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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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Wolverine
Denver, Colo.

Colorado Lays Out Roadmap to Wolverine Reintroduction

On Monday, March 4, Colorado legislators took a first step towards safeguarding the future of the North American wolverine in the lower 48 United States
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2024.01.11 - North Atlantic right whale - Calf of Juno vessel strike injury - Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, NOAA permit #24359
Washington, DC

Endangered Right Whale Calf Dead After Vessel Strike Injuries Take Their Toll

A North Atlantic right whale calf was found dead on March 3 after first being spotted in January with severe head, mouth and lip wounds
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Mexican Gray Wolf headshot
FLAGSTAFF, Arizona

Mexican Gray Wolf Numbers Go Up, But Numbers Aren't the Whole Story and Populations Still Dangerously Low, Says Green Groups

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (Service) released the results of its 2023 wild Mexican gray wolf population count today, revealing that the number of
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2017.09.30 - Grizzly Bear - Grand Teton National Park - Wyoming - NPS-Adams

Defenders Celebrates Omission of Anti-ESA Riders in Spending Bill and Expresses Dismay of Wildlife Program Cuts

Defenders of Wildlife today celebrates the omission of a large number of poison-pill, anti-Endangered Species Act riders from the fiscal year 2024 appropriations bill, released this weekend by House and Senate appropriators. Despite this win, Defenders is dismayed by the funding cuts to programs at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that are key to saving imperiled species.
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2006 - Coal Fired Power Plant - Wyoming - Greg Goebel
Great Falls, MT

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
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