Migratory Bird Treaty Act Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Interior Department Moves To Make It Illegal (Again) To Accidentally Kill Migratory Birds

By NPR News March 10, 2021

Thousands of snow geese take flight near Conway, Wash. in 2019. The Biden administration is reversing a policy under President Trump that drastically weakened protections for most U.S. bird species. CREDIT: Elaine Thompson/AP

The Interior Department rescinded a controversial Trump-era legal opinion Monday that limited the scope of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. It also said it will soon propose a rule to replace one enacted at the end of the Trump administration that did the same.Read More

Eagles And Mockingbirds Catch A Break As Judge Strikes Down Federal Migratory Bird Opinion

By NPR News August 14, 2020

An American bald eagle flies over Mill Pond in Centerport, N.Y., in 2018. The bald eagle is one of the birds protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

In 2017, the Trump administration scaled back protections of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. A federal judge has now struck down the rule change — and cited "To Kill a Mockingbird" in so doing.Read More

Feds Ease Rules For Wind Turbines (And Bird Advocates React)

By Courtney Flatt January 22, 2018

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MTBA) is the primary federal law protecting birds in the U.S. It initially targeted poaching and a feather-obsessed fashion industry that was laying waste to migratory birds across the continent.Read More