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Violet-green Swallow
ANN ARBOR, MI

Study Led by Defenders of Wildlife Scientist Shows Noise Pollution Impacts on Migratory Birds

“The major takeaway from this study is that anthropogenic noise affects many aspects of bird behavior, with some responses more directly tied to fitness,” said Natalie Madden, lead author of the new study.
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Louisiana Black Bear
Raleigh, N.C.

Defenders Receives Advocacy Organization of the Year Award

Defenders of Wildlife joined its partners in the Safe Passage coalition today to accept the Advocacy Organization of the Year Award at the 2026 Sweethearts
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Two North Atlantic Right Whales
Washington, D.C.

Defenders Raises Alarm Over Administration’s Proposal to Amend Rule Protecting North Atlantic Right Whales From Deadly Vessel Strikes

Defenders of Wildlife is devastated to learn that a three-year-old female North Atlantic right whale was found dead off Virginia on February 10, 2026. This

Press Releases

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Polar bears
Anchorage, AK

Emergency court order stops ConocoPhillips from moving forward on destructive Willow project

Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic, Defenders of Wildlife and four additional groups applaud a U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling yesterday that stops ConocoPhillips from doing winter road construction, gravel mining, and blasting on its Willow project in the western Arctic, on federal lands in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, while the court decides an appeal in the case.
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Williamson’s Sapsucker on a branch
Washington, DC

Legislation Introduced to Establish one of the Nation’s Largest Urban Wildlife Refuges

A recent report finds that California lost more than 1 million acres of natural area between 2001 and 2017 due to urban development, greatly affecting
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Bald Eagle
Madison, Wisconsin

Four Conservation Groups Sue to Protect Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge

Today, Defenders of Wildlife along with three conservation groups- the National Wildlife Refuge Association, Driftless Area Land Conservancy, and Wisconsin Wildlife Federation – filed a
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Franklin's bumble bee
Sacramento, CA

Conservationists and California Fish and Game Commission Pursue Appeal to Ensure Legal Protections for Imperiled Bumble Bees

Today, Center for Food Safety, Defenders of Wildlife, and the Xerces Society, represented by Stanford Environmental Law Clinic, announced they are appealing a November 2020 decision by the Sacramento County Superior Court.
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southern resident orca
Boise, Idaho

Idaho Legislative Package Kick-starts Northwest Salmon and Energy Discussions

This weekend Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) announced a comprehensive legislative package that seeks to recover salmon throughout the Pacific Northwest, update our outdated energy infrastructure, and invest in community infrastructure needs throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana.
Senior Vice President, External Affairs
lsheehan@defenders.org
(202) 772-3244
Communications Director
mdewane@defenders.org
(202) 772-0217
Communications Specialist
jcovey@defenders.org
Former Communications Specialist
Communications Specialist
kirby@defenders.org
(202) 772-3268