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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.
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SG
Great Falls, MT

Lawsuit Filed Over Trump Administration Abandonment of Sage-Grouse Protections

Montana Wildlife Federation, Defenders of Wildlife, and The Wilderness Society today sued the U.S. Bureau of Land Management over its abandonment of critical protections for

Press Releases

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Oceanic whitetip shark Atlantic
Washington, DC

International Conferences Canceled, Leaving Species with Less Protections

As with many events worldwide in 2020, the conferences that create stronger international wildlife policies have been canceled too. These cancelations mean that imperiled wildlife will have to wait another year for new recommendations, measures, and decisions when a million species are already under threat of extinction and have yet to receive protection.
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Belugas
Anchorage, AK

Groups Praise Army Corps Denial of Pebble Mine Permit, Call for Lasting Protections

Groups advocating for the protection of Bristol Bay waterways, salmon, and communities applaud the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers decision today to deny a Clean Water Act permit for the proposed Pebble mine.
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Gray wolf caught on camera trap sniffing

Prancing in the Moonlight: Photos Capture Colorado Wolves Playing at Night

Two gray wolves were captured on film as they played last month in Northwest Colorado, the first documentation in several months of Colorado’s first wolf pack in more than 75 years. These rare images were captured by a trail camera set up by Defenders of Wildlife in Moffat County.
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Gray bat
Washington, DC

To Prevent Pandemics We Need Stronger Wildlife Laws

As nations worldwide struggle to protect human health during the COVID-19 pandemic, wildlife experts are calling for lawmakers to address the link between human and wildlife health. In a paper published last month in Trends in Ecology and Evolution, scientists make the case that addressing the human-wildlife relationship is critical to keeping all communities and ecosystems safe from disease.
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Franklin's bumble bee
SACRAMENTO

Court Rules State of California Lacks Authority to Protect Imperiled Bumble Bee Species Under the California Endangered Species Act

This week, in a blow to imperiled bee and insect populations, the Sacramento County Superior Court issued a ruling in Almond Alliance v. California Fish and Game Commission (the Commission), deeming the State of California lacks authority to list four threatened bumble bee species as Endangered under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA).
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