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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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Okefenokee kayaking
Washington, DC

Defenders of Wildlife Applauds Secretary Haaland's Call to Protect the Okefenokee from Strip Mining

Defenders of Wildlife applauds recent comments submitted directly to Georgia Governor Brian Kemp by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Debra Haaland that reinforce the dangers of mining operations near the Okefenokee Swamp.
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Sea otter raft of four
Washington, DC

New Defenders' Analysis Highlights Benefits of Full ESA Funding

A new analysis from Defender of Wildlife’s Center for Conservation Innovation (CCI), finds that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service only receives about 40% of the funding required to fully implement the Endangered Species Act.
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Mexican Gray Wolf, Wolf Conservation Center
Santa Fe, NM

Poaching Death of Mexican Gray Wolf Hinders Reintroduction Efforts

The killing of a federally protected male Mexican gray wolf near Winston, NM in early October marks yet another obstacle to efforts to restore the imperiled species in its native range.
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Mojave Desert Tortoise
Washington, D.C.

Defenders Applauds Biden’s Commitment to Establish New National Monument in Nevada 

President Biden announced his commitment to establish a new national monument, Avi Kwa Ame National Monument, in southern Nevada.
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Washington, D.C.

Northern Long-Eared Bat Listed as ‘Endangered’

Defenders of Wildlife applauds the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (FWS) listing of the northern long-eared bat as an endangered species, a hard-won reclassification from threatened, under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA).
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