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Sea otter with head poking above the water
Washington, DC

Defenders of Wildlife Urges Public Opposition to NOAA’s Planned Review That Could Weaken California’s Authority to Protect its Coastline

NOAA will review California's Coastal Management Program following a directive from Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Defenders of Wildlife urges public participation in upcoming public meetings to protect California's coast, wildlife, and state authority.
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Grand Teton NP
WASHINGTON, D.C.

America the Beautiful Act Would Reauthorize Nearly $2 billion for National Parks and Public Lands

Defenders of Wildlife supports passage of the America the Beautiful Act, sponsored by Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-CA) and Chair Bruce Westerman (R-AR).
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Rocky coastline of the Atlantic ocean with native plants in the foreground under a fog
Washington, DC

BLM Oil and Gas Rule Rescission Threatens Wildlife Habitat — and American Pocketbooks

Today, the Bureau of Land Management announced a proposed rule to rescind the 2024 BLM Oil and Gas rule which will significantly roll back bonding requirements for oil and gas companies and reduce public comment periods for drilling applications.

Press Releases

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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.
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Horseshoe Crabs
Charleston, SC

State-sanctioned Horseshoe Crab Confinement Threatens Shorebirds

Defenders of Wildlife and a group of conservation organizations are preparing to sue the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and Charles River Laboratories for penning horseshoe crabs in manmade ponds during spawning season, a practice that imperils a threatened migratory shorebird, the red knot, which feeds on the eggs.
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Chinook Salmon make their way up ship creek to spawn.
SEATTLE, Wash.

WA Governor, Senator Announce Process to Assess Feasibility of Lower Snake River Dam Removal

In a joint statement, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) recently laid out a new plan to combine state and federal resources to assess the impacts and costs of breaching the four lower Snake River dams.
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Shortfin mako shark
Washington, DC

Countries Undermine the Shortfin Mako’s Chances of Survival at Recent ICCAT Meeting

In a disappointing development, Wednesday’s International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) panel meeting failed yet again to advance negotiations which would provide shortfin mako sharks with the protection they need.
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