For Immediate Release

A U.S. District Court judge has ruled that the federal government may not retry Cliven Bundy and his sons on charges that they led armed gunmen to block a federal cattle roundup near his Nevada ranch in 2014. Ammon and Ryan Bundy were acquitted in the armed occupation of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

Statement from Defenders of Wildlife CEO Jamie Rappaport Clark:

“The Bundy’s occupation of Malheur refuge and the armed standoff with the Bureau of Land Management were not acts of civil disobedience. They were lawless actions that threatened the lives of federal workers responsible for protecting our cherished public lands. Letting the Bundy clan off the hook again sets a dangerous precedent for future violent occupation of our federal lands.”

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.  

 

News

Image
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.
Image
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.