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Violet-green Swallow
ANN ARBOR, MI

Study Led by Defenders of Wildlife Scientist Shows Noise Pollution Impacts on Migratory Birds

“The major takeaway from this study is that anthropogenic noise affects many aspects of bird behavior, with some responses more directly tied to fitness,” said Natalie Madden, lead author of the new study.
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Louisiana Black Bear
Raleigh, N.C.

Defenders Receives Advocacy Organization of the Year Award

Defenders of Wildlife joined its partners in the Safe Passage coalition today to accept the Advocacy Organization of the Year Award at the 2026 Sweethearts
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Two North Atlantic Right Whales
Washington, D.C.

Defenders Raises Alarm Over Administration’s Proposal to Amend Rule Protecting North Atlantic Right Whales From Deadly Vessel Strikes

Defenders of Wildlife is devastated to learn that a three-year-old female North Atlantic right whale was found dead off Virginia on February 10, 2026. This

Press Releases

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Mojave Desert Tortoise
St. George, Utah

Defenders and Allies Respond to BLM Announcement on Highway through Red Cliffs National Conservation Area

Update of 3pm ET 11/16/2023: The U.S. District Court issued an opinion, irrespective of BLM’s announcement, affirming the need to reconsider approval of the highway
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Mom and Cubs - Steven Amstrup USGS.jpg
ANCHORAGE, AK

Alaska District Court Rules Willow Oil Project Can Proceed; Conservation Groups Plan To File Appeal

Environmental groups intend to challenge today’s federal court ruling that the Willow oil-drilling project in Alaska’s Western Arctic can proceed. A federal court in Alaska
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Rice's Whale
Washington, D.C.

Defenders Responds to ‘Graves Mistake’ in Rice’s Whale Protection

The House Natural Resources Committee late yesterday approved H.R. 6008, a bill by Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA), that threatens the critically endangered Rice’s whale with
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Male Gray Wolf in Autumn Forest - kjekol - iStockphoto
Denver, CO

Defenders Responds to Fish and Wildlife Rule on Gray Wolf Reintroduction in Colorado

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today released its final 10(j) rule on Colorado gray wolf reintroduction which will take effect on December 8, 2023
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Animal collage in the shape of the United States_USFWS
Washington, DC

New Defenders Report Shows Locations in the United States Most Impacted by Biodiversity Crisis

Defenders of Wildlife today released a first-of-its-kind report that maps out where the five drivers of the global biodiversity crisis — habitat loss, pollution, climate change, invasive species and overexploitation — may have the greatest impact in the contiguous United States. This work is the first to analyze all five threats together at the national scale and the first to find that climate change, rather than habitat loss, endangers the greatest number of the nation’s most imperiled species.
Senior Vice President, External Affairs
lsheehan@defenders.org
(202) 772-3244
Communications Director
mdewane@defenders.org
(202) 772-0217
Communications Specialist
jcovey@defenders.org
Former Communications Specialist
Communications Specialist
kirby@defenders.org
(202) 772-3268