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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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New Study Outlines Ways to Conserve 30 Percent of Nation’s Lands and Waters by 2030
A new study by Defenders of Wildlife’s Center for Conservation Innovation, “Identifying key federal, state and private lands strategies for achieving 30X30 in the US” was published this week in the leading scientific journal Conservation Letters.
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Biden Administration to Reverse Oil Lease Expansion in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska
The Bureau of Land Management announced that it will reverse previous plans to expand oil leasing in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska and include new plans to protect threatened and endangered species instead.
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Well-known Mexican Gray Wolf Killed on National Forest Land in Northern Arizona
An endangered Mexican gray wolf in Arizona known as “Anubis” (m2520) was illegally shot and killed on Jan. 2. His death, on national forest land, is now under federal investigation.
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20 Yellowstone Wolves Killed by Hunters in 2021
In recent months, 20 gray wolves from Yellowstone National Park have been confirmed shot by hunters after leaving the park’s boundaries—15 wolves in Montana and five more in Idaho and Wyoming.
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10 Ways 2021 Gave Us Hope for Wildlife
Despite the challenges 2021 brought us, Defenders of Wildlife has made great strides to protect wildlife and their habitat.
jcovey@defenders.org
