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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 Cliffs National Conservation Area
ST. GEORGE, Utah

Bureau of Land Management Moves to Approve Utah Highway Through Critical Tortoise Habitat

Today, the Trump administration moved one step closer to approving a highway project that would cut through critical habitat for the Agassiz's desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) as well as the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area and Desert Reserve, which was designated for the conservation of the federally threatened desert tortoise.
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Beaver munching on a leaf
Portland, Ore.

What Beavers Can Do for the Beaver State

After devastating fires ravaged more than 1 million acres of Oregon forest this year, human and natural communities are looking for ways to protect the remaining forests and waterways they depend on. According to Sristi Kamal, Ph.D., senior Oregon representative for Defenders of Wildlife, that much-needed support could come from an unexpected source: beavers.
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North atlantic right whale
Washington, DC

U.S. Senate Releases CJS Appropriations Bill with $2 Million Increase for Critically Endangered North Atlantic Right Whale Protections

Today, the U.S. Senate released its fiscal year 2021 Commerce, Justice, and Science appropriations bill, increasing funding for monitoring and protecting the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale by $2 million over FY 2020 levels. The additional funds will also help develop and test new anti-entanglement fishing gear technologies. The funding levels are similar to those adopted in the House’s companion CJS bill. The House and Senate now must work to reach agreement over the final appropriations bill levels and language.
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Threatened Agassiz's desert tortoise hatchling
Washington, DC

One Step Ahead: How Corporations can Help Wildlife Through Renewable Energy Procurement

What do Bank of America, Amazon, Coca Cola, Facebook, Google, Nike, Salesforce, Starbucks, T-Mobile and Walmart have in common? In addition to being brand names
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Greater Sage Grouse - Wyoming
WASHINGTON

Senate Appropriations Bills Inadequate for Protecting Lands, Wildlife

Bill includes nearly $2 billion for border wall construction, ignores the need for greater sage-grouse protection and shortchanges funding for endangered species
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