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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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Scientists' Call to Action: The U.S.-Mexico Border Wall Threatens Biodiversity and Binational Conservation
Washington, DC

ADVISORY: Rally against the Trump Administration’s Border Policies

President Trump’s call for construction of new walls along the U.S.-Mexico border threatens the rich biological diversity of our southern border.
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Nicole Whittington-Evans
Anchorage, AK

Defenders of Wildlife Announces Nicole Whittington-Evans as Alaska Program Director

Nicole Whittington-Evans joined Defenders of Wildlife as the Alaska program director. Most recently, she was the Alaska director for The Wilderness Society for over eight years, boasting over twenty years of wildlife conservation experience.
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Scientists' Call to Action: The U.S.-Mexico Border Wall Threatens Biodiversity and Binational Conservation
Washington, DC

Defenders of Wildlife Reacts to Trump's Planned Border Visit

"The wall is a terrible idea that tears at the fabric of our American values and endangers our natural heritage, and the victims of the President’s obsession will be all around him at the border.”
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A 100 lb adult male wolf was GPS radio-collared in the Mt Emily unit
Portland, OR

Conservation Groups Exit Oregon Wolf Meetings Citing Potential Increased Killings, Flawed Process

Four conservation groups have notified Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and the state wildlife commission that they are withdrawing from stakeholder meetings about the management of
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Border wall comparison Matt Clark/Defenders
Washington, DC

House Rejects President’s Demands to Fund Needless, Damaging Border Wall

The House of Representatives passed a bill today that would end a government shutdown over President Trump’s demand that Americans pay for his ill-conceived wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
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