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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condemns the rule, which mirrors a 2020 regulation promulgated by the first Trump administration that was later withdrawn and replaced in 2024.
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Washington, DC

BLM Prepares Illegal Move to Open Ouray National Wildlife Refuge to Oil & Gas, a Dangerous Precedent for Wildlife

Defenders of Wildlife is calling on BLM to withdrawal an unprecedented proposal to open Ouray National Wildlife Refuge in Utah to new oil and gas leasing.

Press Releases

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Pronghorn antelopes standing in an open sagebrush landscape
Washington, DC

House Subcommittee Considers Wildlife Corridors Legislation

The House Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife considered the Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act today, that would represent the most significant action taken in modern American history to protect wildlife corridors and habitat connectivity.
Washington, DC

Federal Agency Orders Halt to Mountain Valley Pipeline Construction

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission late yesterday ordered the fracked gas Mountain Valley Pipeline to halt construction activities along the entire 303-mile route of the
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Washington, DC

More Than 270 Groups Urge Senate to Increase Endangered Species Funding

In the face of growing concerns over the global wildlife extinction crisis, more than 270 conservation groups today urged the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations
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Lupine flowers in Kootznoowoo Wilderness, Admiralty Island National Monument, Tongass National Forest, Alaska
Juneau, AK

Trump Administration Paves Way for Old-growth Clearcutting in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest

The Trump administration today announced plans to gut long-standing protections against logging and road-building in the Tongass National Forest, a cherished old-growth temperate rainforest in Southeast Alaska and homelands of the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian people.
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Washington, DC

Defenders of Wildlife Reacts to Retirement of Environmental Champion Rep. Lowey

Defenders of Wildlife reacts to retirement announcement of Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.).
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