The Center for Biological Diversity is suing the Trump administration for delaying critically needed Endangered Species Act protections for the Crater Lake newt. The newts live only in Oregon’s Crater Lake, and their population has crashed to as few as 13 animals in recent years because of the introduction of signal crayfish and warming lake temperatures from climate change.
Chelsea Stewart-Fusek, a staff attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, joins the Exchange to discuss the issue.
“Crater Lake newts are on the brink of extinction and if the government waits any longer to protect them it’ll be really tough for these imperiled amphibians to recover,” said Chelsea Stewart-Fusek, an endangered species attorney at the Center. “These tiny newts are part of what makes Crater Lake so special to Oregonians and the hundreds of thousands of people who visit every year.”
