Habitat Watch
A map-based app that shows which endangered species live in your county and notifies you when nearby habitat is at new risk from federal rule changes.
Conservation-minded U.S. residents and local advocates who want to know which species near them are losing legal protection
- 'Species near me' map using your location plus USGS and FWS open data, refreshed monthly
- Plain-language briefs on regulatory changes explaining what 'harm' now means for each species
- Crowd-sourced sighting log that builds a citizen-science record resilient to government data gaps
- Action center with templates for public comment on local development projects affecting listed habitats
The Trump administration just narrowed the 1973 ESA's definition of 'harm,' reversing the 1995 Supreme Court ruling — concerned citizens need a real-time way to track which habitats are now exposed.
Google Trends shows 500+ searches for 'trump endangered species' — real but niche interest; audience is specialized conservation advocates rather than mass-market.Rescinding the Definition of "Harm" Under the Endangered Species Act ↗
Center for Biological Diversity already offers a free interactive county-by-county endangered species map; NatureServe Explorer and Map of Life cover species/habitat data globally — direct competitors exist for the core species-by-county function.Endangered Species by County - Interactive Map - eePRO ↗NatureServe Explorer ↗Map of Life Platform ↗
Core species data is freely available via government and nonprofit sources (CBD, NatureServe); conservation-minded users are notoriously price-sensitive and the notification layer is a thin differentiator unlikely to convert to paid subscriptions at scale.Endangered Species by County - Interactive Map - eePRO ↗
The urgency driver is tied to the current administration's 2025 ESA 'harm' rule rescission; political windows are short and demand will fade with administration changes, though baseline interest in endangered species persists.Trump Administration Targets Endangered Species Act Habitat Protections ↗
Species/habitat data is publicly available (USFWS, NatureServe APIs), Federal Register publishes rule changes in structured format, and mapping + geofencing notifications are well-trodden mobile infrastructure — straightforward to build.Rescinding the Definition of "Harm" Under the Endangered Species Act ↗