Under the microscope: Endangered Species Act peer reviews

A new report shows the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) may need to take a course on scientific peer review. Peer review is where independent scientists try to find holes in other scientists’ work. It’s a vetting process, an effort to produce high quality science for important decisions, such as Endangered Species Act (ESA) listings. Information about the peer reviews are supposed  to be public in an effort to keep the agency honest. But according to an oversight report released last month by the staff of the U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resource Committee, the agency frequently thumbs its nose at peer reviews. Read more at Western Livestock Journal…