On July 10, 2026, the Department of the Interior rescinded the regulatory definition of “harm” in the Endangered Species Act. The impact of this change is not yet known. In the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex, we have many endangered and threatened species. We hope this change will not impact those protected species and the habitats that shelter them and provide nesting habitats. We are concerned about the change and look forward to further details on how, or whether, this change will impact the species in the Complex we support.

A salt marsh harvest mouse, one of the endangered species at the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex, perched on top of pickleweed. (Department of the Interior via Wikimedia)