Groups sue for endangered species protection for Olympic marmots

Quinn Welsch

(CN) — A furry rodent found in the rainy forests of the Pacific Northwest that has been facing a decline in population for decades could be one step closer to an endangered or threatened species status.

The Center for Biological Diversity says in a Wednesday lawsuit that U.S. Fish and Wildlife failed to make a determination to protect Olympic marmots, a large ground squirrel located almost entirely in Washington’s Olympic Peninsula.

The center claims in the suit filed in federal court in Washington state that the government violated the Endangered Species Act by failing to meet a 90-day decision deadline after it petitioned in May 2024 .

Olympic marmots, of which there are only between 2,000-4,000, are listed as Washington state’s “endemic state animal” and resi