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NPS Land Swaps and Visitor Plan Opens the Door to Devastating Impacts on Imperiled Wildlife 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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Newsom Administration Appears to Backslide on Bay-Delta Conservation
The Newsom administration has released a new framework for voluntary agreements that could implement an update to the Bay-Delta Water Quality Plan.
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Environmental and Public Heath Advocates Agree: Trump is the Worst President for our Environment in History
Ahead of President Trump’s State of the Union address today, national environmental groups agree: no administration has been worse for our environment or our nation's public health than this one.
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Conservationists Challenge Weak Government Response to Urgent Wildlife Disease Threat at National Elk Refuge
A conservation coalition filed a lawsuit against the FWS challenging the agency's weak plan that leaves elk vulnerable to chronic wasting disease.
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Petition Asks U.S. Supreme Court to Overturn Border-wall Waiver Decisions
Defenders, and three other conservation groups, asked the U.S. Supreme Court today to review federal court rulings that have allowed the Trump administration to waive dozens of environmental, health and safety laws to speed construction of border walls.
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Trump Administration Seeks to Cripple Landmark Bird Law
The Trump administration is proposing formal regulations to cement into law a hotly-disputed legal opinion declaring that the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) does not protect migratory birds from harms caused by industrial activities, dramatically undercutting the law’s ability to conserve birds.
jcovey@defenders.org
