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Florida Panther Biologist Reinstated
June 2005 – The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has restored a biologist who forced the agency to admit that it was using flawed science. Andrew Eller, Jr., an 18-year USFWS biologist who had worked in the Florida panther recovery program, was fired by FWS the week after the November election. A victory for Andrew Eller is a huge win for not only the Florida Panther but also the many other scientists, resource professionals and law enforcement officers who strive for environmental ethics and government accountability.
Another Court Victory for Panthers!
April 2005 - A U.S. district court judge has ruled that the Corps of Engineers illegally failed to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regarding the impacts on the endangered Florida panther of nationwide dredge-and-fill permits issued in 2002. The case was brought against the Corps by the National Wildlife Federation and Florida Panther Society. Read the Press Release
Read the Court Decision
Eller/PEER DQA Legal Complaint Upheld!
March 2005 - The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) formally conceded that it has been using flawed science in assessing the habitat and population of the endangered Florida panther. The agency announcement came in a decision to uphold a legal complaint filed jointly by one of the agency’s own biologists and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) that studies relied upon by USFWS in approving proposed development in Southwest Florida inflate panther population and inaccurately minimize habitat needs. See outgoing USFWS Director Steve William's letter to PEER
Visit PEER's Panther Campaign Website.
New Report: Giving Away The Store
The report is entitled Giving Away The Store, by the National Wildlife Federation, the Florida Panther Societ, and the Florida Wildlife Federation. Read the Report. Read the News Release.
USFWS Fires Whistleblower Andrew Eller
Judge Revokes Rock Mine Permit!
Eller Does Not Stand Alone
January 2005 - A new report explains how the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) long-standing reliance on bad science was formally discredited, discusses USFWS’s response (or lack thereof), and offers recommendations for corrective action. This paper updates a January 2004 report (Discrediting a Decade of Panther Science, Kostyack and Hill 2004) that criticized FWS for failing to acknowledge errors identified by its own FWS-appointed Scientific Review Team.
November 8, 2004 - The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has decided to terminate the biologist who publicly challenged its reliance on flawed studies about the habitat and population of the endangered Florida panther, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Read the press release. Visit PEER's Panther Campaign Website.
August 2004 - The Court found that the permit issued by the US Army Corps of Engineers for the Florida Rock Industry mine outside Ft. Myers, FL, was "arbitrary and capricious" because it did not consider the project's impact on the overall loss of panther habitat. The permit was issued based on a "no jeopardy" opinion reached by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The finding is the result of legal action filed in 2003 by The National Wildlife Federation, The Florida Wildlife Federation, and The Florida Panther Society, Inc. Read the Court Decision.
July 2004 - Rather than being fired, Eller deserves commendation for his bold effort to move his agency out from under the debris of bad science and into the light of the sunshine state. Read our position letter
Other Groups Working on Scientific Integrity in Environmental Policy:
Union of Concerned Scientists: Restore Scientific Integrity