In the coming days, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will decide whether to list the monarch butterfly as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act.

The expected move is drawing reaction from wildlife experts in Kansas and elsewhere. Those who study the iconic insect said it has cultural and ecological value. The monarch is currently on its fall migration from Canada to Mexico, moving through states like Kansas.

Its population has shrunk by more than 90%.

Rebeca Quiñonez-Piñón, monarch recovery strategist and climate resilient habitat director for the National Wildlife Federation, said if it is listed, federal rules would be implemented to help monarch colonies.

"The benefit is that the Service can work on tailored rules for the species itself, which can be very specific," Quiñonez-Piñón emphasized. "To target the major needs of the monarch butterfly, to ensure that we can recover and increase the population size."

Leaders with the Monarch Watch program at the University of Kansas said a lot would depend on how the rules are drafted to see what kind of effect they could have and a public comment period would be part of the process. Like other states, the loss of milkweed plant, a key food source for the species, has had an effect on the monarch's presence in Kansas.

Mary Phillips, head of native plant habitat strategy for the National Wildlife Federation, said beyond their sheer beauty and complex migration abilities, the iconic monarchs could presage the future for other critical pollinators, so keeping them off the endangered list is critical.

"They're kind of the 'canary in the coal mine,' if you will, that have really flagged the significant effort of habitat loss, climate change and overall ecological ramifications," Phillips explained.

Kristen Baum, director of Monarch Watch at the University of Kansas, said aside from the regulatory landscape, there has been a strong patchwork of education and citizen-led initiatives tied to conservation. Whether you're in Kansas or another state, she stressed the monarch serves a social connector, beyond the scientific effects.

"So many people have monarch stories, they remember when they interacted with monarchs as a child," Baum observed. "(They are) wanting to keep those interactions going for future generations."

The southern Appalachian Mountains, known as the salamander capital of the world, are home to some of the most distinct wildlife in the country but Hurricane Helene's strong winds and flooding have left a trail of destruction across Western North Carolina.

Communities and businesses are working to recover and conservationists are raising concerns about how the storm has affected endangered species.

JJ Apodaca, executive director of the Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy, said one species in particular, the hellbender salamander, has suffered greatly.

"Hellbenders are a large aquatic salamander and several of those have been found dead across the region," Apodaca reported. "You can just imagine that something that's two feet long and doesn't really swim that well can't really escape the devastation."

Apodaca described the damage to habitats such as the Hickory Nut Gorge as catastrophic. He noted entire slopes and hillsides of trees have been wiped out, resulting in a complete loss of habitat for many species. While conservationists are still assessing the long-term effects, he stressed the outlook raises serious concerns for the future of the ecosystems.

Dalton George, national grassroots organizer for the Endangered Species Coalition and mayor pro tem of Boone, emphasized the importance of prioritizing wildlife and environmental health during recovery efforts. He pointed to greener infrastructure as a solution, prioritizing designs allowing wildlife to move freely, protecting clean water and managing stormwater effectively. He said the steps are essential to balancing recovery with long-term sustainability.

"With salamanders, with wildlife, here in the Appalachian Mountains, they need those protections now more than ever as we see the impacts of climate change and the extinction crisis happening globally," George asserted.

George highlighted the importance of the Endangered Species Act as a critical tool for preserving wildlife and their habitats. However, the act has faced repeated attacks in Congress. Conservationists say continued public support and advocacy are key to ensuring it remains a strong safeguard for the region's wildlife and ecosystems.


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Environmental advocates in Maryland are celebrating legislation that expands the definitions of wildlife in the state. The law also requires the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to review once every five years whether any new species need to be added to the state list.

Logan Christian, wildlife and habitat specialist with the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, said the expanding definition of wildlife includes invertebrates important in our food system - and other critical functions in our ecosystem.

"Pollinators are really important for biodiversity," Christian explained. "They're responsible for one out of every three bites of food that we take. Having the ability to think about all species -- where are species at and should they be listed -- it's just really important to have wildlife be defined broadly for that purpose."

He pointed out that a species could also be removed from the list, if conservation efforts succeed in increasing its wildlife populations.

The new law also lets private citizens get involved. Any interested person can submit a petition asking the Secretary of Natural Resources to review whether any species should be listed or removed from the Endangered Species Act. Christian said public input in species conservation can provide valuable help to government agencies trying to monitor hundreds of species.

"It allows for states to kind of add capacity by bringing in the public and non-profits and other keepers of knowledge in the state, who might have their finger on the pulse of what's happening with species better just because of the nature of their work or what they do," he continued.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources tracks the status of more than 550 species that are threatened, endangered or in need. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service only lists 39 of those species as threatened or endangered.

Maryland House Delegate Julie Palakovich Carr, who sponsored the bill, said it cements many existing practices in the state, such as including invertebrates in the definition of wildlife. She also emphasizes the Endangered Species Acts has worked well for conservation across the country - and in Maryland.

"The Endangered Species Act really has been a huge success - both the state level laws and the federal laws. We have preserved so much biodiversity in our country over the last 50 years because of this law - and we really should regard this as one of the great environmental protections in our country," she said.

The new policies governing endangered species went into effect July first.


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Conservation groups have sued the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to stop a logging project in Montana's Garnet Mountains.

Wildlife advocates said the project threatens a migration corridor for grizzly bears and other animals. The Clark Fork Face Project, about 30 minutes east of Missoula, would allow logging on nearly 17,000 acres of land overseen by the BLM.

Mike Garrity, executive director of the Alliance for the Wild Rockies, said the effort would sever vital connectivity corridors for wildlife navigating between the Northern Continental Divide, Greater Yellowstone and Bitterroot ecosystems.

"The Garnet mountains are an important wildlife corridor for carnivores such as grizzly bear, lynx and wolverines," Garrity explained.

Despite the lawsuit, the BLM started logging in the Garnet earlier this week. Garrity noted the Alliance will ask the court for an injunction to stop clear-cutting until the case is decided. The BLM argued the project will improve forest health and reduce hazardous wildfire fuels across a majority of the area.

Garrity countered the Garnet Mountains are geographically critical to the grizzlies, which are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

"Scientists say for grizzly bears to be recovered, we once again have to have one connected population of grizzly bears in the northern Rockies," Garrity emphasized. "Otherwise, there's a big risk of inbreeding."

Garrity added the conservation groups plan to amend their complaint to also sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for its role in the Clark Fork Face Project.