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manatee
St. Petersburg, Fl.

Florida Manatees to Receive Nearly 2 Million Acres of Revised Protected Habitat

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Monday proposed a revised critical habitat plan that would protect 1,904,191 acres of critical habitat for the Florida
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Red Knots and Horseshoe Crabs
CHARLESTON, SC

Defenders of Wildlife Statement on Dismissal of Challenge to Cape Romain Refuge Management

Defenders of Wildlife celebrates today the dismissal of a challenge by the state of South Carolina to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s authority to
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Baby Green Sea Turtles on the beach
Washington, DC

More Than 80 Conservation Groups Call on Members of Congress To Oppose New House Bill Targeting Endangered Species Act

More than 80 conservation groups representing millions of Americans are calling on members of Congress to oppose a new bill (H.R. 9533) targeting the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The “ESA Amendments Act of 2024,” which House Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) is proposing, would dramatically weaken the bedrock environmental law by decreasing protections for threatened and endangered species and rewriting key portions of it.

Press Releases

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Florida panther
New York, NY

Nature's Brokers: Scientists Show Pumas Maintain Relationships with Nearly 500 Living Species, Holding America’s Ecosystems Together

Pumas maintain relationships with an astounding 485 living species and play a critical role in holding ecosystems together throughout the Western Hemisphere, according to a new study entitled Pumas as ecological brokers: a review of their biotic relationships from Defenders of Wildlife and Panthera, the global wild cat conservation organization, published today in Mammal Review.
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Yellowstone bison released at Ft. Peck Reservation
Wolf Point, Mont.

28 Bison Transferred from Yellowstone to Fort Peck

Twenty-eight Yellowstone bison were released today at the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, marking the sixth successful transfer from Yellowstone National Park to the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of Fort Peck since 2019.
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Horseshoe Crabs
Charleston, SC

Defenders of Wildlife and Conservation Groups Sue Regulators, Pharmaceutical Company Over Crab Pens

South Carolina's natural resources agency and pharmaceutical giant Charles River Laboratories are facing a federal lawsuit for violating the Endangered Species Act by allowing harvesters to keep horseshoe crabs captive in manmade ponds, a practice only South Carolina permits.
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gray wolf howling in lamar valley
SEATTLE, Wash.

Collared Wolf Crosses Interstate-90 in Washington for First Time Ever

For the first time ever, a collaRed Wolf in Washington state successfully crossed interstate-90 into the South Cascades mountains according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).
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Black mountains in the western mojave desert
Washington, DC

New Study Outlines Ways to Conserve 30 Percent of Nation’s Lands and Waters by 2030

A new study by Defenders of Wildlife’s Center for Conservation Innovation, “Identifying key federal, state and private lands strategies for achieving 30X30 in the US” was published this week in the leading scientific journal Conservation Letters.
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
hhammer@defenders.org
(202) 772-0295
Communications Specialist
jpetrequin@defenders.org
(202) 772-0243