June 20, 2024 — Conservation groups informed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today that they intend to sue over the agency’s denial of Endangered Species Act protections to the imperiled North Oregon Coast population of red tree voles. The Service’s decision to deny protections in February echoes a 2019 Trump administration denial, which was made despite several previous findings that protection was warranted. North Coast voles are threatened by logging and climate change-fueled wildfires.
Press Release: Oregon’s North Coast Red Tree Voles Get New Shot at Crucial Protections
May 24, 2022 — In a legal victory, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agreed today to reconsider whether red tree voles on Oregon’s North Coast need protection under the Endangered Species Act. The Service has until January 31, 2024, to make a decision.
Lawsuit Filed to Protect Red Tree Vole
March 25, 2021 — Conservation groups filed a lawsuit today challenging a decision by the Trump administration to deny the north Oregon coast population of red tree voles protection under the Endangered Species Act.
Press Release: Lawsuit Launched to Protect North Oregon Coast Red Tree Vole
April 14, 2020 — Conservation groups filed a notice today of their intent to sue the Trump administration for failing to protect the imperiled North Oregon Coast population of red tree voles under the Endangered Species Act.
Press Release: Quartz Timber Sale Challenged Over Impacts to Red Tree Voles
May 16, 2018 — Today, three conservation groups challenged the 847-acre Quartz timber sale on the Cottage Grove Ranger District of the Umpqua National Forest that targets mature forests. The contested area is home to a thriving population of red tree voles, a small tree-dwelling mammal that is a prey source for the imperiled northern spotted owl and is critical to forest ecosystems in western Oregon.