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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 Responds to ‘Graves Mistake’ in Rice’s Whale Protection
The House Natural Resources Committee late yesterday approved H.R. 6008, a bill by Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA), that threatens the critically endangered Rice’s whale with
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Defenders Responds to Fish and Wildlife Rule on Gray Wolf Reintroduction in Colorado
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today released its final 10(j) rule on Colorado gray wolf reintroduction which will take effect on December 8, 2023
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New Defenders Report Shows Locations in the United States Most Impacted by Biodiversity Crisis
Defenders of Wildlife today released a first-of-its-kind report that maps out where the five drivers of the global biodiversity crisis — habitat loss, pollution, climate change, invasive species and overexploitation — may have the greatest impact in the contiguous United States. This work is the first to analyze all five threats together at the national scale and the first to find that climate change, rather than habitat loss, endangers the greatest number of the nation’s most imperiled species.
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Clark Announces Change at Defenders of Wildlife
Defenders of Wildlife President and CEO Jamie Rappaport Clark today announced her decision to step down from her position in 2024. Clark has served Defenders for 20 years, including the last 13 as president and CEO.
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House Interior Appropriations Bill Slashes Funding for Imperiled Species, Eviscerates Endangered Species Act Protections
The U.S. House of Representatives just passed an atrocious Interior and Environment funding bill for FY24, which slashed funding for imperiled species, eviscerated longstanding protections
jcovey@defenders.org
