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prairie dog
Denver, CO

Prairie Dog Coalition Urges Colorado to End Recreational Prairie Dog Shooting on Public Lands

Defenders and partners at the Prairie Dog Coalition call on Colorado Parks and Wildlife to prohibit recreational shooting of prairie dogs on public lands.
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Stefan Ekernas
WASHINGTON, D.C.

Defenders of Wildlife Welcomes Stefan Ekernas as New Vice President of Species Conservation & Coexistence

Defenders of Wildlife is proud to announce Stephan Ekernas as its new Vice President of Species Conservation and Coexistence, where he will oversee Defenders’ field conservation programs.
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brown bear
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA

Trump Administration Opens Door to Bear Baiting, Den Hunting in Alaska Preserves

The National Park Service finalized a regulation that abdicates the agency's responsibility to manage wildlife in Alaska's national preserves, deferring instead to state regulations. Defenders of Wildlife condemns the rule, which mirrors a 2020 regulation promulgated by the first Trump administration that was later withdrawn and replaced in 2024.

Press Releases

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Mojave Desert Tortoise, Mojave Max, on stones
St. George, Utah

Trump Administration Decision To Build Highway In Utah Violates Environmental Laws And Risks Integrity Of National Conservation Lands

Today, the Trump administration’s Bureau of Land Management issued a Record of Decision permitting construction of the Northern Corridor Highway, a controversial four-lane highway through the protected Red Cliffs National Conservation Area (NCA) in southwest Utah. The US Fish & Wildlife Service also issued an Incidental Take Permit, allowing for destruction of desert tortoises in the path of the highway project and to reduce protections elsewhere. Desert tortoises are listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act.
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Wolf from the Canyon pack next to road near Norris taken from snowcoach through the glass window
Washington, DC

Groups Challenge Trump Administration Over Gray Wolf Delisting

Today, six environmental groups filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration’s rule that removed Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in the lower-48 states
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New Mexico meadow jumping mouse in grass
HONOLULU, HAWAI’I

Groups Challenge Trump Administration’s Latest Assaults on the Endangered Species Act

Today Earthjustice filed two lawsuits in the District of Hawai’i in response to the outgoing administration’s most recent attacks on the Endangered Species Act, the law that serves as the last safety net for animals and plants facing extinction. Toward the end of last month, the Trump administration issued two new regulations that strip vital protections from federal lands and other areas that the best available science indicates are necessary for the conservation of threatened and endangered species.
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Wetland of Okefenokee NWR
Washington, DC

Earthjustice, Defenders and others sue to stop EPA rubber-stamping Florida wetlands destruction

Earthjustice filed suit today to stop an attempt by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to allow Florida to fast-track wetlands permits for construction projects that will degrade and ruin Florida’s natural landscape, all in violation of federal environmental laws.
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Northern spotted owl near Roseburg, Oregon
Washington, DC

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Strips 3 Million Acres from Northern Spotted Owl Critical Habitat

Today the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service cut back the critical habitat for the northern spotted owl throughout Washington and California. This decision, released in
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