Protecting the South’s incredible wildlife 

From critically endangered wild red wolves to red-cockaded woodpeckers and sea turtles to salamanders, the South is home to remarkable biodiversity.  

Throughout the South, we are home to regions that standout in terms of their richness of plants and animals:  

• The North American Coastal Plain spans our region and is recognized as a global biodiversity hotspot alongside places like Indo-Burma and the Tropical Andes. 

• The Appalachian Mountains host the world’s highest diversity of salamanders within their temperate rainforest ecosystem.  

• Unique places like Tennessee’s Duck River, Alabama’s Mobile-Tensaw Delta, and Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp harbor plants and wildlife found nowhere else on Earth. 

But this biodiversity is at risk. Climate change and rapid development are fueling a mass extinction crisis, making protections under laws like the Endangered Species Act more crucial than ever. 

That’s why we doubled down on our efforts to protect the South’s iconic wildlife by formalizing our Wildlife Program three years ago. 

We have amazing creatures in need of help here in the South.  The health of our ecosystems – including human communities – hangs in the balance.”

Ramona McGee, SELC Senior Attorney and Wildlife Program Leader 

While our Wildlife Program was formalized in late 2021, this work is not new for SELC and the last three years built on decades of efforts that have realized some tremendous victories for horseshoe crabs, red wolves, migratory birds, sea turtles, and more.  

With the Trump administration headed into the White House this commitment to defending the South’s wildlife is even more important. We fought back attempts by the first Trump administration to weaken bedrock environmental laws and we’re ready to continue standing up for the South by again defending laws that protect the animals and plants make our region so unique and play such a critical role in our ecosystems. 

Let’s dig into some of these extraordinary places and species we’re working so hard to conserve. 

Protecting essential habitat 

Habitat loss and degradation is widely recognized as the leading cause of extinction. We are focused on safeguarding imperiled habitats in our region, from biodiverse rivers like the Duck in Tennessee and our Southern Appalachian Mountain ecosystems. We are also defending our Southern wildlife refuges to ensure they are managed for their wildlife purposes. 

Lake Mattamuskeet, North Carolina 

The 40,000-acre Lake Mattamuskeet sits as the centerpiece of Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge, located in eastern North Carolina. The lake serves as a critical stopover for hundreds of thousands of migratory birds every year, attracting nature lovers from around the world. 

When we learned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) was authorizing an experiment on the lake that would use an algaecide labeled as toxic to birds, we knew we had to step in. 

Our legal action led the FWS to halt the application of the algaecide during 2024 while we continue to argue our case in court.  Meanwhile, a safer and more sustainable plan is already underway to address the root causes of the Lake’s water quality problems.  

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia

The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge harbors rich biodiversity in its vast swaths of undisturbed habitat and wilderness, including several endangered and threatened species.  

Unfortunately, an Alabama based mining company wants to mine 8,000 acres on the doorstep of Georgia’s Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Researchers fear mining near the swamp will threaten its water levels, increase wildfire risks, harm wildlife, and release toxic contaminants into nearby surface and groundwater. 

SELC has been on the frontline of the fight to protect the Okefenokee for years, but the job of protecting one of the most intact freshwater ecosystems from mining threats looms. Learn more about the status of this reckless mine and the history of the Okefenokee.

Cape Romain, South Carolina 

Located on the shores of South Carolina, Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge provides a safe haven for migratory birds and is home to prehistoric horseshoe crabs. The federally protected Rufa red knots stop on the beaches of South Carolina to re-fuel on nutrient-rich horseshoe crab eggs before continuing their epic migration. 

But the widespread harvest of horseshoe crabs for their blood which is used in biomedical testing threatens the shorebirds’ survival.  

A lawsuit filed by SELC led to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service prohibiting the commercial harvesting of horseshoe crabs in Cape Romain during spawning season and protecting the red knots. 

Duck River, Tennessee 

The Duck River is one of the crown jewels of the Tennessee river system. It’s the longest waterway that is located entirely within the state, meandering through seven counties before meeting the Tennessee River, and it boasts incredible aquatic biodiversity. 

SELC took action and appealed permits that would allow local water utilities to dramatically increase how much water is pulled from the river without necessary safeguards. Recently, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed an executive order that aims to protect the Duck River, an iconic waterway that is threatened by overdevelopment and more frequent, severe droughts. 

Standing up for species 

Our region is home to imperiled iconic species like red-cockaded woodpeckers and eastern hellbenders, as well as lesser-known plants and animals like mussels and darters. Our Wildlife Program advocates work to ensure rare and at-risk species receive the protections they deserve, while also defending these precious creatures from pressing threats.  

Wild red wolves 

Very few are lucky enough to observe red wolves in the wild.  

Hunting and habitat loss drove the species to the brink of extinction, prompting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service stepped in to launch a successful captive breeding program. In 1987, the Service began reintroducing red wolves into the wild in eastern North Carolina.  

After years of population growth and successful recovery efforts, several setbacks plagued the red wolf recovery program in recent years. SELC took successful legal action to ensure government agencies fulfilled their obligations under the Endangered Species Act. Most recently, FWS has renewed their commitment to the conservation and recovery of the world’s only wild red wolf population in the world following a lawsuit filed by SELC.  

Sea turtles  

Summer months are exciting for more than warm weather and outdoor fun – sea turtle hatching season rallies communities around tiny turtles and conservation. A longstanding seasonal dredging limit along the South Atlantic’s coast during the warmer months was established to protect marine coastal wildlife, including the five different species of sea turtles that visit our southern shores.  

In 2021, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opened year-round maintenance dredging in Georgia and North Carolina, threatening the sea turtles swimming along the coast and through these channels to nest and return to the ocean. Hopper dredges operate like a vacuum, sucking up everything on the ocean floor — including sea turtles and other marine species. Our wildlife team fought to oppose the rollback of these seasonal dredging windows and won.  

Berry cave salamanders 

Roughly 20 percent of all salamander species can be found in the South, making our region a global biodiversity hotspot for these amazing amphibians.

Found in only a handful of caves in Eastern Tennessee, Berry Cave salamanders are incredibly rare – and facing dwindling population numbers. Despite this, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decided not to grant Endangered Species Act protections to the salamander after years of promising to do so. We filed a lawsuit earlier this year to ensure this special salamander gets the federal protections it needs to avoid extinction. 

Today, and tomorrow 

SELC’s wildlife work goes far beyond conserving plants and animals — it’s about safeguarding the health, livelihoods, and safety of our communities. 

Healthy ecosystems, supported by thriving wildlife, provide essential benefits: clean air and water, sustainable food sources, and economic opportunities through tourism and outdoor recreation. 

As we face renewed threats to environmental protections from the incoming Trump administration, SELC stands ready. 

We’re ready to challenge harmful policies and advocate for our region’s future. Protecting the South’s extraordinary wildlife isn’t just our mission — it’s our responsibility to be the voice for the voiceless and champion the ecosystems we all depend on for future generations.