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Florida panther
WASHINGTON, D.C.

Defenders of Wildlife Submits Technical Comments and Over 8,400 Public Comments in Efforts to Stop Harmful ESA Proposals

Defenders of Wildlife today submitted its technical comments opposing the Trump administration’s proposals to weaken the Endangered Species Act’s implementing regulations.
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black-footed ferret at the nat'l black-footed ferret conservation center
Washington, D.C.

Defenders Slams SPEED Act as it Speeds Toward Habitat Destruction

Defenders of Wildlife condemns Rep. Bruce Westerman’s (R-AR) SPEED ACT, H.R. 4776 the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development Act, ahead of Thursday’s expected floor vote in the U.S. House of Representatives.
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Roaming mountain goat
Washington, D.C.

ESA Amendments Act Poses a Historic Threat to America’s Wildlife

Defenders of Wildlife remains on high alert as it braces for the House Natural Resources Committee’s full markup of Rep. Bruce Westerman’s (R-AR) Endangered Species Amendments Act of 2025. More aptly labeled the Extinction Act, the bill seeks to eviscerate the Endangered Species Act, stripping away decades of crucial protections for America’s wildlife and their habitats.

Press Releases

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Lone Horseshoe Crab
Washington, DC

Fisheries Commission Board Advances Horseshoe Crab Proposal That Threatens Red Knot Shorebird

A horseshoe crab management board within the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission accepted a proposal today that poses a significant threat to the red knot, a declining migratory shorebird whose numbers reached a record low in Delaware Bay last spring.
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Bald eagle sitting at the top of an evergreen tree
Madison, WI

Judge Halts Power Line Through Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge

Defenders of Wildlife and three other conservation groups – the National Wildlife Refuge Association, Driftless Area Land Conservancy, Wisconsin Wildlife Federation – prevailed on January
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Lindsay Rosa headshot
Washington, DC

Defenders of Wildlife Names Dr. Lindsay Rosa as Center for Conservation Innovation Director

Defenders of Wildlife is pleased to announce that Dr. Lindsay Rosa is the new director of Defenders’ Center for Conservation Innovation (CCI). Rosa joined Defenders in 2019 as head of CCI’s science team.
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Horshoe crabs
Washington, DC

Horseshoe Crab Management Proposal Could Further Imperil Threatened Red Knot Shorebird

A coalition of conservation groups has warned regional fishery managers that a proposed change to the rules governing horseshoe crab removal in Delaware Bay threatens the red knot, a declining migratory shorebird whose numbers along the bay reached a record low last spring.
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Florida panther
New York, NY

Nature's Brokers: Scientists Show Pumas Maintain Relationships with Nearly 500 Living Species, Holding America’s Ecosystems Together

Pumas maintain relationships with an astounding 485 living species and play a critical role in holding ecosystems together throughout the Western Hemisphere, according to a new study entitled Pumas as ecological brokers: a review of their biotic relationships from Defenders of Wildlife and Panthera, the global wild cat conservation organization, published today in Mammal Review.
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
jpetrequin@defenders.org
(202) 772-0243
Communications Specialist
kirby@defenders.org
(202) 772-3268