The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to add the monarch butterfly to a list of threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. The agency says the move will bolster protection for the species and encourage its recovery.
If you live in Arizona, you’ve probably seen images of the striking orange-and-black-winged monarchs flying by the thousands en route to their winter homes in California and Mexico. It’s the only butterfly species that makes a two-way migration just like birds — with some coming from as far north as Canada.
But, environmental groups have long warned that their numbers are shrinking due to climate change. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates the butterfly’s Western and Eastern populations have declined by as much as 95% since the 1980s.
The agency says adding the butterfly to the list of threatened species will afford it federal protections and ramped up conservation efforts. Public comment on the rule is open until March.
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The House Natural Resources Committee met to review President Donald Trump’s funding proposal for the Interior Department, but Arizona Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva took that opportunity to talk about Las Playas Intaglio. -
The risk of human-caused wildfire is high due to hot and dry conditions. Certain activities are now restricted within state trust lands in Gila, Maricopa and Pinal counties, as well as the Tonto National Forest. -
Poll shows a divide between what people want and the direction of the Trump Administration when it comes to addressing global warming -
The Bureau of Land Management started the process to potentially lease 78,708 acres in northern Arizona for oil and gas drilling. A federal agency says he state has no significant oil or gas reserves. -
Lithium is a key metal for electric vehicle batteries and there is a global push to find new sources of it. There is currently only one lithium mine in operation in the United States, but that is about to change — and drastically.
