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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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SAVE Right Whales Act Passes Out of Committee
Today, the House Natural Resources Committee marked up and passed the Scientific Assistance for Very Endangered (SAVE) Right Whales Act out of committee. The legislation would support the survival and recovery of the critically imperiled North Atlantic right whale.
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Interior Department Needs Leadership, Not Reorganization
Jamie Rappaport Clark, president and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife, will testify before the House Natural Resources Committee, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations today at 10:00 a.m.
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WA Legislature Funds Key Orca-Saving Measure
With support from Governor Inslee and 43 legislators in the House and Senate, the Washington State legislature included funding in its final state budget to convene a stakeholder forum recommended last fall by the Governor’s Southern Resident Orca Recovery Task Force.
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Final Jaguar Plan Inadequate For Recovery of Species in U.S.
Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released their final recovery plan for the jaguar. This plan, dated in 2018 but just released today, comes over two decades after the cat was granted protection under the Endangered Species Act and does not allot enough suitable habitat for recovery in the United States.
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Defenders of Wildlife Releases Report Detailing Consequences of Proposed Natural Gas Facilities on Ocelot Recovery
Defenders of Wildlife has published a new report, Potential Impacts of Proposed Liquified Natural Gas Facilities on Ocelot Recovery in Texas, which details the effects three proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities in the Brownsville Ship Channel would have on the future of ocelot recovery in the United States.
jcovey@defenders.org
