West Virginia environmental groups have sued the Forest Service for failing to protect streams in the Cherry River watershed from the impacts of coal hauling in the Monongahela National Forest. The watershed is home to the critically endangered candy darter, a freshwater fish striped in bright green and orange. But environmentalists say trucks brimming with coal are spilling harmful sediment and pollutants into its waters. .
Iowa wildlife officials are asking outdoor enthusiasts to cast a birds-eye view on bald eagle nests to help track their health, and are also on a mission to boost the number of amphibians in the state - all with the help of volunteers. There are between 700 and 800 eagle nests in Iowa, thanks in large part to protections from the Endangered Species Act - a federal law that just turned 50. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources Bald Eagle Nest Monitor Program Director Stephanie Shepherd said the state is using volunteer eagle watchers to monitor the health and progress of the nesting eagles, and focus on one key metric. .
Chronic wasting disease has spread into new territory - Elk Hunt Area 28 near Lander, according to Wyoming Game and Fish. The discovery comes on the heels of a new report meant to help wildlife managers decide how to go forward with two winter feed grounds, which are widely viewed as potential CWD super spreader sites, in Bridger-Teton National Forest. University of Wyoming Professor Brant Schumaker said continuing feed grounds could help keep elk populations relatively high in the short term. .