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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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Federal Appeals Court Reinstates Right Whales Seasonal Protection
In a victory for critically endangered North Atlantic right whales, the U.S. 1st Circuit Court of Appeals today reinstated a seasonal prohibition on lobster fishing with vertical lines in federal waters off the coast of Maine.
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Defenders of Wildlife and Leading Climate, Conservation and Indigenous Groups Respond to Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for Controversial Alaska Oil Project
Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) addressing the implications of ConocoPhillips’ Willow Project for America’s Western Arctic.
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Court: Federal Failure to Protect Right Whales from Deadly Entanglements Violates Law
A federal court ruled in favor of the Center for Biological Diversity, Conservation Law Foundation, and Defenders of Wildlife in a long-running case challenging NOAA Fisheries’ failure to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales from deadly entanglements in American lobster fishing gear.
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Delaware Bay Red Knot Shorebird Numbers Remain Historically Low Despite Modest Increase
The Delaware Bay Shorebird Project, which has assessed shorebird numbers in the region for 26 years, found that the threatened red knot shorebird’s numbers remained at historically low levels in 2022.
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Federal Court Restores Critical Endangered Species Act Protections
Today, in a win for wildlife protection and conservation, a federal district court restored comprehensive Endangered Species Act regulatory protections to hundreds of species.
jcovey@defenders.org
