Last night, we learned that three wildland firefighters—serving with the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Wildland Fire Service—lost their lives on Saturday, June 27, while responding jointly to the Knowles and Gore fires along the Colorado-Utah border. Additionally, two wildland firefighters were injured in the line of duty and have been transported to a hospital. This is terrible news and a reminder of what our first responders risk every time they go out to prevent devastation and protect Americans from natural disasters. Our immediate focus is on supporting their families, friends, and fellow crewmates during this incredibly difficult time. The USDA and Interior family mourns with them and offers our unwavering support for the loved ones left behind. We are continuing to pray for their families and loved ones. May God bring them peace during this time. Their bravery, dedication, and sacrifice will never be forgotten. Additional details will be shared as they become available.

🎶 Wastin' away again in Pollinatorville... 🎶 Sing it, Jimmy. This National Pollinator Week, we're celebrating all pollinators, including the lesser long-nosed bat. No, this bat isn't normally yellow. It's covered in pollen after visiting a blooming agave. As it travels from flower to flower, it helps pollinate desert plants, support healthy ecosystems, and yes, it helps make tequila possible. Shout out to the bees, butterflies, birds, beetles, moths, flies, and bats that take us to Margaritaville.

Meet the Weed Shiner, an important little fish with a really interesting story on the upper Mississippi River! 👋🐟 Tune in later today to get the full scoop on our "Fish of the Week!" podcast: fws.gov/fish-of-the-week-pod… Weed Shiner. 📷 Zach Randall/Florida Museum #AllTheFish

These turtles weren't just numbers. They were native wildlife, stolen from American landscapes and packed away in brutal conditions. A federal judge sentenced Wei Qiang Lin to 2 years in prison for smuggling hundreds of turtles to Hong Kong in packages falsely labeled as toys. For many North American turtles, replacing a single adult taken from the wild can take decades. That's why wildlife trafficking is such a serious threat. Thanks to the outstanding work of @USFWS Office of Law Enforcement and our federal partners, this trafficker was caught and held accountable. If you traffic America's wildlife, our officers will find you, build the case, and bring you to justice.

People on the internet say you should touch grass. We suggest touching water. National Fishing and Boating Week is a great excuse to get outside, explore public waters, and spend a little less time looking at screens.

More access. More opportunity. More time outdoors. We’re proposing the largest expansion of hunting and sport fishing opportunities in the history of the @USFWS. 1,450 new opportunities. 111 refuges and hatcheries. 92 million acres. Hunters and anglers have helped fund conservation in America for generations, and this proposal would open more access across public lands while cutting through confusing regulations. AMERICA: now with more hunting spots. Photo by USFWS

Sometimes the most effective strategy in nature is doing absolutely nothing. American alligators like this one can spend hours barely moving at all. Staying still helps them conserve energy, regulate body temperature, and wait patiently for prey to come within snapping distance.

One example is the Okaloosa darter; a tiny fish found only in Florida. When the @USFWS worked with Eglin Air Force Base and partners to restore streams and improve habitat, they helped to support the recovery of the darter to the point where it was removed from the federal list of endangered and threatened wildlife. Conservation partnerships get results.

Did you know that we partner with the @DeptofWar to help protect wildlife? Across military lands, we work together to conserve fish, wildlife, and plants through habitat restoration and on-the-ground conservation work. Military readiness and wildlife conservation often go hand in hand. 🤝 Photo of an Army Corps of Engineers biologist and U.S. Army Col. Scott Preston conducting a survey of interior least terns, a species that was delisted in 2021, due to successful recovery.

NASA has confirmed these are, in fact, flowers. Eastern shooting stars are native spring wildflowers found in prairies, meadows, and open woodlands across much of the central and eastern United States. Their swept-back petals give them the appearance of tiny shooting stars streaking across the landscape.

The bald eagle became a symbol of the United States in 1782. Since then, generations of Americans have defended the freedoms represented by that symbol. This Memorial Day, we honor the service members who gave their lives for our country and remember the freedoms that allow Americans to experience and share our public lands and wildlife. As our nation approaches the Freedom 250 milestone, we remember that freedom has always carried a cost.