Action deadline: April 7, 2006 Dear Alan,
**Urge your senators to oppose cuts in endangered species funding.** The administration's budget request for the coming fiscal year proposes big cuts in funding for the protection of endangered species. Yet funding is already woefully inadequate for these important programs: more than 200 species on the endangered species list are on the verge of extinction because not enough funds are available for activities to help them recover. Please urge your senators to sign a letter being circulated by Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., and Lincoln Chafee, R-R.I., which opposes the cuts and pushes for increases for endangered species protection. A strong showing of support on the Senate funding letter will also help fend off attacks on the Endangered Species Act itself. A bill that would severely weaken the law was approved by the U.S. House last year, and the Senate is now considering taking up reform of the landmark measure. We must defend the act and the funding needed to make it work. The bald eagle, California sea otter, American alligator, gray wolf, black-footed ferret, gray whale, and international species such as the African elephant are on their way back in large part due to the law. TAKE ACTION: Learn more and urge your senators to oppose cuts in endangered species funding. * QUICK OPTION: Send the message below, as is, by simply replying to this email. (This option works only if you received this email directly from the Conservation Action Network.) * POWERFUL OPTION: Personalize your letter. Go to the address below and follow the instructions for adding your own thoughts to your message. Decision makers pay much more attention to personalized messages. http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/ctt.asp?u=30516&l=120819 If you have any questions or problems with taking action, contact us for help: [EMAIL PROTECTED] DO MORE: -- Forward this alert to your friends and colleagues. -- Call your senators and make the main points from the letter below. You can reach your senators via the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121. Working together, we can ensure that the world our children inherit will be home to a rich diversity of plants and wildlife. Thank you for your help. Sincerely, Ginette Hemley Vice President, Species Conservation World Wildlife Fund Washington, DC ***************************LETTER TEXT************************** Dear (your senators' names will be inserted here): As your constituent and someone deeply concerned about conservation, I urge you to oppose the cuts that the president has proposed for endangered species protection and instead to push for increased funding for these programs. I urge you to sign the Dear Colleague letter being circulated by Sens. Clinton and Chafee, which calls for specific endangered species funding increases, including boosts for programs that provide resources to states and private landowners to conserve endangered plants and animals on nonfederal lands. The Endangered Species Act is the most important tool our nation has for protecting imperiled wildlife and maintaining biological diversity. For more than 30 years, this landmark law has pulled wildlife species back from the brink of extinction and is used as a model by other countries struggling to protect their own endangered plants and animals. Unfortunately, lack of sufficient funds is undermining the goals of the law. A backlog of 280 candidate species awaits protection under the act. In addition, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has said that more than 200 species on the endangered species list are on the verge of extinction primarily because not enough funds are available for recovery activities. Demand for the Private Stewardship Program is $31 million, but only $7 million is available. Short-changing funds for wildlife and habitat conservation is penny-wise and pound foolish. It costs much less to prevent species from becoming threatened with extinction and to protect habitats than to rescue species from the brink of extinction and to restore damaged ecosystems. Please do all you can to enhance funding for endangered species conservation. Sincerely, Your name and address will be inserted here **************************END OF LETTER TEXT************************* _____________________________________________________________________ You received this message because [EMAIL PROTECTED] is an activist with the World Wildlife Fund Conservation Action Network. _____________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] from [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word REMOVE in the subject line or you can unsubscribe at http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/unsubscribe/index.asp. _____________________________________________________________________ Direct any questions about the WWF Conservation Action Network to [EMAIL PROTECTED] _____________________________________________________________________ The Conservation Action Network is sponsored by World Wildlife Fund-US. Known worldwide by its panda logo, WWF has 45 years of proven results in its mission to conserve the miraculous diversity of nature. The largest multinational conservation organization in the world, WWF works in 100 countries on more than 2,000 projects, supported by 1.2 million members in the United States. WWF calls on everyone -- government, industry, and individuals -- to take responsibility by taking action to save our living planet. World Wildlife Fund 1250 Twenty-fourth Street, NW Washington, DC 20037 http://www.worldwildlife.org http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org
