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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.
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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.
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Construction on Gateway to Road through Izembek Continues
The Ninth Circuit today denied Defenders of Wildlife’s emergency motion to halt construction on King Cove Corp.’s 2.8-mile road segment leading to the doorstep of Izembek National Wildlife Refuge and Wilderness. Defenders’ request for immediate injunctive relief marks the latest stage in its larger effort to block a damaging and precedent-setting road from King Cove to Cold Bay, Alaska, that would plow through the heart of Izembek.
Press Releases
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Oregon Releases 2025 Annual Wolf Count, Numbers Up
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife today issued its 2025 gray wolf annual report, announcing an increase in the wolf population for a new
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Defenders of Wildlife Challenges Unprecedented “God Squad” Exemption Allowing Unchecked Gulf Oil Drilling
Defenders of Wildlife today announced it is taking legal action to overturn an unprecedented and unlawful decision by the Endangered Species Committee, known as the “God Squad,” to exempt federal authorizations of oil and gas activities in the Gulf of Mexico through a blanket exemption from the Endangered Species Act’s protections.
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Oregon Governor Signs Historic Bill Investing in the Environment
Defenders of Wildlife is celebrating a monumental victory for wildlife, wild places and local economies in Oregon. Passed with bipartisan support and signed yesterday by
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Congress Urged to Fully Fund U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Restore Workforce
The Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife and more than 150 conservation groups today urged Congress to significantly increase the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s budget for endangered species conservation from $299 million to $870 million.
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¡Que vivan los lobos!
Conservationists are celebrating the historic translocation of two families of Mexican gray wolves in Durango, Mexico, almost 50 years after the last wolves were removed
jcovey@defenders.org
