Florida Keys ospreys removed from state endangered list

The Florida Keys’ population of ospreys is no longer considered an imperiled species by the state. State wildlife officials announced that a yearlong review found the number of birds is rising. The birds were removed from the list in December. The bird population plummeted after a seagrass die-off in the 1980s, resulting in a 100-square mile dead zone in the Florida Bay. Although a recent seagrass die-off still has conservationists worried, they’re hopeful it will be less impactful than the previous one. “I’m going to remain optimistic, but I’m also going to say let’s wait and see,” Jerry Lorenz, state research director for Audubon Florida, tells the Herald.

Read more in the Miami Herald here.