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Mule Deer
WASHINGTON, D.C.

Administration Continues Assault on National Forests, Moves to Gut Rule Managing Off-Road Vehicles

The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced its intention to revise the Travel Management Rule governing motorized vehicle use on almost 200 million acres of federal lands.
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Charles J. Sharp
WASHINGTON, D.C.

Trump Administration Advances Roadless Rule Repeal at the Expense of Wildlife, Clean Water and Public Will

The U.S. Department of Agriculture today released its proposed rule and draft environmental impact statement seeking to rescind the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, a bedrock law that protects 45 million acres of national forests managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
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Running brown bear, Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA

Judge Vacates Land Exchange, Halts Road Through Izembek National Wildlife Refuge

A federal judge today vacated an illegal closed-door deal between the U.S. Department of the Interior and a for-profit Alaska Native corporation, King Cove Corp., that exchanged a 10.5-mile corridor of Izembek National Wildlife Refuge and Wilderness lands to enable a road connecting King Cove and Cold Bay.

Press Releases

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Greater Sage Grouse - Wyoming
WASHINGTON

Senate Appropriations Bills Inadequate for Protecting Lands, Wildlife

Bill includes nearly $2 billion for border wall construction, ignores the need for greater sage-grouse protection and shortchanges funding for endangered species
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Photo of the White House in Washington, DC
Washington, DC

With Biden Win, It’s Now or Never for the Environment

Former Vice President Joe Biden is the next President of the United States, signaling an end to four years of relentless attacks on wildlife, including more than 100 environmental regulation changes.
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Gray wolf howling
Denver, CO

Colorado Voters Adopt Proposition 114, Pave Way for Wolf Reintroduction

Colorado voters have chosen to reintroduce gray wolves to the state. As of 1:00 p.m. MT, with 90% of votes counted, over 1,495,000 Coloradans have voted to adopt Proposition 114. In passing the measure, voters have directed Colorado Parks and Wildlife to develop a science-based plan with public input to safely reintroduce wolves to western Colorado by December 2023.
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Bald eagle Chugach State Park, Alaska
Washington, DC

Five Ways to Make Every Vote Count for Wildlife and Us

It's the day after the election and as the votes are tallied—perhaps for days ahead—Americans continue to face increasingly heated rhetoric, political polarization, COVID-19-related anxiety, protests against racism in our society and a growing concern for personal and public safety. The stakes are high and pressure even higher.
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North atlantic right whale and calf

Right Whale Consortium: Only 356 North Atlantic Right Whales Survive

An already-dire situation became dramatically more alarming Monday, as the federal agency responsible for protecting the North Atlantic right whale substantially reduced its past population estimates for this critically endangered species. Although the National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) originally estimated that there were 412 right whales alive as of January 2018, it has now reduced that number to 383 based on new scientific analysis of an unprecedented number of right whale deaths. Even more alarmingly, it announced an estimate of only 366 right whales alive as of January 2019.
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
Communications Specialist
estern@defenders.org
202-772-0243