Defenders of Wildlife

Results: Here are some highlights of Defenders of Wildlife’s accomplishments in 2024. For more information, please visit our website to view our 2024 Annual Report. Defenders helped bring the gray wolf back to Colorado. As a result of the state’s successful 2020 statewide ballot measure mandating gray wolf reintroduction by December 2023, ten young Oregon wolves were translocated to the western part of Colorado, with up to forty more wolves planned for reintroduction over the next two to four years. We also continued to expand our coexistence program across the Rockies and Plains, initiating predator-livestock conflict reduction projects with ranchers, local communities as well as federal, state and tribal agencies. We also continued our outreach efforts in the reintroduction area to inform and engage the public on the importance of proactive coexistence efforts. Defenders continued to help build conservation and cultural herds on tribal lands with the transfer of 116 Yellowstone bison to the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Montana in February of 2024. This marked the largest transfer under the Bison Conservation Transfer Program. Since 2019, we have helped transfer over 400 bison from Yellowstone to Tribes across the country. Defenders and our partners successfully negotiated a landmark settlement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) that guarantees a brighter future for red wolves in the wild and provides a clear path forward for recovery of this critically endangered species. We also continue to partner with FWS and local communities to support red wolf recovery, raising awareness about red wolves, promoting coexistence measures and improving the safety of roadways for crossing wolves. After nearly two decades and six court victories, Defenders successfully secured long-overdue federal protections for the North American wolverine under the ESA. Defenders is also spearheading a collaborative effort to restore the wolverine to their historic range in Colorado’s high elevation mountains, which could increase their population in the Lower 48 by over 30%. In recognition of our accomplishments and unwavering dedication to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, the Okefenokee Protection Alliance, of which Defenders is a founding member, was named Refuge Advocate of the Year in 2024 by the National Wildlife Refuge Association. Our advocacy and outreach efforts were instrumental in collecting the nearly 200,000 public comments submitted in support of protecting this world-class refuge and its irreplaceable wetland ecosystem from a devastating proposal by Twin Pines Minerals to mine for titanium next to the refuge. Defenders fought tirelessly to oppose more than 110 devastating proposals introduced by this Congress to rewrite the ESA, slash funding for conservation and single out some of our most vulnerable species to legislate their extinction.

Programs: Conservation and Restoration of Imperiled Biodiversity in North America: Defenders of Wildlife focuses on the conservation of imperiled species and keystone or umbrella species that help restore the integrity and health of ecosystems. Our focus on wildlife and habitat conservation and safeguarding of biodiversity defines our important niche in the environmental and conservation community. Long known for our leadership on endangered species issues, our programs emphasize imperiled species and their habitat throughout North America because of the irreparable loss that species extinction represents. We believe in the inherent value of wildlife and the natural world. | Mobilization of a Broader Constituency for Wildlife Conservation: Defenders of Wildlife implements nation-wide conservation initiatives and place-based conservation programs that are rooted in the communities in which we work. We focus on strategic areas where we can have a positive impact on wildlife and landscapes. We are driven by our responsibility to mobilize and grow a movement for conservation that will endure for generations to come. We issue a quarterly publication, DEFENDERS, sent to all members, which features informative articles on important wildlife and land management conservation issues, editorial comment, and updates on current activities taken by the organization.