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View of Pisgah National Forest through the trees
Asheville, N.C.

Federal court rules Forest Service unlawfully relied on flawed analysis to create Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Plan

In a major victory for the communities and wildlife that depend on North Carolina’s Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests, the U.S. District Court for the
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Rice's Whale
WASHINGTON, D.C.

Defenders Slams Unlawful God Squad Vote to Strip Endangered Species Act Protection from Wildlife in the Gulf

Defenders of Wildlife strongly opposes today’s vote by the Endangered Species Committee, or God Squad, to condemn species to extinction in the name of a fictitious “national security emergency.”
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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

Press Releases

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San Joaquin Kit Fox
SACRAMENTO

Gov. Newsom Approves Two Critical Environmental Protection Bills

Today, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Assembly Bill (AB) 1788, the California Ecosystems Protection Act of 2020 and earlier this week approved the California Sea Otter Voluntary Tax Contribution Fund (Senate Bill (SB) 587).
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southern resident orca
Seattle, Wash.

Federal Agencies Finalize Lower Snake River Dam Management Plan

This week, federal agencies finalized a management plan for federal dams in the Columbia River Basin through a Record of Decision (ROD). The plan applies to 14 dams and reservoirs that comprise the Columbia River Hydropower System, including four dams in the lower Snake River.
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Guadalupe Canyon, Arizona

Footage shows Further Border Destruction in Arizona Wilderness

As border wall construction continues along the U.S.-Mexico border, more and more landscapes are being bulldozed and blasted to create even ground for building, including last week near Guadalupe Canyon in the Peloncillo Mountains of Arizona.
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Black bears on rocks above Anan Creek Tongass NF
Juneau, AK

U.S. Forest Service Moves to Eliminate Roadless Rule Protections in Alaska

The U.S. Forest Service has released the final environmental impact statement for a regulation that will eliminate the national Roadless Area Conservation Rule on the Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska.
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Swift foxes
Harlem, MT

Tribes Begin Five-Year Swift Fox Reintroduction at Fort Belknap

After an absence of more than 50 years, the swift fox has returned to the grasslands of the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in Montana. From September 12 to 20, the Assiniboine (Nakoda) and Gros Ventre (Aaniiih) Tribes of Fort Belknap released 27 swift foxes in collaboration with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Defenders of Wildlife and World Wildlife Fund (WWF), kickstarting a five-year swift fox reintroduction program.
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