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Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle is on his way home after being released from a cold-stun rehab center.
New Orleans, LA

Defenders Celebrates U.S. Appeals Court Ruling to Protect Imperiled Sea Turtles from Drowning in Fishing Nets

A federal appeals court upheld the rule requiring shrimp trawling vessels to use turtle excluder devices so that sea turtles can avoid getting caught in nets.
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Bald eagle sitting on branch
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.
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Willet
Washington, D.C.

Sec. of Defense Invokes False “National Security” Rationale to Eviscerate Endangered Species Act Protections for Wildlife in the Gulf

In a litigation filing yesterday in federal district court, the Trump administration publicly admitted for the first time that Interior Secretary Doug Burgum scheduled a snap meeting of the Endangered Species Committee (the “God Squad”) for March 31 at the request of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

More Sea Turtles Press Releases

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Oregon coastline close to the mouth of the Columbia
Washington, DC

Defenders Statement on Biden Protections for U.S. Coasts from Offshore Drilling

WASHINGTON, DC — President Joe Biden today took action to protect over 625 million acres of U.S. ocean waters from offshore oil and gas drilling
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Florida Panther walking through sand at night
Tallahassee, FL

Florida Passes Ill-Conceived Amendment 2, Wildlife Conflict Could Ensue

Florida's Amendment 2 makes hunting and fishing the preferred means of wildlife management, sidelining science and putting imperiled species at risk.
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2023.04.27 - Northern Bobwhite Eggs Burned - Texas - Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program (CC BY-ND 2.0).jpg
BOCA CHICA, TEXAS

Defenders responds to report on shorebird losses at Boca Chica after SpaceX Starship Launch

Defenders of Wildlife released the following response to a Coastal Bend & Bay Estuaries Program report that points to shorebird nest losses following the June
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2017.12.26 - Green Sea Turtle Swimming in Pacific Ocean - Hawaii - Shane Myers-Alamy Stock Photo
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.

A Landmark Victory Enhances Protection of Sea Turtles’ Habitat

Beaches along the Atlantic coast from North Carolina to Florida support the largest aggregation of nesting loggerhead sea turtles in the world. Within this range
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Kemp's ridley sea turtle in Sargassum, South Padre Island, Texas

Defenders and Healthy Gulf Prevail in Court Case to Protect Imperiled Gulf and Mississippi River Species from Bonnet Carré Spillway Impacts

Defenders of Wildlife and Healthy Gulf won a critical victory for imperiled wildlife in and around the Gulf of Mexico when a district court ruled last night that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and NOAA Fisheries must engage in a prospective Endangered Species Act (ESA) consultation for the threatened and endangered species and critical habitat that are affected by Bonnet Carré Spillway openings.
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