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Caribou migrating through Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA

Defenders Slams Lease Sale in Arctic Refuge

The Bureau of Land Management today opened nine bids on five tracts regarding an oil and gas lease sale on the Coastal Plain of the
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Snowy Plover
Washington, D.C.

President Trump Rescinds Long Standing Executive Orders Designed to Conserve Wildlife and Federal Lands from Unmanaged Motorized Recreation

President Trump last Friday issued an Executive Order rescinding EOs 11644 and 11989 which guide the management of ATVs, dirt bikes, snowmobiles, jet skis and other off-road motorized vehicles on federal lands. President Trump also ordered federal agencies to rescind or revise regulations that implement the prior EOs.
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wolverine
Washington, D.C.

House Interior Bill Attacks Crucial Protections for Imperiled Wildlife and Public Lands

Defenders of Wildlife today slammed the House Appropriations Committee’s proposed Interior and Environment spending bill for Fiscal Year 2027, which includes numerous damaging policy riders intended to weaken the Endangered Species Act and undermine protections for individual species.

Press Releases

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Canal Run Okefenokee NWR
Atlanta

Twin Pines Withdraws Applications for Mining Project Next to Okefenokee—For Now

Twin Pines Minerals, LLC has withdrawn its application to operate on roughly 2,400 acres of land along the border of the Okefenokee Swamp, announcing they will reduce the size of the permit area before resubmitting their application. The news is a temporary reprieve for the swamp, which contains the nation’s largest national wildlife refuge east of the Mississippi River and attracts over 600,000 visitors annually.
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Gray wolf
SACRAMENTO

Endangered Gray Wolf Found Dead in Northern California

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife Service announced a female gray wolf was found dead on February 5 in Shasta County.
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Zebra Mussels
Washington, DC

U.S. More Vulnerable Than Ever to Invasive Plants and Wildlife, Say Scientists

While national security has been a stated priority of the Trump administration, there is another growing threat in the U.S. that they are largely ignoring. The federal programs that coordinate to defend against invasive species of plants, animals and their far-reaching consequences are rapidly shrinking.
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Bears Ears National Monument
Washington, DC

Trump Administration Abandons Two National Monuments in Utah to Development

The U.S. Department of the Interior today released final Monument Management Plans and Records of Decision for lands within the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments.
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Baby black bear Tongass
Juneau, AK

Federal Court to Hear Arguments on Prince of Wales Timber Sale

The fate of old-growth trees in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest will be up for debate in federal court on Friday, as the judge hears oral argument in a lawsuit challenging a massive timber sale on Prince of Wales Island.
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