Image
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.
Image
pale gray north atlantic right whale swimming in dark blue ocean with an entangled string wrapped around the top of its head and seen underneath it's lower body
Washington, DC

House Gambles with Survival for North Atlantic Right Whales in Latest Vote to Delay Protections

The House of Representatives voted to pass H.R. 9436, a bill that will delay conservation protections for critically endangered North Atlantic right whales.
Image
 Izembek National Wildlife Refuge - Izembek Volcanoe
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA

District Court Okays Bulldozing a Road to the Doorstep of Izembek Wilderness

A federal district court in Alaska today allowed construction to begin on a 2.8-mile road segment on KCC lands to connect to a 10.5-mile road within Izembek.

Press Releases

Image
Hate Has No Home Here

Defenders Condemns Hate Crimes Against Asian Americans

Asian American and Pacific Islander communities across the country have faced an alarming deluge—more than 3,800—of hate-related incidents, which include verbal abuse and violent attacks, since March 2020. After shootings in the Atlanta area this week killed six women of Asian descent—people nationwide are sharing their support of solidarity with AAPI communities, including Defenders of Wildlife. President and CEO Jamie Rappaport Clark released a statement.
Image
Schools of fish glide over a reef in the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.
Washington, DC

Congress Urged to Overturn Trump Administration Rule That Prioritizes Oil and Gas Over Protecting Gulf of Mexico Corals

Turtle Island Restoration Network, Center for Biological Diversity and Defenders of Wildlife called on Congress today to overturn a Trump administration rule from January that rolled-back the planned expansion of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.
Image
Jaguar
Tucson, Ariz.

New Study Reveals Habitat That Could Increase Jaguar Numbers

This week, a new, peer-reviewed scientific study finds that there is far more potential jaguar habitat in the U.S. than was previously thought. Scientists identified an area of more than 20 million acres that could support jaguars in the U.S., 27 times the size of designated critical habitat.
Image
Rep. Deb Haaland
Washington, D.C.

Deb Haaland Confirmed as Interior Secretary in Historic Vote

The Senate today voted to confirm Rep. Deb Haaland as President Joe Biden's secretary of the Department of the Interior, making her the first Native American Cabinet secretary in U.S. history.
Image
Endangered Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus), Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, Florida

High Manatee Death Rate Sounds Alarm on Biodiversity Loss

More than 400 Florida manatees have died since the start of 2021, fueling concern for the iconic and federally threatened species' future.
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