Articles

Is It a ‘Species’ or a ‘Subspecies’? We Need Consistency.

October 09, 2018 | By DAMIEN SCHIFF

Late last year, PLF submitted a petition for rule-making to the Interior and Commerce Departments (and their delegate agencies the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service), requesting the promulgation of definitions for the terms “species” and “subspecies” as used in the Endangered Speci ...

Articles

Briefing nearing completion in gnatcatcher challenge

August 30, 2018 | By DAMIEN SCHIFF

This week we filed our final trial court brief in our challenge to the Endangered Species Act listing of the coastal California gnatcatcher. We argue that the gnatcatcher should not be listed as a distinct “subspecies.” The Service and the environmental intervenors contend that the listing should be upheld because the Service used the b ...

Articles

Preble’s jumping mouse lawsuit notice given

July 23, 2018 | By DAMIEN SCHIFF

Today, PLF provided notice to the Secretary of Interior and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of its intent to bring suit to challenge the Service’s denial of the petition to delist the Preble’s meadow jumping mouse. The petition, which PLF submitted on behalf of a broad coalition of Colorado and Wyoming property owners and … ...

Articles

Opening brief in gnatcatcher listing challenge

June 22, 2018 | By DAMIEN SCHIFF

Today, we filed our opening merits brief in our challenge to the federal Endangered Species Act listing of the coastal California gnatcatcher. Our lawsuit takes aim at the taxonomic foundation of the listing, namely, whether the gnatcatcher—a diminutive songbird that inhabits very prime real estate in parts of coastal and inland Southern Cali ...

Articles

Preble’s delisting petition denied

April 18, 2018 | By DAMIEN SCHIFF

Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published its denial of PLF’s petition to delist the Preble’s meadow jumping mouse from the Endangered Species Act. The short finding makes two basic arguments, one procedural and one substantive. As to procedure, the petition denial observes that the genetic study PLF relied on in the petition& ...

Articles

A petition to resolve the Endangered Species Act taxonomy debate

November 13, 2017 | By DAMIEN SCHIFF

PLF and several allied organizations submitted a petition for rule-making to the federal agencies that administer the Endangered Species Act. The petition asks the agencies to define “species” and “subspecies,” terms which, although critical to the Act’s operation, are left undefined by statute and regulation. … ...

Articles

A jumping mouse point counterpoint

November 11, 2017 | By DAMIEN SCHIFF

Earlier this year, we submitted, on behalf of a coalition of scientists and property rights advocates, a petition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to delist the Preble’s meadow jumping mouse from the Endangered Species Act. … ...

Articles

Notice of anticipated gnatcatcher lawsuit submitted

July 18, 2017 | By DAMIEN SCHIFF

This week, PLF submitted a notice of intent to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over the agency’s denial last year of our petition to delist the coastal California gnatcatcher from the Endangered Species Act. The petition sought the gnatcatcher’s delisting on the basis of a 2013 nuclear DNA study, which undermines the gnatcatcher& ...

Articles

PLF takes first move in effort to delist the Preble's meadow jumping mouse

February 07, 2017 | By DAMIEN SCHIFF

Late last week, PLF gave notice to the pertinent Colorado and Wyoming wildlife agencies of our intent, on behalf of a broad coalition of property rights and sound science advocates, to petition the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to delist the Preble’s meadow jumping mouse from the Endangered Species Act. The mouse’s tenure on ...