Proposed Change to Endangered Species Act Threatens California's Sea Otter Haven

Here are the morning’s top stories on Monday, October 13th:

• The Trump Administration is considering a change to the federal Endangered Species Act that could create new risks for an area in California that has more sea otters than any other in the state.
• Last October, the state finished removing four dams from Klamath River up in far Northern California. In the year since the removal, there has been drastic changes to the area’s fish population, and overall water quality.

California’s Otter Oasis Could Face New Risks if Trump Admin. Changes Endangered Species Act 

Along California’s coast, between Santa Cruz and Monterey, sits a body of water named Elkhorn Slough–a place that has become a bastions for the state’s sea otters. With its abundance of fish and relatively undisturbed natural habitat, this seven-mile stretch of coast has become a go-to for otters looking to mate, raise their young, and play.

While restoration efforts have brought California’s sea otter population from the brink of extinction, after they were hunted for their furs through the 18th and 19th centuries, a new threat may be on the horizon.

Under the Endangered Species Act, it is illegal to “take” an endangered species. As a legal term, “take” refers to actions that would lead to the species being harassed, harmed or killed. In the legislation’s 52-year history, “harm” included actions that erased natural habitats.

The Trump Administration is looking to change that. It proposed changing the federal Endangered Species Act, so that destroying an animal’s natural habitat would not count as committing “harm” to the species.

Klamath River Flows With New Life A Year After Dam Removals

It has been a year since four dams were removed from Klamath River–a feat that took years of action from native communities and environmentalists to achieve.

It was the biggest dam removal in the history of the United States, and since its conclusion last October, there has been a marked change to the fauna and flora living in or near the 268-mile river.

One of the biggest changes has been the abundance of fish that now live in the river.