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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.
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grizzly bear in Alaska
Washington, D.C.

ESA Amendments Act Poses a Historic Threat to America’s Wildlife

Defenders of Wildlife remains on high alert as it braces for the House Natural Resources Committee’s full markup of Rep. Bruce Westerman’s (R-AR) Endangered Species Amendments Act of 2025. More aptly labeled the Extinction Act, the bill seeks to eviscerate the Endangered Species Act, stripping away decades of crucial protections for America’s wildlife and their habitats.
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gray wolf walking with paw raised and looking at camera
Washington, D.C.

House Vote Scheduled on Ending Gray Wolf Protections, Undermining the Endangered Species Act

The House of Representatives is expected this Thursday to vote on ending gray wolf protections, prematurely delisting gray wolves from the Endangered Species Act before

Press Releases

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Howling gray wolf yellowstone
Washington, DC

Senate Hearing to Examine Amendments to Endangered Species Act

Jamie Rappaport Clark, Former president and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife, will testify before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works today at
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Aspen Fire in the Sierra National Forest
Washington, DC

Wyden, Manchin, Cantwell Introduce Legislation to Help Prevent Catastrophic Wildfires

U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., today introduced legislation to help prevent the blistering and destructive infernos destroying homes, businesses and livelihoods and becoming all too common as the climate crisis grows.
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Collared adult male Canada lynx
Denver, Colo.

Defenders of Wildlife Puts U.S. Forest Service on Notice for Bad Forest Plan

Defenders of Wildlife notified the U.S. Forest Service today that they will be filing a lawsuit over the agency’s failure to protect the Canada lynx
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Gray Wolf
Boise, Ida.

Idaho Documents Reveal Weeks-old Wolf Pups Among 570 Maimed, Slaughtered Wolves

As the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced last week that the removal of wolves from Endangered Species Act protection nation-wide is “very imminent,” new
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Beaver Swimming
Portland, Oregon

Oregon Urged to End Beaver Trapping, Hunting on Federal Lands

Conservation groups filed a petition today asking the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission to permanently close commercial and recreational beaver trapping and hunting on the state’s federally managed public lands and the waters that flow through them.
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