U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Three decades ago, a bird census counted fewer than 400 Kirtland's warblers, a small, golden-chested songbird that nests in young jack pine forests in the upper Midwest. On Tuesday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed the bird from the endangered species list, pointing to a remarkable recovery in population due to work by government, conservationists, land owners and charities.

The Interior and Commerce departments unveiled a proposed retrenchment of the Endangered Species Act that would remove key provisions, such as giving similar protection to species whether they are considered “endangered” or “threatened,” said the Washington Post.

The population of snow geese is booming and creating an environmental disaster in Canada, where they breed on the tundra, says Harvest Public Media. A reason behind the boom, it says, is the "Midwest farmland buffet" that eases the twice-a-year, 5,000-mile migration to and from the southern United States.

In a letter, 52 House Democrats asked President Obama to "be bold" and protect the monarch butterfly under the Endangered Species Act, "the last, best chance to save this amazing species and its incredible migration."

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and two conservation groups launched a campaign to save the monarch butterfly that includes restoration and enhancement of 200,000 acres of habitat.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service says it will conduct a status review, which typically takes a year, to determine if the monarch butterfly should be protected under the Endangered Species Act.

Scientists say a fungus that has devastated salamanders in Europe could easily spread to the United States, said the New York Times, quoting researchers who called for stricter biosecurity rules.

Three groups petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the monarch butterfly under the Endangered Species Act.