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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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Sacramento, CA

Conservation Organizations Seek Protection for California’s Endangered Bumble Bees

Today conservation and food safety groups filed a petition with the California Fish and Game Commission to list four species of native bumble bees—western bumble bee, Franklin’s bumble bee, Crotch’s bumble bee and the Suckley cuckoo bumble bee—as Endangered under California’s Endangered Species Act.

Conservation Organizations Oppose Weakening Roadless Rule Protections for the Tongass National Forest

In a comprehensive comment letter to the U.S. Forest Service , three conservation organizations, the Wilderness Society, Defenders of Wildlife, and the Natural Resources Defense
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Python
London, UK

Peru Leads on New Regional Declaration on Illegal Wildlife Trade

Delegations for Latin American and North American countries met on October 10th in London to commit to future engagement on the Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT), including poaching in Latin America, and to assess the potential for future coordinated action in the region.
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Border wall comparison Matt Clark/Defenders

Trump Administration Waives Environmental Laws to Build Border Wall through Texas National Wildlife Refuge

The Trump administration has announced that it will waive 28 federal environmental, planning, historic preservation and public safety laws in Hidalgo County, Texas, in an

Humboldt Martens Proposed for ESA Protection

Sristi Kamal, senior Northwest representative at Defenders of Wildlife, issued the following statement: “Today U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service made the right decision to recommend
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