Free Republic

The federal government will investigate whether the western pond turtle -- found along the West Coast, including in Marin -- should get Endangered Species Act protection. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will conduct a one-year status review on the turtle, which faces declines of up to 99 percent in some areas. "As the West Coast's only native freshwater turtles, western pond turtles are integral to the wild places where they live," said Collette Adkins, biologist for the Center for Biological Diversity, which petitioned the agency for the protection in 2012. "Threats like habitat destruction from urbanization and agriculture are...