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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condemns the rule, which mirrors a 2020 regulation promulgated by the first Trump administration that was later withdrawn and replaced in 2024.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.
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Jake Li Testimony at EPW
WASHINGTON, D.C.

A Much-Needed Win for Wildlife: Senate Introduces Bill to Improve Endangered Species Act Implementation

Senators Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Pete Rickets (R-NE) today introduced the Improving Species Recovery Act, an important bipartisan bill that would improve implementation of the Endangered Species Act.

Press Releases

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Lone Mexican gray wolf
Albuquerque, NM

Mexican Gray Wolf Population Up By 5 Percent

Wildlife officials released the annual Mexican gray wolf population data today. There are now more Mexican gray wolves roaming the southwestern U.S. than at any time since the federal government started to reintroduce the endangered species.
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Photo of the White House in Washington, DC
Washington, DC

President’s Budget Proposes the Highest Funding Levels Ever for Wildlife Refuges

President Biden’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year includes significant funding increases for wildlife protection, landscape conservation and many other critical issues that Defenders of Wildlife has worked to support amidst the worsening extinction crisis.
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Horshoe crabs
Charleston, SC

New Report: SC Horseshoe Crab’s Sharp Decline Can—and Must—Be Reversed

Defenders of Wildlife published a new in-depth report on the decline of horseshoe crabs in South Carolina, urging the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) to take concrete steps to intervene.
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Javelinas at border wall
Washington, D.C.

Agreement Prohibits Military Spending on Border Wall, Requires Restoration, Damage Study

Several federal agencies and Defenders of Wildlife, Center for Biological Diversity and Animal Legal Defense Fund reached an agreement today that prohibits military spending on border walls.
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View of Pisgah National Forest through the trees
Asheville, NC

Conservation Groups Object to Forest Service’s Revised Nantahala and Pisgah Forest Plan

This week, conservation groups formally objected to the US Forest Service’s revised Nantahala and Pisgah Forest Plan, arguing that it falls short of what is needed to ensure these popular, beloved, and iconic forests are properly managed for future generations.
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