Image
manta rays swimming in the shallow ocean with coral
Fort Myers, FL

Defenders of Wildlife Applauds Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for Tightening Protections for Listed Species

Defenders of Wildlife welcomes today’s action by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to end open permitting for the capture of ESA-threatened marine species in Florida waters for public display and exhibition purposes.
Image
NARW
WASHINGTON, D.C.

Legal Intervention Aims to Protect North Atlantic Right Whales From Deadly Ship Strikes

Conservation groups today filed a motion to intervene to help fight a lawsuit aimed at overturning a seasonal speed rule protecting North Atlantic right whales from deadly vessel strikes. The groups want to defend the rule against a lawsuit brought by a New York vessel owner fined for violating seasonal speed limits. The suit alleges that NOAA Fisheries lacked the statutory authority to issue the rule.
Image
sage grouse in snow at Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge
Washington, D.C.

Final Rescission of Public Lands Rule Reverses Modern Land Management, Threatens Wildlife Habitat

The Bureau of Land Management today announced a decision to roll back the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, commonly referred to as the Public Lands Rule. The policy modernized how BLM manages our national public lands and represented the critical incorporation of ecological resilience into management alongside traditional resource extraction.

Press Releases

Image
New Mexico wildlife
Albuquerque, NM

New Mexico Formally Commits to Biden’s America the Beautiful Plan

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed an executive order (EO) today focused on protecting New Mexico’s biodiversity, carbon stores and natural working lands. Despite being rich in species of plants and wildlife, only 5% of New Mexico’s lands and waters are protected with biodiversity as the priority.
Image
Gray wolf yearlings from Lamar Canyon pack in Yellowstone NP
Helena, Montana

Montana Proposes Increase in Wolf Hunting Quota

On Friday, the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission approved a proposal to increase the wolf harvest in Montana, including the use of controversial techniques such as snaring, baiting and night hunting.
Image
Gunnison Sage Grouse
Washington, DC

New Forest Plan in Colorado Pushes Logging Over Land and Wildlife Conservation

The U.S. Forest Service recently released its much-anticipated draft revised forest plan and draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Colorado’s Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison
Image
Polar Bears
Anchorage, AK

District Court Voids Permits for ConocoPhillips' Willow Project

Defenders of Wildlife and five allied groups celebrate today’s U.S. District Court decision protecting the health of Arctic communities by upholding the law and voiding the flawed Trump-era approvals and permits for the ConocoPhillips’s Willow Master Development Plan.
Image
Florida manatee Crystal River NWR
St. Petersburg, FL

Changes Sought for Florida Manatee Critical Habitat as Deaths Set New Record

Conservation organizations today filed a formal notice of their intent to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for failing to revise outdated critical habitat for Florida manatees.
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