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Laura Nunes
Washington, D.C.

Defenders’ Laura Nunes Named to Prestigious ESIIL Working Group

Defenders of Wildlife scientist Laura Nunes has been selected to join the Environmental Data Science Innovation & Impact Lab’s third cohort of working groups.
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Bobcat
Washington, D.C.

Defenders of Wildlife Partners with Rep. Don Beyer on Monumental Corridors Act

Defenders of Wildlife today celebrated the introduction of the Wildlife Corridors and Habitat Connectivity Conservation Act of 2026, a landmark bill that would establish a national framework for identifying, designating and protecting wildlife corridors across the country.
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Wild Red Wolf
Washington, D.C.

House Leadership Pulls Historic Vote Following Intense Public Pressure

The GOP Leadership in the House of Representatives today pulled its scheduled vote on Rep. Bruce Westerman’s (R-AR) ESA Amendments Act of 2025 — more aptly called the Extinction Act.

Press Releases

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Black bears on rocks above Anan Creek Tongass NF
Juneau, AK

Federal Court Rules Against Massive Old-Growth Rainforest Logging Plan in Alaska

A federal judge today rejected an enormous commercial timber harvest and road-building plan for Prince of Wales Island in the Tongass National Forest of Southeast Alaska.
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.

Governor Signs Crucial Bill Prohibiting Wildlife Trafficking

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham officially signed the Wildlife Trafficking Act (SB 75) that prohibits wildlife trafficking and allows New Mexico to prosecute offenders.
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Red-cockaded woodpecker
Washington, DC

New Study Shows Federally Protected Lands Reduce Habitat Loss and Protect Endangered Species

Scientists at Defenders of Wildlife and Tufts University have discovered that habitat loss in the U.S. was double on private lands compared to federally protected lands.
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Southern_Resident_Orca
Seattle, WA

Federal Agencies Outline Management Options for the Lower Snake River

Today three federal agencies released a proposed management plan for federally-controlled dams in the Columbia River Basin.
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Right Whale
Washington, DC

NOAA: Independent Review Shows Tool Used to Prevent Right Whale Entanglements Is “Appropriate, Valuable”

Today, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that an independent peer review of its “decision support tool”—developed to evaluate the effectiveness of various management measures in reducing entanglement-related mortalities of critically endangered North Atlantic right whales in the American lobster fishery—confirmed that it is an “appropriate and valuable tool to assess various mitigation measures in a common risk-reduction metric, and has proven useful in determining possible management actions with stakeholders.”
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