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Caribou migrating through Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA

Defenders Slams Lease Sale in Arctic Refuge

The Bureau of Land Management today opened nine bids on five tracts regarding an oil and gas lease sale on the Coastal Plain of the
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Snowy Plover
Washington, D.C.

President Trump Rescinds Long Standing Executive Orders Designed to Conserve Wildlife and Federal Lands from Unmanaged Motorized Recreation

President Trump last Friday issued an Executive Order rescinding EOs 11644 and 11989 which guide the management of ATVs, dirt bikes, snowmobiles, jet skis and other off-road motorized vehicles on federal lands. President Trump also ordered federal agencies to rescind or revise regulations that implement the prior EOs.
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wolverine
Washington, D.C.

House Interior Bill Attacks Crucial Protections for Imperiled Wildlife and Public Lands

Defenders of Wildlife today slammed the House Appropriations Committee’s proposed Interior and Environment spending bill for Fiscal Year 2027, which includes numerous damaging policy riders intended to weaken the Endangered Species Act and undermine protections for individual species.

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
Communications Specialist
estern@defenders.org
202-772-0243