Grassroots project Mission Ivory Bill has won a victory in their campaign to prevent the Ivory billed Woodpecker from being declared extinct. The organization set out to oppose the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's September 2020 decision to remove the woodpecker from the endangered species act list due to extinction. Mission Ivory Bill claimed that this decision was premature as they have reported sightings of the bird as well as the ruling being decided after the April 2023 deadline. Ultimately, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ruled to allow the woodpecker to remain on the endangered species list.
"We think it was an unscientific proposal made by, perhaps, someone who is no longer in the service." Says Co-Creator Matt Courtman. "The good news is conservation science prevailed, and the Ivory Bill will remain on the Endangered Species Act list."