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Rocky coastline of the Atlantic ocean with native plants in the foreground under a fog
Washington, DC

BLM Oil and Gas Rule Rescission Threatens Wildlife Habitat — and American Pocketbooks

Today, the Bureau of Land Management announced a proposed rule to rescind the 2024 BLM Oil and Gas rule which will significantly roll back bonding requirements for oil and gas companies and reduce public comment periods for drilling applications.
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Bald eagle in flight
WASHINGTON, D.C.

Defenders of Wildlife Unveils Seven-Story Message in Washington, D.C. Ahead of America 250

For nearly 80 years, Defenders of Wildlife has worked to protect and restore America’s wildlife at risk of extinction, advancing a vision of a future in which wildlife thrives, sustained by broad public support and a resilient network of healthy lands and waters.
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Mexican Gray Wolves
ARIZONA

Mexican Gray Wolf Program Cuts Worsen as Arizona Puts Up New Barriers 

The Arizona legislature yesterday passed a bill that would cut all resources to and end the transportation of Mexican gray wolf puppies into the state

Press Releases

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Right Whale
Washington, DC

Court: Feds Failing to Protect North Atlantic Right Whales From Lobster Gear Entanglements

A federal judge ruled yesterday that the National Marine Fisheries Service’s authorization and management of the American lobster fishery violates the federal Endangered Species Act. The court held that the agency failed to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales and that its biological opinion on the fishery violated “straightforward” requirements of the Act, putting the whales at greater risk of entanglement.
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Mexican Gray Wolf
Albuquerque

FWS Orders Four Lobos Killed During Lobo Week

Following on the heels of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) recent news of a record annual increase in the wild population of endangered Mexican gray wolves, the agency issued kill orders which created a deadly month in lobo management.
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Manatee resting at Three Sisters Springs
Ocala, FL

Freeing the Ocklawaha River

Between November 2019 and the end of February 2020, those looking over the edge of the Rodman Dam could glimpse a ghostly forest of long-dead cypress trees normally deep beneath the water of the Rodman Reservoir. This haunting sight is a rarity, coming once every few years as the Florida Department of Environmental Protection draws down the reservoir, exposing the historic path of the once-mighty Ocklawaha River.
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southern resident orca
Seattle, Wash.

Final State Budget Funds Wildlife Projects, Delays Studies for Dam Management

Last week Gov. Jay Inslee finalized the state’s fiscal year 2020 operating budget, allocating urgent funds for the COVID-19 pandemic response.
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cabeza_prieta_national_wildlife_refuge

Lawsuit Challenging Diversion of Military Funds for Border Construction Moves Forward

In some good news in the fight against the building of the border wall, which would be devastating for wildlife, a District Court Judge ruled Thursday that a key challenge in our lawsuit can move forward: whether President Trump can legally divert $3.6 billion in military funds to build a wall.
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