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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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Landmark Study Demonstrates Cultural, Ecological and Economic Benefits of Tribal Bison Restoration
A study published today in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution found that widespread restoration of bison to Tribal lands throughout the Northern Great Plains can help restore the prairie ecosystem while improving the long-running issue of food insecurity and food sovereignty for Native Nations, and may help to mitigate adverse impacts to traditional agricultural systems due to climate change.
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81,000 Demand Support for Long-term Mexican Gray Wolf Conservation
More than 81,000 people called on the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) this week to establish stronger protections for endangered Mexican gray wolves.
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Fisheries Commission Board Advances Horseshoe Crab Proposal That Threatens Red Knot Shorebird
A horseshoe crab management board within the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission accepted a proposal today that poses a significant threat to the red knot, a declining migratory shorebird whose numbers reached a record low in Delaware Bay last spring.
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Judge Halts Power Line Through Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge
Defenders of Wildlife and three other conservation groups – the National Wildlife Refuge Association, Driftless Area Land Conservancy, Wisconsin Wildlife Federation – prevailed on January
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Defenders of Wildlife Names Dr. Lindsay Rosa as Center for Conservation Innovation Director
Defenders of Wildlife is pleased to announce that Dr. Lindsay Rosa is the new director of Defenders’ Center for Conservation Innovation (CCI). Rosa joined Defenders in 2019 as head of CCI’s science team.
jcovey@defenders.org
