May 19th Deadline to Speak about Changing the Definition of “Harm” in the Endangered Species Act
May 13, 2025
The Mississippi gopher frog (Lithobates sevosus) is a critically endangered species. Threatened by habitat loss due to urbanization, draining of wetlands, and pollution, this species struggles to survive in its remaining fragmented habitats. This is just one of the many endangered species in the U.S. that the ESA needs to protect. (Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture)
The Rewilding Institute and many conservation partners and policymakers are sounding the alarm over the Trump Administration’s attempt to gut the Endangered Species Act by rejecting the very fact that species need habitat to survive. We submitted detailed comments to the federal agencies pushing the change in regulations—and you can too! The comment deadline is May 19, please take action for the wild and wild ones!
The full proposal is available at: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/04/17/2025-06746/rescinding-the-definition-of-harm-under-the-endangered-species-act
Follow the directions below to submit your comments.
- Go to regulations.gov
- Search for docket number: FWS-HQ-ES-2025-0034-0001
- Click on the “Comment” button in the upper left corner
- Make your voice heard by May 19, 2025
David Parsons received his Bachelor of Science degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Biology from Iowa State University and his Master of Science degree in Wildlife Ecology from Oregon State University. Dave is retired from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service where from 1990-1999 he led the USFWS’s effort to reintroduce the endangered Mexican gray wolf to the American Southwest. Dave’s interests include the ecology and conservation of large carnivores, protection and conservation of biodiversity, and wildlands conservation at scales that fully support ecological and evolutionary processes.
Dave is the Carnivore Conservation Biologist and a member of the Board of Directors of The Rewilding Institute; a former member of the Board of Directors of the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance; a founding member of the Science Advisory Board of Project Coyote; and a former graduate advisor in the Environmental Studies master’s degree program at Prescott College. Dave serves as a science and policy advisor for organizations and coalitions advocating for wolf recovery and landscape-scale conservation in the Southwest.
In 2001, Dave received the New Mexico Chapter of The Wildlife Society’s annual “Professional Award.” In 2007 at the North American Wolf Conference, Dave received the “Alpha Award” for his “outstanding professional achievement and leadership toward the recovery of Mexican wolves.” In 2008 he received the “Outstanding Conservation Leadership Award” from the Wilburforce Foundation and the “Mike Seidman Memorial Award” from the Sky Island Alliance for his conservation achievements. Dave received the “Leader of the Pack” award from Project Coyote in 2019 and was named a “Climate Hero” by the organization One Earth in March 2024.
Dave enjoys wildlife viewing, wilderness adventures, and dancing. He lives in Albuquerque, NM, with his wife, Noralyn.
Nadia Steinzor is an environmental consultant with 25 years of experience in policy analysis, research, writing, and communications. She has developed and managed projects to investigate the oil and gas industry’s impact on the climate and communities, secure governmental protections for air, water, land, and wildlife, and engage the public in advocacy efforts. Nadia worked with the Rewilding Institute to ensure that wolves and other carnivores thrive and roam in the Northeast and beyond, and is now Carnivore Conservation Director for Project Coyote. Nadia holds an M.S. in environmental policy from the Bard College Center for Environmental Policy.
