MBTA Lawsuit Victory | Great American Outdoors Act Passes

In this issue: Court Strikes Down Administration Policy That Let Companies Kill Birds, Seabirds Get a Virtual Lift in Congress from Audubon Advocates In this issue: Court Strikes Down Administration Policy That Let Companies Kill Birds, Seabirds Get a Virtual Lift in Congress from Audubon Advocates Trouble viewing this e-mail? Try our [web version](. We have exciting news to announce this month about the great work happening across the Audubon network, and because you are a vital part of our online community, we wanted to share these updates with you. In this newsletter, you’ll read about our MBTA lawsuit victory, good news about the Great American Outdoors Act, and how Audubon is joining a broad coalition of environmental justice and conservation groups to protect vulnerable environments from harmful NEPA rules. To receive periodic action alerts that connect you with decision makers when your voice matters the most, [sign up to be part of our Action Network here.]( [National Audubon Society]( ADVISORY August 2020 [Sandhill Cranes taking flight.]( [Court Strikes Down Administration Policy That Let Companies Kill Birds]( In a major victory for Audubon, other conservation groups, and eight states, a federal judge overturned a 2017 Interior Department policy that gave industries a free pass for bird deaths. [Read more.]( Sandhill Cranes. [A laptop screen displaying 12 people in a Zoom meeting. ]( [Seabirds Get a Virtual Lift in Congress from Audubon Advocates]( Audubon hosted a virtual Seabird Action Fly-in to educate legislators about the importance of healthy fisheries and coastal habitats to seabirds. The five-day event immersed grassroots participants from across the country in advocacy trainings, educational webinars, social media activities, virtual seabird watching, and legislative appointments. [Read more.]( Audubon participants from Michigan during the Seabird Action Fly-in. [A Red-tailed Hawk in flight.]( [Good News! Great American Outdoors Act Passes]( Last month Congress passed legislation to provide permanent, mandatory funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). LWCF helps preserve open spaces in every county in the country. [Read more.]( Red-tailed Hawk. [A close-up profile of a Golden Eagle]( [Audubon Sues Over Harmful NEPA Rules]( Last week a broad coalition of environmental justice and conservation groups sued the White House Council on Environmental Quality over regulations that would gut environmental reviews and silence community input. [Read more.]( Golden Eagle. [A Marbled Godwit standing in golden-colored water.]( [U.S. House Passes Important Water Bill]( In late July, the House passed the bipartisan Water Resources Development Act of 2020 to help restore major ecosystems like the Everglades, the Great Lakes, and the Mississippi River Delta. The bill also invests in resilient natural infrastructure to help address the threat of climate change. [Read more.]( Marbled Godwit. News from the Flyways - [Action Update: Bipartisan Support to Protect Bristol Bay]( - [Alaska: Audubon Joins Lawsuit Challenging Illegal Road in the Gates of the Arctic National Preserve]( - [Arizona: Rivers Could Face Irreparable Harm]( - [Colorado River Delta: New Senate Bill Threatens Environment and Birds of Lower Colorado River]( - [Florida: Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Plan Proposes New Protections for Vulnerable Wading Birds]( - [Mississippi: Big Sunflower River Named #3 on 2020 America’s Most Endangered List]( - [New Mexico: Audubon Releases Water into Rio Grande to Sustain Flows]( - [New York: State Announces Precedent-Setting Standards in Largest Solicitation for Renewable Energy in the U.S.]( - [North Carolina: As Legislature Adjourns, Conservation Funding Remains Intact for Now, While New Bill Bolsters Native Plants]( - [Rockies: How Cheatgrass and Other Invasive Plants are Threatening to Burn Down the West’s Sagebrush Steppe Ecosystem (video)]( - [South Carolina: Audubon Thanks State Lawmakers for Leading the Charge for Environmental Conservation in The Sumter Item]( Impact Updates [An artistic photo of a Red-throated Loon swimming on black water]( [Climate Corner]( Sarah Greenberger, Audubon’s Interim Chief Conservation Officer, writes in The Hill that recent gutting of regulations is inhibiting adequate review of renewable energy projects. While the responsible development of renewable energy infrastructure is one of our most promising answers to the climate crisis, the absence of federal leadership due to rollbacks of major wildlife protection laws puts the success of such projects, and our futures, at risk. [Read the op-ed.]( Red-throated Loon. [An Osprey in flights with a menhaden in its talons]( [Your Actions at Work]( Victory! Since 2017, we have been asking our members in Atlantic Coast states to weigh in to protect menhaden, a small fish that has an outsized role in the ocean food web. More than 18,000 Auduboners have written to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, urging them to ensure that menhaden populations never drop below levels that would put birds and other wildlife at risk. And last week, the Commission unanimously voted to adopt this new management approach. [Read more.]( Osprey with a menhaden in its grasp. Photos from top: Steve Torna/Audubon Photography Awards, Luke Franke/Audubon, Jess Deitz/Audubon Photography Awards, Kristen Franklin/Audubon Photography Awards, Mick Thompson/Audubon Photography Awards, Corey Nimmer/Audubon Photography Awards (left), Abeselom Zerit/Audubon Photography Awards (right), Marion Owen/Audubon Photography Awards CONNECT WITH US [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn]( [YouTube]( [DONATE]( [ADVOCATE]( National Audubon Society 225 Varick Street, New York, NY 10014 USA [(844) 428-3826](#) | [audubon.org]( © 2020 National Audubon Society, Inc. [Update your email address or unsubscribe](