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gray wolf walking with paw raised and looking at camera
Olympia, WA

Washington State 2025 Wolf Count Increases, Depredations Decrease

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife today released the state’s 2025 minimum count for gray wolves at 270 individuals, a 17% increase from 2024
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gray wolf
Salem, OR

Oregon Releases 2025 Annual Wolf Count, Numbers Up

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife today issued its 2025 gray wolf annual report, announcing an increase in the wolf population for a new
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Offshore Oil Rig
Washington D.C.

Defenders of Wildlife Challenges Unprecedented “God Squad” Exemption Allowing Unchecked Gulf Oil Drilling

Defenders of Wildlife today announced it is taking legal action to overturn an unprecedented and unlawful decision by the Endangered Species Committee, known as the “God Squad,” to exempt federal authorizations of oil and gas activities in the Gulf of Mexico through a blanket exemption from the Endangered Species Act’s protections.

Press Releases

U.S. Forest Service Moves Backwards on Tongass Forest Old-Growth Logging

Today the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) released a draft Record of Decision proposing the largest old-growth logging project in the nation in decades. The proposal
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Sea otter mom and pup
Washington, DC

Supreme Court Halts Effort to Reinstate Failed “No Otter Zone” in California

The U.S. Supreme Court today declined to review a Ninth Circuit decision that upheld the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s termination of a failed experimental program known as the “No Otter Zone.” The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had determined the program would harm the California sea otter by excluding the animals from their historic range along the Southern California coast.

WDFW Orders Full Killing of Kettle Range Pack

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced today more lethal removal against a pack in the Kettle Range in northern Ferry County. The

MEDIA ADVISORY: First Tribal Buffalo Conservation Summit

What: First Tribal Buffalo Conservation Summit and National Bison Day Celebration When: Nov. 1-3 Where: History Colorado Center, Denver, Colorado (Nov. 1-2); Rocky Mountain Arsenal

The RAW Act’s Flawed Promise for Wildlife

Today, Senators J ames Risch (R-ID), J o e Manchin ( D- WV) , Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Heidi Heitkamp ( D- ND) introduced S
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