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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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Rep. Huffman Introduces Polar Bear Cub Survival Act
Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) introduced the Polar Bear Cub Survival Act of 2020 in response to reports that lease sales in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge are imminent. Drilling would further threaten the critically-imperiled Southern Beaufort Sea polar bear population, especially by increasing the risk of death to newborn polar bear cubs sheltered in maternal dens in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
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Lawsuit: Government illegally “cut corners” to ram through NEPA changes
A group of 17 environmental organizations in a lawsuit today accused the government of racing through an industry-friendly rewrite of the National Environmental Policy Act
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Female Wolf Removed from Washington's Wolf Pack
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) today reported that a non-breeding adult female wolf from the Wedge pack in the Kettle Range in northeast Washington has been lethally removed, leaving two wolves in the pack. This action comes days after WDFW issued a lethal removal order for one wolf in this pack. WDFW has now moved to an evaluation period for both the Wedge and Togo wolf packs.
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Barrels Provide Much-Needed Nesting Habitat for Scarlet Macaws in Mexico
Mexico’s scarlet macaws are finding a nesting refuge in an unlikely place – barrels. This unusual artificial home is used by a reintroduction project in the Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve in Veracruz, Mexico. The project, which brings together scientists, NGOs and communities, aims to restore a healthy population of scarlet macaws in the reserve, which is part of its historical range.
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Groups call out Army Corps for negligent review of Pebble’s faulty mine proposal
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers published a final environmental impact statement for the proposed Pebble mine that fails to address the concerns of scientists
jcovey@defenders.org
