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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condemns the rule, which mirrors a 2020 regulation promulgated by the first Trump administration that was later withdrawn and replaced in 2024.
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BLM Prepares Illegal Move to Open Ouray National Wildlife Refuge to Oil & Gas, a Dangerous Precedent for Wildlife
Defenders of Wildlife is calling on BLM to withdrawal an unprecedented proposal to open Ouray National Wildlife Refuge in Utah to new oil and gas leasing.
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A Much-Needed Win for Wildlife: Senate Introduces Bill to Improve Endangered Species Act Implementation
Senators Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Pete Rickets (R-NE) today introduced the Improving Species Recovery Act, an important bipartisan bill that would improve implementation of the Endangered Species Act.
Press Releases
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Rare Sighting of a Male Ocelot
Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge announced today the sighting of a new male ocelot on the refuge, as captured by camera trap photos.
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Conservation Groups File Motions to Defend Ventura County Wildlife Connectivity
Conservation organizations filed two legal motions today to defend Ventura County’s innovative wildlife connectivity ordinances—the first of their kind in California.
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More than 40,000 Commenters Weigh in on Mexican gray wolves
Despite the challenges to public outreach in the midst of the global pandemic and stay-at-home orders, supporters of effective science-informed recovery of the critically endangered “lobos” submitted more than 40,000 comments.
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President Trump Opens Only Marine National Monument In the Atlantic to Commercial Fishing, Threatening Pristine Habitat and Endangered Species
President Trump signed a proclamation today, reopening the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument (NCSMNM) to commercial fishing activities, a devastating decision for the Atlantic Ocean’s first and only marine national monument.
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Trump Administration Moves Ahead with Plan to Strip Bird Protections
Despite nearly 200,000 public comments defending the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), the Trump administration is pushing forward with its plan to cement into law
jcovey@defenders.org
