U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)

Good news: Healthy wetlands are vital to local communities, economies, and wildlife across the United States. Bad news: Vegetated wetlands, like marshes and swamps, are disappearing so quickly that 670,000 acres were lost between 2009 and 2019, an area approximately equal to the land area of Rhode Island. Our recent National Wetlands Status and Trends Report was just released and it shows that wetland loss increased substantially between 2009 and 2019. While this data is sobering, it also reiterates the importance of wetland conservation. Check out the comments to discover 10 ways YOU can help wetlands. #AmericanWetlandsMonth Video showing a time-lapse of wetland loss by USFWS

Beep! Beep! Look out, here comes the longest species of snake native to North America! The eastern indigo snake is a non-venomous noodle that lives in the longleaf pine forests of the southeastern United States. Not only are these snakes gorgeous with their bejeweled shimmering scales, but they also play a critical role in population control for many small mammals, birds, amphibians, and some other reptiles. Eastern indigos also represent one of the many species that are currently listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). To date, the ESA has prevented the extinction of hundreds of iconic American species and protected their habitats and the ecosystems that support them. Help us celebrate the ESA on Endangered Species Day. Video courtesy of Ben Stegenga. Video Description: A long eastern indigo snake slithers past a camera set up on the ground. Thirty seconds go by as the snakes long body inches past the camera lens.

When Typhoon Mawar struck Guam last year, with its 140 mph winds and 30 inches of rain, new moorings funded by USFWS helped save boats! The typhoon was the strongest storm to hit the island in 20 years. Just one month earlier, the harbor project was completed, with the help of Boating Infrastructure Grant funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “The whole intention of the Harbor of Refuge is for boats to be able to seek shelter during a storm,” Dora Perez, a planner with the Port Authority of Guam said. “It's a multi-use facility, and the primary use of the refuge is for safety of boaters during a storm.” Having a safe and functional harbor also provides conservation benefits. Tying up to a mooring instead of dropping an anchor protects fragile corals, reduces impacts on marine plants and animals, and curtails pollution. The Boating Infrastructure Grant program was established in 1998 and is administrated by the Service’s Office of Conservation Investment. Read the full story: https://lnkd.in/eMGtP5yC Photo: NASA

Do you share any traits with the endangered Aleutian shield fern? • Head in the clouds, but actually-down-to-earth • Smol and fuzzy • You keep your workspace cool and windy • Prefers holding ledges over grudges • Staycation > travel • Almost a fossil- the fam *grows* back to the Pleistocene epoch- between 12,000 and 2.5 million years ago 🌿🌿 Wave your fronds in the air like you just don't care and get ready for tomorrow's Endangered Species Day! Learn how USFWS scientists followed the field notes of their predecessors in search of Alaska's only endangered plant. Link in the comments. ⬇️ Photos by Sabrina Farmer/USFWS

Please call us brooms because we swept away the competition! 🥇 Hey everyone, check it out! We just snagged not one, but TWO Webby Awards for Best Social Campaign 2024 and the People's Voice Webby for Best Social Campaign. The award was for our 2023 social media campaign of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) turning 50 years old. This award belongs to our social media audiences just as much as it does to our agency! Big shoutout to our awesome team and thanks to all of you for helping to celebrate the importance of the ESA! #ESA50

As recently as two decades ago, the Chesapeake logperch — a greenish-gold, zebra-striped fish no longer than a pencil — wasn’t considered its own species. It was lumped in with the similar-looking but more common logperch. Genetic testing confirmed the Chesapeake logperch was a much rarer species and at risk of disappearing from its namesake watershed, but proactive conservation gave them space to rebound. https://ow.ly/uSr450RvTLr 📸Kayt Jonsson/UFSWS

Karner blue butterflies are endangered pollinators about the size of a quarter. Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin is the perfect place to spot them thanks to an abundance of wild lupine (Lupinus perennis) - their only host plant! 📷 Jill Utrup/USFWS

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT! We’re hiring a public affairs specialist (GS-12/13) to be stationed in Yreka, CA, Klamath Falls, OR, Tulelake, CA or Sacramento, CA (location in the Klamath Basin preferred). Duties include: - Conducting media relations and pitching efforts, writing and editing briefing papers, talking points, key messages and news releases. - Developing (or coordinating) communications plans/strategies and initiatives, VIP visits and working with a wide range of partner agencies to support conservation goals. - Research and writing original feature stories with photos and video, social media posts and other communications materials for public and internal release. Public: https://ow.ly/jj9l50RG7Q8 Government-wide: https://ow.ly/JBZu50RG7Q9 If interested in joining the Region 8 communications team, apply for this position by May 21, 2024. Photos by USFWS

Bobcats like to spice up their usual meal planning with an occasional rattlesnake. NBD. Rabbits and hare tend to be a favorite meal for a bobcat, but venomous snakes make the menu every now and then. They are also known to eat small deer, lizards and birds. This image was captured by a trail camera at Imperial National Wildlife refuge in Arizona.

From the Clown Knifefish (pictured) to the Electric Eel, the bizarre "knifefishes" will wow you with their superpowers 🗡️⚡ Catch new episodes of Fish of the Week every Monday at FWS.gov or wherever you get your podcasts! 🎣 📷 Zachary Randall/Florida Museum #AllTheFish #podcast