The post Saving America’s Whales on Capitol Hill appeared first on Endangered Species Coalition.

Tell your member of Congress to support the bipartisan Snowmobiles Aren’t Weapons Act.

This bill will ban the use of vehicles (snowmobiles or otherwise) to intentionally kill wildlife on federal lands managed by the Department of Interior. It comes in response to Wyoming’s failure to act in response to the torture and killing of a wolf in the state¹ earlier this year.

Tell Congress to pass this law to protect wolves, coyotes, and other wildlife from being killed by snowmobiles.

You likely remember the horrific incident in Wyoming where a Wyoming cattle rancher and trophy hunter ran down a young wolf who later came to be called Thiea, took her–in her injured but still-living state–to a bar where he paraded her around before shooting her to death behind the bar. This sociopathic conduct should not be permissible anywhere. But the state of Wyoming chose to protect the legal right to kill wildlife with snowmobiles² in its only official response.

If Wyoming and other states in the Northern Rockies where “wolf whacking” (running wolves down with snowmobiles) choose not to act, Congress must do what they won’t or can’t. This legislation is a strong step in that direction. It would criminalize “wolf whacking” on lands managed by the Department of Interior. Again, it has bipartisan support and the backing numerous conservation and animal welfare organizations.

Congress should act to prevent this and similar anti-conservation acts of violence by passing the Snowmobiles Aren’t Weapons Act promptly–before snow falls again in the Northern Rockies and more wolves and coyotes are senselessly slaughtered. Please ask your U.S. Representative to support this legislation.

Sincerely,

Susan Holmes
Executive Director
Endangered Species Coalition
Facebook | X | Pinterest | Instagram | Medium

PS. Are the links not working? Please take action at this URL: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-congress-ban-killing-wildlife-with-snowmobiles

1. https://nativenewsonline.net/currents/fight-for-justice-protecting-wolves-like-theia-from-brutalities-in-wyoming

2. https://www.buffalobulletin.com/news/article_e1d48b10-80fa-11ef-bc53-4387e0d8430b.html

The post This bill could finally ban wolf-whacking on federal lands appeared first on Endangered Species Coalition.

Pete McCloskey, a Republican member of Congress, co-author of the Endangered Species Act, longtime Endangered Species Coalition supporter, and member of our Advisory Board, passed away on May 8th at the age of 94.

A liberal Republican who represented an area south of San Francisco for fifteen years, Pete rose to national prominence in 1969 as an opponent of the Vietnam War. Bold and visionary, the following year, he co-authored the Endangered Species Act (Rep. Dingell was lead and Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Fish and Wildlife; Pete was the Ranking member) and co-founded Earth Day. During his time in Congress he was a champion for many strong environmental laws, including the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts.  

But what I love most about Pete is that he made protecting the environment and endangered species a winning political issue. In his first race – a special primary against the childhood actor Shirley Temple Black – Pete won by mobilizing young voters in support of open space protection and the environment.

I first met Pete when he came out of retirement in 2006 to run a campaign to unseat Representative Richard Pombo, Chair of the House Natural Resources Committee. Pombo had pledged to weaken the ESA and we knew that if he returned to Congress wildlife protections were on the chopping block. Although Pete lost the primary challenge to Pombo, he succeeded in winning 32% of the vote on a conservation platform. He went on to endorse Representative Jerry McNerney, a Democrat, who then defeated Pombo. The Sierra Club recognized Pete in 2006 for his work to unseat Pombo with their highest honor for public officials, the Edgar Wayburn Award.

Pete McCloskey wrote for the 40th Anniversary of the ESA, “…I consider co-authorship of the Endangered Species Act as the greatest contribution I have made in my lifetime to the welfare of this nation.” Thank you Pete! Endangered species, from alligators to whooping cranes, and all of us are so grateful for your life and legacy!

The post Honoring Pete McCloskey — Endangered Species Champion appeared first on Endangered Species Coalition.

Time: 8am EST – 10am EST

Where: Area 11, Capitol Hill (located between Independence Ave S.E. & First Street S.E., the park section directly across from the Cannon House Building).

RSVP: www.cryforthewild.org

What: A rally to inspire awareness and change for the senseless torture and killing of wolves and wildlife. Attendees will be treated to a meet and greet with leaders of wildlife organizations, surprise guests, along with Jonas Black of Hogs for Hope.

Additional Information to Know:  Please gather promptly at 8am EST in Area 11. The rally will begin at 8:30am – with speeches commencing at 9am.

What to Bring: Design your own posters and signs to hold up during the rally – we encourage you to include “A CRY FOR THE WILD” and “SHOW YOUR TEETH!” You can also purchase merchandise from the website as well.

Virtual Rally: We will be live-streaming “A Cry for the Wild” for all of those who cannot attend in person. Please watch www.cryforthewild.org for the official YouTube live stream. All organizations in attendance are welcome to livestream to their audiences. Let’s spread the word for wolves, together. #cryforthewild

Learn More & Please Donate: www.cryforthewild.org

The post Join us for a Rally for Wolves in DC: “A CRY FOR THE WILD” Wednesday, June 26th appeared first on Endangered Species Coalition.

Thank President Biden for vetoing congressional interference in conservation and tell him to do more for wolves and the Endangered Species Act.

These bills could have been the death knell for Northern long eared bats and lesser prairie chickens by preventing them from receiving needed Endangered Species Act protections.

Northern long-eared bat populations have decreased by a shocking 99 percent since the early-2000’s due to human activity and disease. And lesser prairie-chickens have declined by 97 percent from their historical numbers.

President Biden deserves our thanks for vetoing these outrageous measures. But there is more that he can–and must–do. The White House recently reversed some of the Trump revisions to the Endangered Species act. But they left in place some of the most dangerous rollbacks to the Endangered Species Act in the law’s 50-year history. Of the 38 Trump-era changes to the Act’s regulations, the Biden administration proposes fixing only seven.¹

Gray wolves in the Northern Rockies continue to pay the price for the Administration’s inaction. Despite overwhelming scientific, legal, and activist support, the Department of the Interior has failed to restore Endangered protections for gray wolves in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. Already in Montana’s hunting season that began on the 15th, at least 8 wolves have been slaughtered–including two near the border of Yellowstone National Park. President Biden must direct the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to restore these protections immediately.

Please send President Biden an email today thanking him for vetoing the congressional attacks on bats and birds and tell him to do more.

The post Thank President Biden for vetoing congressional attacks on imperiled species and ask him to do more appeared first on Endangered Species Coalition.

USDA’s Wildlife Services uses chemical poisons known as M-44 sodium “cyanide bombs” to kill foxes, coyotes, and other wildlife–on our public lands. In addition to the animals that they are seeking to kill, family pets and endangered species are put at risk by these indiscriminate practices and devices. Congress needs to stop them.

This legislation would outlaw the use of M-44 sodium “cyanide bombs” on our country’s public lands. These indiscriminate devices spray sodium cyanide into the mouths of any animals that trigger them.

In 2017, Canyon Mansfield (14 years old at the time) was near his family’s home in Idaho with his dog, Kasey when he accidentally triggered an M-44 “cyanide bomb” left by USDA Wildlife Services. He was sprayed with cyanide and suffered serious injuries requiring hospitalization. His dog, Kasey, suffered an excruciating death.

There is no justification for our government’s continued use of these devices–especially on our shared public lands that are used by millions of people for recreation–when safer and more effective and cost-efficient solutions are readily available.

Please ask Congress to do what USDA Wildlife Services has failed to do and ban the use of these horrific devices which threaten human and animal health and safety.

The post Take action to protect people and animals from USDA’s wildlife-killing cyanide devices left on public lands appeared first on Endangered Species Coalition.

Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) is pushing a bill with a narrower but no-less-deadly focus. Her legislation would require the Administration to abandon gray wolves’ protections in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan.

You may remember that the last time Senator Baldwin’s home state of Wisconsin was entrusted with wolves, they set a hunting and trapping season which went wildly over their “quota” and was closed in just days. Hundreds of wolves were killed in just days by some of the most gruesome methods imaginable. Wisconsin is alone in permitting the use of packs of dogs to chase wolves to their violent end. This is what Senator Baldwin’s bill would ultimately permit.

Lawmakers meddling in conservation is a frequent problem that Senator Baldwin and Representative Boebert are continuing. Scientists and biologists who should make these decisions are being ignored by those offices in favor of special interest groups that are definitely not seeking preservation of this maligned species.

Please email your representative and both senators today and ask that they oppose these reckless bills.

The post Action: Stop Legislation to Strip Gray Wolves of Endangered Species Act Protections appeared first on Endangered Species Coalition.

Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) just introduced a bill that could mean the end of North Atlantic right whales.

Senator Manchin’s proposed bill would block wildlife professionals from issuing emergency rules to prevent boats and ships from striking whales. These rules are in the process of being finalized by the agency in charge of protecting endangered marine species: the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Every day lost to delay is a day closer to extinction for this species. North Atlantic right whales number fewer than 350 worldwide and gruesome boat strikes, such as that which killed the whale calf pictured above, are leading causes of their deaths.

Senator Manchin’s bill would block NOAA from protecting these whales.

Please look up your senators’ phone numbers here and call those offices and ask that they oppose Senator Manchin’s bill, S.1833 the Protecting Whales, Human Safety, and the Economy Act of 2023.:

You can use these talking points when calling your senators’ offices:

• Please do everything in your power to stop Senator Manchin’s bill S. 1833, the Protecting Whales, Human Safety, and the Economy Act of 2023.
• NOAA is in the final stages of releasing strong regulations needed to protect North Atlantic right whales from extinction. This bill would toss those carefully crafted regulations aside and silence thousands of voices who have said they support these new restrictions in favor of protecting special interests.
• This bill also dangerously undermines agency independence and is a major overstep of Congressional power. We must respect the regulatory process NOAA has undertaken, because their process will prioritize what is best for right whales and our ocean economy.
• Please vote NO and do everything in your power to stop S. 1833, the so-called “Protecting Whales, Human Safety, and the Economy Act of 2023.”

Please report your call or calls when you have made them so that we can measure our impact.

Photo credit Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission

The post Stop Senator Manchin’s attack on endangered whales appeared first on Endangered Species Coalition.

The post Celebrate National Wildlife Refuge Week with action to get the lead out appeared first on Endangered Species Coalition.

The post The Endangered Species Act in a New Administration appeared first on Endangered Species Coalition.