The winter solstice is upon us and the colder days of winter have officially set in. As the end of the year comes ever closer, join us for part three of our 24 Wins of 2024.
Today we are exploring our next six wins! Each of these wins showcases a step forward in protecting imperiled wildlife.
1. Defenders of Wildlife was the featured witness testifying before the House Natural Resources Committee against H.R. 9533, the “ESA Amendments Act of 2024.”
Defenders’ senior attorney, Ellen Richmond, testified in July against the “ESA Amendments Act of 2024". This bill is one of the worst-ever attempts to gut the Endangered Species Act by demolishing many of its core tenets, warping its foundational reliance on best available science, increasing the potential for political interference and drastically reducing protections for imperiled species.
2. Fish and Wildlife Service finally listed the dunes sagebrush lizard as endangered under the ESA
The dunes sagebrush lizard was first identified as needing ESA protections in 1982 and was first proposed for listing in 2010. Political pressure from the oil and gas industry, which prizes the lizard’s habitat, blocked the listing from moving forward. Defenders and its partner organizations litigated for its listing for years, including a petition in 2018. Finally, in May 2024, the lizard was listed as endangered under the ESA.
Dunes sagebrush lizards are found only in the Permian Basin in West Texas and southeastern New Mexico, the second-smallest range of any North American lizard. They rely on shinnery oak sand duneland, which once destroyed cannot be restored, according to scientific research.
3. California Fish and Game Commission unanimously voted in favor of uplisting the Mojave Desert tortoise as endangered under the California ESA
Desert tortoises in the Mojave Desert (Gopherus agassizii) are a distinct population located west and north of the Colorado River. Mojave Desert tortoises were listed as threatened under California’s state ESA in 1989 and under the federal ESA in 1990. Despite these protections, the desert tortoise is closer to extinction than ever before. The vote in April to change the state listing status was necessary, as it reflects the direness of the desert tortoise’s decline and may generate more awareness and resources for the species.
Mojave desert tortoises are threatened by habitat loss from development, military base expansion and training, off-highway vehicle use and livestock grazing. Other risks to its survival include disease, utility maintenance projects, invasive species, and extended droughts associated with climate change.
4. Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission voted unanimously to list the southern resident orca under the state ESA
Southern Resident orcas are listed as endangered under the federal and Washington state’s ESAs, but the population has continued to decline. Unlike other orcas, Southern Resident orcas feed almost exclusively on declining Chinook salmon. These orcas spend considerable time feeding in the inland and coastal waters of Oregon and California.
Defenders, along with its partners, filed a petition in 2023 for Southern Resident orcas to be listed under Oregon’s state ESA. With the listing in February, Oregon will develop an endangered species management plan, which will require state agencies to develop concrete actions that address the primary threats to orcas in the state.
5. U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit found the FWS violated the Marine Mammal Protection Act along Alaska’s North Slope
The Marine Mammal Protection Act prohibits unauthorized harassment of marine mammal populations. In March, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit found the FWS violated the act in a regulation allowing oil and gas companies to harass hundreds of imperiled Southern Beaufort Sea polar bears along Alaska’s North Slope over the past five years. Defenders and several partner organizations challenged the regulation allowing for this harassment in 2021. Despite FWS claims of only disturbing polar bears, their own science demonstrated a 95% risk of polar bear injuries or deaths due to industry activities over the five years.
6. Atlantic State Marine Fisheries Commission decided against allowing a bait harvest of female horseshoe crabs in 2025
Atlantic State Marine Fisheries Commission decided in October against allowing a bait harvest of female crabs in 2025, maintaining a key protection since 2013. ASMFC’s decision reflects broad public support for stabilizing the ecosystem by ensuring enough of the crabs’ eggs exist to feed shorebirds at a vital stopover during their global migratory journey. Defenders was one of many conservation groups who have been advocating for the restoration of the Delaware Bay ecosystem for years.
Crab eggs at the key stopover in Delaware Bay give migratory birds, like the threatened red knot, energy to complete their thousands of miles journey from South America and breed successfully upon reaching their destination in the Arctic. Many species of turtle and finfish also rely on these eggs.
Come back next week to learn about our final set of 2024 wins, showcasing how these wins are just the start for Defenders. We still have more work to do in 2025! Missed the first half of wins? Read part 1 here and part 2 here.
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