Jezebel | Florida Tech Bro Wants to Wipe Out a Bird's Endangered Species Protection to Avoid Paying a Fee by Jim Vorel

Did you know that there are apparently only 15 species of birds that are fully endemic (which means only found there) to the United States? It’s an odd statistic, but one that makes sense when you consider both the range that birds can cover, and the fact that they’re not generally known for observing national borders or going through customs. In fact, the birds that are genuinely endemic to our country are often that way because their populations are small and contained in a specific area–endangered, even. The state of Florida has precisely one of these species, the Florida scrub jay, listed as “critically imperiled” by nonprofit conservation organization NatureServe. So naturally, there’s currently a dangerous alliance between a young Florida tech bro and a notorious conservative property rights group backed by ExxonMobil that is seeking to rob the poor scrub jay of any protection its remaining 7,000 or so living specimens possess, all because a homebuilder didn’t want to pay an extra conservation fee.

Granted, it wasn’t a small fee, but it was also part of the cost of building on that property that the man in question should absolutely have been aware of in advance. Now his legal team is dodging questions to that effect while taking aim at protections for the bird species that, if revoked, could establish precedent to also remove protections from more than 1,200 other species around the country–which is probably the true goal here. The attorneys involved have even attempted to summon the attention and support of President Donald Trump, that noted champion of the environment, less than a week after members of Trump’s cabinet approved an exception to the 1973 Endangered Species Act that would allow for new oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico regardless of how many species it drives to extinction. Gee, I wonder which side of the debate Trump would land on?

The tech bro in question, meanwhile, is a guy named Michael Colosi, a “young tech entrepreneur” who recently moved from New Jersey to Florida. He purchased a five-acre plot in the Gulf city of Punta Gorda in 2024, where he planned to build a house. But rather than pay Charlotte County the hefty, $118,000 conservation fee necessary because the land is in an area designated as a Florida scrub jay habitat, he instead decided to bring in lawyers from the dreaded Pacific Legal Foundation to represent him in a lawsuit against the county and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, arguing that the scrub jay does not deserve any protection under the Endangered Species Act.

Read more: https://www.jezebel.com/florida-scrub-jay-endangered-species-threat-lawsuit-michael-colosi-house-habitat-plan-charlotte-county

#floridascrubjay #pacificlegalfoundation #u.s.fishandwildlifeservice #endangeredspeciesact #defendersofwildlife

via @indybay

Tribes, enviros speak out against trailer bills to fast-track #DeltaTunnel project

“Delta tribes deserve a responsible and equitable approach to water management in the state that does not require jamming a tunnel through the Delta, destroying our ancestral homelands and waterways, or desecrating sacred sites and ancestral remains,” said Malissa Tayaba, Vice Chair with the #ShingleSpringsBand of #MiwokIndians.

by Dan Bacher
Mon, Aug 11, 2025 4:19PM

Sacramento, CA – "On an unusually mild summer day, Tribal leaders and environmental justice advocates met with legislators at the State Capitol on July 16 for the 2025 Day of Action for #WaterJustice.

"They urged the legislators to reject Governor Newsom’s proposed trailer bills that they say would fast-track the Delta Conveyance Project (#DCP) and bypass critical #EnvironmentalProtections at a time when the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is in unprecedented ecological crisis — and a number of fish species are on the edge of #extinction.

"The day-long event started with meetings between Tribal members, environmental advocates and legislators to urge support for 'equitable, science-based water solutions' that protect the #BayDelta and to reject the financially reckless Delta Conveyance Project that threatens ecosystems, Tribal sovereignty, and public health, according to a statement from #RestoreTheDelta.

[...]

"At the press conference on the Capitol steps, advocates called on lawmakers to reject trailer bills that would provide CEQA exemptions for the #DeltaConveyanceProject, circumventing existing law, court rulings and public opinion.

"Specifically, the coalition called on lawmakers to:

- Vote NO on SB 72 that undermines the #DeltaReformAct and sets arbitrary water supply targets;

- Vote YES on AB 362 that protects tribal beneficial uses of water and to;

- Vote YES on AB 263, extending emergency protections currently in place for the #ScottRiver and #ShastaRiver, a high priority for the recovery of #CohoSalmon.

"Speakers at the press conference included representatives from the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians and the #WinnememWintu Tribe, as well as elected leaders and representatives from Restore the Delta, #SierraClub California, #FriendsOfTheRiver, #DefendersOfWildlife, #SanFranciscoBaykeeper and the #DeltaCountiesCoalition.

"Malissa Tayaba, Vice Chair with the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, began the press conference emphasizing the harm that the Delta Tunnel would cause to Tribes and #disadvantaged communities.

" 'Delta tribes deserve a responsible and equitable approach to water management in the state that does not require jamming a tunnel through the Delta, destroying our #AncestralHomelands and waterways, or desecrating #SacredSites and ancestral remains,' said Tayaba. 'Our culture and identities are intrinsically tied to the Delta. There is no price tag worth paying that would ever justify the harm done to us or the unquantifiable costs that Tribes and disadvantaged communities would ultimately bear.'

"Gary Mulcahy, Government Liaison with the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, followed Tayaba by stating, “There is nothing about the Delta Tunnel Project that significantly benefits anyone except #BigAg and south of the Delta water agencies, while putting #EndangeredSpecies, tribal cultural resources, and disadvantaged communities and the viability of the S.F Bay-Delta itself at risk. #CEQA exemptions continue to attempt to erase Tribes from #WaterGovernance.”

[...]

" 'Instead of wasting ratepayer money to keep pushing this expensive environmental justice debacle, we need to sees investments in local water supply like #RecycledWater, and the Freshwater Pathways program that would improve Delta levees to keep communities safe and improve State Water Project reliability in an emergency. We urge a commitment to vote NO on the return the Delta Conveyance Project and Bay Delta Water Quality Control Plan bills,' Wagner said."

https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2025/08/11/18878845.php

#WaterIsLife #TribalGovernance #CulturalPreservation #CulturalErasure #BigAgriculture #BigWater #GavinNewsome #CaliforniaPol #Graywater