The Endangered Species Coalition has released "Removing the Walls to Recovery: Top 10 Species Priorities for a New Administration." The greater sage-grouse, the centerpiece of an ongoing federal effort to conserve more than 60 million acres of western lands, made the list. Hailey Hawkins with the coalition says the iconic bird's populations have declined by 97 percent because of clear-cutting, and oil and gas development.
"We are asking the next administration to vigorously oppose any Congressional attempts to discard the federal conservation plans," Hawkins said. "More than 350 dependent species will also suffer if the grouse isn't strongly protected."
The coalition is also urging the Trump administration to not build new walls along the U-S/Mexico border, which it says would threaten the jaguar and other species, and to replace existing metal walls with barriers that allow wildlife to pass. Hawkins said jaguars used to roam across the U-S, but only six are known to have lived in Arizona and New Mexico since the mid-1990s.
"You know, our wildlife is part of the public trust, meaning they 'belong' to all of us, and I don't see anything more American than protecting that," said Hawkins.
Also making the top 10 list of species needing protections are gray, Mexican and red wolves, the vaquita (va-key-tah) porpoise, yellow-faced bees, Snake River salmon, Joshua and bald cypress trees, elkhorn coral and the African elephant.