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A kit fox lays in the dirt on BLM land in Utah.
Washington, DC

BLM Moves to Undercut Its Planning Framework and Most Important Conservation Tool

BLM announced a proposed rule to dramatically weaken the framework around land use planning and erode one of the agency's primary tools for conservation.
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Florida Panther
WASHINGTON, D.C.

Following Historic Elections, Environmental & Conservation Groups Urge Senate to Reject Lame-Duck Permitting Deal

Ahead of Monday’s scheduled cloture vote on the motion to proceed to debate Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act (S. 5653).
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Mother manatee and calf swimming
Washington, DC

Lawsuit Launched to Compel Critical Habitat for Florida, Antillean Manatees

Defenders of Wildlife and CBD notified the FWS on their intent to sue for failing to finalize critical habitat protections for Florida and Antillean manatees.

Press Releases

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Red knot flying

Lawsuit Filed to Protect Imperiled Gulf and Mississippi River Species from Bonnet Carré Spillway Impacts

Defenders of Wildlife and Healthy Gulf (formerly Gulf Restoration Network) filed a federal lawsuit in the Southern District of Mississippi against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Mississippi River Commission for violating the Endangered Species Act by failing to consult with federal wildlife agencies on the consequences of opening the Bonnet Carré Spillway on numerous endangered and threatened species.
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Tongass wolf
Juneau

Alexander Archipelago Wolves Need Urgent Help Following Record Killings in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest

Conservation groups today called on the U.S. Forest Service to take immediate steps to protect Alexander Archipelago wolves on Prince of Wales Island in the Tongass National Forest following word that 165 wolves – representing 97% of the most recent population estimate – were killed this past trapping season.
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California spotted owl
San Francisco, Calif,

Lawsuit Launched to Overturn Trump Administration’s Denial of Protection for California Spotted Owl

Today, conservation groups filed a formal notice of intent to sue the Trump administration over its failure to protect the California spotted owl under the Endangered Species Act.
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Lower Rio Grande Valley Egret

Trump Administration Issues 28th Border Wall Waiver

As reported in the Federal Register today, the Trump administration has issued another waiver of environmental and public safety laws to expedite border wall construction in Texas. This marks the 28th such waiver issued by this administration and will cover two tracts of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge, one of the most biologically diverse landscapes in the continental United States.
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Alligator Okefenokee NWR
Washington, DC

Okefenokee Swamp and St. Marys River named Among America’s Most Endangered Rivers of 2020

American Rivers today named the Okefenokee Swamp and St. Marys River among America’s Most Endangered Rivers®, citing the threat titanium mining would pose to the waterways’ clean water, wetlands and wildlife habitat. American Rivers and its partners called on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other permitting agencies to deny any proposals that risk the long-term protection of the Okefenokee Swamp and St. Marys River.
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