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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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grizzly bear in Alaska
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.
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gray wolf walking with paw raised and looking at camera
Washington, D.C.

House Vote Scheduled on Ending Gray Wolf Protections, Undermining the Endangered Species Act

The House of Representatives is expected this Thursday to vote on ending gray wolf protections, prematurely delisting gray wolves from the Endangered Species Act before

Press Releases

ADVISORY: Rally to Save Santa Ana

The Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge is celebrating its 75 th anniversary this year, all while facing the threat of border wall construction. The Trump administration’s

Trump Strikes Disastrous Land Deal for Road through Izembek Refuge

The Department of the Interior signed an agreement to trade away internationally recognized, congressionally designated wilderness wetlands in Izembek National Wildlife Refuge to allow construction
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Right Whale
Washington, DC

Lawsuit Filed to Save North Atlantic Right Whales from Death in Fishing Gear

Conservation and animal - protection groups today sued the National Marine Fisheries Service for failing to prevent critically endangered North Atlantic right whales from becoming

Tribes, Conservation Groups Support Investigation of Yellowstone Bison Sabotage

The Fort Peck Tribes and representatives from Defenders of Wildlife, World Wildlife Fund and the National Wildlife Federation welcome Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke’s decision

Trump’s Offshore Drilling Plan: A Death Sentence for Southern Resident Orcas

The Trump administration’s recent proposal to expand offshore oil and gas drilling could hasten the extinction of the Pacific Northwest’s last 76 Southern Resident killer
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