Pronounced extinct in 1979, a small colony of black-footed ferrets was found in the wild near Meeteesee, WY, in 1981. Animals from this colony were used to start a captive breeding program, which has since released hundreds of animals back into the wild across the western states and Mexico. Hopefully these colonies will help to re-establish the species in the wild.
By James Ewing:
Trump’s Republican administration has been carrying out an unprecedented attack on our bedrock environmental laws, from the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act, to the National Environmental Policy Act, to the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
“Save EPA”, a volunteer organization made up of retired and former employees of the Environmental Protection Agency says, the Trump administration is changing their mission from protecting human health and the environment to protecting industry.
On July 19th, the administration proposed the most sweeping set of changes in decades to the Endangered Species Act.
Although 90% of voters support the ESA the Interior Department has proposed new provisions rendering it ineffective.These include a provision that, for the first time, “allows” economic consequences of protecting plants or animals to be considered when deciding whether or not they face extinction.
As originally written an endangered species is listed “solely on the basis of the best scientific and commercial data available without reference to possible economic or other impacts of such determination.” The new proposal eliminates the latter phrase, thereby exposing a listing decision to cost-benefit analysis.
Another change requires considering economic factors when deciding whether or not a species should be protected at all.
Environmentalists are concerned the changes will remove protections for the country’s most threatened species. (Including Polar bear, Texas ocelot, Florida panther, Woodland caribou, Leatherback turtle, Southern Blue Fin Tuna, Red wolf.)
The changes are part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to dismantle ecosystem protections and disregard science when making decisions about the environment.
In its 40-year existence, the ESA “has successfully protected 99% of all listed species” said Christy Goldfuss, at the liberal Center for American Progress, “this administration is working to further imperil the more than 1,600 threatened and endangered species.”
“This is the first time that we’ve seen an orchestrated effort by the president and Republican congress, the industry and the Interior Department all working together in a concentrated effort to eviscerate the act,” said Bruce Babbitt former Secretary of the Interior (1993-2001).
Our voice endorsing this myopic, appalling gutting of environmental protections is our current house representative Lee Zeldin (R-CD1) and this voice cannot stand.
“Only after the last tree has been cut down,
Only after the last river has been poisoned,
Only after the last fish has been caught,
Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten.”
– Native American prophecy
R&R - Reachout and Rebuild 
great james never heard of that saying.. very powerful you should consider sending to a local paper edited down and ask how certain local republicans that call themselves conservation and enviromentally minded support this decimation of our planet through this republican party (not the enviromental party of teddy roosevelt)