Founded in 1947, Defenders of Wildlife is one of the country’s leaders in pragmatic science-based, results-oriented wildlife conservation. They stand out in their commitment to saving imperiled wildlife and championing the Endangered Species Act, the landmark law that protects our rarest wildlife.

A message from their president best describes the purpose behind their mission:

“Our nation’s wildlife and wild places are precious gifts that enrich our planet and sustain us. But nearly everywhere, natural habitats—home to all kinds of creatures—are being destroyed to make way for new shopping malls, roads and housing developments. Meanwhile, in the halls of Congress, some politicians are eager to open public lands to oil drilling. Others are pressing to unravel the Endangered Species Act, our country’s pre-eminent wildlife conservation law. And beyond our borders, millions of animals are being exploited or killed illegally each year—becoming pets, food or souvenirs. With so many threats, concerned citizens are coming to the defense of America’s wildlife, and Defenders of Wildlife is proud to be a leader in the fight to preserve our nation’s animals and plants for generations to come.”

Here are some of their success stories that inspired Attorney.org to highlight them as part of our current campaign:

Safe Passage for Colorado Wildlife

In early 2009, Defenders of Wildlife called on its supporters to take action to urge their state’s Governor and Department of Transportation to make safe passage for wildlife a top priority by devoting a portion of the infrastructure improvement funding it receives as part of the federal government’s stimulus package to the construction of wildlife crossings. Two ’shovel-ready’ projects will be built using recently approved federal stimulus funds.

These strategically-placed wildlife crossings and fencing will allow deer, elk, bears, mountain lions, imperiled Canada lynx, and other animals to travel safely under or over the highway and access the food, mates and quality habitat they need to survive.

Reprieve for Sea Turtles

Through grassroots activism and legal advocacy, Defenders of Wildlife has raised the alarm about bottom longline fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, where threatened and endangered sea turtles have been drowning and dying at alarming rates the victims of razor sharp hooks on fishing lines that span anywhere from four to nine nautical miles.

To save these turtles, the Defenders legal team engaged in intense negotiations with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in spring 2009, taking legal action and mobilizing nearly 50,000 caring Defenders supporters to speak out in favor of closing the bottom longline fishery in the Gulf of Mexico.

In April 2009, Defenders of Wildlife efforts paid off in a huge victory for threatened and endangered sea turtles. The NMFS ordered a 6-month emergency closure of the bottom longline fishery in the Gulf of Mexico, providing a crucial lifeline to protect the lives of imperiled sea turtles from capture and death in the fishery.

Mexican Wolf Recovery Back on Track

Mexican wolves are the most endangered wolf in the world, saved from total extinction only by captive breeding and a reintroduction program launched in 1998. Unfortunately, after the release of almost 100 captive-bred Mexican wolves in Arizona and New Mexico, just 52 wild wolves were counted in early 2009.

The wolves are doing their part to recover – forming packs, killing elk, pairing up and raising pups. But in 2003, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) ceded responsibility for Mexican wolf recovery to an Adaptive Management Oversight Committee, which implemented a stringent “three-strikes” rule punishing wolves who prey on livestock. More than 45 wild wolves have been killed or removed from the wild based on that rule (known as Standard Operating Procedure 13, or SOP13).

In October 2008, Defenders of Wildlife filed a lawsuit challenging FWS’s decision to cede its responsibility, as well as the draconian “three-strikes” rule. On November 13, FWS settled the suit by reasserting its authority over the multiagency management team and scrapping SOP13, offering hope for a more scientific approach to Mexican wolf recovery.

Getting Northern Rockies Wolf Recovery Across the Finish Line

Defenders of Wildlife has been involved in helping wolves recover in the Northern Rockies region for more than 20 years. Defenders was the first wildlife organization to advocate for the return of the wolf to Yellowstone National Park, and our staff was there in 1995 and 1996 assisting in the effort to reintroduce wolves to Yellowstone and central Idaho.

Unfortunately, wolf recovery goals for the Northern Rockies were set long before anyone knew what a truly recovered wolf population should look like. For the past two years, the FWS has made premature efforts to take wolves off the endangered species list, leaving them vulnerable to poorly crafted state management plans that are not designed to maintain wolves as a a healthy, robust part of the Northern Rockies ecosystem. This fall, wolves in the Rockies are being hunted for the first time since they were reintroduced, and so far, nearly 190 wolves have been killed.

Defenders is in court seeking the return of federal protections for wolves in the Northern Rockies until a scientifically sound delisting plan is developed, and state management plans are in place that will ensure a healthy population of wolves across the region.

To learn more about the Defenders of Wildlife mission, visit their homepage at www.defenders.org.

The Defenders of Wildlife is recognized as a non profit by the IRS and any contributions may be tax-deductible.

If you want to support their cause, through charitable contributions or giving your time, visit the ’support us’ page here.