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NPS Land Swaps and Visitor Plan Open the Door to Devastating Impacts at Cumberland Island
In advance of a public hearing on proposed land exchanges on Cumberland Island National Seashore, Defenders of Wildlife called on the National Park Service to remedy a host of management issues facing one of the largest undeveloped barrier islands on the East Coast.
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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.
Press Releases
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Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Kills Wolf in Southeast Washington
Today, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced it shot and killed a wolf in Columbia County, Washington. The wolf was one of several adults and pups establishing new territory north of the Touchet pack and west of the Tucannon pack.
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Biden Administration to Propose New Protections for Sage Grouse
The Biden administration announced today that it will consider new measures to conserve the greater sage-grouse, a bird once found across much of the U.S
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Defenders Applauds Biden Administration’s Move to Protect Roadless Areas in Tongass National Forest
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that next week it will propose reinstating the national Roadless Area Conservation Rule in the Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska. The move would restrict development on roughly 9.3 million acres in North America’s largest temperate rainforest.
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Wildlife Conservation and Climate Resiliency Highlighted as House Passes Build Back Better
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed its version of the Build Back Better Act which, at $1.75 trillion, has many key provisions for the protection of endangered species, climate mitigation and adaptation and forest health. The bill must next pass Senate, where it faces a razor-thin margin.
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Court Reinstates Gulf of Maine Lobstering Restriction to Protect Endangered Right Whales
The First Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday granted an emergency motion to reinstate a seasonal prohibition on lobster fishing with buoy lines in an area roughly 30 nautical miles off the coast of Maine.
jcovey@defenders.org
