Celebrate 37 Years of Endangered Species Protections!
At this time of politically motivated attacks on the Endangered Species Act, it is important to remember why this landmark legislation was passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in the first place.
Republican President Richard Nixon said it best in his Statement on Signing the Endangered Species Act of 1973, which is excerpted here:
“Nothing is more priceless and more worthy of preservation than the rich array of animal life with which our country has been blessed. It is a many-faceted treasure, of value to scholars, scientists, and nature lovers alike, and it forms a vital part of the heritage we all share as Americans. I congratulate the 93d Congress for taking this important step toward protecting a heritage which we hold in trust to countless future generations of our fellow citizens. Their lives will be richer, and America will be more beautiful in the years ahead, thanks to the measure that I have the pleasure of signing into law today.”
To read the full statement by President Nixon on signing the Endangered Species Act into law, click here.
In the past few months, at least five bills have been introduced in Congress that would strip gray wolves, including the fewer than 50 Mexican gray wolves that remain in the wild, of their Endangered Species Act protections. Legislative end-runs to remove protections from wildlife that are inconvenient to special interests subvert the purpose and weaken the integrity of the Endangered Species Act, which has its own, science-based mechanisms for delisting animals that have been successfully recovered. Although none of these bills passed before Congress recessed on December 23, we know this assault on wolves and the Act that protects them will continue in 2011.
Please, take a simple action today to remind your members of Congress and the Obama Administration that the integrity of the Endangered Species Act must be preserved — for wolves, all wildlife, and all of America’s people, including future generations.
Simply copy and paste the text below into an email, add some words of your own if you like, and sign it with your name and address (unsigned letters are not taken seriously). Send these emails to your members of Congress and to https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/.
And, as usual, please send a quick email to info@mexicanwolves.org to let us know you have taken action.
Thank you!
Dear
At this time of politically motivated attacks on the Endangered Species Act, I want to remind you that this landmark legislation passed with overwhelming bipartisan support thirty-seven years ago and it needs your protection now.
Republican President Richard Nixon said it best in his Statement on Signing the Endangered Species Act of 1973, which is excerpted here:
“Nothing is more priceless and more worthy of preservation than the rich array of animal life with which our country has been blessed. It is a many-faceted treasure, of value to scholars, scientists, and nature lovers alike, and it forms a vital part of the heritage we all share as Americans. I congratulate the 93d Congress for taking this important step toward protecting a heritage which we hold in trust to countless future generations of our fellow citizens. Their lives will be richer, and America will be more beautiful in the years ahead, thanks to the measure that I have the pleasure of signing into law today.”
Please oppose strongly all legislative efforts to remove Endangered Species Act protections from wolves or other endangered species or to otherwise weaken this essential law that preserves our heritage and that of future generations.
Thank you,
