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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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Trump Administration Moves Ahead with Plan to Strip Bird Protections
Despite nearly 200,000 public comments defending the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), the Trump administration is pushing forward with its plan to cement into law
Trump Issues Orders that Undercut NEPA and Jeopardize Wildlife
Today, President Trump signed an executive order that would allow certain federal projects to secure approval without complying with long-standing environmental laws, including the National
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Court shuts down Interior’s second illegal land deal with King Cove Corp
A federal District Court decision released late yesterday resoundingly shut down the Interior Department’s second attempt at an illegal land exchange with the King Cove Corporation to make way for a road through vital protected wetlands in Izembek National Wildlife Refuge.
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More than 12,000 Acres of Endangered Species Habitat Permanently Protected as ‘North Carrizo Ecological Reserve’ in Response to Defenders Settlement Agreement
The California Fish and Game Commission (FGC) voted in April to permanently protect nearly 20 square miles of land in eastern San Luis Obispo County as the North Carrizo Ecological Reserve.
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Court Rejects Koch Brothers-funded Group’s Attack on Rare Texas Arachnid
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals today rejected an attack on the Endangered Species Act’s constitutionality brought by a special interest group financed by the Koch brothers.
jcovey@defenders.org
