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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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House Subcommittee Considers Wildlife Corridors Legislation
The House Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife considered the Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act today, that would represent the most significant action taken in modern American history to protect wildlife corridors and habitat connectivity.
Federal Agency Orders Halt to Mountain Valley Pipeline Construction
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission late yesterday ordered the fracked gas Mountain Valley Pipeline to halt construction activities along the entire 303-mile route of the
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More Than 270 Groups Urge Senate to Increase Endangered Species Funding
In the face of growing concerns over the global wildlife extinction crisis, more than 270 conservation groups today urged the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations
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Trump Administration Paves Way for Old-growth Clearcutting in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest
The Trump administration today announced plans to gut long-standing protections against logging and road-building in the Tongass National Forest, a cherished old-growth temperate rainforest in Southeast Alaska and homelands of the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian people.
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Defenders of Wildlife Reacts to Retirement of Environmental Champion Rep. Lowey
Defenders of Wildlife reacts to retirement announcement of Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.).
jcovey@defenders.org
