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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.
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SG
Great Falls, MT

Lawsuit Filed Over Trump Administration Abandonment of Sage-Grouse Protections

Montana Wildlife Federation, Defenders of Wildlife, and The Wilderness Society today sued the U.S. Bureau of Land Management over its abandonment of critical protections for

Press Releases

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Bison cow and calf Madison River in Yellowstone National Park
Washington, DC

Department of the Interior Announces Sweeping Road Map for Bison Conservation

Last week, the Department of the Interior (DOI) announced the release of the Bison Conservation Initiative (BCI), a comprehensive plan encouraging cooperation between Interior bureaus and their partners toward conserving American bison. The 10-year plan will apply to all 19 Interior Department herds which collectively contain 11,000 of the 21,000 bison managed as wildlife across the United States.
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Red knots and horseshoe crabs
Charleston, SC

Defenders of Wildlife Signals Lawsuit Over U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Failure to Protect Species in Cape Romain

Today, Defenders of Wildlife sent a letter notifying the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) that FWS is violating several foundational environmental laws by authorizing the ongoing harvest of thousands of horseshoe crabs in Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge.
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Bay-Delta
FRESNO

Conservation and Fishing Organizations win Timely Court Injunction to Protect Endangered San Francisco Bay-Delta Fish

Honorable Judge Dale Drozd, of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, issued a preliminary injunction yesterday to stop the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BLM) from proceeding with water operations that would harm imperiled fish in the San Francisco Bay-Delta.
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Jaguar
WASHINGTON

Lawsuit Challenges Trump Administration’s $7.2 Billion Transfer for Border Wall Construction

Conservation groups today sued the Trump administration for taking $7.2 billion from the Department of Defense for border wall construction without congressional approval. The planned barriers will wall off all remaining jaguar corridors along the U.S.-Mexico border.
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Washington, DC

New Rio Grande National Forest Management Plan is Bad News for Wildlife, Wildlands and Waters

Today, the U.S. Forest Service released its final revised land management plan for the Rio Grande National Forest, located in south-central Colorado. Hundreds of local community members and citizens throughout the country had urged the Forest Service to include strong safeguards for wildlife and habitat, special designations to protect wildlife corridors, and recommendations for wilderness areas and wild and scenic rivers.
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