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prairie dog
Denver, CO

Prairie Dog Coalition Urges Colorado to End Recreational Prairie Dog Shooting on Public Lands

Defenders and partners at the Prairie Dog Coalition call on Colorado Parks and Wildlife to prohibit recreational shooting of prairie dogs on public lands.
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Stefan Ekernas
WASHINGTON, D.C.

Defenders of Wildlife Welcomes Stefan Ekernas as New Vice President of Species Conservation & Coexistence

Defenders of Wildlife is proud to announce Stephan Ekernas as its new Vice President of Species Conservation and Coexistence, where he will oversee Defenders’ field conservation programs.
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brown bear
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA

Trump Administration Opens Door to Bear Baiting, Den Hunting in Alaska Preserves

The National Park Service finalized a regulation that abdicates the agency's responsibility to manage wildlife in Alaska's national preserves, deferring instead to state regulations. Defenders of Wildlife condemns the rule, which mirrors a 2020 regulation promulgated by the first Trump administration that was later withdrawn and replaced in 2024.

Press Releases

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Mexican Gray Wolf, Wolf Conservation Center

Mexican Gray Wolf Population Breaks 200 For the First Time

The wild population of Mexican gray wolves in the U.S. continues to grow. According to the 2022 annual count, the number has increased to a minimum of 241 animals, a 23 percent increase. This marks the seventh consecutive year of growth in the wild population.
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North atlantic right whale
Washington, D.C.

Defenders of Wildlife Applauds New Bill to RESCUE Endangered North Atlantic Right Whale

Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) today introduced the RESCUE Whales Act to repeal a section of the 2022 omnibus that may significantly delay new regulatory action under the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act that is desperately needed to ensure the survival and recovery of the North Atlantic right whale in the face of unsustainable lethal entanglements in the American lobster and Jonah crab fishery.
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ocelot
LOS FRESNOS, Texas

Rare Ocelot Sighting Ahead of Festival Exemplifies Need for Awareness on Texas Roads

A couple visiting Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge (LANWR) shared their extraordinary sighting of a mother and kitten ocelot just two weeks ahead of Ocelot Conservation Day, March 5, at the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville.
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Gray Wolf in Snowy Landscape
Denver, CO

Defenders of Wildlife Recommends Three Ways to Strengthen Proposed CO Wolf Restoration and Management Plan

At the final public hearing on the proposed Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan, Defenders of Wildlife offered three key areas where the state’s management plan can be strengthened to ensure a self-sufficient wolf population and promote coexistence.
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CA Spotted Owl
SAN FRANCISCO

California Spotted Owl Gets Endangered Species Act Protections After 23 Years

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that it will protect the California spotted owl under the Endangered Species Act.
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
Communications Specialist
estern@defenders.org
202-772-0243