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Bobcat
Washington, D.C.

Defenders of Wildlife Partners with Rep. Don Beyer on Monumental Corridors Act

Defenders of Wildlife today celebrated the introduction of the Wildlife Corridors and Habitat Connectivity Conservation Act of 2026, a landmark bill that would establish a national framework for identifying, designating and protecting wildlife corridors across the country.
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Wild Red Wolf
Washington, D.C.

House Leadership Pulls Historic Vote Following Intense Public Pressure

The GOP Leadership in the House of Representatives today pulled its scheduled vote on Rep. Bruce Westerman’s (R-AR) ESA Amendments Act of 2025 — more aptly called the Extinction Act.
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Public Domain
Washington, D.C.

House to Vote on Gutting Bedrock Endangered Species Act

As the nation celebrates Earth Day this week, the House of Representatives will cast an historic vote on a bill to eviscerate the Endangered Species Act, which was enacted more than 50 years ago to protect America’s wildlife from extinction.

Press Releases

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Willow ptarmigan female Izembek National Wildlife Refuge
Anchorage, AK

Ninth Circuit Court Ruling Threatens Land, Water, Wildlife in Izembek Refuge

A Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling today threatens the health of the land, water and wildlife in Izembek National Wildlife Refuge by allowing the U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland to trade away public land and congressionally designated Wilderness to a private corporation for the purpose of building a commercial road.
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Williamson’s Sapsucker on a branch
Riverside, California

Proposed Riverside County National Wildlife Refuge Gains Valuable Congressional Allies, Broad Community Support

At a hike within the boundaries of the proposed National Wildlife Refuge in western Riverside County, representatives from Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s (D-CA) and Rep. Ken
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beluga whale
Alaska

New Defenders of Wildlife Study Identifies Chief Threats to Cook Inlet Belugas Recovery

Findings in a new Defenders of Wildlife study published in Frontiers in Marine Science, show that threats like pollution and prey limitations are preventing recovery
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Jaguar on a log
Washington, DC

Defenders of Wildlife Assists Ecuador with International Wildlife Trade Treaty Compliance

A collaboration between Defenders of Wildlife and the Ecuadorian government yielded new legislation that will bring the nation back into compliance with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
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Akepa, endangered, found in Hakalau Forest NWR

Congress Urged to Increase Spending to $700 Million for Endangered Species Conservation

Citing the global extinction crisis, more than 150 groups urged Congress today to significantly increase the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s budget for endangered species conservation from $300 million to $704 million — an increase of more than $400 million over the fiscal year 2022 budget.
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