Image
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.
Image
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.
Image
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
Image
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
Image
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
Image
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
Image
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.
Image
Ninth Circuit Decision Throws Out Coal Leasing Challenge
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals today ruled that a lawsuit from the Northern Cheyenne Tribe and conservation groups that had successfully reinstated the Obama-era
jcovey@defenders.org
