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Running brown bear, Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA

Judge Vacates Land Exchange, Halts Road Through Izembek National Wildlife Refuge

A federal judge today vacated an illegal closed-door deal between the U.S. Department of the Interior and a for-profit Alaska Native corporation, King Cove Corp., that exchanged a 10.5-mile corridor of Izembek National Wildlife Refuge and Wilderness lands to enable a road connecting King Cove and Cold Bay.
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Ashley National Forest
WASHINGTON, D.C.

Defenders Strongly Opposes USDA Proposal to Dismantle Long-Standing Protections for National Forests

The United States Department of Agriculture today announced that the U.S. Forest Service has filed a proposed rule to fully rescind the national 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule — a bedrock conservation policy that has protected nearly 45 million acres of undeveloped backcountry forests for over two decades.
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Bull Trout
WASHINGTON, D.C.

Defenders Joins Conservationists In Blasting Federal Proposal to Bulldoze Forestlands

Conservation groups today called a plan by the Trump administration to rescind the U.S. Forest Service’s Roadless Area Conversation Rule an alarming threat to national forests that are overwhelmingly loved by Americans.

Press Releases

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Ocelot
BROWNSVILLE, Texas

Environmental organizations spotlight inadequate oversight by FAA of SpaceX’s Boca Chica testing facility, call for an EIS

In a letter sent to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), environmental groups are calling on the agency to require a new Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that fully details the impact of the SpaceX Boca Chica testing and launch site.
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Growling wolverine
Missoula, MT

Feds Agree to Decide on Endangered Species Protections for Wolverine by August 31

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be required to decide whether wolverines in the lower-48 states should be protected under the Endangered Species Act by Aug. 31, 2020, in accordance with a legal agreement filed in court today with conservation groups.
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Bald eagle
Washington, DC

Landmark Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Wildlife Corridors Passes the U.S. House of Representatives

The bipartisan Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act along with $300 million for wildlife crossings and provisions to support wildlife road crossings passed the House floor as part of H.R. 2 the Moving Forward Act stimulus package.
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Desert bighorn sheep ram
Washington, DC

House Votes to Give Military Control Over More than 800,000 Acres in Desert National Wildlife Refuge

An amendment to expand military testing and control of 800,000 acres of refuge land in Desert National Wildlife Refuge in Nevada was approved today.
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Sea Otters Holding On

New Research Details Economic Benefits of Sea Otters

A new study published in Science this month describes a predictive model that assesses the economic and ecological benefits of healthy sea otter populations.
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