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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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Oregon’s Wolf Population Continues to Increase Despite Poaching, Conflicts
Oregon is now home to 22 confirmed wolf packs, according to the state’s annual wolf report. The report, released by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), shared that the total wolf population was reported at an estimated173 wolves. This is an increase of 15 individuals, and 17 of the 22 packs contain breeding pairs.
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Tribes, Conservation Groups Urge Veto on Anti-Bison Bills
A group of Montana tribes and conservation groups sent a letter to Governor Gianforte today, urging him to veto a pair of state bills that will undermine reintroduction efforts of wild bison to Montana.
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Defenders of Wildlife Statement on Chauvin Trial
Defenders of Wildlife’s President & CEO Jamie Rappaport Clark released a statement in reaction to a Minnesota jury finding former police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all three counts in the death of George Floyd.
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Federal Court Halts Proposed Rock Creek Mine in Montana’s Cabinet Mountains
The federal district court in Montana on Tuesday invalidated the federal government’s approval of the first phase of the Rock Creek Mine, a major copper and silver mine proposed beneath the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness in northwest Montana.
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Billy Frank Jr. Legacy Established in National Statutory Hall
This week Governor Jay Inslee signed HB 1372 into law, which would honor the late Billy Frank Jr. with a statue in National Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C. Frank was an environmental and civil rights hero in Washington State.
jcovey@defenders.org
