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swimming manta rays
Fort Myers, FL

Defenders of Wildlife Applauds Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for Tightening Protections for Listed Species

Defenders of Wildlife welcomes today’s action by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to end open permitting for the capture of ESA-threatened marine species in Florida waters for public display and exhibition purposes.
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NARW
WASHINGTON, D.C.

Legal Intervention Aims to Protect North Atlantic Right Whales From Deadly Ship Strikes

Conservation groups today filed a motion to intervene to help fight a lawsuit aimed at overturning a seasonal speed rule protecting North Atlantic right whales from deadly vessel strikes. The groups want to defend the rule against a lawsuit brought by a New York vessel owner fined for violating seasonal speed limits. The suit alleges that NOAA Fisheries lacked the statutory authority to issue the rule.
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greater sage grouse
Washington, D.C.

Final Rescission of Public Lands Rule Reverses Modern Land Management, Threatens Wildlife Habitat

The Bureau of Land Management today announced a decision to roll back the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, commonly referred to as the Public Lands Rule. The policy modernized how BLM manages our national public lands and represented the critical incorporation of ecological resilience into management alongside traditional resource extraction.

Press Releases

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Habitat patrol gif
Washington, D.C.

Satellite Images to Reveal Untold Habitat Loss

Protecting and restoring habitat is becoming more critical than ever as the Earth faces unprecedented biodiversity loss. Government authorities, environmental watchdogs, and the public need
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Polar bears on ice
Anchorage, AK

Federal Court Rejects Trump’s Approval of Offshore Oil-drilling Project in Arctic

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit today rejected the Trump administration’s approval of the first offshore oil-drilling development in federal Arctic waters.
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Polar bear dragging stick in Alaska
Washington, DC

6 Ways to Take Action on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s 60th Anniversary

In 1960, Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower created the Arctic National Wildlife Range “for the purpose of preserving unique wildlife, wilderness, and recreational values.” Twenty years later, President Jimmy Carter expanded the range and renamed the area as Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
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Polar Bears
Washington, DC

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Polar Bears on the Auction Block

The Bureau of Land Management announced today that it will hold an oil and gas lease sale on January 6 for the coastal plain of Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, one of the nation’s premier national wildlife refuges.
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Golden eagle in Glacier NP
Washington, DC

Congress Announces National Strategy to Protect our Nation’s Biodiversity

As a result of human-related activities, the loss of species is accelerating faster than ever before in human history according to scientists. The consequences of
Senior Vice President, External Affairs
lsheehan@defenders.org
(202) 772-3244
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mdewane@defenders.org
(202) 772-0217
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jcovey@defenders.org
Communications Specialist
kirby@defenders.org
(202) 772-3268