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Florida panther
WASHINGTON, D.C.

Defenders of Wildlife Submits Technical Comments and Over 8,400 Public Comments in Efforts to Stop Harmful ESA Proposals

Defenders of Wildlife today submitted its technical comments opposing the Trump administration’s proposals to weaken the Endangered Species Act’s implementing regulations.
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black-footed ferret at the nat'l black-footed ferret conservation center
Washington, D.C.

Defenders Slams SPEED Act as it Speeds Toward Habitat Destruction

Defenders of Wildlife condemns Rep. Bruce Westerman’s (R-AR) SPEED ACT, H.R. 4776 the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development Act, ahead of Thursday’s expected floor vote in the U.S. House of Representatives.
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Roaming mountain goat
Washington, D.C.

ESA Amendments Act Poses a Historic Threat to America’s Wildlife

Defenders of Wildlife remains on high alert as it braces for the House Natural Resources Committee’s full markup of Rep. Bruce Westerman’s (R-AR) Endangered Species Amendments Act of 2025. More aptly labeled the Extinction Act, the bill seeks to eviscerate the Endangered Species Act, stripping away decades of crucial protections for America’s wildlife and their habitats.

Press Releases

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Florida panther
Collier County, FL

Panther Killed by Vehicle Collision in Collier County, Site of Future Toll Roads

An 8 to 10-week-old female Florida panther was killed by a vehicle on State Route 29 at Owl Hammock curve just south of Immokalee in Collier County, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The news comes only months after Governor DeSantis signed a bill authorizing the construction of three new toll highways, one of which would stretch through some of the endangered panther’s last remaining habitats in Collier County.
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Desert-National-Wildlife-Refuge
Washington, DC

Department of Defense Legislation Proposes 1.1 Million Acre Takeover of National Wildlife Refuge for Military Training

The Washington Post reported today that the Department of Defense has developed legislation that would expand military control and use of more than two-thirds of Desert National Wildlife Refuge in Nevada for military training purposes.
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Mexican Gray Wolf
Albuquerque, N.M.

New Mexico State Game Commission Votes to Rejoin Wolf Recovery Program

The New Mexico State Game Commission voted today to rejoin the Mexican Gray Wolf Recovery Program.
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Choptank River, MD
Charleston, SC

Conservation Groups Challenge Repeal of Clean Water Act Protections in Federal Court

Conservation groups today challenged in court the administration’s effort to strip away crucial clean water protections from rivers, lakes, streams and other waters that feed drinking-water sources for 200 million Americans and 32 million people in the South, or seven out of ten Southerners.
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Panther
St. Petersburg, FL

Statement on Deaths of Florida Panthers Suffering from Mystery Illness

Today, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) announced that the agency has confirmed neurological damage in one panther and one bobcat through necropsy.
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
jpetrequin@defenders.org
(202) 772-0243
Communications Specialist
kirby@defenders.org
(202) 772-3268