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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.
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Three sea otters float in the water. There are hills or mountains in the distance in the background.

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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gray wolf
Salem, OR

Oregon Releases 2024 Annual Wolf Report

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife today issued its 2024 gray wolf annual report, announcing an increase in the wolf population for a new
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US Capitol Building Washington DC
Washington, D.C.

Senate Introduces Damaging Senate Version of House Passed ‘Fix Our Forests Act’

Senator John Curtis (R-UT), along with Senators Tim Sheehy (R-MT), John Hickenlooper (D-CO) and Alex Padilla (D-CA) today introduced a damaging Senate version of the House passed Fix Our Forests Act.
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Gray wolf staring into camera in snow at Yellowstone National Park
Washington, D.C.

Genetic Technology Is No Solution for Species Loss

Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum quickly embraced the news of de-extinction technology Monday, as news broke of a bioscience engineering company genetically modifying gray wolf
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Gray wolf howling on a snowy hill
Washington, D.C.

Misleadingly Named ‘Pet and Livestock Protection Act’ Ignores Science, Subverts Courts

The House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources on Wednesday is expected to take up the misleadingly named “Pet and Livestock Protection Act” which if
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Male Lesser Prairie Chicken in Yoakum County, Texas
Washington, D.C.

Defenders Raises Alarm on Bill to Prevent Expansion of Muleshoe Wildlife Refuge

Defenders is raising the alarm on H.R. 839, Rep. Jodey Arrington’s (R-TX) bill “to prohibit the implementation of a Land Protection Plan for Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge.”
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