“From the Cornell Lab of Ornithology e-newsletter: Public Comment Period Open: The federal government is moving ahead with removing protections for birds under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The American Ornithological Society has this summary, and you can provide public comments through July 20.

The AOS statement (July 1) begins: In March, we published a blog post on the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), outlining current threats to this landmark law and opportunities for action. AOS members and the broader public now have another opportunity to weigh in on this important process. To recap, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) issued a proposed regulation that would lock in a 2017 legal opinion reinterpreting the MBTA that ended enforcement of “incidental take” under the law. The public comment period for this stage ended in March, and many scientists, state wildlife agencies, conservation organizations, and others submitted comments expressing concern and providing information to consider as part of an analysis to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act….” [h/t Mary Whisner]