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Salt Marsh - Cumberland Island
ST. MARYS, GEORGIA

NPS Land Swaps and Visitor Plan Open the Door to Devastating Impacts at Cumberland Island

In advance of a public hearing on proposed land exchanges on Cumberland Island National Seashore, Defenders of Wildlife called on the National Park Service to remedy a host of management issues facing one of the largest undeveloped barrier islands on the East Coast.
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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.

Press Releases

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2024.01.11 - Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge - sun shining on snowy landscape - Nathan Marcy-Defenders of Wildlife.JPG
Armargosa Valley, Nevada

Defenders Celebrates Win for Amargosa Valley Wildlife Hotspot

The Department of the Interior today temporarily halted new mining claims and leases near the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, a protection that could be
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gray wolf
Denver, CO

Defenders' Statement on CPW Commission Denial of Petition to Pause Gray Wolf Reintroduction

The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission today announced it will deny a petition to pause the state's voter-mandated gray wolf reintroduction program. Defenders of Wildlife's
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2010.10.28 - Caribou Grazing in Front of Mountains - Alaska - Colin Arisman.jpg
Washington, D.C.

Second Legally Mandated Lease Sale in the Arctic Refuge a Complete Failure, Receives No Bids

The second mandated oil and gas lease sale in ANWR received zero bids, reinforcing broad opposition to drilling in this ecologically irreplaceable landscape.
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Bear cub on back of mother in snow
Washington, DC

Defenders Statement on Grizzly Bear Delisting Status Decision

WASHINGTON, DC — The US Fish & Wildlife Service today determined there is not a basis to delist grizzly bears in the Northern Continental Divide
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2020.05.19 - Red Fox - Laurence Grayer.JPG
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA

Defenders of Wildlife Challenges FWS Unlawful Evasion of Habitat Protection for Rare Species  

Defenders of Wildlife today is challenging a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regulation that allows the agency to unlawfully dodge its legal duty to designate
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