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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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Court Orders Halt to Blood Harvest of Horseshoe Crabs in Cape Romain
A federal judge has blocked a contractor for Charles River Laboratories from harvesting horseshoe crabs for their blood from Cape Roman National Wildlife Refuge until a lawsuit seeking to require the practice be conducted sustainably has been decided.
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Biden Administration Approves First Major Offshore Wind Project
The U.S. Interior Department issued its Final Record of Decision for Vineyard Wind, the nation’s first utility-scale commercial offshore wind energy project. After years of
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Biden Administration to Restart Review of Land Uses for Greater Sage-Grouse
The Biden administration announced that it will take another look at the greater sage grouse conservation plans and the process (started in the Obama administration
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Groups File Petition to Save the Gulf of Mexico Whale from Ship Strikes
Defenders of Wildlife and partners filed a petition today with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) to establish a year-round mandatory 10-knot speed limit and other vessel-related regulations within the core habitat of the Gulf of Mexico whale, south of the Florida panhandle.
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Now is the Time to Think about Reintroducing Jaguars into the U.S.
A group of scientists say now is the time to talk about reintroducing jaguars (Panthera onca) into the U.S.
jcovey@defenders.org
