Image
Rice's Whale
WASHINGTON, D.C.

Defenders Slams Unlawful God Squad Vote to Strip Endangered Species Act Protection from Wildlife in the Gulf

Defenders of Wildlife strongly opposes today’s vote by the Endangered Species Committee, or God Squad, to condemn species to extinction in the name of a fictitious “national security emergency.”
Image
Merrit Island National Wildlife Refuge at sunset
Washington, D.C.

Court Victory for Florida Wetlands Protection

The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled today that permits to build in wetlands should stay in the hands of
Image
Willet
Washington, D.C.

Sec. of Defense Invokes False “National Security” Rationale to Eviscerate Endangered Species Act Protections for Wildlife in the Gulf

In a litigation filing yesterday in federal district court, the Trump administration publicly admitted for the first time that Interior Secretary Doug Burgum scheduled a snap meeting of the Endangered Species Committee (the “God Squad”) for March 31 at the request of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

Press Releases

Image
gray wolf howling in lamar valley
SEATTLE, Wash.

Collared Wolf Crosses Interstate-90 in Washington for First Time Ever

For the first time ever, a collaRed Wolf in Washington state successfully crossed interstate-90 into the South Cascades mountains according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).
Image
Black mountains in the western mojave desert
Washington, DC

New Study Outlines Ways to Conserve 30 Percent of Nation’s Lands and Waters by 2030

A new study by Defenders of Wildlife’s Center for Conservation Innovation, “Identifying key federal, state and private lands strategies for achieving 30X30 in the US” was published this week in the leading scientific journal Conservation Letters.
Image
Caribou on tundra in NPR-A
Anchorage, AK

Biden Administration to Reverse Oil Lease Expansion in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska

The Bureau of Land Management announced that it will reverse previous plans to expand oil leasing in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska and include new plans to protect threatened and endangered species instead.
Image
Mexican Gray Wolf stare
Flagstaff, Ariz.

Well-known Mexican Gray Wolf Killed on National Forest Land in Northern Arizona

An endangered Mexican gray wolf in Arizona known as “Anubis” (m2520) was illegally shot and killed on Jan. 2. His death, on national forest land, is now under federal investigation.
Image
Gray wolf in snow
Yellowstone National Park, Wyo.

20 Yellowstone Wolves Killed by Hunters in 2021

In recent months, 20 gray wolves from Yellowstone National Park have been confirmed shot by hunters after leaving the park’s boundaries—15 wolves in Montana and five more in Idaho and Wyoming.
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