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Stefan Ekernas
WASHINGTON, D.C.

Defenders of Wildlife Welcomes Stefan Ekernas as New Vice President of Species Conservation & Coexistence

Defenders of Wildlife is proud to announce Stephan Ekernas as its new Vice President of Species Conservation and Coexistence, where he will oversee Defenders’ field conservation programs.
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brown bear
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA

Trump Administration Opens Door to Bear Baiting, Den Hunting in Alaska Preserves

The National Park Service finalized a regulation that abdicates the agency's responsibility to manage wildlife in Alaska's national preserves, deferring instead to state regulations. Defenders of Wildlife condemns the rule, which mirrors a 2020 regulation promulgated by the first Trump administration that was later withdrawn and replaced in 2024.
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Washington, DC

BLM Prepares Illegal Move to Open Ouray National Wildlife Refuge to Oil & Gas, a Dangerous Precedent for Wildlife

Defenders of Wildlife is calling on BLM to withdrawal an unprecedented proposal to open Ouray National Wildlife Refuge in Utah to new oil and gas leasing.

Press Releases

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Milky way in the night sky Okefenokee NWR
Savannah, Ga.

Defenders of Wildlife Applauds Senator Ossoff, Army Corps Decision to Block Mine Threatening Okefenokee Swamp

Defenders of Wildlife applauded an announcement by the Army Corps of Engineers that it vacated the jurisdictional determination for a mining project threatening the Okefenokee Swamp in southern Georgia, following pressure from Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and the notification that the Corps had not fully consulted with or considered the wetland’s cultural and historical significance to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.
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Eastern bumble bees pollinating Joe pye weed
Sacramento, Calif.

California Court Paves the Way for Protection of Imperiled Bumble Bees and Other Insects

California's Third District Court of Appeal ruled that the California Endangered Species Act (CESA) can protect invertebrates, including four species of imperiled native bumble bees that the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation (Xerces), the Center for Food Safety (CFS), and Defenders of Wildlife (Defenders) petitioned the State of California to protect in 2018.
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Manatee with baby
St. Petersburg, Fla.

Legal Agreement Will Protect Critical Habitat for Threatened Florida Manatee

In a legal agreement with the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife and Save the Manatee Club, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has committed to revise critical habitat for the Florida manatee by September 2024.
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Gray_Wolf_Maya_Isster17-wikimedia
SEATTLE, Wash.

Defenders of Wildlife Offering Reward for Information About Four Dead Wolves in Washington

Defenders of Wildlife is offering $2,500 for information after four wolves were discovered dead in Stevens County, Washington earlier this year. The information must lead to a poaching conviction.
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Growling wolverine
Missoula, Mont.

Court Restores Wolverine Protections While Agency Reconsiders Endangered Species Decision

The wolverine has regained candidate species status under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) following a Montana District Court decision late Thursday.
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
Communications Specialist
estern@defenders.org
202-772-0243