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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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Cook Inlet beluga whale
Anchorage, AK

Alaska Receives One Bid On Cook Inlet Lease Sale

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management (BOEM) opened and read the bids this morning for Cook Inlet federal offshore oil and gas lease sale #258. After offering close to one million acres for lease, there was only one bid. Hillcorp Alaska LLC bid $63,983 for one block.
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Biodiversity in Glacier National Park's Alpine region
MONTREAL, Canada

Biodiversity Crisis Needs Greater Global Commitment to Ending Extinction

With the conclusion of the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Montreal, Canada, the global community has now laid out the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF): a set of targets for combatting the biodiversity crisis that countries will aim to meet by the end of this decade
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Right Whale #2360 “Derecha” with Injured Calf January 8, 2020
Washington, D.C.

Defenders of Wildlife Slams Shameful Extinction Riders and Anemic Spending for Endangered Species in Omnibus

Just a day after 200 countries at the Convention on Biological Diversity agreed to stem biodiversity loss by protecting 30% of the planet’s land and oceans by 2030, the U.S. Congress released a draft omnibus spending bill that paints a grim picture for endangered species.
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Bald eagle sitting at the top of an evergreen tree
Washington, DC

New Research Shows 80% of Voters Polled Support Big Funding Increases for the National Wildlife Refuge System

New public opinion research from Defenders of Wildlife reveals that 80% of voters polled support increasing funding for the National Wildlife Refuge System, the nation’s only system of lands dedicated to wildlife conservation.
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Collared adult male Canada lynx
Washington, DC

Defenders of Wildlife Calls on Congress to Keep Toxic Wildlife Bill Out of Year-End Spending

Today, Defenders and more than 100 other environmental groups sent a letter to congressional leaders urging them to exclude S.2561 from any end-of-year legislative package.
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