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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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A polar bear keeps close to her young along the Beaufort Sea coast in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Washington, DC

Defenders of Wildlife Applauds Lawmakers for Voting Against NDAA Amendment Exempting Defense from ESA

Defenders of Wildlife applauds the majority of House members that voted down a disastrous amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would have fully exempted defense-related activity from the Endangered Species Act.
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2023.04.27 - Northern Bobwhite Eggs Burned - Texas - Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program (CC BY-ND 2.0).jpg
BOCA CHICA, TEXAS

Defenders responds to report on shorebird losses at Boca Chica after SpaceX Starship Launch

Defenders of Wildlife released the following response to a Coastal Bend & Bay Estuaries Program report that points to shorebird nest losses following the June
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Black-footed ferret poking out of a hole
WALL, SD

Defenders Prepares for Black-Footed Ferret Mortality Following Prairie Dog Plague Announcement

The National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service today confirmed sylvatic plague as the cause of prairie dog die-off across three South Dakota ecosystems. The
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Bison of the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of Fort Peck_Montana_DOW
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo.

Defenders Applauds Yellowstone Bison Management Decision

On Thursday, June 6, 2024, Yellowstone National Park released the Final Environmental Impact Statement for a new management plan affecting the future of the North
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 Peavine Pines, Nevada -  by JC Bleam.jpg
SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO

Defenders Demands Action from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Over Missed Deadline

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has quietly punted the next phase to federally protect the Pinyon Jay under the Endangered Species Act to 2028
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