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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.
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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.
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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

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Snow Geese
Chapel Hill, N.C.

Conservation Groups Ask Court to Protect Migratory Bird Sanctuary

Conservation groups today asked a federal court to protect an iconic sanctuary for migratory birds from a government plan to spread a chemical that could
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A wolverine lays in the snow in Montana
Denver, Colo.

Defenders applauds Colorado law bringing wolverine closer to reintroduction

Colorado today is one step closer to reintroducing the North American wolverine. Governor Jared Polis signed Senate Bill 24-171, authorizing Colorado Parks and Wildlife to
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Dunes Sagebrush Lizard
Washington, DC

Defenders Welcomes Dunes Sagebrush Lizard Endangered Listing

In a long-awaited victory for the dunes sagebrush lizard, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced the species will be listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
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2022.11.10 - Landscape - Carson National Forest - New Mexico - DOW
Washington, DC

Defenders Joins One Hundred Groups Supporting Establishment of National Interagency Seed and Restoration Center

Defenders of Wildlife and more than one hundred other organizations and businesses today sent a letter to Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and Bureau of Land Management Director Tracy Stone-Manning thanking them for their leadership promoting native plants in ecological restoration and for their commitment to establish a National Interagency Seed and Restoration Center.
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Mojave Desert Tortoise
St. George, UT

Federal Agencies Release Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement on a Highway Right-of-Way Through Red Cliffs National Conservation Area

Today the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) released a draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) to reconsider a
Senior Vice President, External Affairs
lsheehan@defenders.org
(202) 772-3244
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mdewane@defenders.org
(202) 772-0217
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jcovey@defenders.org
Communications Specialist
kirby@defenders.org
(202) 772-3268