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Laura Nunes
Washington, D.C.

Defenders’ Laura Nunes Named to Prestigious ESIIL Working Group

Defenders of Wildlife scientist Laura Nunes has been selected to join the Environmental Data Science Innovation & Impact Lab’s third cohort of working groups.
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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.

Press Releases

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Yellowstone bison released at Ft. Peck Reservation
Wolf Point, Mont.

28 Bison Transferred from Yellowstone to Fort Peck

Twenty-eight Yellowstone bison were released today at the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, marking the sixth successful transfer from Yellowstone National Park to the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of Fort Peck since 2019.
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Horseshoe Crabs
Charleston, SC

Defenders of Wildlife and Conservation Groups Sue Regulators, Pharmaceutical Company Over Crab Pens

South Carolina's natural resources agency and pharmaceutical giant Charles River Laboratories are facing a federal lawsuit for violating the Endangered Species Act by allowing harvesters to keep horseshoe crabs captive in manmade ponds, a practice only South Carolina permits.
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gray wolf howling in lamar valley
SEATTLE, Wash.

Collared Wolf Crosses Interstate-90 in Washington for First Time Ever

For the first time ever, a collaRed Wolf in Washington state successfully crossed interstate-90 into the South Cascades mountains according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).
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Black mountains in the western mojave desert
Washington, DC

New Study Outlines Ways to Conserve 30 Percent of Nation’s Lands and Waters by 2030

A new study by Defenders of Wildlife’s Center for Conservation Innovation, “Identifying key federal, state and private lands strategies for achieving 30X30 in the US” was published this week in the leading scientific journal Conservation Letters.
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Caribou on tundra in NPR-A
Anchorage, AK

Biden Administration to Reverse Oil Lease Expansion in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska

The Bureau of Land Management announced that it will reverse previous plans to expand oil leasing in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska and include new plans to protect threatened and endangered species instead.
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