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black-footed ferret at the nat'l black-footed ferret conservation center
Washington, D.C.

Defenders Slams SPEED Act as it Speeds Toward Habitat Destruction

Defenders of Wildlife condemns Rep. Bruce Westerman’s (R-AR) SPEED ACT, H.R. 4776 the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development Act, ahead of Thursday’s expected floor vote in the U.S. House of Representatives.
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grizzly bear in Alaska
Washington, D.C.

ESA Amendments Act Poses a Historic Threat to America’s Wildlife

Defenders of Wildlife remains on high alert as it braces for the House Natural Resources Committee’s full markup of Rep. Bruce Westerman’s (R-AR) Endangered Species Amendments Act of 2025. More aptly labeled the Extinction Act, the bill seeks to eviscerate the Endangered Species Act, stripping away decades of crucial protections for America’s wildlife and their habitats.
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gray wolf walking with paw raised and looking at camera
Washington, D.C.

House Vote Scheduled on Ending Gray Wolf Protections, Undermining the Endangered Species Act

The House of Representatives is expected this Thursday to vote on ending gray wolf protections, prematurely delisting gray wolves from the Endangered Species Act before

Press Releases

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Washington, DC

New Border Wall Built with Military Funds Would Cutoff Wildlife Movement

According to a recently obtained letter, the Department of Homeland Security has requested billions of dollars in military funds from the Department of Defense to build additional miles of border wall.
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Washington, DC

National Academy of Sciences Confirms Red Wolves Are a Valid Species

A new report concludes that the endangered Red Wolf is a taxonomically valid species and a species that must be protected under the Endangered Species Act.
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Mexican Gray Wolf
Washington, DC

Study Confirms Taxonomic Validity of the Mexican Gray Wolf

A new report confirmed the Mexican gray wolf as a valid taxonomic subspecies of gray wolf.
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Washington, DC

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Holds Hearing on the Nomination of an Ex-Oil and Gas Lobbyist for Interior Secretary

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee is holding a hearing today on the nomination of current Acting Secretary David Bernhardt to be Secretary of the Interior.
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Grizzly Bear and Cub

U.S. Forest Service Moves Forward with Massive Timber Sale

The project entails widespread old-growth clearcutting on the largest island in our nation’s largest forest.
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
jpetrequin@defenders.org
(202) 772-0243
Communications Specialist
kirby@defenders.org
(202) 772-3268