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prairie dog
Denver, CO

Prairie Dog Coalition Urges Colorado to End Recreational Prairie Dog Shooting on Public Lands

Defenders and partners at the Prairie Dog Coalition call on Colorado Parks and Wildlife to prohibit recreational shooting of prairie dogs on public lands.
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Stefan Ekernas
WASHINGTON, D.C.

Defenders of Wildlife Welcomes Stefan Ekernas as New Vice President of Species Conservation & Coexistence

Defenders of Wildlife is proud to announce Stephan Ekernas as its new Vice President of Species Conservation and Coexistence, where he will oversee Defenders’ field conservation programs.
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brown bear
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA

Trump Administration Opens Door to Bear Baiting, Den Hunting in Alaska Preserves

The National Park Service finalized a regulation that abdicates the agency's responsibility to manage wildlife in Alaska's national preserves, deferring instead to state regulations. Defenders of Wildlife condemns the rule, which mirrors a 2020 regulation promulgated by the first Trump administration that was later withdrawn and replaced in 2024.

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