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Salt Marsh - Cumberland Island
ST. MARYS, GEORGIA

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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2019.08.07 - Florida Panther looking straight at camera - MS 45 - fStop Foundation
WASHINGTON, D.C.

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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A close up of the face of a Sierra Nevada Red Fox at the edge of a forest in Deschutes County, Oregon.
Washington, D.C.

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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Right Whale
Washington, DC

Statement on NMFS Letter to Maine Lobstermen’s Association

Today, National Marines Fisheries Service (NMFS) Assistant Administrator Chris Oliver responded to the Maine Lobstermen’s Association’s September 4 letter announcing its withdrawal of support for recommended measures to protect the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale from fishing gear entanglements.
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Gray wolf in green grass
Seattle, WA

Defenders of Wildlife Statement on Governor Inslee's Letter on Washington Wolf Recovery

Statement by Quinn Read, Northwest Program Director for Defenders of Wildlife, on Governor Jay Inslee’s letter to the Department of Fish and Wildlife for changes to the wolf recovery program in Washington state
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Washington, DC

Lawsuit Filed to Protect Dunes Sagebrush Lizard in New Mexico, Texas

Conservation groups filed a lawsuit in federal district court today challenging the Trump administration’s continued failure to protect severely imperiled dunes sagebrush lizards under the
Santa Fe, NM

Defenders of Wildlife Receives Aquatic Habitat Connectivity Grant for Santa Fe National Forest

To better protect aquatic and riparian species in New Mexico, Defenders of Wildlife has been awarded a grant from the New Mexico’s Department of Game and Fish’s Share with Wildlife program.
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California condor #568 perched atop a tree branch at Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge
Sacramento, CA

Governor Newsom’s Veto Puts Water Agencies’ Threats Above Environmental Protection

California's Governor Newsom vetoed Senate Bill 1 (SB1) last night, a bill that would defend California's water, air and wildlife from rollbacks from the Trump administration.
Senior Vice President, External Affairs
lsheehan@defenders.org
(202) 772-3244
Communications Director
mdewane@defenders.org
(202) 772-0217
Communications Specialist
jcovey@defenders.org
Communications Specialist
kirby@defenders.org
(202) 772-3268
Communications Specialist
estern@defenders.org
202-772-0243