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gray wolf walking with paw raised and looking at camera
Olympia, WA

Washington State 2025 Wolf Count Increases, Depredations Decrease

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife today released the state’s 2025 minimum count for gray wolves at 270 individuals, a 17% increase from 2024
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gray wolf
Salem, OR

Oregon Releases 2025 Annual Wolf Count, Numbers Up

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife today issued its 2025 gray wolf annual report, announcing an increase in the wolf population for a new
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Offshore Oil Rig
Washington D.C.

Defenders of Wildlife Challenges Unprecedented “God Squad” Exemption Allowing Unchecked Gulf Oil Drilling

Defenders of Wildlife today announced it is taking legal action to overturn an unprecedented and unlawful decision by the Endangered Species Committee, known as the “God Squad,” to exempt federal authorizations of oil and gas activities in the Gulf of Mexico through a blanket exemption from the Endangered Species Act’s protections.

Press Releases

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Gray wolf in green grass
Seattle, WA

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Lethally Removes 3 Wolves from Old Profanity Territory Pack

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced Tuesday that it killed three wolves from the Old Profanity Territory (OPT) pack, under an authorization that allows lethal removal of the full pack.
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Manatee with baby
Washington, DC

Trump Administration Releases Regulations Endangering Imperiled Wildlife

Disregarding more than 800,000 public comments opposing its proposal to weaken implementation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the Trump administration finalized its sweeping rewrite of ESA regulations that undermine the conservation of threatened and endangered species.
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Organ Mountain-Desert Peaks National Monument
Washington, DC

72 percent of the Earth’s Ice Free Lands now Impacted by Exploitation for Food, Fiber, Fuels -- New IPCC Report Finds. Defenders of Wildlife Calls for Immediate Action to Reverse Course.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released new and comprehensive evidence that our lands are under siege from climate change.
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Grizzly bear with cubs
Anchorage, AK

Defenders of Wildlife Sues Interior Department Over Illegal Land Swap Deal in Izembek National Wildlife Refuge

Defenders of Wildlife has filed suit in U.S. District Court to block the Interior Department’s decision to trade away internationally recognized, wilderness wetlands in Izembek National Wildlife Refuge to a private corporation.
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Marbled murrelet
Eugene, OR

Court: Oregon Illegally Denied Marbled Murrelet Endangered Species Protections

An Oregon judge has issued a decision concluding the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission violated Oregon law in denying a petition filed by five conservation groups demanding the commission uplist the murrelet from threatened to endangered under the Oregon Endangered Species Act.
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