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A close up of the face of a Sierra Nevada Red Fox at the edge of a forest in Deschutes County, Oregon.
Washington, D.C.

Court Rules Habitat Must Be Protected After FWS Attempts to Waive Protections for Less Than 40 Sierra Nevada Red Fox

Defenders of Wildlife earned a significant victory for the Endangered Species Act today when a federal district court found that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's decision to not designate critical habitat for the endangered Sierra Nevada red fox was a violation of the law.
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Three sea otters float in the water. There are hills or mountains in the distance in the background.

Construction on Gateway to Road through Izembek Continues

The Ninth Circuit today denied Defenders of Wildlife’s emergency motion to halt construction on King Cove Corp.’s 2.8-mile road segment leading to the doorstep of Izembek National Wildlife Refuge and Wilderness. Defenders’ request for immediate injunctive relief marks the latest stage in its larger effort to block a damaging and precedent-setting road from King Cove to Cold Bay, Alaska, that would plow through the heart of Izembek.
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sea otter eye contact, CA

Rooted in Resilience: Sea Otter Awareness Week Returns for its 24th Year

Sea Otter Awareness Week is sponsored and organized by Defenders of Wildlife, Sea Otter Savvy, California State Parks, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Elakha Alliance and The Marine Mammal Center. Learn more about sea otters during Sea Otter Awareness Week at upcoming in-person and virtual events in California and Oregon.

Press Releases

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2022.08.20 - Mountain Lion - Carson National Forest - New Mexico - DOW.jpg

Defenders Celebrates Historic Wildlife Management Reform in New Mexico

Defenders of Wildlife applauds New Mexico for its historic effort to expand the tools and authority needed to manage all state wildlife, and for renaming
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Snow Gray Wolf Portrait
Washington, D.C.

Defenders Raises Alarm on So-Called 'Pet and Livestock Protection Act'

Defenders of Wildlife is sounding the alarm over the intentionally misleadingly-named Pet and Livestock Protection Act of 2025, which aims to prematurely delist gray wolves
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NARW
Washington, DC

Intervention Sought to Protect Endangered Right Whales from Deadly Vessel Strikes

Conservation groups have filed a motion to intervene as defendants on behalf of NOAA Fisheries in a case challenging the agency’s 2008 vessel speed rule
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gray wolf
Portland, OR

Defenders Responds to Illegal Poaching of Gray Wolf in Oregon

Defenders of Wildlife is deeply concerned by the news regarding the illegal killing of a breeding gray wolf male near Sisters, Oregon. Gray wolves are
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Carbon emissions from chimneys
Washington, D.C.

Defenders Denounces Appalling ESA Amendments Act Ahead of 3/25 House Hearing

Defenders of Wildlife denounced the appalling ESA Amendments Act of 2025 ahead of a hearing for the bill in the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries this coming Tuesday, March 25.
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