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Rice's Whale
WASHINGTON, D.C.

Defenders Slams Unlawful God Squad Vote to Strip Endangered Species Act Protection from Wildlife in the Gulf

Defenders of Wildlife strongly opposes today’s vote by the Endangered Species Committee, or God Squad, to condemn species to extinction in the name of a fictitious “national security emergency.”
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Merrit Island National Wildlife Refuge at sunset
Washington, D.C.

Court Victory for Florida Wetlands Protection

The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled today that permits to build in wetlands should stay in the hands of
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Willet
Washington, D.C.

Sec. of Defense Invokes False “National Security” Rationale to Eviscerate Endangered Species Act Protections for Wildlife in the Gulf

In a litigation filing yesterday in federal district court, the Trump administration publicly admitted for the first time that Interior Secretary Doug Burgum scheduled a snap meeting of the Endangered Species Committee (the “God Squad”) for March 31 at the request of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

Press Releases

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Red knots and horseshoe crabs
Cape May, NJ

Conservation Groups Demand Transparency on Horseshoe Crab Proposal Ahead of Commission Vote

Conservation groups sent a letter to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission this week strongly urging the body not to move forward with a proposal that would likely renew the killing of female horseshoe crabs for use as fishing bait.
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Williamson’s Sapsucker on a branch
Riverside, CA

California Legislators Introduce Bill to Establish One of the Nation’s Largest Urban Wildlife Refuges

Today, Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Alex Padilla (D-CA) introduced legislation to establish the Western Riverside National Wildlife Refuge in one of the fastest growing counties in the nation.
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Sea Otter floating
Sacramento, Calif.

Defenders Supports Conclusions of Federal Feasibility Assessment on Sea Otter Reintroduction to Northern California and Oregon

After a year-long study and six months of internal review, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today released its assessment of the potential restoration of sea otters to historical areas of California and Oregon.
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White-Fronted Parrot sitting on branch
Tamaulipas, MEXICO

New Defenders of Wildlife Report Highlights Success of Mexico’s Parrot Trade Ban

A new report by Defenders of Wildlife found that tens of thousands of parrots have been saved from poaching following Mexico’s parrot trade ban in 2008.
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Pair of sandhill cranes flying above Great Sand Dunes National Park
Washington, DC

Defenders of Wildlife Applauds Removal of Trump-era Barrier to Protecting Threatened and Endangered Species

Defenders of Wildlife applauds the Biden administration’s move today to throw out the Trump-era rule that had made it easier to exclude areas essential to the recovery of endangered and threatened 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
kirby@defenders.org
(202) 772-3268