Wildlife (generally)
The Public Trust in Wildlife: Closing the Implementation Gap in 13 Western States
State wildlife agencies commonly claim they are entitled to manage wildlife under the public trust doctrine (PTD). This assertion is frequently made in judicial proceedings, with state requests that their managerial authority be given...
Dirty Money and Wildlife Trafficking: Using the Money Laundering Control Act to Prosecute Illegal Wildlife Trade
The global community is awakening to the extent and sophistication of the illegal wildlife trade. With an estimated annual value of $5 billion to $23 billion, the seriousness of the problem increases when calculated with other illicit...
A Pendulum Seldom Stops in the Middle: Shifting Views on “Take” of Raptors and Other Migratory Birds
This Comment provides background on the evolution of the expanded reach of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) take prohibition as interpreted in multiple FWS policies, and the contradictions inherent in those policies. To illustrate...
Small Critter, Big Problem: Protecting the Pearl River Map Turtle in Mississippi
Mississippi has 47 animal species federally protected under the Endangered Species Act. That list includes all types of animals, from whales to mollusks, but it does not include the Pearl River map turtle (Graptemys pearlensis...
The Bear Essentials: How Landscape-Level Conservation May Help Save Florida’s Biodiversity and Realize the Vision of the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act
The express mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System “is to administer a national network of lands and waters for conservation, management, and where appropriate, restoration of the fish, wildlife and plant resources and their...
Going the Way of the Dodo: De-Extinction, Dualisms, and Reframing Conservation
De-extinction, an emerging suite of selective breeding or biotechnological processes for reviving and releasing into the environment members or facsimiles of an extinct species, has been the subject of a recent surge of analysis in...
Humane Society v. Jewell: The Court Cries Wolf
In Humane Society of the United States v. Jewell, a federal district court invalidated the Endangered Species Act (ESA) delisting of wolves in the western Great Lakes (WGL) Distinct Population Segment. This decision culminated...
Monetary Rewards for Wildlife Whistleblowers: A Game-Changer in Wildlife Trafficking Detection and Deterrence
Despite the enactment of scores of wildlife protection laws, illegal activities are difficult to detect under current enforcement policies. Both the Lacey Act and the Endangered Species Act include language providing monetary incentives...
Livestock Production, Climate Change, and Human Health: Closing the Awareness Gap
Livestock should be removed from public lands for myriad reasons. Eliminating what is now extensive grazing by ruminants would cut methane emissions, with attendant benefits for climate mitigation. Removing livestock from public lands...
Defenders of Wildlife v. Jewell: Wyoming Wolves Receive a Warranted Reprieve—But for How Long?
In September 2014, a federal district court invalidated a U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) regulation delisting wolves in Wyoming. This Article details the background and history of that litigation, arguing that the court correctly...