It doesn t get the kind of attention afforded the endangered monarch butterfly, but without the Mexican long-nosed bat, ingredients for one of America s favorite cocktails would be in short supply. The bat made the top 10 list of imperiled species in a new report highlighting the urgent need to address biodiversity loss and global warming. Kristen Lear, endangered species interventions specialist for the group Bat Conservation International, said the night-feeding mammal is the main pollinator of a plant used to make margaritas. .
Recent data on ocean conditions could be good news for struggling salmon in the Northwest. But advocates for the species warn this isn t enough to stop their alarming slide. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is expecting ocean waters to remain cold and more food abundant for the fish along the West Coast. .
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to use federal funds for a project to help keep invasive carp out of the Great Lakes. It is proposing using nearly $226 million from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for the Brandon Road Lock and Dam Project in Joliet. .
Wildlife advocates see Teton County s upcoming revised Lands Development Regulation on feeding wildlife as an opportunity to set a national standard for how communities and wildlife can peacefully co-exist and thrive. Kristin Combs, executive director of Wyoming Wildlife Advocates, said the lion s share of economic activity in the county is linked to income from people who travel from across the world to see wildlife in their historic habitats. "People are coming to this area to see things like bears and wolves, to see our national parks," Combs observed. " .