Image
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
Image
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
Image
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

Image
Endangered Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus), Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, Florida
St. Petersburg, Fla.

As Deaths Soar, Lawsuit Seeks to Protect Critical Habitat for Florida Manatees

Conservation organizations today filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for failing to revise outdated critical habitat for Florida manatees.
Image
Bison crossing river in Yellowstone
Lausanne, Switzerland

Landmark Study Demonstrates Cultural, Ecological and Economic Benefits of Tribal Bison Restoration

A study published today in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution found that widespread restoration of bison to Tribal lands throughout the Northern Great Plains can help restore the prairie ecosystem while improving the long-running issue of food insecurity and food sovereignty for Native Nations, and may help to mitigate adverse impacts to traditional agricultural systems due to climate change.
Image
Wild Mexican Gray Wolf Pup - Sheepherders Baseball Park Pack - New Mexico
Phoenix, Ariz.

81,000 Demand Support for Long-term Mexican Gray Wolf Conservation

More than 81,000 people called on the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) this week to establish stronger protections for endangered Mexican gray wolves.
Image
Lone Horseshoe Crab
Washington, DC

Fisheries Commission Board Advances Horseshoe Crab Proposal That Threatens Red Knot Shorebird

A horseshoe crab management board within the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission accepted a proposal today that poses a significant threat to the red knot, a declining migratory shorebird whose numbers reached a record low in Delaware Bay last spring.
Image
Bald eagle sitting at the top of an evergreen tree
Madison, WI

Judge Halts Power Line Through Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge

Defenders of Wildlife and three other conservation groups – the National Wildlife Refuge Association, Driftless Area Land Conservancy, Wisconsin Wildlife Federation – prevailed on January
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