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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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New Mexico State Game Commission Votes to Rejoin Wolf Recovery Program
The New Mexico State Game Commission voted today to rejoin the Mexican Gray Wolf Recovery Program.
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Conservation Groups Challenge Repeal of Clean Water Act Protections in Federal Court
Conservation groups today challenged in court the administration’s effort to strip away crucial clean water protections from rivers, lakes, streams and other waters that feed drinking-water sources for 200 million Americans and 32 million people in the South, or seven out of ten Southerners.
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Statement on Deaths of Florida Panthers Suffering from Mystery Illness
Today, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) announced that the agency has confirmed neurological damage in one panther and one bobcat through necropsy.
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Trump Administration Guts Endangered Species Act Protections for San Francisco Bay-Delta Fish
Today, USFWS and NMFS released new Endangered Species Act biological opinions for endangered salmon and other fish species in the San Francisco Bay-Delta.
Stunning Losses to Wildlife, Biodiversity Demand Action
October 22, 2019 kicks off the six-month countdown to the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.
jcovey@defenders.org
