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Florida panther
WASHINGTON, D.C.

Defenders of Wildlife Submits Technical Comments and Over 8,400 Public Comments in Efforts to Stop Harmful ESA Proposals

Defenders of Wildlife today submitted its technical comments opposing the Trump administration’s proposals to weaken the Endangered Species Act’s implementing regulations.
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black-footed ferret at the nat'l black-footed ferret conservation center
Washington, D.C.

Defenders Slams SPEED Act as it Speeds Toward Habitat Destruction

Defenders of Wildlife condemns Rep. Bruce Westerman’s (R-AR) SPEED ACT, H.R. 4776 the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development Act, ahead of Thursday’s expected floor vote in the U.S. House of Representatives.
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Roaming mountain goat
Washington, D.C.

ESA Amendments Act Poses a Historic Threat to America’s Wildlife

Defenders of Wildlife remains on high alert as it braces for the House Natural Resources Committee’s full markup of Rep. Bruce Westerman’s (R-AR) Endangered Species Amendments Act of 2025. More aptly labeled the Extinction Act, the bill seeks to eviscerate the Endangered Species Act, stripping away decades of crucial protections for America’s wildlife and their habitats.

Press Releases

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Beaver Swimming
Portland, Oregon

Oregon Urged to End Beaver Trapping, Hunting on Federal Lands

Conservation groups filed a petition today asking the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission to permanently close commercial and recreational beaver trapping and hunting on the state’s federally managed public lands and the waters that flow through them.
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Gray wolf howling
Denver, CO

Several Wolves from First Colorado Wolf Pack in Decades Likely Shot

After a group of six wolves were confirmed in Northwest Colorado this past January—the first pack in the state since the 1940s—there are now reports that three of these wolves have been killed in Wyoming along the Colorado border. The prospects of the remaining wolves are uncertain.
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Gray Wolf Yellowstone NP
Denver, CO

70 Conservation Organizations, Representing 16 Million Americans, Endorse Colorado Wolf Restoration

Over seventy conservation organizations representing 16 million Americans sent a letter today to Colorado’s governor and natural resources director supporting the concept of reintroducing the gray wolf to Colorado.
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Lesser Prairie Chicken
Washington, DC

New Proposals Would Make It Tougher to Protect Endangered Species

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released a new proposal today that would allow the government to deny critical habitat protections for endangered animals and plants in areas that would see greater economic benefits from being developed — a change that could open lands and waterways to more energy development and other activities.
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A bald eagle perched in a tree above Fish Creek in Hyder, Alaska
Juneau, AK

U.S. Forest Service Launches New Assault on Alaska’s Tongass Old-growth Forest

The U.S. Forest Service announced plans today for a massive timber sale that would destroy more than 5,100 acres of critical old-growth habitat in the Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska.
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
jpetrequin@defenders.org
(202) 772-0243
Communications Specialist
kirby@defenders.org
(202) 772-3268