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Caribou migrating through Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA

Defenders Slams Lease Sale in Arctic Refuge

The Bureau of Land Management today opened nine bids on five tracts regarding an oil and gas lease sale on the Coastal Plain of the
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Snowy Plover
Washington, D.C.

President Trump Rescinds Long Standing Executive Orders Designed to Conserve Wildlife and Federal Lands from Unmanaged Motorized Recreation

President Trump last Friday issued an Executive Order rescinding EOs 11644 and 11989 which guide the management of ATVs, dirt bikes, snowmobiles, jet skis and other off-road motorized vehicles on federal lands. President Trump also ordered federal agencies to rescind or revise regulations that implement the prior EOs.
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wolverine
Washington, D.C.

House Interior Bill Attacks Crucial Protections for Imperiled Wildlife and Public Lands

Defenders of Wildlife today slammed the House Appropriations Committee’s proposed Interior and Environment spending bill for Fiscal Year 2027, which includes numerous damaging policy riders intended to weaken the Endangered Species Act and undermine protections for individual species.

Press Releases

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southern resident orca
Seattle, Wash.

Energy, Fishing, and Conservation Groups Respond to Washington Lawmakers' Presumptive Plan for Snake River Dam Replacement

Defenders of Wildlife and groups across the Northwest are calling on elected leaders from the region to fulfill their commitment to salmon restoration in the Columbia Basin, including breaching the four lower Snake River dams as soon as possible.
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Great Egret in flight in Okefenokee NWR
Savannah, Ga.

Defenders of Wildlife Disappointed by Reversal of Okefenokee Oversight

In response to the announcement by the Army Corps of Engineers that they settled a lawsuit filed by the mining company, Twin Pines Minerals, Defenders of Wildlife released the following statement.
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Florida panther
Tallahassee, Fla.

In Victory for Wildlife, Florida Department of Transportation Shelves Last M-CORES Toll Road

After three years of overwhelming public opposition, the Florida Department of Transportation shelved the third and final proposed toll road of the M-CORES program.
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Florida panther with kitten
Collier County, Fla.

Frustrated Florida Landowners Back Out of Conservation Plan

Southwest Florida is experiencing exponential growth, and the accompanying urban development and expanding roadway networks are putting vital habitat for the endangered Florida panther and many other wildlife species at risk.
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Dave Johnson coal-fired power plant central Wyoming
Great Falls, MT

Judge Reinstates Obama-Era Coal Leasing Moratorium on Federal Lands

A federal judge in Montana District Court ruled today to reinstate a moratorium on new coal leasing on public lands, halting all coal leasing on federal lands until the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) completes a more sufficient environmental analysis. Defenders of Wildlife is one of several plaintiffs on this case.
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