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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condemns the rule, which mirrors a 2020 regulation promulgated by the first Trump administration that was later withdrawn and replaced in 2024.
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Washington, DC

BLM Prepares Illegal Move to Open Ouray National Wildlife Refuge to Oil & Gas, a Dangerous Precedent for Wildlife

Defenders of Wildlife is calling on BLM to withdrawal an unprecedented proposal to open Ouray National Wildlife Refuge in Utah to new oil and gas leasing.
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Jake Li Testimony at EPW
WASHINGTON, D.C.

A Much-Needed Win for Wildlife: Senate Introduces Bill to Improve Endangered Species Act Implementation

Senators Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Pete Rickets (R-NE) today introduced the Improving Species Recovery Act, an important bipartisan bill that would improve implementation of the Endangered Species Act.

Press Releases

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Mojave Desert Tortoise
Washington, D.C.

Defenders Applauds Biden’s Commitment to Establish New National Monument in Nevada 

President Biden announced his commitment to establish a new national monument, Avi Kwa Ame National Monument, in southern Nevada.
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Washington, D.C.

Northern Long-Eared Bat Listed as ‘Endangered’

Defenders of Wildlife applauds the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (FWS) listing of the northern long-eared bat as an endangered species, a hard-won reclassification from threatened, under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA).
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Kemp's ridley sea turtle in Sargassum, South Padre Island, Texas

Defenders and Healthy Gulf Prevail in Court Case to Protect Imperiled Gulf and Mississippi River Species from Bonnet Carré Spillway Impacts

Defenders of Wildlife and Healthy Gulf won a critical victory for imperiled wildlife in and around the Gulf of Mexico when a district court ruled last night that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and NOAA Fisheries must engage in a prospective Endangered Species Act (ESA) consultation for the threatened and endangered species and critical habitat that are affected by Bonnet Carré Spillway openings.
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Powdered Glass Frog - Panama
PANAMA CITY, Panama

Glass Frog Proposal Moves Forward To Full Adoption at CITES After Overwhelming Support

Today, in a late-night session the proposal to list all 158 species of glass frogs on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora was adopted by consensus after the European Union decided it would not block the proposal in the face of overwhelming support. The proposal was led by fourteen countries, including the host country Panama, Costa Rica, and the U.S.
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Caribbean Reef Shark Swimming over Ocean Floor - Bahamas
PANAMA CITY, Panama

CITES Proposals for Endangered Sharks Pass First Hurdle at COP19

In a monumental step for marine conservation, two proposals to protect 60 sharks passed the first hurdle towards protection by the 19th Conference of the Parties (CoP19) of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
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