Responding a petition submitted this summer from California builders associations, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has opened the process for discussing removing Endangered Species Act protections for the Coastal California Gnatcatcher. Audubon California has joined several other conservation organizations and researchers in denouncing the effort.

“The fact that the California Gnatcatcher is a distinct subspecies worthy of protection was established in 1993, and there’s nothing in this latest petition that casts doubt on that determination,” said Brigid McCormack, executive director of Audubon California last June. “The California Gnatcatcher is emblematic of the rich ecology of southern California, an enduring remnant of our wild coast that has been lost to such a great extent.”

We'll have more on this issue within the week. Stay tuned.

(photo by Marci Koski/USFWS)