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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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Several Wolves from First Colorado Wolf Pack in Decades Likely Shot
After a group of six wolves were confirmed in Northwest Colorado this past January—the first pack in the state since the 1940s—there are now reports that three of these wolves have been killed in Wyoming along the Colorado border. The prospects of the remaining wolves are uncertain.
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70 Conservation Organizations, Representing 16 Million Americans, Endorse Colorado Wolf Restoration
Over seventy conservation organizations representing 16 million Americans sent a letter today to Colorado’s governor and natural resources director supporting the concept of reintroducing the gray wolf to Colorado.
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New Proposals Would Make It Tougher to Protect Endangered Species
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released a new proposal today that would allow the government to deny critical habitat protections for endangered animals and plants in areas that would see greater economic benefits from being developed — a change that could open lands and waterways to more energy development and other activities.
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U.S. Forest Service Launches New Assault on Alaska’s Tongass Old-growth Forest
The U.S. Forest Service announced plans today for a massive timber sale that would destroy more than 5,100 acres of critical old-growth habitat in the Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska.
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Judge Allows Conservation Groups to Defend Ventura County Wildlife Connectivity from Industry Legal Challenge
In a ruling this week, a judge formally granted permission to four conservation organizations to help defend Ventura County’s innovative wildlife connectivity ordinances—the first of their kind in California.
jcovey@defenders.org
