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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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North atlantic right whale and calf
Boston, MA

Court Reinstates Gulf of Maine Lobstering Restriction to Protect Endangered Right Whales

The First Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday granted an emergency motion to reinstate a seasonal prohibition on lobster fishing with buoy lines in an area roughly 30 nautical miles off the coast of Maine.
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Manatee
St. Petersburg, FL

More Than 1,000 Manatees Have Died in 2021

Today, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced that 1,003 manatees have died since the start of 2021.
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Photo of the White House in Washington, DC
Washington, DC

Biden Signs Infrastructure Bill Into Law with Billions for Wildlife Habitat and Climate Resiliency 

Today, President Biden signed the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law. The law will make significant investments in wildlife habitat and green infrastructure over the next decade.  It is one of the largest infrastructure investments in the nation’s history and garnered bipartisan support in the House and Senate.  
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Red wolf in Alligator River NWR
Washington, DC

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Withdraws Flawed Red Wolf Rule

This week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced they would withdraw a 2018 proposed rule that would have shrunk the North Carolina-based Red Wolf recovery area (NC NEP) by 90 percent, severely hampering recovery efforts.
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Frolicking wolf pups with Mom
Oakland, Calif.

Federal Court Hears Arguments for Reinstating Federal Gray Wolf Protections

Defenders of Wildlife and several conservation groups, represented by Earthjustice, argued in court that gray wolves in the Lower 48 states should regain federal Endangered Species Act protections. The hearing took place today in the Northern District Court of California, with Senior U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey White presiding.
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