This week on The Wild Line, we’re celebrating some rare and welcome good news for the red wolf, with pups on the ground in North Carolina and a population that’s finally on the rise. We’ve also got updates on a court order halting construction in the Everglades, a legal win for one of the Pacific’s most important marine monuments, and a new tool that lets you see which public lands the BLM has marked for possible sale. Plus, we check in on efforts to defend California’s Chuckwalla National Monument and hear Anders’ take on a troubling federal move in DC. We’re taking a short summer recess next week, but not before teeing up Tuesday’s Wild Idea Podcast conversation about a big win for the Okefenokee Swamp.

Red Wolf Population Sees Significant Growth – North Carolina

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced the addition of up to 16 pups to the only wild red wolf population in the world. With 18 known adult wolves, the population has grown more than 150 percent since its low in 2020. This year marks the highest number of breeding pairs, litters, and pups in at least five years. The Southern Environmental Law Center and partners played a key role in securing renewed federal conservation and recovery efforts. That same day, North Carolina Representatives Valerie Foushee and Greg Murphy introduced a bipartisan resolution urging continued recovery support, including prioritizing wildlife corridors.

“It’s fantastic news. We kind of wait with bated breath, and this year is one of the most successful breeding years we’ve had since about 2020. We have five mating pairs of wolves, four of whom had successful litters, and so we’ve got at least 12 pups on the ground, a good mix of male and female, which is great for increasing numbers in the population,” said Ben Prater, Defenders of Wildlife.

Judge Halts Everglades Detention Center Construction – Florida

A U.S. District Court judge issued a 14-day temporary restraining order to stop further construction of an immigrant detention facility in the Florida Everglades. Plaintiffs, including the Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the Everglades, and the Miccosukee Tribe, argued the project lacked an environmental impact statement and harms endangered species such as the Florida panther. The order does not halt current facility operations.

Fishing Ban Restored in Marine National Monument – Pacific Ocean

U.S. District Judge Micah W.J. Smith blocked commercial longline fishing in the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument, reversing a Trump-era order that had lifted the ban without public comment. The monument, created in 2009 and expanded in 2014, is one of the last remaining pristine marine environments. Native Hawaiian plaintiffs, represented by Earthjustice, successfully argued that the rollback violated federal law and excluded public input.

“The victory we got last Friday is a decisive ruling from the federal court that the public has to be involved in future decisions regarding the management of the monument. In the meantime, the ban on commercial fishing that was put in place after President Obama’s proclamation in 2014 remains in effect. Simply put, no commercial fishing is currently legal inside the monument,” said David Henkin, Earthjustice.

“It’s one of the last remaining pristine marine environments left… we need to preserve these remote areas so that we can study them, and also for their own value as intact marine ecosystems, because there are so few places left on earth that are untouched by direct human impact,” Henkin added.

New Map Reveals BLM Disposal Parcels

OnX and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership released an interactive map showing Bureau of Land Management parcels identified for potential “disposal” under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976. The tool consolidates information previously buried in lengthy documents, allowing the public to see and comment on parcels that could be sold for development or management efficiency. Many parcels were identified decades ago and may now hold greater recreational or ecological value.

Groups Defend Chuckwalla National Monument – California

A coalition of conservation organizations, including the Center for Biological Diversity, the Conservation Lands Foundation, the National Parks Conservation Association, Earthjustice, The Sierra Club, and The Wilderness Society, filed motions to intervene in a lawsuit seeking to overturn the designation of the Chuckwalla National Monument. The Native American Rights Fund, representing several tribes, filed a similar motion earlier. The monument’s boundaries, set in collaboration with tribes, NGOs, and local stakeholders, protect tribal resources, wildlife habitat, and opportunities for solitude.

Federal Law Enforcement Takeover Announced – Washington, DC

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum committed U.S. Park Police to President Trump’s plan to take over the DC police force and federalize the National Guard. Anders shared his perspective as an 18-year DC resident, noting the city’s balanced budget, low crime rates, and the troubling context of Trump’s actions in light of January 6, 2021.

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Next week The Wild Line will take a short break during recess, returning August 29 with more headlines from our public commons. And on Tuesday’s Wild Idea Podcast, Bill and Anders talk with Kim Bednarek, Executive Director of Okefenokee Swamp Park, about a major recent victory for the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.

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