California

California Fish and Game Commission Finds Mojave Desert Tortoise Status Warrants Uplisting to 'Endangered' Under California Endangered Species Act

SAN JOSE, California – Defenders of Wildlife, the Desert Tortoise Council and the Desert Tortoise Preserve Committee applaud the California Fish and Game Commission’s unanimous
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A pygmy rabbit (Sylvilagus idahoensis) feeds on sagebrush during the winter on Seedskadee NWR
Washington, DC

Defenders of Wildlife Applauds BLM’s Conservation and Land Health Rule that Modernizes Land Management

In a win for wildlife, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) today published a new rule designed to correct a long-standing imbalance that had subordinated conservation to oil and gas development and other extractive activities to the detriment of wildlife and natural places. Despite their importance for conserving biodiversity in the United States and globally, only 14% of BLM lands receive adequate protections and most are open to extractive uses.
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Red Wolf - B.Bartel-USFWS
Washington, DC

Congress Urged to Spend $857 Million to Fully Fund Endangered Species Protection

More than 115 conservation groups urged Congress today to significantly increase the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s budget for endangered species conservation from $329 million

Press Releases

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2023.01.05- Right Whale Swimming with Calf-FWC-CC BY NC ND 2.0
Washington, DC

Conservation Groups Continue Bid to Lift Stay in Right Whale Vessel Speed Rule Case

Conservation groups returned to federal district court Friday to further efforts to obtain a deadline for Biden administration action on a 2022 proposed expanded vessel
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Greater sage grouse, Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge, Wyoming
Washington, DC

Administration’s Proposed Greater Sage-Grouse Proposal Falls Short, Must be Stronger to Reverse Declines

The Biden Administration today released a draft amendment to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land use plans covering much of the land intended to protect the greater sage-grouse, an imperiled species that has experienced an 80% population decline since 1965 and faces serious challenges from prolonged habitat loss and climate change. The proposed amendment, which updates BLM’s 2015 greater sage-grouse conservation strategy, affects 69 million acres across 10 states, almost half of the greater sage-grouse’s remaining habitat.
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Ocelot Mascots - Ocelot Festival 2023 - Texas - DOW.jpg
BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS

Ocelot Conservation Day Returns to Brownsville

Ocelot Conservation Festival, hosted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Friends of the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, and Defenders of Wildlife, returns
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U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and Assistant Secretary of the Interior Shannon Estenoz are joined by other Department of the Interior staff on Monday to add a plank commemorating the designation of the Everglades to Gulf Conservation Area at the boardwalk of Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge in Vero Beach, Florida.
Vero Beach, Fla.

New Refuge System Designation Expands Florida Wildlife Protections

Defenders of Wildlife joined today with conservation groups and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to celebrate the official designation of the Everglades to Gulf
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Spawning Coho Salmon - Lagunitas Creek - California - Martha Ture.JPG
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA

Environmental and Fishing Groups Raise Alarm About Ongoing Killing of Federally Protected Fish by the Central Valley Project and State Water Project

On March 6, a coalition of environmental and fishing groups reiterated their request that a federal court modify federal agencies’ proposed interim plan for operating
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
hhammer@defenders.org
(202) 772-0295
Communications Specialist
jpetrequin@defenders.org
(202) 772-0243