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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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California Fish and Game Commission Accepts Recommendation to Strengthen Protections for Desert Tortoise
Today, the California Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously to accept a report from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) that recommends strengthening protections for the Agassiz’s desert tortoise.
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Judge orders deadline for new North Atlantic right whale protections
As a result of a successful lawsuit by several environmental and animal organizations, a federal judge today ordered federal fishery managers to issue a new rule for critically endangered North Atlantic right whales no later than May 31, 2021.
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Lawsuit Challenges Federal Government’s Refusal to Protect California Spotted Owl
Conservationists today sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for refusing to protect California spotted owls under the Endangered Species Act.
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Federal Government Completes Plan to Sell Out Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to Big Oil
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) today issued a Record of Decision (ROD) finalizing the agency’s reckless plan to lease the coastal plain of the
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WDFW Issues Lethal Removal Order for Washington's Leadpoint Pack
Today the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) released a lethal removal order for one to two wolves in the Leadpoint wolf pack. The order is in response to eleven depredation events that occurred in June and August on large private pastures in Stevens County, a known high-conflict area for livestock and wolves.
jcovey@defenders.org
