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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.”
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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
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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

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Gray Wolf
Oakland, Calif.

District Court Judge to Hear Arguments in Lawsuit to Relist Lower 48 Gray Wolf

Defenders of Wildlife, represented by Earthjustice, will present oral arguments Friday in U.S. District Court in a case that will decide whether federal Endangered Species Act protection is restored to gray wolves across much of the country.
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Manatee with baby
Orange Springs, FL

SJRWMD Survey Results Demonstrate Strong Support for Ocklawaha River Restoration

The recent month-long, online public survey launched by St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) regarding the future of the Kirkpatrick Dam and Rodman Reservoir resulted in 10,482 responses.
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Mexican Gray Wolf stare

Revised Mexican Gray Wolf Management Rule Fails to Satisfy Court Order and Scientists

Last week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced its proposed changes to the management regulations for Mexican gray wolves in the Mexican Wolf Experimental Population Area (MWEPA) in Arizona and New Mexico.
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Canada lynx walking through bushes in Rio Grande National Forest
Denver, Colorado

Conservation Groups Unite to Protect Threatened Species in Colorado

Today, Defenders of Wildlife, The Wilderness Society, the San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council, San Juan Citizens Alliance, WildEarth Guardians and the Western Environmental Law Center
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Satellite imagery shows the growth in mountaintop removal mines in the study area between 1985-2015
Washington, DC

Mountaintop Removal Worse for Endangered Species Than Initially Thought

The researchers from Defenders of Wildlife’s Center for Conservation Innovation (CCI), and conservation technology nonprofit SkyTruth, combined water-quality data with satellite imagery of mountaintop removal mining activity to estimate the full extent of water-quality degradation attributable to the practice at the landscape level.
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