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From: Save the Manatee Club – action [at] savethemanatee.org
Date: May 15, 2007 3:06 PM
Subject: Please Don’t Downlist Manatees!

Please Don’t Downlist Manatees!

On Endangered Species Day, Take Action to Protect Them

The bottom line here is that the manatee is not safe from extinction, no matter how officials play the numbers game, and significant threats on its survival continue to haunt it.

–Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel

On Friday, May 18th, Americans from all across the country will celebrate Endangered Species Day. But as we pay tribute to our nation’s endangered species, manatees are facing their biggest threat ever. Recently, after conducting a 5-year review of the manatee’s federal status, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (Service) recommended downlisting them from “endangered” to “threatened.”

We need you to help manatees by sending a quick online letter now!

Why aren’t we celebrating the news we have fought for so many years to hear? Because these actions are politically driven. With the market for coastal land skyrocketing, powerful groups have been lobbying for a long time to change the manatee’s status.

According to the Service’s own Recovery Plan, manatees should NOT be downlisted until deaths from boat strikes and the destruction of habitat are brought under control. But these threats are increasing. And the Service ignored a recent report from the U.S. Geological Survey that stated: “Any increase in watercraft-related mortality substantially increases the risk of the Florida manatee population reaching the point of no probable recovery.”

What You Can Do:

1. Act Now! Please let decision-makers know you strongly oppose the manatee’s downlisting at this time. Click on the link below to get more information on this issue and to send a quick and easy online letter to Dirk Kempthorne, U.S. Secretary of the Interior; H. Dale Hall, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and Florida Governor Charlie Crist.

www.savethemanatee.org/actionalert.cfm?id=14

2. Ask all your friends and family members to send the letter.

3. Make a donation now to help us take whatever actions are necessary, including legal action, to ensure that manatees are protected to the full extent of federal and state law. Please be as generous as possible so we can have the resources to act decisively.

Thanks for your help on this important issue for manatees!

Get More Info:

* Read press articles on the manatee downlisting issue.

* Find an Endangered Species Day event near you.

* Thank your senator for unanimously declaring Friday, May 18th, Endangered Species Day.

Sign up for our free Paddle Tales E-Newsletter: Go to www.savethemanatee.org/enews_signup.htm

Our postal address is:

500 N. Maitland Ave.
Maitland, Florida 32751
United States

About SMC

Save the Manatee Club is a nonprofit organization founded in 1981 by former Florida Governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham and singer Jimmy Buffett. To learn more about manatees and our work, go to www.savethemanatee.org

Join Us!

Adopt-A-Manatee and join Save the Manatee Club. Your contribution will support our work to help protect endangered manatees and their habitat. For more information, go to www.savethemanatee.org/adoptpag.htm

Pass It Along

Help spread the word about manatees! Please forward this action alert to your family and friends. If you got this message from a friend, sign up to receive our Action Alerts at our Take Action page at www.savethemanatee.org/action.htm

Questions?

You can get updates on Action Alert issues by visiting the Take Action page of our web site. If you have additional questions, email us at action [at] savethemanatee.org

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare action alerts save the manatee club manatees endangered species esa endangered species act may 18 endangered species day holidays observances downlist U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service fws wildlife conservation

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 15th, 2007 at 3:07 pm and is filed under Action Alerts, Conservation (Wildlife), from Save the Manatee Club. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.