Image
Stefan Ekernas
WASHINGTON, D.C.

Defenders of Wildlife Welcomes Stefan Ekernas as New Vice President of Species Conservation & Coexistence

Defenders of Wildlife is proud to announce Stephan Ekernas as its new Vice President of Species Conservation and Coexistence, where he will oversee Defenders’ field conservation programs.
Image
brown bear
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA

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condemns the rule, which mirrors a 2020 regulation promulgated by the first Trump administration that was later withdrawn and replaced in 2024.
Image
Washington, DC

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.

Press Releases

Image
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.
Image
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.
Image
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.”
Image
Ocelot looking up
Washington, DC

Jaguars, Sharks Win Protections at International Migratory Wildlife Meeting

Every three years, delegates meet to review proposals for listing imperiled migratory wildlife and to provide international or regional collaboration for species’ conservation.
Image
Polar Bears
Washington D.C.

Defenders of Wildlife Speaks Out Against Trump Administration’s Efforts to Undercut NEPA During Public Hearing and Rally in D.C.

On February 25, Former Defenders of Wildlife President and CEO Jamie Rappaport Clark will provide testimony at a public hearing on the White House Council
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