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2019.08.07 - Florida Panther looking straight at camera - MS 45 - fStop Foundation
WASHINGTON, D.C.

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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A close up of the face of a Sierra Nevada Red Fox at the edge of a forest in Deschutes County, Oregon.
Washington, D.C.

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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Three sea otters float in the water. There are hills or mountains in the distance in the background.

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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Adolescent gray wolf howling near Lamar River in Yellowstone
Denver, CO

Over 210,000 Coloradans Sign On for Wolf Reintroduction, Adding Initiative to 2020 Ballot

Today, volunteers from the Rocky Mountain Wolf Action Fund (RMWAF) submitted over 210,000 signatures to the Colorado Secretary of State to place restoration of wolves on Colorado’s 2020 statewide ballot.
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Marbled murrelet
Portland, OR

Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission Revisits Marbled Murrelet Protections

The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission today voted to revisit their decision to deny greater protections for the marbled murrelet.
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Organ-pipe-cactus-national-monument
Tucson, Ariz.

MEDIA ADVISORY: Defenders of Wildlife Expert Available to Discuss Wildlife Impacts During Arizona Rally to Stop Border Wall Construction and Funding

Defenders of Wildlife Expert Available to Discuss Wildlife Impacts During Arizona Rally to Stop Border Wall Construction and Funding
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Capitol Building
Washington, DC

The ‘Recovering America’s Wildlife Act’ Fails to Adequately Respond to the Extinction Crisis

The House Natural Resources Committee today approved the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA), H.R. 3742, introduced by Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE).
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Red wolves playing
Raleigh, NC

Governor Cooper Demands U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Recommit to Red Wolf Recovery Efforts

Today, Governor Roy Cooper and the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) sent letters to Interior Secretary David Bernhardt and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), urging the USFWS to work harder to save critically-endangered Red Wolves from extinction.
Senior Vice President, External Affairs
lsheehan@defenders.org
(202) 772-3244
Communications Director
mdewane@defenders.org
(202) 772-0217
Communications Specialist
jcovey@defenders.org
Communications Specialist
kirby@defenders.org
(202) 772-3268
Communications Specialist
estern@defenders.org
202-772-0243