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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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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.
Press Releases
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Ninth Circuit Decision Throws Out Coal Leasing Challenge
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals today ruled that a lawsuit from the Northern Cheyenne Tribe and conservation groups that had successfully reinstated the Obama-era
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Southern Resident Orcas Receive Oregon Endangered Species Protections
The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission voted today to protect Southern Resident orcas under the state’s Endangered Species Act, responding to a February 2023 petition
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Critically Endangered Whale Dies Due to Inaction of Biden Administration
The North Atlantic right whale reported dead on Feb. 13 off the coast of Georgia was likely hit and killed by a vessel strike, NOAA
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Federal Court Strikes Down EPA Approval of Florida Wetlands Program
A federal court ruled in favor of environmental groups today, determining that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) violated
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Fishing Gear That Killed Endangered Right Whale Traced Back to Maine Fishery
NOAA Fisheries today announced that the fishing gear entangling the body of a juvenile female North Atlantic right whale that washed ashore on Martha’s Vineyard
jcovey@defenders.org
