as caribou, wolverines and grizzly bears. It also includes forest birds such as the wood thrush.

• Build Public Awareness:  Right now, we need to build public awareness about the importance of roadless areas and the need to protect them. Start with yourself. Read more about this issue. Share posts on social media. Comment on posts to boost their reach. If you feel motivated, make it a personal project to promote this cause far and wide. 
• Follow These Organizations:  As a starting point for building awareness, please follow the nonprofits that are leading the advocacy efforts: Earthjustice, Natural Resources Defense Council, and The Wilderness Society. Engage with their content to boost their reach.

• Victory in the House:  On May 21, the House removed a land sale provision before approving the budget reconciliation bill.
• Victory in the Senate:  On June 29, the Senate moved ahead with the budget reconciliation bill without the land sale provision. It had been blocked by the Senate Parliamentarian. Senator Mike Lee (R) unsuccessfully attempted to reinsert a modified version of the provision. This saga is over for now. 

• Longtime Goal:  The privatization of our public lands has been a longtime goal for activist groups like the Heritage Foundation. 
• House Provision:  Republicans in the House added a provision to Trump's tax cut legislation that would set aside 460,000 acres of public lands to be sold off to local government and private entities. 
• Senate Provision:  The Senate was considering an even worse provision that would mandate the sale of 2 to 3 million acres of BLM and US Forest Service lands to the states.
• No Use Restrictions:  There were no restrictions on how the land could be used - they could even be resold to private developers. 
• No Environmental Reviews:  There was no requirement for environmental reviews. This means even the most sensitive lands could be sold and developed.

• Support Organizations that Fight for Public Lands:  Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) is one of many nonprofits that rallied opposition to this harmful action. The battle may be over for now but the fight continues. You can support our public lands by staying engaged with organizations like SUWA. Please follow them on social media or via email alerts. 

• Decision Point:  This issue will be decided: "Yea or Nay" very soon in the 2026 Congressional Appropriations process. We need to crush this terrible and unlawful idea. There is no reason this should even come close to passing. The budget will require 60 votes. The Land and Water Conservation Fund enjoys strong bipartisan support. 

• Origin & Funding History:  Created by Congress in 1964, the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) channels offshore oil and gas lease revenues into parks, trails, and wildlife areas. It was permanently funded at $900 million annually via the Great American Outdoors Act in 2020.
• Nationwide Reach:  The fund supports conservation in all 50 states - as you can see in this interactive map of LWCF projects. It funds initiatives in national parks, wildlife refuges, battlefields, local parks, ball fields, bike paths, and community playgrounds. 
• Trump Budget Proposal:  The FY 2026 Trump budget seeks to divert $387 million from conservation and recreation grants to deferred maintenance on federal lands.
• Violation of Law:  The Great American Outdoors Act, explicitly directs LWCF money to be spent on land acquisition and recreation, not deferred maintenance.This means any attempt to redirect LWCF dollars toward maintenance violates the intention of the law.
• Conservation Threatened:  The diversion would derail hundreds of local recreation and land-acquisition projects.

• Support Organizations that Fight for LWCF:  The Land and Water Conservation Fund Coalition advocates specifically on behalf of the LWCF. Please follow them on social media. Engage with their posts to boost their reach. 
• Take Action Now:  Please call your representative and call your senators about the 2026 budget. Urge them to reject Trump's proposed diversion of LWCF funding. 

• Storm Clouds Ahead:  On May 27, 2025, the Department of Justice issued a legal opinion asserting that the President can downgrade or entirely eliminate existing national monuments. Unfortunately, this tells us where the administration's monument review is heading. 
• Decision To Be Made:  The Trump administration plans to gather tribal and congressional feedback by July 18, 2025 before making a decision.

• Formal Review:  In February, 2025, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, initiated a formal review of six national monuments. 
• Development-Driven Motive:  This review will decide if the monuments should be reduced in size or eliminated to unlock oil, gas, and mining development.
• Monuments At-Risk:  The list of monuments being reviewed include Bears Ears, Grand Staircase Escalante, Organ Mountains‑Desert Peaks, Ironwood Forest, Baaj Nwaavjo Kukveni (Grand Canyon), and Chuckwalla.
• Scale and Significance:  Together, these monuments protect 5.4 million acres of land and receive 6.4 million visitors annually. They include some of the most scenic and biologically and archaeologically important lands in the Western US.

Support Local Champions:  A local nonprofit defends each of these national monuments. Most of these are small but powerful local voices for conservation. Please follow them on social media. Any help you can provide will go a long way. 

• Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition - Bears Ears 
• Grand Staircase Escalante Partners - Grant Staircase Escalante 
• Friends of Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks - Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks
• Friends of Ironwood Forest - Ironwood Forest 
• Grand Canyon Trust - Baaj Nwaavjo Kukveni (Grand Canyon) 
• Protect Chuckwalla National Monument - Chuckwalla 

• To date, funding has not been restored. 

• Urban Forestry Partnership:  Arbor Day Foundation, in partnership with the USDA Forest Service, provides funding from the Inflation Reduction Act to nonprofits engaged in urban forestry projects. 
• Funding Cancelled:  The Trump Administration - citing a directive prohibiting DEI programs - cancelled $75 million in funding that was set to fund over 100 nonprofit urban tree planting initiatives. 
• Local Impact Example:  An example of an effected project: Alief Super Neighborhood Council which was set to receive $250,000 to plant thousands of trees in Alief, one of Houston’s most heat-stressed neighborhoods. 
• Tribal Projects Cut:  Other examples of cut funding - sixteen tribal organizations were awarded $8 million to support community forestry on indigenous lands. 
• Severe Consequences:  These funding cuts jeopardize the future of tree planting projects and - in some cases - of entire organizations. 

• First, please support Arbor Day Foundation.
• Second, please support local organizations engaged in urban forestry. You can find a partial list here. 

• As of June 2, RISE has confirmed that federal funding is still frozen for this project. 

• This project would restore and protect 3 miles of coastal shoreline and maritime habitats to improve local ecosystems and build stronger barriers against storm surges.
• Other project details included local workforce development, beach pollution control, and native plant production. 
• Trump cancelled $11.2 million in federal funding that had previously been awarded under the Inflation Reduction Act's Community Change Grants. 

• You can help this project's future prospects, by supporting the lead local nonprofit RISE any way you can.

• Victory for now!  The House's mining provision near Boundary Waters was removed from Trumps "big, beautiful" bill, meaning it won’t proceed in the Senate.
• Threat Remains:  Despite the setback, the administration announced their intention to pursue lifting the moratorium unilaterally via executive action.

• Executive Order Signed:  Trump signed an executive order in March to fast-track mineral extraction on federal lands and avoid existing environmental protections. 
• Congressional Action:  Subsequently, a U.S. House panel approved legislation to overturn a 20-year mining moratorium in the Superior National Forest.
• Attempt to Reinstate Leases:  The bill would also reinstate canceled leases for the proposed Twin Metals copper-nickel mine near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
• Pollution Threat:  Conservation groups warn that the project could cause acid mine drainage that contaminates the Boundary Waters, one of the most pristine freshwater ecosystems in the U.S.

• Organizations To Support:  Multiple local organizations are working to oppose these actions including: Friends of the Boundary Waters, Save the Boundary Waters, and Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters. 

• On April 4, FEMA terminated all BRIC grant funding - including funding for this project - calling the grants "wasteful." 
• There has been no word that project funding has been restored.

• Floodplain Restoration:  This project would restore the Little Conewago Creek floodplain back to its pre-settlement condition. 
• Intended Benefits:  Project benefits would have included: mitigating flooding, eliminating land loss due to bank erosion, improving water quality, restoring critical habitat, and enhancing recreational opportunities. 
• Funding Cancelled:  Trump cancelled federal funding for the project ($5.8 million).
• Program Source:  Federal funding for the project was awarded from Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program.
• About BRIC:  The $882 million BRIC grant program - established under Biden - helps communities prevent widespread damage from future flood events. 

• Organization To Support:  The nonprofit, Choose Clean Water Coalition, is advocating for the restoration of funding for FEMA's BRIC program.

• No News:  Since Trump's announcement there has been no news yet on the project moving forward.
• Victory For Now:  Congress removed language from the Republican tax cut bill that would have approved the 210-mile Ambler mining road.

• Federal Approval Reinstated:  In January 2025, Trump signed an executive order reinstating federal approvals for the Ambler Mining Road. This 211-mile industrial route would run through remote Alaskan roadless areas including Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. 
• Previously Suspended:  The Biden administration had previously suspended the project due to environmental and tribal concerns. 
• Ecological Impact:  The road would cut through sensitive caribou habitat and subsistence lands. 

• Organization To Support:  A coalition of nonprofits called Defend Brooks Range is vigorously opposing the project. Please follow them on social media and support their efforts.

• Rule Making In Process:  Trump's proposed change to the ESA has initiated a rule making process. This opened up a public comment period that just closed on May 19, 2025. Conservation nonprofits rallied the public and 323,576 comments were received in response to the rule change. 
• Awaiting Agency Response:  The agencies are now reviewing comments and preparing a response. No final rule has been issued yet.

• Pillar of Conservation:  The ESA is the bedrock law for protecting endangered species and their habitat. Weakening the ESA would be catastrophically bad for conservation in the US. 
• Species Protected:  The ESA protects over 1,700 species of plants and animals in the United States from extinction. 
• ESA in Action:  Examples of species the ESA has saved from extinction: Bald Eagle, California Condor, Grizzly Bear, Humpback Whale, Florida Manatee, Black-footed Ferret, Whooping Crane, Peregrine Falcon, Tennessee Purple Coneflower.... and many, many more.

• Organizations To Support:  Organizations like the Center for Biological Diversity are actively opposing these rollbacks. If the ESA is weakened, they will lead lawsuits opposing the changes. Please follow them on social media and consider donating to their efforts. 

• Trump's Budget Proposal:  President Trump has proposed cutting funding for the NWRS to $416 million - a 22% below current levels. 
• Urgent Action:  The battle for the future of the NWRS now centers on the 2026 federal budget. Please call your representative and senators. Urge them to reject Trump's proposed cuts to the National Wildlife Refuge System budget. See script examples. 

• Vast Conservation Network:  The National Wildlife Refuge System includes 570 wildlife refuges, 38 wetland management districts, and 5 marine national monuments. It plays a critical role in protecting our nations wildlife and ecosystems. 
• Stark Comparison:  Compare the Refuge System to its sibling (also understaffed) National Park Service:
  
  Refuge System = approx. 1,750 staff.   96 million acres (land).
  National Parks =  approx. 18,000 staff.  84 million acres (land). 

• Decade of Decline:   The Refuge System has been severely understaffed for over a decade. From 2011 to 2024, total staffing dropped 24%, from 3,244 to 2,348 employees. Meanwhile, visitation surged 50% from 45 million to 67 million visitors.
• Collapse Under Trump:  But Trump has thrust the Refuge System staffing into a deep crisis. With layoffs and buyouts, he has cut staff an additional 25% to 1,750. And more staffing cuts could be in the works.
• Critical Staffing Shortfall:  Today, 10% of refuges are completely unstaffed and not a single refuge has the resources it needs to meet its mission. NWRA calculates that 7,330 full time staff are needed to adequately manage the Refuge System. 

• Urgent Action:  Please call your representative and senators about the 2026 budget. Urge them to maintain funding for the National Wildlife Refuge System at 2025 levels. 
• Needs Support:  National Wildlife Refuge Association is fighting a very urgent battle for NWRS funding. Please follow them on social media and support them anyway you can.

• On May 9, 2025, Trump signed a proclamation lifting the restriction on commercial fishing in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument.
• Conservation groups have said they will fight this action but have yet to file suit.

• Ocean Sanctuary:  Sitting 130 miles off the coast of Cape Cod, this monument covers 3.1 million acres of ocean.
• Biological Richness:  According to US Fish and Wildlife Service, "The Monument is know for its abundance of marine mammals, deep-sea corals, rich diversity of fishes, sea turtles, and seabirds."
• Critical Marine Habitat:  The Monument protects at least 10 dolphin species and 13 whale species including the endangered sperm whale, sei whale, and fin whale.
• Unique Geological Features:  The monument protects 4 underwater seamounts and 3 submarine canyons. 

• New England-based nonprofits advocating for the monument include Conservation Law Foundation and New England Aquarium. Please follow these organizations on social media and get involved with them. 

• Urgent Action on Budget:  Congress is negotiating the 2026 budget. USGS EMA supporters are advocating for full funding at 2025 levels ($293 million). Please call your representative and call your senators. Urge them to reject Trump's cuts and fully fund the USGS Ecosystem Mission Area. See call script examples.
• Layoffs Paused for Now:  On May 9, a judge issued a temporary restraining order that paused Trump's unilateral layoffs and funding freezes affecting USGS EMA. 

• 2 Pathways to Elimination:  The Trump administration is trying to eliminate the USGS EMA through 2 pathways:
  
  1) Without Congressional approval by laying off staff and ending programs.
  
  2) With Congressional approval via the 2026 budget. Trump proposed eliminating USGS EMA in his budget request.
• Scope and Scale:  USGS EMA includes 16 regional science centers, 43 cooperative research units on university campuses, 1,200 staff, and $326 million in 2024 funding. 
• Research Mission:  It conducts and supports world-leading scientific research on endangered species, ecosystem health, wildlife disease, climate change, and invasive species. 
• Critical Research At Risk:  Programs facing elimination include: the USGS Bee Lab, the North American Breeding Bird Survey, the National Wildlife Health Center, the Great Lakes Science Center, and many others.

• Urgent Action:  Please call your representative and call your senators about the 2026 budget. Urge them to oppose any funding cuts to the USGS Ecosystem Mission Area. 
• Follow These Organizations:  The professional societies in ecology - Ecological Society of America, The Wildlife Society, and American Fisheries Society - are advocating very hard to prevent these cuts in the 2026 budget. Please support their efforts. Follow them on social media and get involved with their advocacy activities.

• Urgent Action Needed:  The battle for the future of NOAA Research has spread to Congress where they are negotiating the 2026 budget. Trump is calling for a 76% cut to NOAA Research in the budget.  Please call your representative and senators. Urge them to reject Trump's funding cuts. Tell them to fully fund NOAA Research at 2025 funding levels. 

• Mass Layoffs:  At least 880 NOAA employees have been laid off with more terminations threatened. 
• Self-Sabotage:  The administration has already shutdown programs and projects. For example, it abruptly ended it's 40-year old, Billion Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters database. 
• Severe Budget Cuts:  Trump called for a 74% cut to NOAA Research in his 2026 budget proposal. 
• Elimination of Institutions:  He also proposed elimination of NOAA's research laboratories and its 16 cooperative institutes involving 80 partner universities. 

• Urgent Action:  Please call your local representative and senators about the 2026 budget. Urge them to fully fund NOAA Research at 2025 funding levels. 
• Organizations To Support:  Union of Concerned Scientists is one of several organizations that is championing NOAA and opposing the Administration's dismantling of the agency. Please follow them on social media and get involved with their campaign to save NOAA. 

Federal funding for the project is still frozen, as of May 30. There is no indication that the funding will be restored.

• This project will restore degraded stream and forest ecosystems in NH. 
• Regional benefits will include improved water quality, ecosystem health, and climate resiliency. 
• Trump froze federal funding for the project ($11.46 million) - awarded under the Inflation Reduction Action. 
• Connecticut River Conservancy protects and restores the Connecticut River watershed in CT, MA ,NH, and VT. 

• Support the Connecticut River Conservancy to help them continue their. You can follow them on Facebook, donate, or get involved with the organization.
• Share this entry to raise awareness of halted federal conservation projects.

• Legal Battle:  On May 22, Earthjustice filed a lawsuit on behalf of Kāpaʻa, the Conservation Council for Hawai‘i, and the Center For Biological Diversity against the Trump Administration, challenging its actions to open the National Monument to industrial fishing.

• Founding and Scale:  Established by Bush in 2009 and expanded by Obama in 2014, this National Marine Monument protects 490,343 square miles of ocean and five uninhabited island or atoll complexes.
• Ecological Significance:  It protects fish populations, coral reefs, and deep-sea life found nowhere else on earth. It also protects endangered and threatened wildlife, including sharks, rays, seabirds, blue whales, and the leatherback sea turtle.
• Fishing Reopened:  On April 17, Donald Trump issued an Executive Order to reopen the National Monument to commercial fishing.

• Organization To Support:  The Pacific Island Heritage Coalition is a diverse coalition of cultural practitioners, scientists, and nonprofit organizations. It has been the most active group in organizing public support for the monument.

• Looming Threat:  Oil exploration could begin as soon as winter 2025, according to reports. 
• Potential Legal Action:  Environmental and Alaska Native groups are continuing to pursue legal avenues to stop drilling in ANWR. 

• Founding and Scale:  ANWR was established in 1960 by Dwight Eisenhower. Today, it is the largest National Wildlife Refuge in the United States System. 
• Ecological Importance:  ANWR's Coastal Plain is an ecologically sensitive area. It provides vital habitat for the Porcupine caribou herd, among many other Arctic wildlife species. 
• Reinstating Leases:  On March 20, the Department of the Interior announced plans to reinstate previously canceled oil and gas leases in the refuge's Coastal Plain.
• Moratorium Reversed:  The order rescinds the Biden-era moratorium on drilling activities in the refuge.
• Strong Opposition:  This decision has sparked strong opposition from environmental groups and Indigenous communities, particularly the Gwich’in Nation, who view the area as sacred and essential to their way of life.

• Organization To Support:  Gwich’in Steering Committee is a powerful local voice in opposition to drilling in ANWR. Please follow them on social media, engage with their content, and support them any way that you can. 

• Conservationists view this policy change as unconstitutional and against the MBTA’s purpose. However, no lawsuits have been filed yet.

• Law Reinterpreted:  The Trump administration weakened the 107-year old Migratory Bird Treaty Act by issuing a memo that reinterprets the meaning of the law. 
• Limiting Protections:  The administration now asserts the MBTA prohibits only intentional killings of migratory birds—not avoidable deaths caused by industrial activity.
• Industry Exemption:  This reinterpretation would exempt industries from penalties for avoidable bird deaths (AKA incidental take) from activities like oil drilling and construction.
• Conservation Backlash:  According to National Audubon Society: "These protections from “incidental take” have successfully been implemented by both Republican and Democratic administrations for decades and have saved millions of birds."

• National Audubon Society has historically led litigation and grassroots campaigns to defend the MBTA. You can help by following and supporting their efforts.