Environment

Florida’s staghorn and elkhorn corals once helped build the living reefs that protect coastlines, support fisheries, shelter marine life, and define Florida’s ocean heritage. Their functional extinction is a heartbreaking warning about what happens when climate change, pollution, and underfunded conservation collide. But this moment must also be a call to action: with fully funded coral recovery programs, science-based protections, and renewed commitment to the Endangered Species Act, Florida’s reefs can still have a fighting chance.

How many whales does it take to save a species? For the Rice’s whale, the answer may be all of them. Found only in the Gulf of Mexico, this newly recognized species is already on the edge of extinction, with just 51 estimated to remain. By studying individual whales, scientists have uncovered critical insights about how Rice’s whales feed, rest, travel, and survive in one of the most industrialized marine environments in the world. Their stories are a reminder that science, not politics, must guide decisions about endangered wildlife, and that every protection matters when extinction is this close.

Black-footed ferrets are considered one of the most endangered species in the United States, with just under 500 left in the wild.

At our March 31 protest, ESC Executive Director Susan Holmes delivered a clear and urgent message: no administration should be allowed to play politics with extinction. Her remarks captured both the danger of this moment and the determination of a movement ready to defend the Endangered Species Act.

Karyn Bigelow brought a community-centered vision to our March 31 protest, connecting the fight for wildlife with the fight for healthy, thriving communities. Her message underscored that protecting endangered species is also about protecting the future we all share.

Avery Davis Lamb joined us on March 31 with a reminder that protecting endangered species is not only a scientific and political responsibility, but also a moral one. Their presence helped lift up the role of faith communities in defending creation and standing against environmental harm.

Shantha Ready Alonso joined our March 31 protest with a message rooted in justice, community, and the urgent need to protect nature alongside people. Her leadership reflects a vision of conservation that listens to frontline communities and recognizes that biodiversity loss is inseparable from human well-being.

At our March 31 protest, Sara Gonzalez-Rothi brought a powerful perspective shaped by public service, ocean policy, and a lifelong connection to the water. Her remarks reminded us that protecting wildlife is personal, and that the choices we make about ecosystems are also choices about our own future.

Protecting manatees starts with awareness, care, and letting them remain wild.

As America approaches 250 years of independence, we are sharing regional wildlife stories about endangered and threatened species.

The Southeast is a region alive with motion. In the Everglades—one of America’s most unique and endangered habitats—slow-moving rivers of water wind through cypress swamps. Warm ocean waters sustain the rainforests of the sea, our coral reefs, while critically endangered pine forests provide roosts for threatened and endangered wildlife. Shaped by water, heat, hurricanes, and resilience, the Southeast is a landscape unlike any other.