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.

Feds Release Plan to Save Ocelot in Arizona, Texas

play audio
Play

Wednesday, August 17, 2016   

TUCSON, Ariz. - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has released a recovery plan to restore and protect the endangered ocelot population, in both the U.S. and Mexico.

Officials said they have only identified a handful of the rare cats remaining in limited areas of Arizona and Texas in recent years, and that it is critical to begin taking steps to restore the species.

Robert Peters, senior southwest representative for the group Defenders of Wildlife, said part of the plan's success is to identify where ocelots are located, particularly in Arizona.

"There are five that were known; some of them showed up on trail cameras," he said. "Some of the first things that are laid out in the recovery plan is to get more of that information about the Arizona population."

The ocelot was placed on the endangered species list in 1982 due to habitat loss and overhunting. Peters said the plan's ultimate goal is to increase their numbers, protect their habitat, and enable them to pass between Arizona and Sonora, and Texas and Tamaulipas. He said ocelots are found in larger numbers in Central and South America, but fewer than 50 are known to exist in the U.S.

In order for the plan to succeed, Peters said it will need buy-in from state and local officials, landowners, and cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico. He added that 95 percent of the cats' native habitat has either become urbanized or converted to agriculture, so it will take political will to provide the necessary resources and to limit development.

"To succeed is going to require habitat protection, and more habitat than there is now," he added. "And absolutely vital will be corridors that are protected, so that ocelots can get back and forth between the U.S. and Mexico."

He noted other obstacles, such as copper mines and natural gas plants, have also played a role. The plan's long-term goal is to increase the ocelot population in the U.S. to 2,000 or more over the next century.

The full plan can be read here.


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