Via Defenders of Wildlife:

A Blasted Plan for Our National Treasure

Here’s a corporate snow job: Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Corporation wants to use military artillery to launch explosives into one of our greatest national parks.

Sound reckless? It is.

Glacier National Park is truly a national treasure. Within its vast wilderness and steep slopes live several imperiled creatures, including grizzly bears, lynx and bald eagles.

Launching explosive charges into prime wintering habitat for these creatures is a bad idea. Wildlife in the park can be found year-round near Glacier’s southern border — the area where BNSF wants to shell. Bombardment could disturb hibernating grizzlies and other creatures, like mountain goats, that are active in this part of the park’s wilderness.

Blasting this habitat could have a lasting impact on the park’s vast wilderness. Tell BNSF to scrap their destructive plan!

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Tagged: animals animal+rights action+alerts defenders+of+wildlife Glacier+National+Park Burlington+Northern+Santa+Fe+Corporation bnsf

UPDATE, 1/31/07, via Defenders of Wildlife:

I’ve just learned that the court hearing on whether or not to force wildlife-friendly landowners to destroy prairie dog towns on their property has been postponed.

Originally scheduled for this Friday, the hearing will now take place in late March.

This is great news for the prairie dogs and the wildlife that depends on them, since the main poison that the county wanted to use can’t be applied between March 15th and October 1st.

We’ll be sure to let you know when the new court date will be so that you can show your support by attending.

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UPDATE, 1/29/07, via Defenders of Wildlife:

Wildlife heroes — and the wildlife they’re trying to save — need your help!

The Logan County Commission has filed suit to force ranchers Bette and Larry Haverfield and other wildlife-friendly landowners to destroy several prairie dog towns in the county, including Kansas’s largest. A court hearing will be held this Friday.

Please attend and show your support for prairie wildlife and the landowners who want to preserve it.

What: Court Hearing for Prairie Dogs
Where: Logan County Courthouse, 710 W 2nd St, Oakley, Kansas
When: Friday, February 2nd (Groundhog Day!) at 9:00 AM (Central Time)

The Haverfields and their fellow wildlife-friendly landowners have seen firsthand the diversity of wildlife that prairie dog towns bring. From hawks to swift foxes, badgers to burrowing owls, plenty of wildlife finds safe harbor on the ranch.

Now you can show your support for these landowners who are standing up for the wildlife on their lands. Attend the court hearing at the Logan County Courthouse — but please be respectful; make no noise, clapping or outbursts.

It is important for wildlife supporters to show our presence in the courthouse to counter the all-out effort by the Farm Bureau to pack the courtroom with an anti-wildlife crowd. We can send a powerful message to the County Commissioners and state legislators that Kansans care about their state’s wildlife.

Arrive early if you can — we will have stickers available for you to show that you support the landowners and wildlife.

If you would like more information, please email me at jproctor [at] defenders.org or call (303) 825-0918.

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UPDATE, 12/14/06: The HSUS also released an action alert on this item; you can view it here.

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UPDATE, 12/13/06:

The NY Times ran a piece on this story recently; looks like the prairie dogs have won a reprieve, at least for the time being.

On Tuesday, the day before the deadline, Mr. Haverfield’s lawyer sent the commission a letter threatening legal action. All Wednesday, the Haverfields and Mr. Barnhardt’s daughter and son-in-law, three neighbors and two environmentalists kept watch. No poisoners came.

They later learned why: the county commissioners were waiting to hear from their insurers’ lawyers. “We won’t do anything unless our lawyers tell us we can,” Mr. Scott said.

Go read the whole piece.

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Via Defenders of Wildlife:

Don’t Let Them Poison the Kansas Prairie

Logan County has it in for prairie wildlife and the ranchers who want to protect it.

Last week, Logan County Commissioners put ranchers like Larry and Betty Haverfield on notice to remove their cattle from land they own and lease — so the county can destroy the state’s largest prairie dog town.

If the ranchers don’t comply, the county will forcefully poison the prairie dogs for them — and stick the ranchers with the $200,000 bill! The slaughter is scheduled to begin tomorrow, December 6th.

Help save the prairie dogs — take action now!

More info here.

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Tagged: animals animal+rights action+alerts defenders+of+wildlife prairie+dogs poison kansas logan+county

Via Defenders of Wildlife:

Stop Wyoming’s War on Wolves

Wyoming officials have filed a lawsuit to compel the federal government to remove as many as two-thirds of the wolves in the state. If the state wins its case, as many as 200 wolves and their pups could die.

Help stop indiscriminate killing of Wyoming wolves before it starts.

Fill out the form [here] to urge Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal and the state’s Attorney General, Patrick J. Crank, to withdraw their lawsuit and get serious about promoting sustainable wolf management in the Northern Rockies.

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Tagged: animals animal+rights action+alerts defenders+of+wildlife wolves wyoming rockies

Via Defenders of Wildlife:

Help Save the Bay of Fundy Whales

Thirty to fifty of the world’s remaining North Atlantic right whales are in mortal danger. Lobster season has begun in the Bay of Fundy, and the whales which have usually left the area by this time of year are in grave danger of becoming ensnared in fishing gear and dying.

With only about 350 North Atlantic right whales left on the planet, even the loss of one of these gentle giants is too many.

Fill out the form here to send a message to Canadian Minister of Fisheries Loyola Hearn urging him to delay opening the fishing grounds until the right whales have left the area.

See also: Ocean Conservancy: Right Whales Swimming in the Face of Danger.

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Tagged: animals animal+rights action+alerts defenders+of+wildlife fishing whales environment environmentalist canada

Via Defenders of Wildlife:

Tell the New Congressional Leaders to Act on Global Warming!

Earlier this month, America spoke out and changed the climate on Capitol Hill. Starting in January, new leadership will take over Congress — and with it comes renewed hope for real action on global warming.

Write to the incoming leaders of the next Congress. Urge them to make global warming a top priority.

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Tagged: environment environmentalism environmentalist action+alerts defenders+of+wildlife global+warming

Via Defenders of Wildlife:

Don’t Poison the American Prairie

The Forest Service wants to make it easier to poison and kill prairie dogs on the American plains — risking creatures like burrowing owls, hawks, swift fox and the critically endangered black-footed ferret.

Take action now — use the bullets below [here] to write the Forest Service and urge them to withdraw this harmful proposal.

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Tagged: animals animal+rights action+alerts defenders+of+wildlife prairie+dogs forest+service

Via Defenders of Wildlife:

Should Big Oil Write Our Energy Policy?

Polar bears are starving to death and literally drowning in their long search for food as increased temperatures rob them of their habitat. Don’t let Big Oil make things worse with its industry-backed energy task force!

Take action now! Write to Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman urging him to…

* Create a balanced energy task force that represents our national interest, not the interests of Big Oil.

* Replace ExxonMobil’s Lee Raymond as the Chair of this commission!

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Tagged: animals animal+rights environment environmentalism energy exxon exxonmobile exxpose+exxon defenders+of+wildlife action+alerts conservation polar+bears

Via Defenders of Wildlife:

Speak Up for Polar Bears and Real Energy Solutions

Instead of offering real energy solutions, pro-drilling forces in Congress are once more pushing to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Drilling would save consumers a mere penny twenty years from now. It would also ruin a spectacular natural treasure, home to polar bears, caribou, muskoxen, arctic foxes, wolverines, grizzlies, and snow geese.

Don’t let Big Oil and their allies in Congress industrialize America’s greatest wildlife sanctuary. Please send a message to your Representative and Senators today — Tell them that you want real energy solutions, not the industrialization of one of America’s greatest remaining wild places!

Via Defenders of Wildlife:

Tell your Representative to Become a Voice for Wildlife

Since President Theodore Roosevelt established Florida’s Pelican Island as the first National Wildlife Refuge in 1903, the system of refuges has grown to nearly 550 with at least one in every state and U.S. territory. Now, your Representative has a chance to ensure that these wild lands remain a vital part of our natural heritage for centuries to come.

Write your Representative today — urge him or her to become a founding member of the Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus.

Via Defenders of Wildlife:

Applaud EPA for Standing Up for Wildlife and Public Safety

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a proposal to ban the use of the deadly pesticide carbofuran — a substance that has been responsible for millions of bird fatalities and linked to the deaths of peanut farmers in Senegal.

Help us applaud their actions!

(You can view the original alert here.)