Endangered Species

It would still be illegal to harm Mountain West species, such as jumping mice, migratory birds and desert tortoises, but their habitats may no longer be federally protected.

Environmentalists are applauding the much-anticipated decision from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, but there is a catch.

The Colorado River is one of the most engineered river systems in the world. Over millions of years, the living creatures that call the river home have adapted to its natural variability, of seasonal highs and lows. But for the last century, they have struggled to keep up with rapid change in the river’s flows and ecology.