skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Shining Light on Plight of Wildlife in Michigan, World

play audio
Play

Thursday, March 3, 2016   

LANSING, Mich. – Animal lovers in Michigan are joining others around the world in commemorating World Wildlife Day, which draws attention to threatened and endangered species.

The Michigan Wildlife Conservancy works to protect fish, wildlife and habitat. And wildlife biologist Pat Rusz says Michigan has many threatened or endangered species. He adds with advancements in technology and information, it's not difficult to understand the plight of wildlife.

"There are different patterns that you see repeated again and again,” he points out. “And usually it boils down to habitat or genetics and we've learned now the importance of not letting species get down so low that sometimes despite habitat improvements they can't bounce back."

The U.N. established World Wildlife Day in 2013, and the day also highlights the threat of poaching to species.

While elephants, tigers and other vibrant species are poaching victims in other parts of the world, the crime also happens here. Typically deer are the target in Michigan, but in 2013 the poaching of a cougar lead to criminal charges.

Cougars are on both state and federal endangered lists, but Rusz says some people question that status. There is also controversy surrounding gray wolves, which were removed from the lists, and then placed back on by a federal ruling.

"As you celebrate this day of commemorating endangered species, it's still a sad situation when you have two apex predators that we can't seem to get an agreement as to their status," he states.

There are species successes in the state worth noting, Rusz says, including the Kirtland's warbler, an endangered species that only lives in Michigan during warm months. The bird has expanded over the past couple of decades from nesting in just Michigan's Lower Peninsula to now also the Upper Peninsula.





get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021