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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
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Willet
Washington, D.C.

Sec. of Defense Invokes False “National Security” Rationale to Eviscerate Endangered Species Act Protections for Wildlife in the Gulf

In a litigation filing yesterday in federal district court, the Trump administration publicly admitted for the first time that Interior Secretary Doug Burgum scheduled a snap meeting of the Endangered Species Committee (the “God Squad”) for March 31 at the request of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

Press Releases

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Milky way in the night sky Okefenokee NWR
Folkston, GA

More Than 30 Groups Organize to Save Okefenokee Swamp

More than 30 national, state, and local organizations have joined forces in the fight to protect the Okefenokee Swamp. The new coalition, known as the
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Mexican_gray_wolf

Three More Mexican Gray Wolves Killed

Two of the Mexican gray wolf deaths are now under investigation by wildlife officials, as reported last month.
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Sea otter family in Morro Bay California
Monterey, Calif.

Report on Expert Opinion Confirms Southern Sea Otter Remains Threatened with Extinction and in Need of Full Protection

Today, Friends of the Sea Otter (FSO) released the report, Roadmap: Recovery of the Southern Sea Otter.
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Gray Wolf - Denali National Park - Alaska
Washington, DC

In a Win for Wildlife, Appropriations Committee Passes Nonlethal Funding

The House Appropriations Committee marked up and passed language out of committee today that would secure critical funding for reducing human-wildlife conflicts in the fiscal year 2021 appropriations package.
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North atlantic right whale
Gland, Switzerland

IUCN: North Atlantic Right Whale Now “Critically Endangered”

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) announced today that it is changing the status of the North Atlantic right whale from “endangered” to “critically endangered” on its Red List of Threatened Species, recognizing that the species faces an extremely high risk of extinction. The IUCN Red List is the world’s most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of species.
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