Fifth Circuit presses intervention timing in rare prairie chicken protections

The Fifth Circuit is examining the timing of interventions in a case involving federal protections for the Lesser Prairie Chicken. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed protections for the species, leading environmental groups to challenge the decision in court, which denied their intervention attempts as untimely. The groups argue the process lacked transparency and threatens the bird's survival, with fewer than 5,000 remaining in New Mexico and Texas.