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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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Border wall
Washington, DC

Border Groups Call on Congress to Reject Funding for Border Wall Construction

Congress has included $1.375 billion in funding for border wall construction in this year's appropriations package. This request comes just days before President-elect Biden takes office. Biden has publicly mentioned several times his administration will not build another mile of border wall.
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Gray wolf howling
Portland, Ore.

Oregon Works to Combat Wildlife Poaching After Agency Reports Multiple Incidents in 2020

The Fish and Wildlife Division of Oregon State Police issued a notice in late October announcing a second wolf poaching in Baker County. The wolf, a sub-adult female from the Pine Creek pack, was found in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest.
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Rep. Deb Haaland
Washington, DC

Biden Administration Makes Historic Appointment for Interior Secretary Post

The following statement is from Jamie Rappaport Clark, president and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife, on President-elect Biden’s nomination of Rep. Deb Haaland to serve as the first Native American Secretary of the Department of the Interior as reported by The Washington Post.
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Polar Bear family, Churchill, Manitoba
Anchorage, AK

Indigenous, allied groups go to court to stop issuance of Arctic Refuge leases

The Gwich’in Steering Committee and 12 allied groups filed a motion in U.S. District Court today requesting a preliminary injunction to stop the U.S. Bureau of Land Management from issuing any leases sold in the Jan. 6 sale of the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and from authorizing seismic exploration activities.
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A young polar bear walks down the rocky coast towards the water in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska.
Anchorage, AK

Bureau of Land Management Racing to Permit Destructive Seismic Exploration in Arctic Refuge

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued a draft environmental assessment (EA) today regarding a seismic exploration project proposed in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge this winter.
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