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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condemns the rule, which mirrors a 2020 regulation promulgated by the first Trump administration that was later withdrawn and replaced in 2024.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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Piute Pass sunset, Inyo National Forest, California
Washington, DC

The ‘Recovering America’s Wildlife Act’ Does Not Adequately Respond to the Extinction Crisis

In front of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Dan Ashe, president and CEO of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, testified about the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA). Ashe spoke on behalf of the association’s 239 accredited members and on behalf of Defenders of Wildlife and its more than 2.2 million members and supporters. In his testimony he emphasized the need for the bill to include more support for federal wildlife conservation programs.
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Florida manatee Crystal River NWR

Federal and State Officials Announce Plan to Feed Malnourished Manatees

Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced that the agencies will launch a program to feed malnourished manatees in the Indian River Lagoon.
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Mojave Desert Tortoise in California
Los Angeles, Calif.

Biden Administration Moves to Withdraw Trump-Era Pipeline Approval for Cadiz’s California Desert Water Grab

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management today moved to scrap a Trump administration decision challenged by conservation groups last March that illegally granted a pipeline
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Wolf Headshot
Portland, ORE.

$26,000 Reward Offered for Info on Fatal Poisoning of 8 Gray Wolves in Eastern Oregon

UPDATE: 12/15/2021: Thanks to additional contributions from members of the public and environmental groups, the reward for information leading to an arrest now stands at
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Greater Sage Grouse - Wyoming
Washington, DC

Congress Urged to Protect the Sage-Grouse from Harmful Appropriations Rider

Today, dozens of environmental groups—including Defenders of Wildlife, American Bird Conservancy, Western Watersheds Project, The Pew Charitable Trusts and Natural Resources Defense Council—and their millions of members are calling on Congress and the Biden administration to take a stand for the greater sage-grouse as anti-wildlife members of the House and Senate appropriations committees threaten to derail a hard-fought win for the imperiled bird earlier this year.
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