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Defenders Sends Notice of Intent to Sue the Trump Administration over Rescission of ‘Harm’
Defenders of Wildlife today sent a letter to the Department of Interior and the Department of Commerce signaling its intent to sue over the administration’s rescission of the long-standing definition of “harm” under the Endangered Species Act.
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Defenders of Wildlife Raises Concerns Over Proposed BLM Rule That Would Roll Back Land Health and Grazing Safeguards
Defenders of Wildlife today submitted comments on the Bureau of Land Management’s proposed livestock grazing regulations, urging that healthy public lands and robust public participation in land management must be a priority.
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Trump Administration Rescinds ‘Harm’ Definition, Defenders Prepares for Court
In a devastating blow to wildlife, the Trump administration today formally rescinded the regulatory definition of “harm” under the Endangered Species Act, eliminating the long-standing legal interpretation that habitat destruction that leads to death or injury of protected species is illegal.
Press Releases
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Defenders of Wildlife Disappointed by Revised Mexican Gray Wolf Recovery Plan
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released a final revised recovery plan for the Mexican gray wolf. The Mexican Wolf Recovery Plan, Second Revision (final revised recovery plan), provides new site-specific recovery actions to improve protections for Mexican wolves in the wild. Defenders of Wildlife is disappointed that the revised plan likely won't be enough to curb the number of human-caused deaths.
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Court Finds Cruel Practice of Killing Wolf Pups and Bear Cubs on Alaska’s National Preserves ‘Arbitrary’
A federal District Court in Alaska ruled on Sept. 30 that a National Park Service rule allowing hunting practices like killing brown bear sows and cubs in their dens on national preserves in Alaska was poorly reasoned and arbitrary. The decision allows the rule to remain in place while the Interior Department and Park Service revise regulations.
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Conservation Groups Win Lawsuit Challenging Elimination of Critical North Carolina Protections for Sea Turtles and Fish
In a new ruling by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Cape Fear River Watch, North Carolina Wildlife Federation, and Defenders of Wildlife, represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center, succeeded in challenging the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ unjustified decision to eliminate the agency’s longstanding practice of limiting hopper dredging at Wilmington and Morehead City Harbors to winter months.
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Defenders Applauds Exclusion of Manchin’s “Dirty Deal” from Government Funding Bill
After heavy pushback from Defenders of Wildlife and many other environmental groups, a broad spectrum of nonprofits, frontline communities, and members of Congress, Senate leaders announced that the permitting agreement championed by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), coined the “Dirty Deal,” will not be attached to the upcoming government funding bill.
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Successful Swift Fox Reintroduction Program at Fort Belknap Celebrates Third Year
With the release of 25 swift foxes planned later this week, the Fort Belknap Indian Community celebrated the third year of its swift fox recovery program. The reintroduction program has, so far, returned 103 swift foxes to Tribal lands and monitoring show that the foxes are reproducing in the wild, a critical measure of success for a self-sustaining population.
jcovey@defenders.org
