a zookeeper dropped a frozen clam into the pool, waiting patiently as the family of four swam over. this was no ordinary family, but a group of north american river otters, made up of a mother and her three babies. the father is not involved in the rearing of these youths, and may be sent to breed with the denizens of other zoos if he and the mother do not get along well when their children are grown.

“i was always passionate about animals, and once i started working with otters that transferred over, it took on a life of its own” said david hamilton, general curator at seneca park zoo and species survival plan coordinator. “i became the otter guy”.

overcoming historical challenges

as we watched the otters playing in their pool, we were discussing the importance of transferring these otters between zoos to breed in larger otter conservation efforts. north american river otters are an indicator species, meaning that if their population declines in their natural ranges, it signifies broader issues in that ecosystem. thus, the local extinction of the species in western new york for nearly 60 years was a major influence in provoking programs to examine waterways in the area and to begin their clean-up.

hamilton, who organizes the placement of otters in different facilities and closely monitors the otter populations in monroe county through the zoo, explains the historical origins of this issue. “it started off that there weren’t any checks on trapping,” he said. “that was bad news in the early 1800s and 1900s, with the fur trade.”

however, exploitation by the fashion industry was not the only plague that industrialization brought to river otter populations in the region. companies like kodak, which is headquartered in rochester, new york, have generated immense toxic waste which, according to studies by houghton college, have continued to poison local waters and food webs. furthermore, urban sprawl has continued to cause deforestation, shrinking the range available to otters. thus, it is no surprise that their populations almost completely disappeared, either dying out or migrating to the adirondacks and catskills.

“otters don’t follow that kind of migration pattern,” hamilton said. “and they’re one of the main predators of those non-game fish. so when they leave like that, it’s like the wolves of yellowstone – the fish populations blow up, and the ecosystems can’t take it.”

a comeback story unlike any otter

beginning in the 1990s, the new york state department of environmental conservation launched a project working with zoos like seneca park to return otters back to western new york. as a matter of fact, similar methods were being used across the country as otters were reintroduced to clean waterways.

most regions did not have as local a source of otters as western new york did, so many conservation efforts had to bring individuals from farther areas with particularly large and dense populations, such as louisiana. these were employed gradually so that their fitness could be surveyed in new and unfamiliar regions, safely transferred to farther regions like new england and the west coast. however, such movements presented a major problem. 

to solve the issue of population loss, programs needed more research about the causes of otters’ disappearances.  “we looked up the information about river otters and saw that there was a huge data gap,” said megan isadore, co-founder and director of the nonprofit organization the river otter ecology project.

the river otter ecology project was formed in marin county, california, around 2012, in the midst of these government-funded transfer programs. isadore, an enthusiastic and self-taught watershed ecologist, realized that although these programs were based in sound theory, there was very little accurate monitoring going on in california. however, she knew firsthand that anyone could easily become infatuated enough with otters to help without a scientific background, and so developed a solution.

“community science is really exciting to people because anyone can be a scientist,” she said of her organization’s “otter spotter” program. “we help people to understand that science is not just for eggheads sitting at their computers; it’s for all of us out there noticing what’s going on.”

over the last 13 years, using mapping technology and surveying, the project has gathered a remarkable amount of data from people who have reported sightings of otters in the marin county through their otter spotter program.

seeing that populations were truly on the rise, this monitoring began to spread further around the san francisco area, where the new data could inform policy and regulation that has continued to protect the species and clean the waterways.

now, the river otter ecology project is working with several grassroots nonprofits across the country to develop similar maps of otter populations, highlighting the areas that still need further attention – an undertaking made possible by the efforts of local communities collaborating with researchers out of the love for the otters.

the seneca park zoo has borrowed these methods, using similar technology and community reporting to check on the health and population of the otters of western new york. today, this research is focused on whether or not the otters still need intervention; and the outcomes, so far, are very promising.

“i’m monitoring to see whether these populations are sustainable now,” hamilton said. 

as they do, they will continue to help otter populations grow by nurturing their families at zoos across   the nation.

the university of washington (uw) offered a screening of “these sacred hills” on nov. 6, 2025, sponsored by the burke museum, the nature conservancy washington state, uw center for nature and health, uw department of history, and uw school of environmental and forestry sciences.

the documentary featured elected member of the yakama nation council jeremy takala, rock creek band elder elaine howtapat, rock creek band chief bronsco jim jr., and rock creek band activist and uw alumnus elaine harvey. the film was directed by jacob bailey and christopher ward, and is centered around the implications of the northwest’s largest proposed pumped storage facility.

according to the documentary, the energy storage project would be located in goldendale, washington, and would destroy five indigenous archaeological sites, as well as three cultural ones.

“these sacred hills,” which alternated scenes of indigenous cultural practices, public hearings, and interviews with tribal members, followed the broader trend of the “green rush,” or influx of clean energy development, in washington.

there has been increasing pressure for emitters in washington state to decarbonize, especially following the climate commitment act (cca), passed in 2021.

the cca, according to indigenous affairs reporter b. ‘toastie’ oaster at high country news, contained a provision prior to its passing that granted tribes the right to consent to development on sacred lands. on the day of the bill’s passing, after the cca had been approved by the governor’s office, state legislators, and a coalition of 19 tribes, governor jay inslee vetoed all tribal civil rights provisions. 

“there’s nothing out there protecting indigenous rights,” oaster said.

the treaty of 1855 granted tribes the right to hunt, fish, and gather on public lands. the privatization of land, compounded with resource depletion, have increasingly threatened indigenous ways of life.

yakama nation peoples have been overlooked and displaced numerous times throughout history, as outlined in the documentary.

in 1941, after the attack on pearl harbor, tribes residing in the pine creek canyon were forced to relocate so that the area could be used for war plane target training. in 1971, subsequent to the completion of the john day dam, the army corps of engineers informed the rock creek band that they must relocate so that the area could be flooded.

protection of indigenous sacred lands, despite being a united nations standard, is absent in state and federal law in the united states.

the united states geological survey began assessing the columbia river for hydroelectric storage in 1967. klickitat county began working on the goldendale energy storage project in 2008, with the initial goal of completing it through their public utilities district. it wasn’t until several years into the process that the yakama nation was even notified of the proposal, giving them less than 60 days to conduct surveys on the site and give comment.

renewable energy in washington is usually developed on “low value” or low biodiversity land. but these lands often contain critical resources for tribes. according to the documentary, the goldendale energy storage project would be incredibly detrimental to the local shrub steppe habitat.

the goldendale energy storage project is just one of nearly 50 proposed renewable energy projects in the state, many of which overlap with yakama or colville reservations in eastern washington.

this history and sense of urgency was conveyed throughout “these sacred hills;” nearly every scene spanning the natural area of the yakama nation contained imagery of wind turbines.

rye development, the company leading the goldendale energy storage project, brought oaster to tour the project site. though they stressed the importance of indigenous rights, according to oaster, they also spoke of displacement almost as if it were inevitable, “us[ing] the rhetoric of manifest destiny.”

tribes are not against renewable energy, harvey emphasized. they are in favor of “responsible decarbonization,” which should respect tribal sovereignty.

while filming “these sacred hills,” tribal members had to share personal parts of their culture in order to encourage respect and understanding for tribal sovereignty.

the documentary was made with the intention to spread awareness, according to harvey. it’s been screened to the washington department of ecology, and will be screened to legislators in the future.

“we hope that this deepens the conversation about green energy,” bailey said.

as of november 2024, rye development plans to break ground on the goldendale energy storage project in 2026. according to the documentary, the federal energy regulatory commission has never directly consulted the yakama nation on the project.

we were navigating the beagle channel, on our way to omora ethnobotanical park, located 3 km west of puerto williams, the capital of the chilean antarctic province.

as the boat was moving and crossing the cold subantarctic waters, the landscape and glacial peaks made me realize that holding a bird in the hand for a single moment is a powerful reminder of the vulnerability of wildlife and the responsibility of researchers.

birds are commonly infected by blood parasites transmitted by various species of mosquitoes, flies, and midges. in hawai‘i, the introduction of blood parasites in native birds was found to decrease the bird population and cause the extinction of endemic hawaiian honeycreepers.

previous studies in chile have documented blood parasites in several species. juan rivero de aguilar, ph.d., an associate researcher at the cape horn international center for global change studies and biocultural conservation, took me on board on one of his field expeditions to understand and know more about these blood parasite infections in this subantarctic region of the world.

birds in the wild may often appear perfectly healthy; however, blood parasites may be circulating within them without any obvious symptoms. collecting a small blood sample from birds allows researchers to understand the health and the effect that these blood parasites can have on bird populations and the ecosystem.

so i would like to ask: how many hidden threats to wildlife remain invisible to the human eye in a single moment?

the first bugle rose out of the meadows — not triumphant, but strained. a bull elk stood rigid, his harem clustered behind him, their bodies angled toward escape that didn’t exist. 

every fall, herds of elk gather in and around estes park, colo., and rocky mountain national park for the rut. during this time, bull elk are highly active, vocal, and aggressive as they compete for dominance and attention from cows, or females, creating unpredictable and dangerous situations for visitors unaware of the risks.

on october 11, 2025, this particular herd was trapped between two narrow roads now jammed with rental cars, tour buses, and spectators scrambling for a front-row view. tourists climbed onto car roofs, cameras fired in bursts, and conversations carried across the valley as if the scene were a spectacle meant for the people in attendance. 

the tension in the air — both animal and human — was rising. on the opposite road, another bull bugled in growing agitation. as the crowd leaned in, he began to charge.

in one of the nation’s most iconic elk viewing landscapes, the collision between wildlife behavior, visitor expectations, and inconsistent education is becoming increasingly volatile.

chaos in the meadows

along the meadow’s edge, small signs read, “meadows closed from 5 p.m.–10 a.m.” few tourists noticed; many ignored them. 

with rangers absent due to the government shutdown, systemic issues became radiantly clearer than ever before: without enforcement, these rules were merely suggestions rather than boundaries.

“people don’t take our judgment as authority,” a bugle corp volunteer said. the bugle corp is a volunteer organization dedicated to monitoring elk during the rut, keeping visitors at a safe distance, and educating them on wildlife behavior. (the volunteer could not provide her name because she had to quickly move to another location where two bulls were sparring and visitors were approaching too closely.)

victoria jackson, administrator of the facebook group estes park resort guide, agreed. “even someone in uniform couldn’t convince them,” she said, describing an incident where a police officer struggled to move people off the golf course during an active rut scene. this trend illustrates how deeply the culture of ignoring boundaries has taken hold, making both enforcement and volunteer efforts far more difficult.

“i had a man walk into the meadow at 4:30 p.m. because the herd was there,” the volunteer said. “when i told him to leave, he said, ‘well, the sign says closed at 5 p.m., and it’s not 5 yet.’ just last week, i had a group of photographers within 50 feet of a bull, and i had to tell them to get back.” 

visitors sometimes interpret the instructional signs as permission to stay until exactly the stated hour, failing to recognize that the rule is part of a broader framework to prevent dangerous interactions.

inside the estes park visitor center, staffed by the national park service, the rocky mountain conservancy, and third-party tourism workers, elk safety was a minimal focus. a single sign in the bathroom stall offered safety rules, while a life-sized cardboard elk stood near the entrance for photos, without educational context. staff had no additional printed guidance for visitors.

when asked, employees often relied on personal rules of thumb. 

“if you walk up to them and they don’t change their behavior, you’re fine. but, if they look at you, then you’re too close,” one male staffer said at the estes park visitor center, describing his personal approach.

this advice contradicts official guidance. but according to danielle wolf, education manager at the rocky mountain conservancy, staff from different organizations use different approaches to visitor education.

“i’ve heard that rule too,” wolf said. “my team always tries to go with the more conservative approach: use the rule of thumb, stay back, give them space.”

the real “rule of thumb” is that when you make a thumbs-up and try to hide the animal with your thumb, if you can still see a part of the animal, you are too close.

a survey i conducted of 42 park visitors helped explain the disconnect between visitors’ behavior and official guidance. when asked what kind of information feels most valuable when learning about elk during the rut, 81% wanted both ethical or values-based messaging and clear instructional guidance. visitors want to understand why the rules exist, not just what they are.

when asked whether parks should provide more ethical education explaining the purpose behind regulations, 92.9% said yes.

why the rules fail

one reason people don’t follow the rules is that they don’t understand why they matter. and without meaning, rules invite people to look for loopholes. 

across rocky mountain national park meadows and around estes lake, a survey of 36 total signs found 52.8% purely instructional, and 44.4% unrelated to elk entirely.

we are so focused on giving information that we have stripped away meaning, and meaning is what people act on.

tourism websites amplify this challenge. searches for “best elk viewing in estes park” yield blogs and lodging pages directing visitors to high-conflict areas like downtown estes, the golf course, and moraine park. some suggest bringing a chair, blanket, and coffee to “enjoy the serene beauty of the fall landscape.”

these tourism resources rarely explain elk behavior, rut aggression, or ecological context, and seldom reference park rules. this fragmented, entertainment-first messaging reflects a deeper cultural issue: wild animals are seen as entertainment, land as a backdrop, and human presence is often assumed harmless.

in fact, human presence during stressful seasons such as the rut can affect elk both ecologically and biologically. close human activity increases stress, causing elk to expend energy on vigilance rather than feeding, preparing for winter, or mating successfully. as a result, human disturbance alters elk behavior with broader ecological and environmental consequences.

social media can escalate risk-taking behavior. when posting in groups like friends of rocky mountain park, my own attempts to raise safety concerns and invite discussion about elk viewing behavior was removed by moderators, who said that posts like these can “get ugly.” i was flagged for breaking rule #3, which restricts sharing locations and photos of unsafe behavior. 

meanwhile, moderators allowed posts that described risky actions using words like “entertainment” to remain, even though such language normalizes unsafe interactions with elk and downplays the potential danger. this moderation pattern highlights how online communities can inadvertently reinforce unsafe practices and ethical misunderstandings about human-wildlife interactions.

the problem isn’t just careless visitors, but a broader systemic, educational, and cultural gap in how humans learn to interact responsibly with wild animals.

bridging the gap between humans and elk

education and context can shift behavior. halle homel, a naturalist guide experienced in the high sierras and alaskan tongass, explained: “people love wildlife, and part of the reason they love it is that many don’t regularly experience it. but because wildlife is often new to people, there is a gap in how to behave around animals.”

homel said outdoor education is central to addressing this gap, explaining the “why” behind rules and practices to help visitors connect emotionally and intellectually with wildlife and ecosystems.

victoria also believes in stronger education: “more visible signage, volunteer wildlife ambassadors, and social media collaborations could help reinforce respectful viewing practices.” 

but restrictive measures are complicated. “we can’t control where the elk chooses to go,” she said. “it becomes nearly impossible to manage safely without shutting down access.”

aldo leopold, the “father of conservation” and creator of the land ethic, argued that no significant ethical change occurs without an internal shift in values. rules are not enough. signs are not enough. 

in estes park and rocky mountain national park, the gap between knowledge and care has become dangerous. it represents  a systemic ethical failure to remind visitors that humans, wildlife, and land are interconnected. homel cited the tlingit word gunalcheesh, meaning “i am not whole without you.”

“it might be our park, but it’s also their home,” she said.

while solutions will require creativity and coordination, small steps — clearer signage, volunteer ambassadors, and context-rich interpretation — can begin to shift behavior.

the respect the rut initiative is responding by developing context-rich signs and interpretive materials in high-conflict elk viewing areas. these resources help visitors understand safe practices, elk behavior, and the ethical reasoning behind park rules.

by linking instruction with meaning, the project bridges the gap between knowledge and behavior, taking a practical step toward fostering a more responsible and informed wildlife viewing culture.

“a forest standing strong is much more valuable than a fallen one,” said sonia guajajara, the minister of indigenous peoples of brazil.

guajajara played a significant role at cop30, the un climate change conference held in belém, brazil, in mid-november. she spoke at several panels and negotiations on behalf of the indigenous people of the amazon and of south america, whom she calls “protectors of the forests.” 

“in brazil, deforestation in indigenous community forests from 2000 to 2012 was less than 1% compared with 7% outside them,” according to a report by the world resources institute.

local forest guardians were recognized at the conference’s indigenous peoples day as guajajara announced the demarcation of 10 indigenous lands and the recognition of four new territories, according to the brazilian government. these lands are scattered across the entire country, from the northern states of amazonas and pará to the southeast’s são paulo. 

from start to finish, this year’s cop paid special attention to tropical forest conservation pathways, with an emphasis on financial initiatives that have the potential to work with long-established indigenous stewards.

a closer look into the brazilian amazon

the amazon is truly a unique, wonderful place, said carlos alberto de souza cavalcante, who has lived in amazonas all his life and owns ipanema lodge, an accommodation that immerses guests in all types of outdoor activities in the jungle just about 60km from the state capital city of manaus. 

the forest is home to around 30 million known animal species — without counting those that have not yet been catalogued. in brazil’s amazon, there are at least 311 mammals, 1,300 birds, 273 reptiles, 232 amphibians, and 1,800 fish, according to ispn, a brazilian institute focused on society and forest conservation. many animals can only be found in this region, like the boto-cor-de-rosa, or pink dolphin.

the amazonian societies also rely heavily on water and the resources it provides. it is the main form of transportation, and the natives’ day-to-day lives are based on the movements of the river. natan araújo, a journalism student who lives in manaus, said the school year of the children who live surrounding the river is scheduled based on the wet and dry seasons. 

“when the river is lower in the dry season, school has to be off because the access to land is more difficult,” he said. “but school is in session when the river is full, so their school year looks different than what is normal for us.”

deforestation and indigenous peoples

between 2018 and 2022, 76% of the total deforestation of the amazon rainforest — which spans nine countries — was in brazil, the direct driver of which is the conversion of land to pasture, said toby gardner, senior research fellow at the stockholm environment institute.

but deforestation can be curbed: the deforestation rate in the brazilian amazon dropped 11% between august 2024 and july 2025, marking the lowest annual forest loss since 2014, he said. 

a 2024 study conducted by the articulation of indigenous peoples of brazil (apib), an indigenous association in brazil, found that indigenous territories have the lowest registered deforestation rate in the country, having lost only 1.2% of native vegetation in the last 40 years. nearly 14% of brazil’s national territory is home to over 300 tribes, representing millions of hectares of vegetation that are likely to remain untouched as natives continue to protect them with their traditional way of life.

indigenous peoples and their role in protecting the forest were one of the pillars of cop30. guajajara said that cop30 was the conference with the highest number of indigenous people in attendance ever held. “approximately 5,000 members of original peoples from around the world participated in cop30; 360 of them were present in debates with negotiators within the blue zone,” according to the conference’s website.

funding initiatives as pathways to solutions

this cop was called several things, varying from the “cop of the truth,” the “cop for everyone,” and the “cop of implementation.” but given the difficulty of reaching a final deal in the last days of the conference, many in attendance also called it the “cop of failure” — a specific dig at the negotiators who were not able to agree on a strategy to push away from fossil fuels, with fewer than 90 countries agreeing to the “road map” introduced by brazil to phase out fossil fuels. 

despite this sense of shared frustration, some solution pathways did see progress. the tropical forests forever facility, or the tfff, was a major financing initiative introduced by brazilian president luiz inácio lula da silva at cop30.

according to the program’s website, it will “operate by mobilizing philanthropic, public and private capital, then reinvesting these resources in a diversified investment portfolio” in a way that benefits conservation and capital generation. on top of this, it provides climate justice and recognition of indigenous peoples and local communities, guajajara said. the tfff “mobilized over usd 6.7 billion in its first phase, with endorsement from 63 countries, establishing a permanent capital base for forest protection,” according to cop’s website. tariye gbadegesin, chief executive officer of the climate investment fund, said the tfff is a “powerful statement” on the central role of those who are most affected by climate change.

part of the plan is to set aside at least 20 percent of its resources for indigenous people, giving them more autonomy and control over economic investments as opposed to being managed by governmental actors, guajajara said.

“those who steward the forest must be given the resources to lead the charge,” she said.

aside from the tfff, brazil had already implemented initiatives to protect its sacred forests. the fundo amazônia, or amazon fund, is a governmental fund created in 2008 to finance actions aimed at reducing and monitoring emissions, deforestation, and environmental degradation. this fund had been completely halted during the four previous years under bolsonaro, said andré aquino, economic advisor to brazil’s environmental ministry. but after resuming in 2023, the fund was given a significant spotlight at cop. 

over 650 organizations are supported in direct and indirect ways, and 75% of the municipalities in the amazon rely on projects funded by the amazon fund, according to a cop panel hosted by brazil’s national development bank (bndes). in the last three years, new international donors and agreements have been announced, increasing funding to brl 2.4 billion and expanding involvement of countries like japan, the us, ireland, and the uk, though norway leads the funding with 77%, according to the panel. 

the fund also invests in firefighters to combat the large forest fires that have ravaged the amazon in brazil in the past couple of years. 5,000 firefighters have been trained in nine states, with a funding of brl 371 million for individual equipment, vehicles, and operational bases, as per data shown in the panel. 

mariana mazzucato, an economics professor at university college london, said this cop was “very rare” and that the amazon fund is “special.” 

“most funds socialize risks and privatize rewards, but the amazon fund ties the money to the people,” she said. “brazil is innovative.” 

keeping frontline and indigenous stewards of the land at the heart of conservation and financing discussions represents good global cooperation.

“what happens in the amazon happens to all of us,” said andreas bjelland eriksen, minister of climate and environment of norway. “we need to be able to work together to preserve the good that the tropical forests do for all of us.”

experts warn that president donald trump’s second-term agenda — enabled by a selectively assertive congress and a supreme court that has wrested power from federal agencies — represents the most dramatic shift in endangered species protections since the esa was passed in 1973.

“there’s no science underlying congress saying, ‘we have decided to delist this species,’” said justin pidot, an environmental law professor at the university of arizona who served in the biden administration.

congress has only delisted a species once in 50 years — in 2011, a provision in a budget bill removed the gray wolf from the list in certain states.

“it’s really certain members of congress playing god with respect to the esa,” defenders of wildlife senior attorney jane davenport said.

there are currently three bills in congress that would delist nine species, bypassing the science-driven review process of the u.s. fish and wildlife service (usfws).

one of those bills, the lizard act, would remove the dunes sagebrush lizard — native to texas and new mexico’s oil-rich permian basin — from the endangered list and prevent the usfws from ever listing it again. the usfws listed the lizard in may 2024, citing “loss of habitat associated with oil and gas development, sand mining and changing climate.”

“it’s not just oil and gas companies (affected by esa regulations),” rep. august pfluger (r-texas), who introduced the lizard act, said. “it’s also solar and wind companies subject to these restrictions and regulations. they’re very frustrated with how long the process takes.”

pfluger, who represents much of the permian basin and receives more money from the oil and gas industry than any member of congress, said he decided to introduce the bill because democrats had “weaponized endangered species.” he has publicly accused the biden administration of listing the lizard to halt drilling.

“when the agencies act in a politically motivated way that is weaponized against the energy industry, farmers and ranchers, roads and bridges, then congress has to step in,” pfluger said.

‘canaries in the coal mine’

the esa created the nation’s system for listing “endangered” and “threatened” species, giving washington real authority to protect them for the first time. anyone can petition for a listing, triggering a scientific review and public comment. once listed, a species is shielded from harm and habitat destruction, and federal agencies must consult the usfws before approving projects that could jeopardize it.

j.w. glass, an epa policy specialist at the center for biological diversity, said carve-outs for individual species could become a slippery slope.

“a lot of times endangered species are canaries in the coal mine,” glass said. “if we’re working to protect them, we don’t have to worry about water pollution down the line.”

in his first term, president donald trump narrowed the definition of “critical habitat,” reduced the types of species harm agencies needed to consider in consultations, and axed protections for threatened species.

even as biden reversed many of trump’s first-term environmental changes, a big shakeup from the supreme court left agency rules vulnerable to litigation going forward.

in 2024, the supreme court overturned “chevron deference,” shifting the power to interpret ambiguous statutes from federal agencies to the courts. pidot said the change could produce court-made limits on the esa that would be far harder to reverse than agency rules.

pfluger welcomed the ruling, saying it reins in agencies that “didn’t collaborate with communities” or conduct “unbiased” research.

in the face of these changes, experts worry allowing species to dwindle could damage ecosystems and hurt local economies.

for example, davenport said many endangered species — including the dunes sagebrush lizard — eat insects, which farmers nationwide would otherwise need to spend billions to control. she added that species like the florida manatee — reclassified from endangered to threatened in 2017 — contribute significantly to ecotourism revenue in local communities.

“from a very practical perspective, one thing that this administration completely ignores and just shoves under the rug is the huge sectors of our economy that are critically dependent on healthy, thriving ecosystems and the wildlife species that share them with us,” davenport said.

according to a 2011 report commissioned by the usfws, natural habitats in the lower 48 states supply $1.6 trillion in annual ecosystem services — more than 10% of u.s. gdp.

like pfluger, the oil and gas industry has generally supported the esa, but has also publicly advocated to decrease regulatory burdens, especially by promoting voluntary conservation agreements over endangered species listings.

in a 2017 public comment to the department of the interior, the independent petroleum association of america (ipaa) wrote that “energy development and conservation can coexist” and noted that many of its members participate in voluntary conservation agreements.

“some subtle changes to the regulatory framework of the esa could fulfill its promise of protecting species for future generations,” the ipaa wrote.

the american petroleum institute, texas oil & gas association, chevron, conocophillips, and several other trade associations and petroleum companies did not respond to requests for comment.

a 2019 study published in the journal peerj found that 99% of species protected under the esa have been saved from extinction. still, some politicians argue the esa isn’t succeeding at its mission, citing low recovery rates. after all, according to a 2024 letter to congress from the center for biological diversity, the usfws currently faces a backlog of more than 300 species awaiting review, and nearly 50 species have gone extinct waiting for protection.

the center attributed the extinctions to insufficient funding, and wrote in the letter that the usfws should receive an additional $70.1 million each year to process the backlog.

but the trump administration proposed cutting the service’s budget from approximately $1.7 billion in 2025 to $1.14 billion in 2026 — a decrease of more than $500 million. the service has also cut more than 400 staff.

“congress says, ‘oh, look at the esa. it never recovers species. it throws up all these roadblocks. but also we’re not funding it adequately,” davenport said. “what we say is that the esa is not broken — it’s starving.”

‘still time to right the ship’

despite the esa’s challenges, davenport said it’s not all doom and gloom. defenders of wildlife and the center for biological diversity have filed hundreds of lawsuits against the trump administration, winning many.

davenport said individuals can submit public comments on proposed rules at regulations.gov, call their representatives and plant native species to support habitat.

“we’re trying to bring attention to these issues while there’s still time to right the ship,” she said.

duke university conservation ecology professor stuart pimm said americans should lobby their members of congress to support biodiversity protections.

“the reality is that we as a nation love nature, benefit from nature, and are healthier if we can spend time in it,” pimm said.

as for the dunes sagebrush lizard, texas a&m ecology professor lee fitzgerald said oil and gas companies can protect the species by using directional subterranean drilling and minimizing road footprints, since the lizard depends on contiguous habitat.

he said citizens can attend public meetings and write to industry groups to advocate for conservation alongside economic growth.

“it would be nice if we could get past this idea that the lizard represents this damaging policy that hurts people and hurts the economy,” fitzgerald said.

the e.m. mills rose garden and thornden park: two green spaces neighboring each other that offer beauty, rest, community, and so much more to the city of syracuse, new york.

in an urban area full of buildings, traffic, construction, and noise, the rose garden and thornden park are gems of the city. both are supported by knowledgeable associations that advocate for the spaces, as well as volunteers who work hard to keep the spaces welcoming and accessible. this photo essay represents the beauty of these green spaces, and of the people who contribute so much of their lives to support them. 

click on the presentation below to see the full story!

deep within the rainforests of the central african republic’s dzanga-sangha protected areas, conservation teams are fighting to safeguard one of the last strongholds of the african forest elephant. 

here, in a clearing known as dzanga bai, forest elephants gather by the hundreds — one of the few places on earth where this critically endangered species can be observed in such numbers.

what makes dzanga bai — meaning “village of elephants” in sango — so attractive to these african giants? the minerals in the soil. 

rich in magnesium, calcium, and potassium, the soil at dzanga bai is beneficial to forest elephants’ digestive and reproductive health. long before the diamond mining industry came to define the central african republic, elephants were “mining” the soil in dzanga bai — digging up the mineral-rich soil and shaping the landscape itself. 

dzanga bai is more than an elephant stronghold. it’s home to two types of antelopes — bongos and sitatungas — and the giant forest hog, the world’s largest wild pig.

in essence, dzanga bai is a rare watering hole for the congo basin’s most precious mammal species.

but dzanga bai’s openness also makes it a point of vulnerability: ivory poachers have long targeted the clearing, including a 2013 massacre that killed at least 26 elephants in a single day. 

today, dzanga-sangha’s eco-guards, local researchers, and indigenous ba’aka trackers work in tandem to protect the bai and monitor the herd, work that has helped stabilize elephant numbers here even as populations collapse across the congo basin region. 

but as poaching remains a threat, the survival of dzanga bai depends on constant conservation presence.

preserving the herd

the journey to dzanga bai is an arduous one, through dense bush and waist-deep rivers of dzanga-sangha. indigenous ba’aka trackers lead research teams in silence along trails shaped by frequent elephant traffic. one tracker was killed by an elephant in 2021, so groups are urged to remain quiet and vigilant along the trek. 

before you reach dzanga bai, you can hear it — a soundscape straight out of “jurassic park” echoes for miles.

when the forest opens, the sight is staggering: over 150 elephants roam this open expanse in the world’s second-largest tropical rainforest.

for research assistant timothée dieu sauve, this dramatic trek is simply his daily commute. working with the world wildlife fund-car and the elephant listening project, dieu sauve camps out everyday at dzanga bai’s timber observation platform to document the wildlife activities of the bai.

“this has allowed us to better understand not only the number of elephants and other species that visit,” dieu sauve said. “it has helped us identify [elephants] and understand their interactions.”

the secret language of elephants

because forest elephants typically live within dense rainforests, dzanga bai is unique not just for its mineral deposits but also as an open space for social behavior.

here, researchers can study the complex acoustic communication among elephants.

the elephant listening project, a cornell university study founded in 2000, has spent over two decades recording the bai’s soundscape, using acoustic recorders placed throughout the forest. researchers have analyzed sounds ranging from powerful distress roars reaching 117 decibels to low-frequency rumbles used to locate other members of herds. 

many elephant calls are infrasonic — undetectable to human ears — yet able to travel miles through the forest.

each day, researchers record the symphony of elephants, ranging from inaudible to deafening noises, in an effort to understand the interior lives of the largest land mammals.

researchers even hypothesize that elephants communicate abstract emotions such as grief. but much of the forest elephants’ acoustic language is yet to be understood.

dzanga bai serves as a living laboratory for researchers as they work to translate the language of forest elephants.

at the edge of extinction

of the african elephant species, the forest elephant is most threatened by poaching, according to the international union for conservation of nature and natural resources. in dzanga bai, the exposed forest clearing makes these elephant herds even more of a target for ivory and bushmeat poaching in the dzanga-sangha protected areas.

for this reason, an armed wildlife protection unit of so-called eco-guards patrol the perimeter of dzanga bai daily to deter illegal hunting. 

but there hasn’t always been this level of investment in the forest elephants’ protection. wwf vice president of african forests allard blom, ph.d., has been studying these forest elephants for over four decades, and when the protected areas were first established in 1990, he recalled a prevailing belief among conservationists that forest elephants were in less need of protection than their savanna counterparts because they lived in hard-to-reach forests.

“people were saying at that time, ‘forest elephants are fine. we don’t have to worry about it. there are plenty of forest elephants. they’re not getting poached at all, because nobody can hunt in the forest,’” blom said. “which was complete nonsense.”

according to blom, elephant poaching in dzanga-sangha has worsened in recent years, requiring constant vigilance. and in 2021, forest elephants were listed as a critically endangered species due to increased ivory poaching.

but monitoring elephant populations is not an easy task in highly remote locations like dzanga-sangha. so every five years, the wwf-car team conducts a wildlife inventory across more than 1 million acres of its dense rainforests. 

wwf-car program director antoine edé uses these surveys to track population health across the protected areas and determine where eco-guards must be stationed. the wwf-car conservation team surveys wildlife populations through a handful of inventory methods, including “dung counts” of elephant feces and edna from leaf swabs. 

results from past inventories are clear: nonviolent, persistent eco-guard presence directly correlates with stable mammal populations.

and among all species in this corner of the congo basin, edé says none is more critical to monitor than the forest elephant.

“it’s a keystone species for the forest,” edé said. “and it’s a good indicator of what’s around because it’s one of the most butchered species.”

as of this year’s inventory, edé reported that elephant populations have held stable in dzanga-sangha, indicating that conservation efforts are working at dzanga bai and throughout the protected areas — but only so long as they continue.

so when it comes to protecting forest elephants, there are no off days at dzanga bai.

each morning, researchers like dieu sauve return to the platform to listen — to the roars, the rumbles, and the inaudible pulses traveling through the rainforest — while the elephants, the ancient miners of dzanga bai, continue to unearth the minerals that sustain them.

the resolution already passed the house and is now on its way to the president for his signature. once president donald trump signs it into law, it will reopen the region to development by removing recently designated conservation areas and federal subsistence protections for alaska native tribes. these protections ensure animal, fish and plant populations are stable enough to support traditional ways of life.

“my first thought was just shame on our federal leaders,” said cooper freeman, alaska director of the center for biological diversity. “at the swipe of a pen, just ripping this plan up and throwing these incredible public lands and this really wonderful, exemplary plan — revving it up and throwing it to the wayside and putting that decades-plus-long collaborative effort into a trash can.”

‘they all think that they can have it all’

the central yukon includes roughly 13.3 million acres of federally managed public lands in central and northern alaska.

although the bureau of land management has the authority to develop resource management plans on its own, the joint resolution of disapproval allows congress to issue oversight by overturning the blm action.

both alaskan senators voted in favor of the joint resolution to remove these federal protections less than a year after they were established, allowing mining companies to once again apply for grants to develop federal land.

sen. dan sullivan (r-alaska) said in a news release that overturning the management plan would free public lands from federal “lock-up.”

“despite objections from me, from sen. sullivan, the state of alaska, many alaska stakeholders, blm kind of plowed ahead [with the november 2024 plan],” sen. lisa murkowski (r-alaska) said when she addressed the senate before the vote on oct. 9. “they finalized a plan that overwhelmingly prioritizes conservation but fails to reflect the principle of multiple use — multiple use that is required with our public lands.”

the department of the interior declined to comment on how the rollback would affect conservation in the area.

the resolution comes after trump approved plans in the same region for the 211-mile industrial ambler road on oct. 6 to “unlock alaska’s mineral potential” by connecting mines with the dalton highway, which is the main throughway in the region.

blm previously denied the ambler road project a grant to build on federal land because its proposal to divide the habitat would endanger animal populations, the environment, ecotourism, and food and water security for over 60 alaska native villages.

without federal land protections, it may soon be possible to turn acreage over to state management — allowing the state to authorize further development with less input from blm.

conservationists like freeman say they are worried removing these protections will prioritize economic gains over the natural landscape and wildlife.

“they all think that they can have it all, that we can carve roads and put in oil and gas development and log old growth forests and mine, mine anywhere we want, and then it’ll all stay the same,” freeman said. “that’s a complete fantasy. all that will do is turn alaska into a wasteland and result in the loss of the subsistence culture that is in our amazing wildlife. it’s so much of what it means for alaska to be alaska.”

a years-long fight for conservation

for over a decade, federal workers collaborated with alaska native tribes, alaskan residents, federal agencies, and state representatives to develop a federal strategy to manage public lands in the central yukon.

the years of work culminated in november 2024, when blm finalized its rule.

the resulting central yukon resource management plan designated 21 areas for conservation and research, totaling roughly 3,611,000 acres. on these lands, mining and development companies must submit a full plan for their projects and receive federal authorization before moving forward. blm is legally required to consider environmental impacts in its review.

mickey stickman, the former first chief of the nulato tribe and bering sea-interior tribal commission executive board member, participated in the discussions that led to the management plan and said he is shocked that it is now in jeopardy.

“we’re just living our culture,” stickman said. “we’re just trying to live our lifestyle, and it’s just a way of life, but people don’t understand it, because there’s no money involved.”

the management plan designated caribou, dall sheep, moose, and north american beaver as “priority species” for the region, and it set several protections for specific habitats. these management policies include mitigating risks to wildlife when authorizing certain activities in conservation areas and closing a few habitats to mineral leasing, development, or disposal.

it similarly designated several rivers as “areas of critical environmental concern” to protect fish spawning grounds and closed some floodplains to mineral disposals.

the management rule also protects habitat corridors, which enable species like caribou to safely migrate in search of food and breeding grounds. freeman said these corridors are important for maintaining the natural alaskan landscape and supporting key food sources for indigenous peoples.

“every time we bring a whole moose into the village, there’s no monetary value put on that moose,” stickman said. “the state don’t care because they only want money.”

now, these federal protections will end

freeman said alaska is one of the last states with its wilderness untouched, which allows its residents and indigenous peoples to live off the land as they have for generations.

however, this wild landscape is changing — and with it, the way of life for some of its inhabitants, particularly alaska native tribes.

stickman said last year was the first time the western arctic caribou working group imposed hunting quotas for alaska natives, limiting families to five caribou each year in order to protect the herd. families once could hunt up to five caribou in one day, he said. he added that salmon catches have also yielded fewer fish than in previous years.

if signed into law, the resolution would further endanger food security, stickman said. he emphasized that overturning the federal subsistence protections opens wildlife up to people who hunt for sport, and removing conservation protections endangers species that support indigenous ways of life.

“i’m not going anywhere anytime soon, and that’s the difference between being indigenous and being white,” stickman said. “we like to live with our homelands forever.”

bats have a bad reputation, according to owen hejna, an ecologist at the lincoln park zoo in chicago. many people have a “horrible misconception” that bats are good for spreading rabies, sucking blood, and not much else, hejna said.

but the bat tracker community science project, an initiative through the lincoln park zoo’s urban wildlife institute (uwi), seeks to change that.

hejna, a 2024 graduate of loyola university of chicago, is the community science coordinator of uwi’s bat monitoring program. the initiative brings together volunteers in the chicagoland area for a unique citizen science project, while simultaneously educating the public about the benefits of bats.

for instance, according to hejna, bats are not only critical for pollinating crops and reducing nocturnal pests like mosquitos: they are also responsible for saving lots of money in the agricultural industry. by eating pests — such as lepidopterans, or moths — they protect crops, in turn saving an estimated $1 billion in the corn industry alone, according to a stanford university study.

how the bat tracker works

established in 2018, the bat tracker program gathers volunteers for “bat walks” to conduct acoustic monitoring. this monitoring allows uwi to collect data about bat populations and the challenges they face in chicago. the bat walks take place in 25 different locations, including recent expansions to neighborhoods in the south side and the city of evanston.

volunteers walk a roughly hourlong route at their monitoring site, equipped with a backpack, a microphone that picks up ultrasonic noise, and an ipad that receives the data. the technology, called echo meter, is able to identify bat species based on their calls. the team at uwi then uses this information to visualize the activity of bat populations in different regions of the city. in 2024, 7,300 bat calls were recognized over the course of 105 bat walks. 

this mobile monitoring is supplemented by stationary monitoring systems, where ultrasonic recorders are strapped to trees in a forest reserve. for over a week, the recorders collect data from sunset to sunrise each night. the stationary monitoring project mostly takes place at different locations from the bat walks, including natural spaces as far outside of chicago as the palos forest preserves south of the city and preserves near o’hare airport. this “urban-rural gradient” is used to “analyze how bats are using natural areas at different levels of urbanization,” hejna wrote in an email.

helping chicago’s bats thrive

so how is the data put to use? hejna said that the goal of the bat monitoring program is to study how cities can “build up [their] green spaces to better suit urban bat populations.” 

while agricultural benefits don’t necessarily apply to downtown chicago, bats also provide a wealth of advantages in urban spaces, including maintaining urban biodiversity, according to hejna. 

additionally, keeping track of bat populations allows scientists like hejna to monitor the spread of white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that has been decimating north american bat populations for more than 20 years. the program’s establishment in 2018 was largely in response to the initial detection of white-nose syndrome in illinois.

the community engagement aspect of the program also strives to decrease the stigma around urban bat populations. getting volunteers involved allows people to learn that bats are present (and even prevalent) in chicago, and to understand how to appropriately handle human-wildlife interactions with bats.

the data collected from bat walks can also be used to determine the impacts of some of the “anthropomorphic” characteristics of chicago that bat populations struggle with, such as urban noise, artificial light, and human-wildlife interactions, according to hejna.

in turn, hejna said, this information gives city planners and engineers better insight to inform city planning so that “urban areas can be better planned with wildlife in mind.”