HEARING! Wisconsin Herp Rule ReviewUPDATE 4/8/26: The Assembly Committee on Environment will hold a public hearing on the WI DNR’s new herp regulation (which banned possession of state-native herps, including captive-born animals) on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at 10:00 AM Central. We will post more details when available. Location: State Capitol, 2 E Main St, room 300 Northeast, Madison, WI 53703
Get more details at https://usark.org/25wi/.
Colorado Herp Rule ReviewUPDATE 3/4/26: The CPW Commission voted to approve these rules today. Changes include allowing the sale, breeding, and possession of certain captive-bred herps, which are currently not allowed, including Western hognose, cornsnakes, kingsnakes, and others. The rules passed today are nearly identical to those posted in our 1/5/26 update. One change, as requested by USARK, was the addition of “propagated” to the list of allowed activities. We also have a summary of changes in our 1/5/26 update linked below. Thank you to everyone who engaged and worked for these changes in Colorado.
UPDATE 1/15/26: The first hearing of the draft was today, and it was discussed as “Issues Identification.” The vote should be at the March 4-5 Commission meeting. USARK’s Phil Goss testified on behalf of responsible Colorado herpetoculturists. The National Animal Interest Alliance and a devoted field helper also testified.
Full details, links, and more at https://usark.org/25co2/.
ALERT UPDATE: Borneo Earless Monitor ESA Listing
Posted August 13: On August 14, 2025, FWS will open a comment period on the proposed rule to list the Borneo earless monitor ( Lanthanotus borneensis) as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. Previous comments need not be resubmitted and will be fully considered in preparation of the final rule.
Full details at https://usark.org/25esa2/.
ALERT UPDATE: Blue Tree Monitor ESA Listing
Get full details at https://usark.org/25esa1/. The emergency rule ended on August 25, 2025. Breeders can currently ship blue tree monitors. We will notify our members of changes or when the final rule is posted by FWS.
ALERT: Southern Hognose ESA Listing
Posted 8/28/25: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has proposed to list the southern hognose snake ( Heterodon simus), as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). FWS has found that the southern hognose faces serious threats from habitat loss and degradation as a result of land conversion and fragmentation, causing loss of connectivity between populations, road mortality, invasive species (red ants, feral hogs, and cogongrass), and climate change.
Full details at https://usark.org/25esa3/.
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