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2021.11.26 - A small herd of caribou in Izembek National Wildlife Refuge - Alaska - Katrina Liebich-UWFWS.jpeg
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA

DOI Trades Away Alaskan Refuges, Sells Out Public Lands

The Trump administration dealt a blow to the National Wildlife Refuge System by removing protections from the Arctic and Izembek National Wildlife Refuges. During what
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Bison in field
Wolf Point, Mont.

Proposed Biodiversity Credit Pilot Program a First for Tribes, Healthy Grasslands

A new conservation pilot program will offer industry leaders the opportunity to contribute to the return of bison to tribal lands, which will in turn
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Southern Sea Otter on its Back with Tag on its Foot
Olympia, WA

Defenders Offers Reward for Information on Sea Otter Poaching

The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service confirmed that a federally protected sea otter was illegally tortured and killed in February 2025. Both FWS and Defenders

Press Releases

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Red wolf
Washington, DC

33 Members of Congress Urge Action on Red Wolf Restoration

Today, 33 U.S. representatives sent a letter to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) leaders urging the agency to immediately implement a comprehensive plan to prevent the extinction of the critically endangered Red Wolf.
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Adult wolf looks at trail camera at night
Sacramento, Calif.

Oregon Wolf OR-93 Makes History, Traveling to California's Central Sierra Nevada

This week, a gray wolf from western Oregon dubbed OR-93 became the first collaRed Wolf to explore the central Sierra region of California. According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), OR-93, a former member of the White River Pack near Mt. Hood, has traveled farther south into the state than any known wild wolf in a century, a historic journey that highlights the importance of habitat connectivity and the dispersal ability of this iconic species.
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Great Egret in flight in Okefenokee NWR
Washington, DC

Biden Administration Moves to Protect Migratory Birds, Drops Trump-Era Court Appeal

The Biden administration today formally dropped an appeal of a federal district court ruling that rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to strip protections for birds under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA).
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Agassiz's desert tortoise eating cactus
Sacramento, CA

Biden Administration Halts Trump’s Last-minute Attack to Undo Desert Conservation Plan

In the 11th hour of President Trump’s term, the federal administration announced a rollback to upend key conservation protections afforded to public lands in the California Desert Conservation Area by the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) adopted by the federal government and the State of California in 2016.
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Right Whale
St. Augustine, FL

Critically Endangered North Atlantic Right Whale Calf Killed off Florida Coast

A brand-new male North Atlantic right whale calf was discovered dead yesterday on a beach at Anastasia State Park near St. Augustine, Florida.
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
jpetrequin@defenders.org
(202) 772-0243
Communications Specialist
kirby@defenders.org
(202) 772-3268