Defenders of Wildlife

I Used to Plan for the Future of America's Forests. Now I Watch It Being Unraveled.

For years, my job was to think about our national forests on a timescale of decades. Not just the forest in my own backyard — the rugged Salmon-Challis in Idaho — but forests across a dozen western ...
Defenders of WildlifeOpinion

BLM Prepares Illegal Move to Open Ouray National Wildlife Refuge to Oil & Gas, a Dangerous Precedent for Wildlife

Defenders of Wildlife is calling on BLM to withdrawal an unprecedented proposal to open Ouray National Wildlife Refuge in ...
Defenders of Wildlife

A Much-Needed Win for Wildlife: Senate Introduces Bill to Improve Endangered Species Act Implementation

Senators Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Pete Rickets (R-NE) today introduced the Improving Species Recovery Act, an important bipartisan bill that would improve implementation of the Endangered Species Act.
Defenders of WildlifeOpinion

Senate Permitting Deal Threatens Bedrock Endangered Species Protections

Defenders of Wildlife today strongly condemned Endangered Species Act provisions reportedly included in a Senate permitting ...
Defenders of WildlifeOpinion

Enough is Enough: Senate Blocks Yet Another Attempt to Prioritize Drilling in the Arctic

The Senate today blocked an attempt to pass S. 5438, introduced by Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK). The bill would have ratified ...
Defenders of Wildlife

Gov. Newsom Signs Landmark Legislation Creating California Wildlife Coexistence Program

Governor Gavin Newsom today signed into law Senate Bill 1135, establishing the California Wildlife Coexistence Program within ...
Defenders of Wildlife

Opinion: The Road to Izembek Is Paved with Bad Intentions

This op-ed in the Anchorage Daily News argues that King Cove Corporation and Alaska are pushing ahead with a road into Izembek National Wildlife Refuge despite a court vacating the land exchange, ...
Defenders of Wildlife

Defenders Sends Notice of Intent to Sue the Trump Administration over Rescission of ‘Harm’

Defenders of Wildlife today sent a letter to the Department of Interior and the Department of Commerce signaling its intent to sue over the administration’s rescission of the long-standing definition ...
Defenders of Wildlife

Trump Administration Rescinds ‘Harm’ Definition, Defenders Prepares for Court

In a devastating blow to wildlife, the Trump administration today formally rescinded the regulatory definition of “harm” under the Endangered Species Act, seeking to eliminate the long-standing legal ...
Defenders of Wildlife

Find a National Wildlife Refuge Near You!

Across the United States and its territories is a system of federal lands dedicated to protecting and restoring wildlife. This system is, of course, the National Wildlife Refuge System. These refuges ...
Defenders of Wildlife

Defenders of Wildlife Urges Public Opposition to NOAA’s Planned Review That Could Weaken California’s Authority to Protect its Coastline

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced today it will hold a public meeting in Santa Monica, California, on Aug. 10, 2026, followed by two virtual meetings, as part of its formal ...
Defenders of Wildlife

Final Rescission of Public Lands Rule Reverses Modern Land Management, Threatens Wildlife Habitat

The Bureau of Land Management today announced a decision to roll back the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, commonly referred to as the Public Lands Rule. The policy modernized how BLM manages ...