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condemns the rule, which mirrors a 2020 regulation promulgated by the first Trump administration that was later withdrawn and replaced in 2024.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

Secretary Zinke Restarts North Cascade Grizzly Bear EIS

Secretary Zinke restarted the North Cascade Grizzly Bear Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process today. The process, which analyzed various options to recover this extremely small
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Jaguar
Washington, DC

Lawsuit Challenges Trump Administration's New Mexico Border Wall Waiver

Conservation groups sued the Trump administration today to challenge its waiver ignoring 25 laws to speed construction of 20 miles of border wall in eastern New Mexico, an area that’s home to rare wildlife in one of the world’s most biodiverse deserts.
Washington, DC

Omnibus Spending Bill Rejects Attacks on Wolves, Endangered Species and Santa Ana Refuge

Late last night, Congress released a 2018 funding package that repudiated the draconian, reckless budget cuts proposed by President Trump. The agreement strongly rejected many

Washington Wolves Continue on Road to Recovery

Washington state’s 2017 wolf count was released today . The total number of wolves, number of packs and number of breeding pairs increased from 2016

Washington Governor Calls for Emergency Orca Task Force

Today, Governor Jay Inslee, joined by tribal and conservation leaders from across the region, issued an executive order outlining near- and long-term actions the state
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