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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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grizzly bear in Alaska
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.
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gray wolf walking with paw raised and looking at camera
Washington, D.C.

House Vote Scheduled on Ending Gray Wolf Protections, Undermining the Endangered Species Act

The House of Representatives is expected this Thursday to vote on ending gray wolf protections, prematurely delisting gray wolves from the Endangered Species Act before

Press Releases

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Yellowstone bison released at Ft. Peck Reservation
Wolf Point, Mont.

56 Bison Transferred from Fort Peck to Tribal Lands

Today, Fort Peck Tribes, the InterTribal Buffalo Council (ITBC), and Defenders of Wildlife are facilitating the transfer of 56 Yellowstone bison to the lands of the Yakama Nation in Washington and the Modoc Nation in Oklahoma.
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Gray wolf adult and pup in grass
Portland, ORE.

Reward for Information About Gray Wolf Poisonings Jumps to Nearly $48,000

Thanks to contributions from private citizens and conservation groups, the reward for information leading to an arrest in the fatal poisoning of eight gray wolves
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Piute Pass sunset, Inyo National Forest, California
Washington, DC

The ‘Recovering America’s Wildlife Act’ Does Not Adequately Respond to the Extinction Crisis

In front of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Dan Ashe, president and CEO of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, testified about the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA). Ashe spoke on behalf of the association’s 239 accredited members and on behalf of Defenders of Wildlife and its more than 2.2 million members and supporters. In his testimony he emphasized the need for the bill to include more support for federal wildlife conservation programs.
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Florida manatee Crystal River NWR

Federal and State Officials Announce Plan to Feed Malnourished Manatees

Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced that the agencies will launch a program to feed malnourished manatees in the Indian River Lagoon.
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Mojave Desert Tortoise in California
Los Angeles, Calif.

Biden Administration Moves to Withdraw Trump-Era Pipeline Approval for Cadiz’s California Desert Water Grab

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management today moved to scrap a Trump administration decision challenged by conservation groups last March that illegally granted a pipeline
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