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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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Defenders of Wildlife Calls for Increased Poaching Protections as Oregon’s Wolf Population Stalls
For the second time since wolves returned to Oregon in 2009, the population has not grown, according to the recently released 2021 annual report from
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Court Upholds Prohibition of Brown Bear Baiting in Alaska's Kenai Refuge
Defenders of Wildlife and a coalition of groups represented by Trustees for Alaska celebrated a U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision on Monday to uphold a 2016 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rule that prohibits brown bear baiting on Kenai National Wildlife Refuge.
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Washington Wolf Population Growing Despite Many Deaths
Despite a number of deaths, primarily from vehicle collisions and legal tribal harvest, the Washington wolf population has increased, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).
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Revised Mexican Gray Wolf Recovery Plan Addresses Poaching
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released a draft revision to its 2017 Mexican Gray Wolf Recovery Plan. The plan is the result of a legal victory by Defenders of Wildlife and partners and outlines the ways the agency will address poaching and other human-caused deaths.
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Release of Highly Endangered Red Wolves into Wild Gives Hope to Renewed Conservation
Following a successful legal battle, conservation groups hope the recent release of nine highly endangered Red Wolves into the wild is the first of many steps by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service needed to save the world’s rarest canids that now number as few as 15 known animals in the wild.
jcovey@defenders.org
