UPDATE, 5/18/07, via Defenders of Wildlife:

Thank you for all your hard work over the past several months to save hundreds of wolves in the Greater Yellowstone area and the rest of the Northern Rockies.

All I can say is “wow.”

Last week marked the end of the public comment period on the Bush/Cheney Administration’s plan to eliminate vital Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in the greater Yellowstone area and the Northern Rockies — a plan that could spark the worst wolf massacre to occur in the Lower 48 United States in decades.

Defenders asked for your help to save hundreds of wolves in Idaho and Wyoming from certain death, and you answered our call…

* More than 139,000 Defenders activists like you submitted written comments opposing the administration’s plan — generating more than half of all the comments submitted on the proposal.

* Hundreds of wildlife supporters from Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and Washington state showed up to bravely testify in person on behalf of common sense wolf management, outnumbering anti-wolf groups at almost every hearing.

* More than 69,000 people have viewed our YouTube video, making it one of the most viewed animal clips on that site.

* More than 8,000 dedicated supporters donated more than $386,000 in the last five months to fund our on-the-ground efforts to protect wolves, providing crucial support for public education, activist mobilization and work with local landowners to prevent unnecessary wolf and livestock loss.

The Fish and Wildlife Service will now consider the public comments on the Bush/Cheney Administration’s proposal to eliminate vital Endangered Species Act protections, with a decision on delisting expected within six months.

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UPDATE, 5/1/07, via Defenders of Wildlife:

We have just one week left to prevent the slaughter of hundreds of wolves in the Northern Rockies. Unless we stop them, federal officials could eliminate vital protections for these magnificent animals and spark the biggest wolf massacre in the lower 48 state to occur in decades.

Watch our video online, and then take action to oppose the Bush/Cheney Administration’s proposal to remove protections for wolves, which could lead to the slaughter of wolves in the greater Yellowstone area and the rest of the Northern Rockies.

(more…)

Via Defenders of Wildlife:

Alaska’s McNeil River Bears need your help!

Alaska’s McNeil River Wildlife Sanctuary boasts the largest congregation of brown bears in the world. But hunting restrictions that have protected these bears for more than 20 years are about to expire, and it’s up to us to help.

Please use the form below to compose a personalized message to the Board of Game, urging them to maintain a ban on hunting on state lands in the Kamishak Special Use Area adjacent to Katmai National Park and the McNeil River State Sanctuary. Our staff in Alaska will deliver your message to the Board of Game in advance of their meeting next month.

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare action alerts defenders of wildlife hunting bear alaska McNeil River McNeil River Wildlife Sanctuary brown bear

Via Defenders of Wildlife:

Bald Eagles - Do Not “Disturb”

Soon, the Fish & Wildlife Service is expected to issue a final rule on removing the bald eagle from the list of species protected by Endangered Species Act. The announcement will mark a successful end to a long journey back from the brink of extinction.

But we need to ensure the bald eagle’s future is adequately protected against reckless development and other threats that can disturb eagles and affect their survival.

Please tell the Fish & Wildlife Service why it’s important to you that proposed protections for eagles remain strong.

Also, from the National Wildlife Federation:

Make Sure Bald Eagles Get the Protection They Deserve!

Photo of bald eagle by Nova Development Corporation.The bald eagle is one of the most recent success stories of the Endangered Species Act. Any day now, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be releasing the official delisting announcement for America’s symbolic bird, which will include a plan for the eagle’s continued success.

However, the National Wildlife Federation recently learned that Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne is considering overruling the recommendations of FWS experts. Instead, he is looking to adopt a plan based on a proposal preferred by developers. This plan would eliminate crucial protections for the bald eagle!

Please email DOI Deputy Secretary Lynn Scarlett below and urge her to make sure our national symbol doesn’t once again slide toward extinction! Ask the DOI to support the protection plan written by wildlife management experts–not developers.

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare environment environmental environmentalism environmentalist action alerts defenders of wildlife eagle bald eagle ESA Endangered Species Act conservation national wildlife federation nwf

Via Defenders of Wildlife:

Speak Out for Wolves in the Northern Rockies

For months, officials in the Bush/Cheney Administration have been threatening to eliminate Endangered Species Protections for imperiled gray wolves in the Northern Rockies.

Yesterday, they made good on their threat, announcing a proposal to end federal protections for wolves in Idaho and Wyoming — two states more concerned with eliminating wolves than managing them.

In Idaho, Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter has called for the elimination of all but about 100 of the state’s estimated 650 wolves, going so far as to tell a group of anti-wolf protestors that he was eager to bid for a chance to kill a wolf himself.

Things aren’t looking any better in nearby Wyoming. That state plans to kill as many as two-thirds of its gray wolves if the animals lose federal protection under the Endangered Species Act.

Last week, the state Senate’s Wildlife Committee approved a bill that would allow unlimited killing of wolves in some wilderness areas. Wolves would remain protected within Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, but could be shot on sight once they wander outside the safety of the national parks.

Handing wolf management responsibilities over to states that are planning wide-spread wolf eradication programs simply makes no sense and does nothing to address the factors that put the wolf on the endangered list to begin with.

The government once allowed our Northern Rocky Mountain wolves to be shot, harassed and poisoned into near extinction. We can’t let that happen again.

Please take action now.

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare environment environmental environmentalism environmentalist action alerts defenders of wildlife esa endangered species act hunting wolves Idaho Wyoming gray wolf conservation Northern Rockies

Via Defenders of Wildlife:

Save Peruvian Jaguars and Other Rainforest Wildlife

The Peru Free Trade Agreement would sanction the destruction of the Peruvian Amazon rainforest — home to jaguars, long-haired spider monkeys, blue-headed macaws, giant river otters and other endangered species — by failing to address the illegal harvest and trade in mahogany.

Free trade shouldn’t mean illegal trade! Send a message to your Representative and Senators urging them to reject the Peru Free Trade Agreement.

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare action alerts defenders of wildlife peru free trade environment environmental environmentalism environmentalist mahogany rainforest

UPDATE, 1/22/07:

As many of you know, HR6 passed the House on Thursday; you can read the full text of the bill here.

Says Ayinde O. Chase of All Headline News,

On Thursday the House of Representatives passed the CLEAN Energy Act (H.R. 6), which rolls back subsidies and tax breaks for Big Oil, by a vote of 264 to 163. The bill specifically aims to close certain tax loopholes available to big oil companies, and collect royalties from oil and gas produced in public waters. The legislation when enforced will shift more than $14 billion from certain subsidies to investments in clean energy, such as energy-efficient technologies and renewable power. […]

The monies collected could be directed to:

- spur the construction of wind and solar energy power generation facilities

- provide incentives for energy-efficient appliances, buildings and equipment

- enable more people to purchase gas-saving hybrid cars and trucks […]

An Apollo Alliance study discovered that a major investment in alternative energy technologies has the potential of adding more than 3.3 million new jobs to the nation’s economy, stimulating $1.4 trillion dollars in new Gross Domestic Product, and eventually paying for itself in a 10-year time span.

Sweet.

My favorite headline come from Salon: “Big Oil gets punked” (!).

Earthjustice recommends sending your rep a thank you, that is, if she or he is deserving of one. Otherwise, ignore the twit and vote against him/her in the next election cycle.

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With Congress slated to vote on the clean energy portion of their 100 Hours agenda later this week, the action alerts are coming at my inbox, fast and furious. Rather than post each individually, here’s a roundup of those that call on Congress to end subsidies for Big Oil, support clean energy, and/or vote yes on H.R. 6. I’ll add new ones to the top of the list as they arrive.

(more…)

Via Defenders of Wildlife:

Bears on the Brink — You Can Help!

America’s polar bears are in trouble. Increased temperatures are depriving them of needed food and habitat, causing birth and survival rates to plummet. Climate change, combined with ongoing polluton risks and the threat of harmful oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, could spell disaster for these beloved creatures.

Help save America’s polar bears. Fill out the form below to tell the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that you support their proposal for increased polar bear protections.

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Tagged: animals animal+rights animal+welfare action+alerts defenders+of+wildlife bears polar+bears climate change global warming environment environmental environmentalism environmentalist

Via Defenders of Wildlife:

Speak Out for Migratory Birds — Save the Salton Sea!

Nestled in the southern California desert, the Salton Sea is a desert jewel in danger of disappearing forever.

Water diversion plans could cause the Sea to evaporate away, devastating migratory bird populations. Over the next two decades, this 360-square-mile lake will decrease by 30 percent — rapidly shrinking vital wildlife habitat and increasing the amount of dust and salt that blows through the surrounding communities.

With over 90 percent of California’s wetlands gone, the Salton Sea has become an important stopping point for over 400 species of birds — millions of individuals — migrating up and down the Pacific Coast.

Millions of migratory birds — including the imperiled brown pelican, Yuma clapper rail and the western snowy plover — depend on the Sea as a vital stopover for their migration.

Late last year, the California Department of Water Resources released a report assessing eight proposals to restore the Salton Sea. Unfortunately, none of the plans alone would adequately protect the people and wildlife that depend on the Sea.

A plan that takes parts of the report’s alternatives would provide the best path to restoring wildlife habitat while adequately protecting air and water quality for the surrounding communities.

The Salton Sea is important to bird lovers everywhere and it must be protected. Speak out now — your comments must be received by the January 17th deadline.

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Tagged: animals animal+rights action+alerts defenders+of+wildlife conservation salton+sea migration birds migratory+birds california environment environmental environmentalism environmentalist

Via Defenders of Wildlife:

Help Stop the Next Wolf Massacre

Federal officials are about to make a big mistake — one that could lead to the killing of hundreds of wolves in the Northern Rockies.

Sometime this month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is expected to release a proposal to strip wolves of crucial Endangered Species Act protections across most of Wyoming and de-list wolves in Idaho, where the state is poised to kill up to 75% of the wolves living in the Lolo district of the Clearwater National Forest.

This proposal could allow the use of aerial gunning and other lethal control methods to kill as many as two-thirds of the wolves in Wyoming and as many as 54 of Idaho’s 65 wolf packs!

Help us prevent the worst massacre of wolves to occur in the lower 48 states in decades. Take action now.

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Tagged: animals animal+rights action+alerts defenders+of+wildlife wolves aerial+gunning hunting endangered+species wyoming idaho wolf

Via Defenders of Wildlife:

The Bristol Bay Deserves Protection!

The Bristol Bay is home to endangered Northern Pacific right whales and Steller sea lions. It is also one of the world’s most productive fishing grounds, with and important snow crab fishery and the planet’s largest sockeye salmon run.

But President Bush has a different vision for this precious piece of the Pacific: he wants to turn it over to profit-rich Big Oil, lifting a moratorium that has been in place since the disastrous Exxon Valdez spill.

Take Action now! Tell President Bush not to let Big Oil into the Bristol Bay!

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Tagged: animals animal+rights action+alerts defenders+of+wildlife environment environmental environmentalism environmentalist oil bristol+bay conservation whales