Against all odds, the tiny black-footed ferret is making a miraculous comeback on the western American prairie. Once considered extinct in the wild, the wily creatures owe their fragile survival to one historic law: the Endangered Species Act.
But right now, the Endangered Species Act is under attack -- and ferrets, gray wolves, and more than 1,500 other plants and animals it safeguards are in jeopardy.
A band of pro-polluter members of Congress, led by Rep. Doc Hastings, is ramming through a series of misleading and devastating bills that would gut the ESA. They say their only goal is to "reform" the act, but we know what they really want: To let corporate polluters profit from logging, mining, and drilling our most vulnerable wildlife into oblivion.
Endangered Species Day was last week, but Rep. Hastings and the tea party sure have an odd way of joining the fun. Let's send 50,000 messages to Congress to remind our legislators that they represent us -- not the corporate polluters.
Take action right now and tell your U.S. representative: Protect our wildlife and save the Endangered Species Act!
More after the jump.
These extreme bills, spawned by a "working group" of politicians backed by Big Ag, Big Oil, and top coal executives, are based on the tired old claims that the ESA doesn't work and hurts our economy. But the fact is, protecting natural habitat bolsters our economy to the tune of $1.6 trillion a year, and 99% of all animals ever protected under the act have been saved from extinction -- including the bald eagle, the gray whale, and the grizzly bear.
Two out of three Americans, from every corner of the nation, overwhelmingly support the ESA and protecting our threatened plants and animals. Mike Fox is one of them.
Mike, a tribal council member from Montana's Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, points out that black-footed ferrets are an important part of the prairie ecosystem. "We think it's important to bring the ferret back to where we have the buffalo," Fox said at a ferret reintroduction ceremony on Snake Butte. "It makes it a complete system again."
It is crystal clear: We cannot allow pro-polluter politicians to dismantle this invaluable and beloved law!
Celebrate Endangered Species Day everyday! Send your message now: Protect the Endangered Species Act and our wild heritage!
We owe it to future generations to ensure our most vulnerable wildlife is protected. That's why SierraRise has joined forces with a powerful coalition of environmental organizations to beat back these attacks and ensure the Endangered Species Act survives. With your voice, together we can win!