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New Defenders Report Analyzes Strengths and Gaps in Section 4(d) Protections for Threatened Species
Defenders of Wildlife today released a report assessing how federal wildlife agencies have applied section 4(d) of the Endangered Species Act over the past decade.
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Defenders Presses Forward in Lawsuit Against ESA 4(d) Rescission
Defenders of Wildlife today filed an amended complaint challenging the Trump administration’s rescission of the Endangered Species Act’s blanket 4(d) rule with co-plaintiffs, the Center for Biological Diversity.
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Black-Footed Ferrets Secure Critical Win, Following Public Outcry
A transmission line in Kansas will be modified to avoid impact on the endangered black-footed ferret, a significant win driven by individuals across the Plains.
Press Releases
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Defenders of Wildlife Petitions to Protect Imperiled Shortfin Mako Shark
Defenders of Wildlife today petitioned the National Marine Fisheries Service to protect the shortfin mako shark under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The species has declined dramatically across the world’s oceans because of overfishing and fisheries bycatch. The shortfin mako is the fastest-swimming shark on record.
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Thirteenth Critically Endangered Right Whale Calf of the Season Spotted Near Georgia
Yesterday, NOAA Fisheries announced that a newborn North Atlantic right whale had been spotted near Wassaw Island, Georgia, making it the 13th calf of the 2020-2021 calving season. The newborn was accompanied by its 14-year-old mother. This calf is the mother’s first.
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Inauguration Day Brings Hope for Wildlife
President & CEO Jamie Rappaport Clark on the inauguration of Joe Biden as President of the United States.
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Lawsuit Challenges Trump Administration’s Gutting of Federal Protection for Migratory Birds
National environmental groups filed a lawsuit today in the Southern District of New York challenging the Trump administration’s reinterpretation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which eliminated longstanding, vital protections for more than 1,000 species of waterfowl, raptors and songbirds.
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Trump Administration Decision To Build Highway In Utah Violates Environmental Laws And Risks Integrity Of National Conservation Lands
Today, the Trump administration’s Bureau of Land Management issued a Record of Decision permitting construction of the Northern Corridor Highway, a controversial four-lane highway through the protected Red Cliffs National Conservation Area (NCA) in southwest Utah. The US Fish & Wildlife Service also issued an Incidental Take Permit, allowing for destruction of desert tortoises in the path of the highway project and to reduce protections elsewhere. Desert tortoises are listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act.
jcovey@defenders.org
