A3
THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2022
Study: The decrease
in salmon threatens
killer whale numbers
Associated Press
Tom Gallagher/AP Photo
A northern spotted owl in California.
Judge throws out Trump-era rollbacks
on protections for endangered species
Decision restores
some protections
By MATTHEW DALY
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — A
federal judge on Tuesday
threw out a host of actions
by the Trump administra-
tion to roll back protections
for endangered or threat-
ened species, a year after the
Biden administration said it
was moving to strengthen
species protections weak-
ened under former President
Donald Trump.
U.S. District Judge Jon
Tigar in Northern California
eliminated the Trump-era
rules even as two wildlife
agencies under President
Joe Biden are reviewing or
rescinding the Trump-era
regulations. The decision
restores some protections
under the Endangered Spe-
cies Act while the reviews
are completed.
Environmental groups
hailed the decision, which
they said speeded up needed
protections and designa-
tion of critical habitat des-
ignations for threatened spe-
cies, including salmon in the
Pacifi c Northwest.
Tigar’s ruling “spoke
for species desperately in
need of comprehensive fed-
eral protections without
compromise,” said Kristen
Boyles, an attorney for the
environmental group Earth-
justice. “Threatened and
endangered species do not
have the luxury of waiting
under rules that do not pro-
tect them.”
The court ruling comes as
two federal agencies — the
U.S Fish and Wildlife Ser-
vice and National Marine
Fisheries Service — review
fi ve Endangered Species
Act regulations fi nalized
by the Trump administra-
tion, including critical hab-
itat designations and rules
requiring federal agencies
to consult with other agen-
energy development such
as mining or oil drilling that
could disturb a vulnerable
species, while the consul-
tation rule, and a separate
rule on the scope of pro-
posed federal actions, helps
determine how far the gov-
ernment may go to protect
imperiled species.
Under Trump, offi cials
rolled back protections for
the northern spotted owl,
“I HOPE THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION TAKES
THIS OPPORTUNITY
TO STRENGTHEN THIS
CRUCIAL LAW, RATHER
THAN WEAKEN IT, IN THE
FACE OF THE ONGOING
EXTINCTION CRISIS.”
— Ryan Shannon | lawyer with the Center for Biological Diversity
cies before taking action on
threatened or endangered
species.
Fish and Wildlife also
said it will reinstate the
so-called “blanket rule,”
which mandates additional
protections for species
that are newly classifi ed as
threatened. Those protec-
tions were removed under
Trump.
Critical habitat desig-
nations for threatened or
endangered species can
result in limitations on
gray wolves and other spe-
cies, actions that Biden has
vowed to review. The Biden
administration previously
moved to reverse Trump’s
decision to weaken enforce-
ment of the century-old
Migratory Bird Treaty Act,
which made it harder to
prosecute bird deaths caused
by the energy industry.
The decision on the
bird law was among more
than 100 business-friendly
actions on the environment
that Trump took and Biden
wants to reconsider, revise
or scrap.
A spokesman for the U.S.
Department of the Interior,
which oversees the Fish
and Wildlife Service, said
the agency is reviewing the
decision.
Fish and Wildlife, along
with the marine fi sheries
service, announced in June
2021 that they were were
reviewing the Trump-era
actions. The reviews could
take months or years to
complete, offi cials said.
Industry groups and
Republicans in Congress
have long viewed the
Endangered Species Act
as an impediment to eco-
nomic development, and
under Trump they success-
fully lobbied to weaken the
law’s regulations. Environ-
mental groups and Demo-
cratic-controlled states bat-
tled the moves in court,
but many of those cases
remained unresolved.
Ryan Shannon, a lawyer
with the Center for Biolog-
ical Diversity, another envi-
ronmental group, said he
was “incredibly relieved”
that “terrible” Trump-era
rules governing the Endan-
gered Species Act were
thrown out by the Oakland,
California-based Tigar, who
was appointed to the federal
bench by former President
Barack Obama.
“I hope the Biden admin-
istration takes this opportu-
nity to strengthen this cru-
cial law, rather than weaken
it, in the face of the ongoing
extinction crisis,’’ Shannon
said.
BELLINGHAM, Wash.
— Southern resident
killer whales have not had
enough food for several
years, which could aff ect
their already small num-
bers, according to a study
by the University of British
Columbia.
Researchers looked at
requirements and avail-
ability of prey for the
killer whales. The study
found a fl uctuating level
of salmon from spawning
areas on rivers had a det-
rimental eff ect on killer
whale health, threatening
a small and fragile group
of whales, the Bellingham
Herald reported.
“It really appears like
they cannot take (many)
more rough years,” said
Fanny
Couture,
lead
researcher for the study.
About 75 of the south-
ern resident killer whales
span from the California
Consult a
PROFESSIONAL
Q: Does oral
health affect
overall health?
you probably
A: Although
understand that poor dental
JEFFREY M. LEINASSAR
DMD, FAGD
L E I NA S S A R
DENTAL EXCELLENCE
503/325-0310
1414 MARINE DRIVE,
ASTORIA
www.smileastoria.com
Astoria’s Best
Fast Friendly
and Affordable
$199.99
SALEM — After 27
years, the Salem-based
immigrant civil rights group
Causa will be dissolving.
Causa’s board of direc-
tors made the decision to
start dissolving the organi-
zation last week, according
to an email from Causa’s
board.
“The decision to dissolve
Causa was not an easy one,
but we fi rmly believe it is the
right one,” the board said.
Causa recently co-led the
launch of the Oregon Worker
Relief Fund to provide about
$60 million to immigrants
in Oregon during the pan-
demic, the Statesman Jour-
nal reported. It also helped
pass legislation that pro-
vided driver’s licenses to
undocumented immigrants.
The board cited two
years of fundraising diffi -
HP Windows 11, Intel
i3, 6 GB, 465 GB Hard
Drive (Refurb)
Mon-Fri 10-6 Sat/Sun Closed
77 11th Street, Suite H
Astoria, OR
503-325-2300
WANTED
Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber
Northwest Hardwoods • Longview, WA
Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500
Secure your
iPhone & iPad
1. Plug your device into a power
source and connect to the
internet with Wi-Fi.
3. Tap Install Now. If you see
Download and Install instead, tap
it to download the update, enter
your passcode, then tap Install
Now.
4. If the software needs more space
for the update, tap Continue
to allow apps to be removed.
After the installation process
has finished, those apps will be
reinstalled automatically.
Q: I’ve had multiple
spinal surgeries.
Will Chiropractic
work for me?
ASTORIA
CHIROPRACTIC
A: Unless you have a full
spinal fusion we should have
success getting movement in
some areas. We always can do
503-325-3311 a free consult to see if you are
2935 Marine Drive a chiropractic candidate.
Alicia M. Smith, DC
Owner
Astoria, Oregon
is the Consult
Q: What
a Professional section
and how can it help my
business?
Consult a Professional
A: The
section in The Astorian is a great
Heather Jenson and affordable way to advertise your
Advertising
Representative
VISIT US ON THE WEB AT:
www.DailyAstorian.com
care can lead to cavities, did you
know that other, more serious
health problems can also result
from poor oral care? The truth
is that if you don’t take proper
care of your teeth, you could face
far more serious consequences
than a simple toothache or some
unsightly stains. You could face
cardiovascular disease, dementia,
respiratory infection, diabetic
complications and more.
2. Go to Settings > General, then
tap Software Update.
Immigrant civil rights
group Causa to dissolve
culties, unprecedented turn-
over in staff and leadership,
and the inability to fi nalize a
contract with the employee
union as reasons for the
decision.
Causa was spending its
fi nancial reserves to cover
expenses, and attempts
to fi nalize a contract with
union leadership failed, the
email said.
The organization will dis-
solve by July 31. The board
is working on a “generous
severance” before reserves
are gone and will re-grant
remaining funds to partner
organizations that will con-
tinue Causa’s work.
“While Causa is clos-
ing its doors, we are confi -
dent our mission to give Lat-
inx immigrants a powerful
voice in Oregon will con-
tinue through the work of
our incredible community
partners,” offi cials said.
The most valuable and respected source of
local news, advertising and information
for our communities.
eomediagroup.com
AstoriasBest.com
Associated Press
coast to Haida Gwaii in
British Columbia’s Queen
Charlotte Islands.
They feed on Chi-
nook salmon, but number
of Chinook has decreased
even as fi shing regula-
tions attempted to bolster
their numbers. That leaves
animals high on the food
chain, like killer whales,
without adequate prey.
The study showed a sig-
nifi cant decrease in salmon
between 1979 and 2020.
Studies have shown
that a lack of food intake
for killer whales has led
to lower birth rates and
higher death rates. The cur-
rent study agreed, showing
a slightly higher birth rate
in years where the killer
whales met their dietary
needs.
971-704-1716
www.dailyastorian.com
949 Exchange St.
Astoria, OR
503-325-3211
business and inform readers about the
types of services you provide.
All you need to do is come up with a
question that a customer might ask
about your line of expertise and then
give a detailed answer to help educate
them before they even walk through
your door. We are offering great rates
and package deals that help save
you money!