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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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A 100 lb adult male wolf was GPS radio-collared in the Mt Emily unit
Portland, Ore.

Oregon’s Wolf Population Continues to Increase Despite Poaching, Conflicts

Oregon is now home to 22 confirmed wolf packs, according to the state’s annual wolf report. The report, released by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), shared that the total wolf population was reported at an estimated173 wolves. This is an increase of 15 individuals, and 17 of the 22 packs contain breeding pairs.
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Yellowstone bison released at Ft. Peck Reservation
Helena, MT

Tribes, Conservation Groups Urge Veto on Anti-Bison Bills

A group of Montana tribes and conservation groups sent a letter to Governor Gianforte today, urging him to veto a pair of state bills that will undermine reintroduction efforts of wild bison to Montana.
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Sun through grasses
Washington, D.C.

Defenders of Wildlife Statement on Chauvin Trial

Defenders of Wildlife’s President & CEO Jamie Rappaport Clark released a statement in reaction to a Minnesota jury finding former police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all three counts in the death of George Floyd.
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Grizzly Bear on the Bridger-Teton National Forest
Missoula, MT

Federal Court Halts Proposed Rock Creek Mine in Montana’s Cabinet Mountains

The federal district court in Montana on Tuesday invalidated the federal government’s approval of the first phase of the Rock Creek Mine, a major copper and silver mine proposed beneath the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness in northwest Montana.
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Chinook Salmon make their way up ship creek to spawn.
Olympia, Wash.

Billy Frank Jr. Legacy Established in National Statutory Hall

This week Governor Jay Inslee signed HB 1372 into law, which would honor the late Billy Frank Jr. with a statue in National Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C. Frank was an environmental and civil rights hero in Washington State.
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