Judge Approves Landmark 757 Species Settlement of Center for Biological Diversity @CenterForBioDiv

Dear Ray, Breaking news: Judge approves landmark 757 species settlement. Here's great news to start your weekend: A federal judge has just approved the Center for Biological Diversity's landmark agreement to move 757 of the country's most imperiled, least protected species toward protection. The judge's signature today makes the historic agreement the Center reached with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service official and legally binding. And it's the latest step in a decade-long effort at the Center to get vital federal protection for hundreds of America's most vulnerable plants and animals. All of them now have a fresh shot of survival. We couldn't have done this without you and your support, so thank you and join us in celebrating this important moment. Even before the judge today made our agreement legally binding, we've seen significant progress toward protecting species included in the Center's settlement. Over the past two months, dozens of species listed in the agreement have been proposed for listing. That includes one of the rarest butterflies in the United States, the Miami blue, which has been proposed for emergency protections. There's never been an agreement like this one: Between now and 2018, the Fish and Wildlife Service will decide on Endangered Species Act protection for hundreds of species, including the American wolverine, the Pacific fisher, Mexican gray wolf, sage grouse and the Pacific walrus. The deal includes species in all 50 states, including 26 birds, 31 mammals, 67 fish, 22 reptiles, 33 amphibians, 197 plants and 381 invertebrates. With the judge's approval today, we can count on important decisions about the fate of these species to be made in the coming months and years. And because of the ongoing hard work by our scientists, lawyers and advocates in reaching this agreement and continuing to fight for protections for other imperiled plants and animals, we can celebrate knowing that many of these species will finally get the help they so desperately need. I hope you'll join me, the Center's staff and our more than 320,000 supporters in taking a moment to reflect on this historic victory for America's plants and wildlife. There is always more work to be done -- and we'll be asking for your help again soon -- but we also need to pause and celebrate the big victories when we earn them. For the wild, Kierán Suckling Executive Director Center for Biological Diversity P.S. If you'd like to see a full list of the species covered by the agreement -- and an interactive map showing where they are in the U.S. -- check out the Center's interactive website here. P.P.S. Check out the Center's press release today on the judge's approval. Center for Biological Diversity P.O. Box 710 Tucson, AZ 85702 1-866-357-3349 www.BiologicalDiversity.org