A federal judge on Thursday overturned the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ approval of a 314-acre mixed-use development in Chico, California, that environmentalists claim will destroy vernal pools that are the natural habitat of several threatened species. U.S. District Judge Daniel Calabretta granted in part the request for summary judgment by the plaintiffs — the Center for Biological Diversity and AquAlliance — and halted implementation of the Stonegate Development Project until the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has prepared a legally adequate biological opinion that the development wouldn’t jeopardize protected species. … According to the conservation groups, the project would also permanently destroy 9.14 acres of wetlands, although some additional meadowfoam habitat may be established through mitigation efforts.

Other wetlands news:

• The Guardian (London, U.K.): US wetlands ‘restored’ using treated sewage tainted with forever chemicals
• Nevada Current: Feds approve mine drilling in Amargosa critical environmental area