BREAKING: A monumental blow to wildlife and wild places

Folks, The Washington Post is reporting that Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke has recommended downsizing or revoking protections of at least three national monuments, including large parts of Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante and Cascade-Siskiyou. This reckless proposal turns a blind eye to our natural heritage and threatens wildlife already facing an unprecedented mass extinction event by exposing these public lands and waters to drilling, logging and other destructive activities. Although the administration is currently refusing to release the details of the Secretary’s recommendations, Defenders is determined to fight with all we have – including taking legal action – to protect these precious places. We need your support more than ever. Stand with us. Make an emergency donation to Defenders of Wildlife between now and August 31st, and your donation will be matched 2-for-1 up to a total of $150,000. -Jamie

Dear folks, We are facing a mass-extinction crisis. The tragic reality is that we could be witnessing the end of many species within our lifetimes – red wolves are on the verge of going extinct for good; polar bears – one of the species most affected by climate change – could be lost in a matter of decades; and soon hawksbill sea turtles and vaquitas could be erased from our oceans forever. Many scientists believe the Earth has entered a sixth mass-extinction. Stand with us. Make an emergency donation to Defenders between now and August 31st, and your donation will be matched 2-for-1, up to a total of $150,000. We are already seeing the loss of species on a grand scale. Scientists estimate that we are on track to lose half of all species on Earth to extinction by 2050. We must act now to have any meaningful impact on saving at-risk wildlife – and we need you! Unlike previous mass extinctions, this event is not being driven by a natural catastrophe – it is one of our own making. Our actions directly contribute to this continuing loss of species and we have a responsibility to stop reckless development, habitat destruction and any practices that are intensifying climate change. If we fail to act now, the fate of countless wildlife will be sealed forever. Don’t let extinction happen on our watch! Give today and your gift will be TRIPLED. With the ongoing support of members like you, Defenders has redoubled our efforts to protect wildlife facing extinction by: Increasing our legal capacity to defend and preserve wildlife protections like the Endangered Species Act; Adding more resources to hold lawmakers and agencies accountable; and Expanding our resources on the ground to fight the biggest threats to wildlife like habitat fragmentation and destruction, climate change, pollution and illegal wildlife trafficking. All is not lost – we have time to act, but we cannot wait a second longer. Won’t you stand with us to stop the tide of extinction? Ricardo, thank you for sticking with us when wildlife need you the most. Sincerely, Jamie Rappaport Clark President, Defenders of Wildlife

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Defenders of Wildlife | 1130 17th St NW, Washington, DC 20036 | defenders.org Defenders of Wildlife is a national, nonprofit membership organization dedicated to the protection of all native wild animals and plants in their natural communities. © Copyright 2017 Defenders of Wildlife