SELC

BREAKING: The federal government just took a major step towards illegally dismantling the Endangered Species Act (ESA) — pushing the South's rarest species even closer to extinction.

This unlawful rule change takes aim at decades of legal precedent by attempting to eliminate core habitat protections for species on the brink. If it stands, it could be a death sentence for wildlife already struggling for survival and a green light for the destruction of forests, streams, and wetlands across the South.

We’re not going to stand by and let this administration dismantle the ESA. SELC has sent formal notice that we plan to take them to court to stop these rollbacks— and keep the longstanding definition of “harm” that has protected wildlife for decades.

For nearly three decades, Jake Busching has watched grit transform wine in central Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley from novelty to a bona fide player in North America’s wine industry.

“It's a difficult thing to do here in Virginia. After decades of technological innovations, research, and pure stubbornness, we've discovered we can make world-class wine here,” Busching says.

Busching, head winemaker for Eastwood Farm and Winery, says a small invader keeps success in an already tough industry out of reach for many. The spotted lanternfly is indigenous to Asia but hitched a ride to Pennsylvania in 2014. With no real predators and the ability to lay 30-50 eggs at a time, spotted lanternflies are now in at least 19 states. They’re a nightmare for the agricultural industry, feasting on and destroying a wide range of plants, including grape vines.

“Mom and pop grape farms are already so fragile, and those are the folks the lanternfly hurts,” Busching says. “Small operations really can’t stand the added cost and time it takes to deal with something like this.”

The spotted lanternfly’s assault is hardly a unique phenomenon—invasive species are everywhere. Some, like kudzu and Bradford pears, are so prevalent it can feel like they’re part of Southern life. But invasive species can smother out native species and destroy agriculture, impacting both ecosystems and economies.

Read more about the impact of invasive species here: https://selc.link/3QBahGp

Photo by John Robinson