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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 Challenges Interior’s Secretive Refuge and Wilderness Sellout on Alaskan Peninsula
Defenders of Wildlife today filed suit in federal district court to challenge Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s unlawful land exchange in Izembek National Wildlife Refuge and
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Senate Vote Threatens Protections for Alaska’s Western Arctic
The Senate today approved a resolution utilizing the Congressional Review Act to rollback Biden-era protections for the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. This misuse of the CRA
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Fisheries Commission Adopts Short-Term Protections for Delaware Bay Ecosystem
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission today set a two-year pause on the bait harvest of female horseshoe crabs in Delaware Bay, declining to adopt
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DOI Trades Away Alaskan Refuges, Sells Out Public Lands
The Trump administration dealt a blow to the National Wildlife Refuge System by removing protections from the Arctic and Izembek National Wildlife Refuges. During what
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Proposed Biodiversity Credit Pilot Program a First for Tribes, Healthy Grasslands
A new conservation pilot program will offer industry leaders the opportunity to contribute to the return of bison to tribal lands, which will in turn
jcovey@defenders.org
