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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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whooping cranes
Washington, DC

More than 26,780 People Sign Defenders of Wildlife Petition to Protect Midwestern Wildlife Refuge from Industrial Threats

In a petition with more than 26,780 signatures, Defenders of Wildlife urged the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to take swift action to protect
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Milky way in the night sky Okefenokee NWR
Savannah, Ga.

Defenders of Wildlife Applauds Senator Ossoff, Army Corps Decision to Block Mine Threatening Okefenokee Swamp

Defenders of Wildlife applauded an announcement by the Army Corps of Engineers that it vacated the jurisdictional determination for a mining project threatening the Okefenokee Swamp in southern Georgia, following pressure from Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and the notification that the Corps had not fully consulted with or considered the wetland’s cultural and historical significance to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.
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Eastern bumble bees pollinating Joe pye weed
Sacramento, Calif.

California Court Paves the Way for Protection of Imperiled Bumble Bees and Other Insects

California's Third District Court of Appeal ruled that the California Endangered Species Act (CESA) can protect invertebrates, including four species of imperiled native bumble bees that the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation (Xerces), the Center for Food Safety (CFS), and Defenders of Wildlife (Defenders) petitioned the State of California to protect in 2018.
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Manatee with baby
St. Petersburg, Fla.

Legal Agreement Will Protect Critical Habitat for Threatened Florida Manatee

In a legal agreement with the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife and Save the Manatee Club, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has committed to revise critical habitat for the Florida manatee by September 2024.
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Gray_Wolf_Maya_Isster17-wikimedia
SEATTLE, Wash.

Defenders of Wildlife Offering Reward for Information About Four Dead Wolves in Washington

Defenders of Wildlife is offering $2,500 for information after four wolves were discovered dead in Stevens County, Washington earlier this year. The information must lead to a poaching conviction.
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