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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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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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Lawsuit Launched to Protect Imperiled Dunes Sagebrush Lizard in Texas, New Mexico
Conservation groups filed a notice today of their intent to sue the Trump administration for failing to protect the severely imperiled dunes sagebrush lizard under the Endangered Species Act.
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Interior Bureaus Need Resources, Not Reorganization
News outlets are reporting that the Trump administration will essentially eliminate the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Washington DC headquarters and transfer senior leadership and the majority of the office’s roughly 500 employees to new headquarters in Grand Junction, Colorado, and other locations in the West.
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1.8 Million Americans Speak Out Against Stripping Federal Protections from Wolves
Almost two million Americans stated their opposition to the Trump administration’s proposal to strip endangered species protections from gray wolves in a comment period that closed today.
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Statement on Gov. Janet Mills’ Letter to Abandon Federal Risk Reduction for the Right Whale
Yesterday, Maine Governor Janet T. Mills sent a letter announcing she will not accept federal guidelines for reducing risk to the highly endangered North Atlantic right whale.
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Study Confirms Political Interference in Mexican Gray Wolf Recovery
A new study released today confirms politics rather than scientific data played a role in influencing criteria for listing and reintroduction efforts for the Mexican gray wolf under the Endangered Species Act.
jcovey@defenders.org
