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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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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condemns the rule, which mirrors a 2020 regulation promulgated by the first Trump administration that was later withdrawn and replaced in 2024.
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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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Interior Bureaus Need Resources, Not Reorganization
News outlets are reporting that the Trump administration will essentially eliminate the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Washington DC headquarters and transfer senior leadership and the majority of the office’s roughly 500 employees to new headquarters in Grand Junction, Colorado, and other locations in the West.
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1.8 Million Americans Speak Out Against Stripping Federal Protections from Wolves
Almost two million Americans stated their opposition to the Trump administration’s proposal to strip endangered species protections from gray wolves in a comment period that closed today.
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Statement on Gov. Janet Mills’ Letter to Abandon Federal Risk Reduction for the Right Whale
Yesterday, Maine Governor Janet T. Mills sent a letter announcing she will not accept federal guidelines for reducing risk to the highly endangered North Atlantic right whale.
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Study Confirms Political Interference in Mexican Gray Wolf Recovery
A new study released today confirms politics rather than scientific data played a role in influencing criteria for listing and reintroduction efforts for the Mexican gray wolf under the Endangered Species Act.
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The ‘Recovering America’s Wildlife Act’ Does Not Adequately Respond to the Extinction Crisis
Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) introduced the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA) today in the House of Representatives. The legislation would amend the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to fund the Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Subaccount to support management of Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) and other purposes.
jcovey@defenders.org
