Washington, DC

Defenders of Wildlife joined more than 100 other conservation groups urging President Biden and Democratic Congressional leadership to oppose poison-pill riders, that undermine the Endangered Species Act and protections for imperiled species in the Fiscal Year 2024 Interior Appropriations bill. 

“Willfully legislating extinction into law and willfully ignoring the catastrophic implications of the biodiversity crisis is a horrendous action for any of our elected leaders to take,” said Mary Beth Beetham, legislative director for Defenders of Wildlife. “The Endangered Species Act is our best tool to stave off the extinction of our nation’s imperiled wildlife and we urge Congress and President Biden to pass an appropriations bill that allows for its effective implementation.”

The House bill contains more than a dozen riders, many of which block or deny protections for species on the verge of extinction. The Senate bill also contains the long-standing rider that prevents ESA protection for the greater sage grouse.

 The letter to the President can be read here and the letter to Democratic Congressional leadership here. 

For nearly 80 years, Defenders of Wildlife has worked to protect and restore America’s wildlife at risk of extinction, advancing a vision of a future in which wildlife thrives, sustained by broad public support and a resilient network of healthy lands and waters. With a network of more than 2 million supporters, Defenders is an advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard wildlife for generations to come. To learn more, please visit https://defenders.org/newsroom or follow us on Instagram @defendersofwildlife.  

 

Media Contact

Hawk Hammer headshot
Hawk Hammer
Former Communications Specialist

News

2019.08.07 - Florida Panther looking straight at camera - MS 45 - fStop Foundation
WASHINGTON, D.C.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Memo Underscores Trump Administration’s All-Fronts War on Wildlife

Brian Nesvik, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, issued a memorandum explaining to FWS staff that the Endangered Species Act’s prohibition on unauthorized “take” applies only to affirmative acts intentionally and purposefully directed at a particular animal. This follows the Trump administration’s rescission of the regulatory definitions of “harm” under the ESA, which took effect this week.
A close up of the face of a Sierra Nevada Red Fox at the edge of a forest in Deschutes County, Oregon.
Washington, D.C.

Court Rules Habitat Must Be Protected After FWS Attempts to Waive Protections for Less Than 40 Sierra Nevada Red Fox

Defenders of Wildlife earned a significant victory for the Endangered Species Act today when a federal district court found that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's decision to not designate critical habitat for the endangered Sierra Nevada red fox was a violation of the law.
Visit the newsroom