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Judge Vacates Land Exchange, Halts Road Through Izembek National Wildlife Refuge
A federal judge today vacated an illegal closed-door deal between the U.S. Department of the Interior and a for-profit Alaska Native corporation, King Cove Corp., that exchanged a 10.5-mile corridor of Izembek National Wildlife Refuge and Wilderness lands to enable a road connecting King Cove and Cold Bay.
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Defenders Strongly Opposes USDA Proposal to Dismantle Long-Standing Protections for National Forests
The United States Department of Agriculture today announced that the U.S. Forest Service has filed a proposed rule to fully rescind the national 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule — a bedrock conservation policy that has protected nearly 45 million acres of undeveloped backcountry forests for over two decades.
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Defenders Joins Conservationists In Blasting Federal Proposal to Bulldoze Forestlands
Conservation groups today called a plan by the Trump administration to rescind the U.S. Forest Service’s Roadless Area Conversation Rule an alarming threat to national forests that are overwhelmingly loved by Americans.
Press Releases
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Victory for Oceano Dunes State Park, Imperiled Wildlife
The California Coastal Commission voted unanimously last evening to amend the permit for the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area to phase out off-highway vehicle (OHV) use over the next three years.
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Defenders Condemns Hate Crimes Against Asian Americans
Asian American and Pacific Islander communities across the country have faced an alarming deluge—more than 3,800—of hate-related incidents, which include verbal abuse and violent attacks, since March 2020. After shootings in the Atlanta area this week killed six women of Asian descent—people nationwide are sharing their support of solidarity with AAPI communities, including Defenders of Wildlife. President and CEO Jamie Rappaport Clark released a statement.
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Congress Urged to Overturn Trump Administration Rule That Prioritizes Oil and Gas Over Protecting Gulf of Mexico Corals
Turtle Island Restoration Network, Center for Biological Diversity and Defenders of Wildlife called on Congress today to overturn a Trump administration rule from January that rolled-back the planned expansion of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.
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New Study Reveals Habitat That Could Increase Jaguar Numbers
This week, a new, peer-reviewed scientific study finds that there is far more potential jaguar habitat in the U.S. than was previously thought. Scientists identified an area of more than 20 million acres that could support jaguars in the U.S., 27 times the size of designated critical habitat.
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Deb Haaland Confirmed as Interior Secretary in Historic Vote
The Senate today voted to confirm Rep. Deb Haaland as President Joe Biden's secretary of the Department of the Interior, making her the first Native American Cabinet secretary in U.S. history.
jcovey@defenders.org
