We Defend the West
Defending Wildlands | Protecting Wildlife | Safeguarding Climate
The Western Environmental Law Center uses the power of the law to safeguard the public lands, wildlife, and communities of the western U.S. in the face of a changing climate. We envision a thriving, resilient western U.S., abundant with protected public lands and wildlife, powered by clean energy, and defended by communities rooted in an ethic of conservation.
We Defend the West
Defending Wildlands | Protecting Wildlife | Safeguarding Climate
The Western Environmental Law Center uses the power of the law to safeguard the public lands, wildlife, and communities of the western U.S. in the face of a changing climate. We envision a thriving, resilient western U.S., abundant with protected public lands and wildlife, powered by clean energy, and defended by communities rooted in an ethic of conservation.
We Defend the West
Defending Wildlands
Protecting Wildlife
Safeguarding Climate
The Western Environmental Law Center uses the power of the law to safeguard the public lands, wildlife, and communities of the western U.S. in the face of a changing climate. We envision a thriving, resilient western U.S., abundant with protected public lands and wildlife, powered by clean energy, and defended by communities rooted in an ethic of conservation.
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EXPLORE WAYS TO GIVE
Defending Wildlands
The western U.S. is defined by its natural heritage of wildlands, rivers, forests, and wildlife. Since its inception, WELC has worked hard to preserve and restore these unique characteristics.
Protecting Wildlife
The western U.S. depends on its iconic wildlife. WELC protects native animals while preserving and restoring the healthy, functioning natural ecosystems they call home.
Safeguarding Climate
Our world is warming, with dire consequences to the communities, lands, rivers, and wildlife of the western U.S. But, as the saying goes, in every crisis lies opportunity.
Wolverines listed as “threatened” under Endangered Species Act after 20-year conservation effort
Today, after more than 20 years of advocacy by wildlife conservation groups, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (the Service) found that wolverines warrant federal protections as a threatened species. Numbering only about 300 in the contiguous U.S., snow-dependent...
Statement on EPA’s Preliminary Determination of Water Quality Violations in Los Alamos County
On November 8th, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a preliminary decision that stormwater discharges from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and Los Alamos County are contributing to violations of water quality standards and that these...
Advocates file lawsuit to overturn Trump-era permit to kill spotted owls
The Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC), represented by the Western Environmental Law Center, challenged a 50-year U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (the Service) permit issued to Sierra Pacific Industries, the nation’s largest private landowner, to “take”...
WELC Land Acknowledgement
The Western Environmental Law Center acknowledges that we live and work on the homelands of Indigenous Peoples across the western United States. We honor these original peoples who have long stewarded these lands, and we celebrate their resilience and richness of their languages, traditions, and cultures. Read more here.
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