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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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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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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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Defenders of Wildlife Supports Biological Integrity, Diversity and Environmental Health Proposed Rule
In advance of a hearing by the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries, Defenders of Wildlife is announcing its
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Stop the Ongoing Killing of Federally Protected Salmon and Steelhead by the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project
State and federal agencies must take immediate action to stop the unauthorized killing of thousands of Chinook Salmon and Steelhead at State and Federal water
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Conservation Groups Decry Yet Another Preventable Right Whale Death
Yet another North Atlantic right whale was spotted dead on Saturday off the coast of Virginia, announced Tuesday by NOAA Fisheries. Conservation groups Defenders of
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Defenders Statement on Biden Administration’s Final Endangered Species Act Regulations
The Biden administration today released final Endangered Species Act regulations that restore several core components of the bedrock conservation law that the previous administration sought to undercut. Defenders of Wildlife, which pursued legal challenges to the 2019 regulations, expressed both appreciation and concern with the newly released regulations.
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Shade Your Stream Program Plants New Life Along North Carolina Creek
The banks of Cane Creek came alive Friday with hard work — much of it by small, determined hands. Students of the FernLeaf Community School
jcovey@defenders.org
