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eagles
Washington, D.C.

Hundreds of Thousands of Americans Oppose Trump Administration Effort to Roll Back Protections for Imperiled Animals and Plant Species

Nearly 400,000 Americans submitted comments in opposition to a set of proposed rules from the Trump administration that would roll back protections for imperiled animal and plant species.
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Florida panther
WASHINGTON, D.C.

Defenders of Wildlife Submits Technical Comments and Over 8,400 Public Comments in Efforts to Stop Harmful ESA Proposals

Defenders of Wildlife today submitted its technical comments opposing the Trump administration’s proposals to weaken the Endangered Species Act’s implementing regulations.
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black-footed ferret at the nat'l black-footed ferret conservation center
Washington, D.C.

Defenders Slams SPEED Act as it Speeds Toward Habitat Destruction

Defenders of Wildlife condemns Rep. Bruce Westerman’s (R-AR) SPEED ACT, H.R. 4776 the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development Act, ahead of Thursday’s expected floor vote in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Press Releases

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Bald eagle Chugach State Park, Alaska
Washington, DC

Five Ways to Make Every Vote Count for Wildlife and Us

It's the day after the election and as the votes are tallied—perhaps for days ahead—Americans continue to face increasingly heated rhetoric, political polarization, COVID-19-related anxiety, protests against racism in our society and a growing concern for personal and public safety. The stakes are high and pressure even higher.
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North atlantic right whale and calf

Right Whale Consortium: Only 356 North Atlantic Right Whales Survive

An already-dire situation became dramatically more alarming Monday, as the federal agency responsible for protecting the North Atlantic right whale substantially reduced its past population estimates for this critically endangered species. Although the National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) originally estimated that there were 412 right whales alive as of January 2018, it has now reduced that number to 383 based on new scientific analysis of an unprecedented number of right whale deaths. Even more alarmingly, it announced an estimate of only 366 right whales alive as of January 2019.
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Sage grouse

Members of Congress Urge Negotiators to Keep Sage-Grouse Rider out of FY21 Bill

Congress has continuously passed annual appropriations riders blocking FWS from carrying out its responsibilities under the ESA to assure the viability of the greater sage-grouse since 2014. If the rider is included in this year’s final language, it would mean FWS would not be able to act on protecting the grouse until October 2021.
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Gray Wolf
Washington, DC

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Strips Federal Protections from Gray Wolves

Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced its final plan to delist the gray wolf from federal Endangered Species Act protections in the Lower
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Red wolf pack playing
Washington, DC

McEachin Letter Urges FWS to Take Action to Save Critically Endangered American Red Wolf

Congressman A. Donald McEachin (VA-04) today announced his letter to U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Aurelia Skipwith, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Regional Director Leopoldo Miranda urging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to immediately take the action necessary to conserve the wild population of the critically endangered American Red Wolf.
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
jpetrequin@defenders.org
(202) 772-0243
Communications Specialist
kirby@defenders.org
(202) 772-3268