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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 Offers Reward for Information on Sea Otter Poaching
The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service confirmed that a federally protected sea otter was illegally tortured and killed in February 2025. Both FWS and Defenders
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Newsom Signs Bill to Save Native Species from Federal Protections Rollbacks
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into state law Assembly Bill 1319, which was sponsored by Defenders of Wildlife and authored by Assemblymember Nick Schultz (D-Burbank), which
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Assault on Endangered Species Protections Continues with New Bill to Delist Gray Wolves
Defenders of Wildlife is sounding the alarm over the latest congressional attack on gray wolves following the introduction of the Pacific Northwest Gray Wolves Relief
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Amendment to Exempt Defense Activity from the ESA Soundly Defeated
Defenders of Wildlife applauds the members of the House of Representatives who voted down a repeat amendment to H.R. 3838, the National Defense Authorization Act
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Defenders Condemns Revocation of Public-Backed Land Health Rule
Defenders of Wildlife today condemns the Trump administration’s announcement that it will revoke the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, a critical rule that modernized the
jcovey@defenders.org
