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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
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Bison in field
Billings, Mont.

Defenders Stands Against Rejection of Bison Grazing Lands

Defenders of Wildlife is joining conservation group American Prairie in protesting a proposal by the Bureau of Land Management to revoke a decision allowing bison

Press Releases

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Mother Grizzly Bear with Cub - North Twin Lakes - Oregon
SEATTLE, Wash.

Wildlife Advocates Applaud Restart of Process to Return Grizzly Bears to North Cascades

Conservation groups and other wildlife advocates applaud the Biden administration’s announcement today that it is restarting the process required to return grizzly bears to the North Cascades Ecosystem (NCE) - a large network of mostly protected public lands that spans from northwest Washington State into British Columbia and includes North Cascades National Park.
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I Voted sticker
Washington, D.C.

Defenders of Wildlife Statement on the 2022 Election Results

Jamie Rappaport Clark, president and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife, issued the following statement in response to the preliminary results from yesterday's midterm election:
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North atlantic right whale
Washington, D.C.

Emergency Petition Seeks to Shield Right Whale Moms, Calves From Ship Strikes

Defenders of Wildlife and partner conservation groups filed an emergency rulemaking petition with NOAA Fisheries today to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales from being struck and killed by vessels in their calving grounds off the coast of the southeast United States.
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Juvenile chinook salmon
Sacramento, Calif.

Conservation Groups Prompt Federal Review of San Joaquin River Exchange Contract for First Time in 54 Years

Defenders of Wildlife applauded a decision by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to request a renegotiation of a decades-old use contract for the San Joaquin River that could spark stronger protection for wildlife and drought management.
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Right Whale #2360 “Derecha” with Injured Calf January 8, 2020
Washington, D.C.

New Population Estimate Illustrates the North Atlantic Right Whales’ Downward Trend

Today, the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium announced that the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale’s population – now at 340, down from 348 – continues its decade-long decline. The species’ population has plummeted by 30% in the last decade, down from 481 in 2011. The latest estimate represents the whale’s lowest population estimate in 20 years.
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