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2023.04.22 - Burned Terrain from SpaceX Explosion - Texas - Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program (CC BY-ND 2.0).jpg

Defenders Calls on Service to Pull Out from Habitat-Degrading Land Swap

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently outlined its proposed land deal with SpaceX that would divest hundreds of acres across two national wildlife refuges
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right whale calf
Washington, D.C.

Trump Administration Announces First Step in Rolling Back Rule Protecting Whales

The Trump administration today took the first official step in rolling back a 2008 regulation vital to protecting critically endangered North Atlantic right whales from
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2025.03.08 - SW - Ocelot Fest - Jacqueline Covey-DOW (1).jpg

Ocelot Conservation Day Returns to the RGV

On March 7, the annual celebration of Texas’ beloved native cat, Ocelot Conservation Day, returns to the Rio Grande Valley. Now in its 29th year

Press Releases

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Polar Bears
Washington

Former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Leaders Respond to Alaska Governor's Letter

Former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Director Jamie Rappaport Clark and former FWS Alaska Regional Director Geoffrey L. Haskett have issued a response to Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy’s criticism of FWS staff.
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Border wall comparison Matt Clark/Defenders
Tucson, AZ

Trump Administration Arizona Border Proposal Would Wall Off National Wildlife Refuges

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced plans yesterday to replace 63 miles of pedestrian fencing and vehicle barrier with new bollard style wall in Pima and Cochise Counties.
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Coral reef, Palmyra Atoll
Washington, DC

Trump Administration Rolls Back Offshore Drilling Safety Rules

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), an agency in the Department of the Interior, announced a new Well Control and Blowout Preventer Rule today, rolling back more stringent offshore drilling safety standards implemented in response to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon catastrophe.
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Yosemite National Park
Washington, DC

Cantwell, Gallego, Udall, DeGette, Wyden Introduce Legislation to Permanently Protect Nearly 60 Million Acres of Wild Public Forests

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and Congressman Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), a member of the House Natural Resources Committee, introduced legislation today to permanently protect millions of acres of pristine national forests.
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Right Whale
Washington, DC

SAVE Right Whales Act Passes Out of Committee

Today, the House Natural Resources Committee marked up and passed the Scientific Assistance for Very Endangered (SAVE) Right Whales Act out of committee. The legislation would support the survival and recovery of the critically imperiled North Atlantic right whale.
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