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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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Mojave Desert Tortoise
St. George, UT

Federal Agencies Release Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement on a Highway Right-of-Way Through Red Cliffs National Conservation Area

Today the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) released a draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) to reconsider a
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Andrew Bowman headshot
Washington, D.C.

Defenders of Wildlife Announces Andrew Bowman as Next President and CEO

Defenders of Wildlife today announced the selection of Andrew Bowman as its new president and CEO. Bowman brings more than 25 years of conservation and non-profit management experience to Defenders.
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2016.06.01 - Red Wolf Foster Pups Cuddling - Ryan Nordsven USFWS
Manns Harbor, NC

Red Wolf Pups Born in the Wild Give Hope to Critically Endangered Species

“The Milltail pack’s story is one of resilience and has us all rooting for them every day. Every pup born in the wild brings us closer to recovery for the world’s most endangered canid, and is a clear sign that the Red Wolves can survive and thrive if managed properly,” said Heather Clarkson, Southeast representative at Defenders of Wildlife.
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condors
California

President Biden Expands Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument to Permanently Protect Molok Luyuk

Defenders of Wildlife applauds President Joe Biden’s announcement that he is using the Antiquities Act to expand the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument to include
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2020.03.25 - Gray wolf - Oregon - ODFW
Washington, DC

House Passes Bill to Delist Gray Wolves from the Endangered Species Act

In a disappointing defeat for the overwhelming majority of Americans who support the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 209-205 to pass
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