Heartbreak Highway

With only about 100 Florida panthers left, these rare cats are struggling for their very existence. Habitat loss and fragmentation are taking their toll. In fact, a stretch of roadway in the heart of Florida panther country has claimed the lives of five panthers since 1996.

The latest edition of Defenders Magazine takes a look at Florida’s “Heartbreak Highway.”

Also in the Magazine:
Take a look behind the scenes as wolves and moose face a “Royale Challenge” and track down a colorful shore bird in “To Catch an Oystercatcher.”

Protect Polar Bear Homes

Threatened polar bears are struggling as a warming climate melts the sea ice they need to survive. In response, the Interior Department has announced a proposal to designate more than 200,000 square miles of critical habitat for these beloved white bears -- including the vital coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Now officials need to hear from you. Speak out for polar bears and tell federal officials you support their plan to safeguard these arctic icons.

Stopping the Polar Bear Trade
The Interior Department has submitted a proposal to end the international commercial trade in polar bears and their parts. More than 43,700 Defenders supporters wrote to federal officials in support of such a proposal.
>>Learn More

Wolf Toll Mounts
Well more than 100 wolves have been killed in Idaho and Montana’s wolf hunting seasons this year. If you haven’t already, sign our petition to Interior Secretary Salazar and urge him to immediately restore federal protections for northern Rockies wolves.
>>Act Now

Poison Ban Moves Forward
The Environmental Protection Agency is moving forward with plans to end the use of carbofuran, a highly toxic pesticide that has killed millions of birds and other wildlife in the U.S. alone.
>>Learn More

Share Your Project
The Conservation Registry is a smart, online database that records, tracks and maps wildlife and habitat projects across the landscape. You can look up projects in your area, seek out volunteer opportunities and even post your own project that protects wildlife and wild places.
>> Learn More

Defenders Wins Award
Defenders of Wildlife has won the Nature’s Path Organic Foods’ 2009 EnviroKidz Giving Back Award.
>> Learn More

Loss for Wolves

Wolves lost a passionate advocate last month when biologist Gordon Haber died.

Haber logged thousands of hours watching and documenting wolf behavior. The Toklat pack of Denali National Park in particular became the focus of much of his research.

More than four decades of observing wolves turned Haber into a passionate advocate for the animals that, in his own words, “enliven the northern mountains, forests, and tundra like no other creature, helping to enrich our own stay on the planet simply by their presence as other highly advanced societies in our midst.”

Haber was starkly opposed to Alaska’s unnecessary wolf-killing programs. "I cannot find credible scientific data to support their arguments," he told Salon.com in 2008. "In most cases, there is evidence to the contrary."

Gordon Haber was on his way to observe his beloved Toklat pack when the small plane that carried him crashed near Denali National Park.

Read Rodger Schlickeisen's Statement