Species conservation – protecting western wildlife
Wildlife
The American West is home to an incredible diversity of life, from delicate checkerspot butterflies in the mountains of New Mexico, to silvery minnows in the waters of the iconic Rio Grande, to majestic grizzly bears roaming the valleys in and around Yellowstone National Park. Each of these species belongs in, and to, the Western landscape. Each has an unalienable right to exist and thrive. We have a duty to protect that right.
And the wildlife of the West badly need protection. These species face a barrage of threats, most of them human-caused: disappearing habitat, climate change, traps, poisons, intolerance. We already have tools to conserve the West’s diversity and protect its life—the most powerful of these being the Endangered Species Act—yet many of these tools remain underused, and many are under threat, even as many species march toward extinction.
We must shift the paradigm of wildlife management from persecution to protection. For wildlife’s sake, we are relentless advocates, reformers, and voices for the vulnerable.
Wildlife Program Work
WildEarth Guardians’ Wildlife program is focusing our energy on seven key campaigns, ranging from protecting endangered species to fundamentally reforming the federal wildlife-killing agency Wildlife Services.
Endangered Species Act Defense
Endangered Species Act Protections
End the War on Wildlife
Fundamentally reforming the federal wildlife-killing agency, Wildlife Services, ending its use of cruel and indiscriminate weapons, and adopting a coexistence mandate
Defend Native Carnivores
End Cruel Trapping
Safeguard the Sagebrush Sea
Protect Prairie Dog Empires
How You Can Help
Help protect the incredible, vulnerable wildlife of the West! Be a guardian for the wild by joining the conversation, learning about current issues, and making your voice heard. Together, we're a powerful force for nature.
Recent Stories From Wildlife

Nine reasons to save the Joshua tree
Learn what sets the iconic Joshua tree apart—and what you can do to save it

The fate of threatened Joshua Tree in limbo due to government failure to do more
Guardians is forced to explore whether another round of litigation is needed

The fate of threatened Joshua Tree in limbo due to government failure to do more
Guardians is forced to explore whether another round of litigation is needed

Help us to Oppose Montana House Bill 372
HB 372 would open the door for catastrophic consequences to our native wildlife, providing a right to “hunt, fish, trap, and harvest wild fish and wildlife.”
Wildlife Press
Western Conservationists Blast “Extinction Bills” Unveiled at House Resources Hearing
Wolves, Grizzly Bears Targeted for De-Listing
Read more >More work remains to ensure lobo survival
This week marks the 25th anniversary of the first Mexican wolves being reintroduced into the wilds of the United States. And the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently released its annual count of lobos in New Mexico and Arizona.
Read more >Jared Polis supports Endangered Special Act rule, but not Colorado bill tied to it
While Gov. Jared Polis backs the state Division of Parks and Wildlife obtaining a rule allowing Colorado to move forward on its plan to reintroduce wolves, a spokesman said today he does not support the process outlined in a bill introduced yesterday.
Read more >We want to stay in touch with you
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