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Caribou migrating through Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA

Defenders Slams Lease Sale in Arctic Refuge

The Bureau of Land Management today opened nine bids on five tracts regarding an oil and gas lease sale on the Coastal Plain of the
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Snowy Plover
Washington, D.C.

President Trump Rescinds Long Standing Executive Orders Designed to Conserve Wildlife and Federal Lands from Unmanaged Motorized Recreation

President Trump last Friday issued an Executive Order rescinding EOs 11644 and 11989 which guide the management of ATVs, dirt bikes, snowmobiles, jet skis and other off-road motorized vehicles on federal lands. President Trump also ordered federal agencies to rescind or revise regulations that implement the prior EOs.
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wolverine
Washington, D.C.

House Interior Bill Attacks Crucial Protections for Imperiled Wildlife and Public Lands

Defenders of Wildlife today slammed the House Appropriations Committee’s proposed Interior and Environment spending bill for Fiscal Year 2027, which includes numerous damaging policy riders intended to weaken the Endangered Species Act and undermine protections for individual species.

Press Releases

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Scientists' Call to Action: The U.S.-Mexico Border Wall Threatens Biodiversity and Binational Conservation
Washington, DC

DHS Issues Second Waiver for San Diego Border Wall Construction

DHS announced a second waiver of 32 environmental, health and safety laws in order to build additional segments of border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border near San Diego.
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Snowy owl
Washington, DC

Dual Congressional Hearings Focus on Climate Change

Congress is holding its first hearings on climate change in the last eight years, covering the impacts of climate change and what actions are needed now to address extreme weather events like hurricanes, floods, wildfires and droughts that are exacerbated by a warming planet.
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Scientists' Call to Action: The U.S.-Mexico Border Wall Threatens Biodiversity and Binational Conservation
Washington, DC

President Trump’s State of the Union Address Emphasizes Reckless Border Security Plan

Only two weeks after his insistence on funding for a damaging and ineffective border wall triggered the longest shutdown of the federal government in history, President Trump used his State of the Union address to reiterate his divisive demands.
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Grizzly Bear in Alaska
Washington, DC

Oil and Gas Lobbyist Nominated as Interior Secretary

“Defenders of Wildlife is deeply concerned that Acting Secretary of Interior David Bernhardt, who helped preside over the Trump administration’s destructive policies on our public lands and wildlife for the past two years, is being nominated for Interior Secretary."
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Border wall comparison Matt Clark/Defenders
Washington, DC

Sen. Udall, Heinrich Introduce Bills to Protect our Borderlands from Wall Construction

Two bills were introduced yesterday in the Senate to prevent wall construction in sensitive borderland areas.
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