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View of Pisgah National Forest through the trees
Asheville, N.C.

Federal court rules Forest Service unlawfully relied on flawed analysis to create Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Plan

In a major victory for the communities and wildlife that depend on North Carolina’s Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests, the U.S. District Court for the
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Rice's Whale
WASHINGTON, D.C.

Defenders Slams Unlawful God Squad Vote to Strip Endangered Species Act Protection from Wildlife in the Gulf

Defenders of Wildlife strongly opposes today’s vote by the Endangered Species Committee, or God Squad, to condemn species to extinction in the name of a fictitious “national security emergency.”
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Merrit Island National Wildlife Refuge at sunset
Washington, D.C.

Court Victory for Florida Wetlands Protection

The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled today that permits to build in wetlands should stay in the hands of

Press Releases

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Beaver near Swan Lake
Portland, Ore.

Oregon Rejects Petition to Increase Protections for Beavers

Today, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission voted to reject a petition that would have initiated a rulemaking to increase protections for beavers throughout the state. Defenders of Wildlife, along with nine other conservation groups and private citizens, submitted this petition in September, calling for a permanent ban on all commercial and recreational beaver hunting and trapping on federally-owned lands in the state.
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Red Cliffs National Conservation Area
ST. GEORGE, Utah

Bureau of Land Management Moves to Approve Utah Highway Through Critical Tortoise Habitat

Today, the Trump administration moved one step closer to approving a highway project that would cut through critical habitat for the Agassiz's desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) as well as the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area and Desert Reserve, which was designated for the conservation of the federally threatened desert tortoise.
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Beaver munching on a leaf
Portland, Ore.

What Beavers Can Do for the Beaver State

After devastating fires ravaged more than 1 million acres of Oregon forest this year, human and natural communities are looking for ways to protect the remaining forests and waterways they depend on. According to Sristi Kamal, Ph.D., senior Oregon representative for Defenders of Wildlife, that much-needed support could come from an unexpected source: beavers.
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North atlantic right whale
Washington, DC

U.S. Senate Releases CJS Appropriations Bill with $2 Million Increase for Critically Endangered North Atlantic Right Whale Protections

Today, the U.S. Senate released its fiscal year 2021 Commerce, Justice, and Science appropriations bill, increasing funding for monitoring and protecting the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale by $2 million over FY 2020 levels. The additional funds will also help develop and test new anti-entanglement fishing gear technologies. The funding levels are similar to those adopted in the House’s companion CJS bill. The House and Senate now must work to reach agreement over the final appropriations bill levels and language.
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Threatened Agassiz's desert tortoise hatchling
Washington, DC

One Step Ahead: How Corporations can Help Wildlife Through Renewable Energy Procurement

What do Bank of America, Amazon, Coca Cola, Facebook, Google, Nike, Salesforce, Starbucks, T-Mobile and Walmart have in common? In addition to being brand names
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