Endangered Species Act

States are increasingly leading projects in national forests.

In a recent heated committee hearing on Capitol Hill, U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Washington, argued against bringing grizzly bears to the North Cascades.

Grizzly bears will be brought into Washington’s North Cascades. After decades of work, the federal government decided to slowly move them in.

The tribe filed suit under the Endangered Species Act because they say the wall is harming three species of endangered fish, including Chinook salmon. A judge ruled in favor of the tribe Friday, after visiting the dam site.

After decades of courtroom drama, a document leak and years of negotiation, federal officials agreed with six Northwest tribes to restore salmon, build-up clean energy and begin studying how to replace services the Lower Snake River dams provide.

In a strong sign that the U.S. will consider breaching four controversial dams on the Snake River, a leaked Biden administration document says the government is prepared to help build clean energy projects to replace the power generated by the dams.

Fifty years after the U.S. Endangered Species Act took effect, officials say 99% of the animals and plants it protects have survived. But some scientists and activists fear the act itself is in trouble.

Scientists along the West Coast are seeking action to help sunflower sea stars recover from catastrophic population declines. The National Marine Fisheries Service is expected to announce by early next year whether the species should be listed under the Endangered Species Act.

As boating season heats up, so do encounters with marine wildlife. Concerned citizens aim to educate others on whale wise behavior. State wildlife officials appreciate the help with their force spread thin and different enforcement protocols for the endangered southern resident orcas and transient, or Bigg's, killer whales.

The owners of the Electron Dam on the Puyallup River reached a settlement with conservation groups that prevents the project from re-starting unless or until they have addressed impacts on endangered fish.