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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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Bison head on
Denver, CO

First Tribal Buffalo Conservation Summit to be Held in Denver

The first Tribal Buffalo Conservation Summit will be held Nov. 1-3, bringing together tribal leaders, tribal wildlife and cultural representatives, and conservation experts to share their management strategies and discuss the important ecological, cultural and economic benefits of bison restoration.

Analysis: Public Overwhelmingly Opposes Feds’ Plan to Nearly Wipe Out Wild Red Wolves in North Carolina

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposal to remove protections from the nation’s only wild population of endangered Red Wolves has been met with near

Canada Urged to Expand Fisheries Closures to Save North Atlantic Right Whale

Wildlife and animal-protection groups submitted recommendations today urging Canada’s fishery management agency to continue and expand protections for critically imperiled North Atlantic right whales. Following

U.S. Forest Service Moves Backwards on Tongass Forest Old-Growth Logging

Today the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) released a draft Record of Decision proposing the largest old-growth logging project in the nation in decades. The proposal
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Sea otter mom and pup
Washington, DC

Supreme Court Halts Effort to Reinstate Failed “No Otter Zone” in California

The U.S. Supreme Court today declined to review a Ninth Circuit decision that upheld the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s termination of a failed experimental program known as the “No Otter Zone.” The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had determined the program would harm the California sea otter by excluding the animals from their historic range along the Southern California coast.
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