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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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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.
Press Releases
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State Protections Sought for Vanishing California Burrowing Owls
Conservation groups petitioned the California Fish and Game Commission today to protect five imperiled populations of the western burrowing owl under the California Endangered Species
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Colorado Lays Out Roadmap to Wolverine Reintroduction
On Monday, March 4, Colorado legislators took a first step towards safeguarding the future of the North American wolverine in the lower 48 United States
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Endangered Right Whale Calf Dead After Vessel Strike Injuries Take Their Toll
A North Atlantic right whale calf was found dead on March 3 after first being spotted in January with severe head, mouth and lip wounds
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Mexican Gray Wolf Numbers Go Up, But Numbers Aren't the Whole Story and Populations Still Dangerously Low, Says Green Groups
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (Service) released the results of its 2023 wild Mexican gray wolf population count today, revealing that the number of
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Defenders Celebrates Omission of Anti-ESA Riders in Spending Bill and Expresses Dismay of Wildlife Program Cuts
Defenders of Wildlife today celebrates the omission of a large number of poison-pill, anti-Endangered Species Act riders from the fiscal year 2024 appropriations bill, released this weekend by House and Senate appropriators. Despite this win, Defenders is dismayed by the funding cuts to programs at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that are key to saving imperiled species.
jcovey@defenders.org
