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curled up arctic fox
Washington, D.C.

Senate Votes to Prioritize Oil Over Arctic Conservation

The United States Senate today approved resolutions under the Congressional Review Act to overturn previous Biden administration protections for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, clearing the way for expanded oil and gas drilling.
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Polar bear on beaufort sea ice
Washington, DC

Trump Proposal Puts America’s Most Vulnerable and Valuable Coastal Resources in the Crosshairs

Protected areas across United States coasts are in the sights of a new oil and gas drilling proposal released on Thursday by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
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A Canada lynx runs through a snow covered ground. Only the front half of it's body shows in the photo, filling the frame. The lynx is looking up.
Washington, D.C.

Trump Administration Seeks ESA Regulatory Rollbacks, Risks Accelerating Extinction for America’s Most Vulnerable Wildlife

In a move that could accelerate the extinction crisis we face today, the Trump administration today proposed significant changes to the regulations implementing the Endangered Species Act, which, for more than 50 years, has served as the backstop to America’s most imperiled wildlife.

Press Releases

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Alligator moving through the grass to water - Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge - Georgia
Washington, DC

Defenders Urges Georgia to Reject Okefenokee Mining Permits as Comment Period Opens

Today, Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division opened a 60-day comment period on Twin Pines Minerals’ application to mine near the Okefenokee Swamp.
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Right whale Catalog #2791 and her less than 2-week-old calf sighted 10 nautical miles off Fernandina Beach, FL — January 6, 2019. Photo Courtesy of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, taken under NOAA permit 20556–01

Right Whale Calves Bring Hope for the Species, but They Face an Uncertain Future

The birth of 11 North Atlantic right whale calves this breeding season so far is an encouraging sign for one of the most endangered whale species in the world. However, this time of year is one of the whales' most vulnerable, as ship strikes account for many calf deaths.
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Cook Inlet beluga whale
Anchorage, AK

Alaska Receives One Bid On Cook Inlet Lease Sale

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management (BOEM) opened and read the bids this morning for Cook Inlet federal offshore oil and gas lease sale #258. After offering close to one million acres for lease, there was only one bid. Hillcorp Alaska LLC bid $63,983 for one block.
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Biodiversity in Glacier National Park's Alpine region
MONTREAL, Canada

Biodiversity Crisis Needs Greater Global Commitment to Ending Extinction

With the conclusion of the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Montreal, Canada, the global community has now laid out the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF): a set of targets for combatting the biodiversity crisis that countries will aim to meet by the end of this decade
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Right Whale #2360 “Derecha” with Injured Calf January 8, 2020
Washington, D.C.

Defenders of Wildlife Slams Shameful Extinction Riders and Anemic Spending for Endangered Species in Omnibus

Just a day after 200 countries at the Convention on Biological Diversity agreed to stem biodiversity loss by protecting 30% of the planet’s land and oceans by 2030, the U.S. Congress released a draft omnibus spending bill that paints a grim picture for endangered 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
Communications Specialist
jpetrequin@defenders.org
(202) 772-0243
Communications Specialist
kirby@defenders.org
(202) 772-3268