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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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Biden Administration Appeals Restoration of Gray Wolf Protections
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it would join hunting groups and the state of Utah in appealing a federal judge’s recent decision to restore Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections to gray wolves in most of the Lower 48 states.
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Defenders of Wildlife Seeks Endangered Status for Pinyon Jay
Defenders of Wildlife petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today to protect the pinyon jay under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The species is
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Defenders Applauds Biden Administration's Move to Protect Western Arctic
The Biden administration released a new Record of Decision for the Integrated Activity Plan for the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska today, reinstating protections that were pulled back by the Trump administration.
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White House Old-growth Forest Strategy is Important First Step Toward Protecting Imperiled Wildlife
Defenders applauds President Biden’s leadership in issuing an executive order directing the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to define, inventory and identify threats to America’s last remaining old and mature forests.
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Defenders Applauds New National Nature Assessment Amidst Worsening Biodiversity Crisis
Defenders of Wildlife welcomed an announcement that the Biden administration is adopting two major initiatives – the National Nature Assessment and the Natural Capital Account – that will create a stronger scientific and economic foundation for curbing the acceleration of climate change and the extinction crises.
jcovey@defenders.org
