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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

Help for Hellbenders: Private Lands Conservation Program Includes Giant Appalachian Salamanders

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has announced the addition of five new wildlife conservation projects to its Working Lands for

Secretary Zinke Restarts North Cascade Grizzly Bear EIS

Secretary Zinke restarted the North Cascade Grizzly Bear Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process today. The process, which analyzed various options to recover this extremely small
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Jaguar
Washington, DC

Lawsuit Challenges Trump Administration's New Mexico Border Wall Waiver

Conservation groups sued the Trump administration today to challenge its waiver ignoring 25 laws to speed construction of 20 miles of border wall in eastern New Mexico, an area that’s home to rare wildlife in one of the world’s most biodiverse deserts.
Washington, DC

Omnibus Spending Bill Rejects Attacks on Wolves, Endangered Species and Santa Ana Refuge

Late last night, Congress released a 2018 funding package that repudiated the draconian, reckless budget cuts proposed by President Trump. The agreement strongly rejected many

Washington Wolves Continue on Road to Recovery

Washington state’s 2017 wolf count was released today . The total number of wolves, number of packs and number of breeding pairs increased from 2016
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