Protecting Virginia’s watersheds is a critical element of protecting our environment and the ecological health of Virginia wildlife. This press release from the Center for Biological Diversity flags the Center’s ongoing concern over the rough-head shiner, a minnow found only in the upper James River watershed.

There are six endangered and threatened fish species in the 79 Virginia counties with utility-scale solar projects that are either already in operation, under construction, or proposed by developers. The risk to Virginia wildlife and the environment of unchecked stormwater runoff from poorly planned and executed large-scale solar projects on agricultural and forested land to Virginia wildlife is very real. Please see our Endangered Species section for more information, including what you can do to help.

https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/endangered-species-protection-sought-for-tiny-virginia-fish-2022-03-25/

For Immediate Release, March 25, 2022 

Endangered Species Protection Sought for Tiny Virginia Fish

Roughhead Shiner Slipping Into Extinction in James River Basin

The Center for Biological Diversity filed a legal petition today seeking Endangered Species Act protection for the roughhead shiner, an olive-colored minnow found only in the upper James River watershed in western Virginia.

The bald eagle is our country’s national symbol, and bald eagle nests line many waterways and streams in Virginia. Bald eagles almost became extinct back in the 1960s when pesticides flowed into streams and rivers from stormwater runoff. Through the Environmental Protection Act, these beautiful birds were protected and now are no longer listed as endangered or threatened. As the American Bird Conservancy says, this truly is one of our country’s greatest environmental protection success stories!

But bald eagles reproduce very slowly and continue to be at risk. Each bald eagle pair only produces one to two eaglets each year. Losing even one of these chicks a year would soon lead to a dangerous downward spiral for the eagles.

We’ve added a fact sheet on bald eagles to the Endangered Species section of our Research & Resources page to share ways that you can both monitor bald eagles and raise concerns about their protection any time a utility-scale solar project is proposed for your county.