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condemns the rule, which mirrors a 2020 regulation promulgated by the first Trump administration that was later withdrawn and replaced in 2024.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

Image
Yosemite National Park
Anchorage, AK

Defenders of Wildlife Formally Objects to Largest Timber Sale in Decades

Defenders of Wildlife filed a formal objection today opposing the largest old-growth logging project in the nation in decades. The proposal would log up to 235 million board feet (MMBF) of old-growth forest, or the equivalent of over 45,000 loaded logging trucks, over 15 years.
Image
Bald eagle
Washington, DC

Proposed Trump Shutdown Sacrifices Federal Workers and Their Families During the Holidays

President Trump’s threat to shut down the federal government rather than sign a spending bill that did not include full funding of his ill-conceived border wall puts federal workers and their families at economic risk during the holidays, and deprives all Americans of the services and protection afforded by the federal government.
Image
Polar Bear
Washington, DC

Trump Administration Advances Plan to Sell Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to Big Oil

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has issued a draft plan to lease the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to the oil and gas industry. The agency’s environmentally destructive, legally inadequate plan would sell off one of America’s last great wildlands to the highest bidder.
Image
Paul Sanchez-Navarro
Austin, TX

Defenders of Wildlife Announces new Senior Texas Representative, Paul Sanchez-Navarro

In an effort to expand wildlife and wild lands conservation in Texas, Defenders of Wildlife is pleased to announce that Paul Sanchez-Navarro has joined the organization as the new senior Texas representative, based in Austin.
Washington, DC

Defenders of Wildlife Reacts to Ryan Zinke Departure

The following statement is from Jamie Rappaport Clark , Former president and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife, on the announcement of Ryan Zinke’s departure from
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