Public Comments: Save Red Wolves from Extinction DUE JULY 30

Photo from USFWS

Submit your public comments HERE. If you write them elsewhere and save them, they can also be sent as an email to your Members of Congress or as a letter to the editor of a local paper. Public comments are DUE JULY 30 before midnight.

Talking Points can be found HERE and HERE.

PETITIONS:
Please also sign and share the following petitions.

Animal Welfare Institute
Endangered Species Coalition
Friends of the Earth
Environmental Action
Defenders
Center for Biological Diversity

CLICK TO TWEET:

.@Interior @SecretaryZinke your plan to reduce endangered red wolf habitat is a surrender to extinction and a betrayal of his responsibilities under the Endangered Species Act is outrageous. #redwolfbetrayal pic.twitter.com/Bgwg4e5Rg7

.@USFWS announced their plan today to cut red wolf habitat by 90% and allow private landowners to kill wolves that wander onto their property. #disgraceful #stopextinction #firezinke #redwolfbetrayal pic.twitter.com/b6zNg0j2Qt

Tell the Senate to Pass a Clean Farm Bill

Last week, the House passed a disastrous Farm Bill. The bill is a massive giveaway to the pesticide industry and a blow to endangered species. Many say that it would be the final nail in the coffin for many species. The House version of the bill:

• Repeals the Clean Water Rule’s safeguards for critical water bodies, including streams that help supply one-third of Americans with drinking water.
• Exempts companies that spray dangerous pesticides into waterways from Clean Water Act permitting requirements.
• “Poisoned Pollinators Provision” exempts dangerous pesticides from protections to safeguard endangered or threatened species, including some species of bees.
• Exempts chemical makers from enforcement when pesticides harm or kill endangered species. (Read more here.)
• Prohibits local governments from adopting pesticide laws that are more protective than federal rules and gives state pesticide agencies a secret chance to block EPA protections. 
• Exempts public lands from important land, wildlife, and water conservation safeguards.
• Disallows states from enforcing their own laws against out of state products that are dangerous or unsanitary.

CONTACT YOUR SENATORS AND ASK THEM FOR A CLEAN FARM BILL without any poison pills or damaging environmental riders. Contact information can be found HERE.

SIGN AND SHARE THESE PETITIONS:

Sierra Club
Humane Society

Public Comments: Sand Wash Basin Wild Horses DUE JULY 5

Email your public comments to blm_co_wild_horse_management@blm.gov before July 5, 2018.

WHAT TO SAY:

- I write to oppose the proposed gather plan of Sand Wash Basin wild horses. 

- “Appropriate Management Level” is an arbitrary number, with no base in science.

- Follow §4710.5 of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burro Act of 1971, which pertains to the closure of (legally designated) wild horse and burro herd area for livestock grazing. It states in part that, "if necessary to provide habitat for wild horses and burros from disease, harassment or injury, the authorized officer may close appropriate areas of the public lands to grazing use by all or a particular kind of livestock." Grazing on public lands is a privilege, not a right. AND There should be no roundups or use of PZP until BLM proves that there is overpopulation of wild horses.

- Colorado's wild horse population is estimated to be 1693 wild horses, per BLM. These horses roam a "Herd Area" of 723,095. Of that area, there is a designated "Herd Management Area" of 365,988.  This puts the population density for Colorado's wild horses at 0.00230 horse per 1 acre. An international comparison with other wild equines demonstrates that the population density is very low: 
Plain Zebra in Yabllo N.P. Ethiopia: 0.026 - ten times higher, predators are present. 
Plain Zebra in Nechisar N.P.: 0.067 - 29 times higher, predators are present. 
Plain Zebra in Simanjiro Plains Tanzania: 0.044 - 19 times higher, predators are present.

- If Colorado's horses are overpopulated, why does BLM allow do many more cattle on the same land? BLM allows 584,561 “AUM”s (Animal Month Unit) grazing permit that means a 1000 lbs animal: a cow with a calf, or 5 sheep/goat grazing. Why would be 1693 Wild horses too much for the range, if 584,561 cattle is not?

- The gather plan proposes to "use all approved gather methods, such as bait-trapping and helicopter drive-trapping".  These methods can be inhumane and cause great harm to the horses gathered. During the ten miles or so that horses are chased by helicopters, foals and other horses can break bones, hooves can be injured. Once in the holding pen, there is typically insufficient veterinary care and family bands are separated. I oppose these cruel, outdated methods for gathering and holding wild horses. 

- Due to the reasons stated above, I oppose the plan to gather the Sand Wash Basin wild horses. 

Stop Unethical Hunting Practices in Alaska - PETITIONS & PUBLIC COMMENTS DUE JULY 23

Ryan Zinke wants to allow extreme hunting methods in Alaska including hunting and trapping of bears, wolves, and other animals, baiting bears with bacon and donuts, wolf pups in their dens, and blinding hibernating bear cubs with bright spotlights and shooting swimming caribou from motor boats. Please leave a public comment and sign and share all of the petitions. 

PUBLIC COMMENTS:

Submit your personalized public comment HERE before July 23. 

TALKING POINTS (taken from Humane Society of the United States and Project Coyote):

• I oppose the National Park Service's plan to repeal the 2015 rule which bans the killing of wolf and coyote families in their dens, the killing of hibernate bears and cubs in their dens while using artificial light, baiting of black and grizzly bears, shooting swimming caribou from motor boats and using dogs to hunt black bears. 
• The practices outlawed by the 2015 rule are widely considered to be unethical and inhumane. They are also inconsistent with the Service's statutory conservation mandate. Consequently, the Service must not repeal this law. 
• Native carnivores play a critical role in our ecosystem. They should be treated humanely and the important role that these animals play in balancing a healthy ecosystem should be acknowledged. 
• The original rule was carefully deliberated and was based on the best available science. It was written after extensive public input. It should not be reversed.
• The rule only prohibits practices in national preserves which is less than 6% of Alaska. This is not an unreasonable limitation on Alaskans access to hunting.
• Baiting of bears is a dangerous practice. It can sicken bears, exposing them and other wildlife to human foods that can be deadly to them. This can also increase the likelihood of parasite transmission of other disease. It is not uncommon for adult or larger bears to prey on cubs or smaller bears at bait sites. Moreover, hunters usually stock bait sites for a month or longer prior to the commencement of hunting season to ensure that bears get used to coming. This eliminates any notion of "fair chase" hunting. Finally, baiting can be dangerous to other humans if hikers or unaware hunters accidentally come across a bait site as brown bears are known to aggressively protect a food source. 
• For the foregoing reasons, please keep these prohibitions in place. 

PETITIONS:
** UPDATED JULY 21

Animal Welfare Institute Friends of the Earth

Sierra Club

Daily Kos

Care2

NPCA

MoveOn.Org

Center for Biological Diversity 

Born Free

Endangered Species Coalition

Wilderness Watch

Force Change
Defenders
Animal Welfare Institute
EarthJustice
Alaska Wild
Wilderness Watch
NRDC

Celebrate Endangered Species Day

Celebrate Endangered Species by asking your Members of Congress to protect the Endangered Species Act which is under threat by a hostile Congress continually introducing bills, riders, poison pills and the like to undermine this important bill.

Please take 5 minutes this week to contact your representatives in Congress and ask them protect this law!

CALL: Find your Senators (contact information here) and your Representatives (contact information here). Call and tell the staff member who answers the phone that you are concerned about the Farm Bill and other pending legislation that threatens to undermine the Endangered Species Act and you would like your Member of Congress to commit to vote NO on all such legislation and to fight to protect the Endangered Species Act. 

EMAIL:  Email your Senators (contact information here) and your Representatives (contact information here) with the following script or write your own - 

Please vote NO on any legislation that undermines that Endangered Species Act or delists any particular species.  In particular, please watch out of bills, riders and poison pills that preclude judicial review for delisted species. These sorts of bills and riders weaken the Endangered Species Act and are at odds with the best available science. This Act has allowed us to protect biodiversity at a time when more and more plants and animals are going extinct every day. It is critically important to keep the Endangered Species Act strong and intact. 

TWEET:

Please fight to protect the Endangered Species Act! Reject riders, poison pills and any bills that undermine or weaken it. As we face the 6th mass extinction, we need the ESA strong and intact! #wildlife #EndangeredSpeciesDay #EndangeredSpeciesAct

Retweet with Comment our tweet (above) and tag your senators (find their Twitter IDs here) and your Representatives (find their Twitter IDs here). If should look like this:

FACEBOOK: Leave a comment on the Facebook pages for your Members of Congress asking them to vote NO on any legislation that undermines the Endangered Species Act or delists any particular species.

RESISTBOT: Text 504-09 and type RESIST. The ResistBot will convert your texts to faxes to your Senators and representative. Please send a text to "Congress" and use the script above under "email" or write something in your own words. 

PETITIONS: Sign and share

Endangered Species Coalition
EarthJustice (Farm Bill targeting ESA)
Animal Welfare Institute (Farm Bill targeting ESA)
NRDC (Farm Bill targeting ESA)
WildEarth Guardians (Farm Bill targeting ESA)

PUBLIC COMMENTS: #SaveStumpy and the Wild Horses of Muddy Creek DUE MAY 20

Speak out for Stumpy and the wild horses of Muddy Creek! BLM is planning to round up these horses to make way for cattle. Please submit your public comments BY MAY 20 .

EMAIL YOUR PUBLIC COMMENTS: blm_ut_pr_whb@blm.gov.  Write: 'Muddy Creek Wild Horse Gather Plan EA' in the subject line

WHAT TO SAY:

- 210,000 acres were lost when BLM merged Sinbad and Muddy Creek HMAs in 2008. Those 210,000 acres should be returned to wild horses. 

- Follow §4710.5 of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burro Act of 1971, which pertains to the closure of (legally designated) wild horse and burro herd area for livestock grazing. It states in part that, "if necessary to provide habitat for wild horses and burros from disease, harassment or injury, the authorized officer may close appropriate areas of the public lands to grazing use by all or a particular kind of livestock." Grazing on public lands is a privilege, not a right. 

- Follow advice from geneticist Dr. Gus Cothran regarding maintaining genetic viability. Managing wild horses at low population levels leaves them vulnerable to a long range loss of genetic diversity. Per geneticist, Gus Cothran, the minimum wild horse and burro herd size is 150-200 animals. The AML recommendation of 75-125 will destroy the herd over time.

- There should be no roundups or use of PZP until BLM proves that there is overpopulation of wild horses.

- How many cattle are on the public lands at issue? If only 195 wild horses are allowed on 283,400 acres? Will only a similar number of cattle be permitted? How does BLM ensure that ranchers accurately report the correct number of livestock?

- There should be an absolute ban on removing horses between foaling season which is between March and June.


SIGN AND SHARE THESE PETITIONS:

American Wild Horse Campaign

SPREAD THE WORD ON SOCIAL MEDIA: 

TWITTER: Retweet this account: Freedom4Horses
INSTAGRAM: DontDelistGrizzlies

PUBLIC COMMENTS: Save the California Desert DUE 3/22/08

The Trump administration wants to undo protections for 4.2 million acres of public lands in the California desert. Public comments are due before midnight on March 22, 2018. Please send your comments by email to BLM_CA_DRECP@blm.gov. Consider making a copy of your comments and also sending them to your members of Congress.

WHAT TO SAY:

I oppose the re-opening of the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP).

** IF YOU ARE A RESIDENT OF CALIFORNIA, please so indicate.

- The land at issue is the most intact wildlife habitat in the lower 48 state. It is critically important to keep this land protected, as laid out in the DRECP and as agreed to just 18 months ago by the federal agencies, the state of California, tribes, conservation groups, recreational groups and renewable energy developers.

- The DRECP is a carefully balanced plan which ensures continued protected of important habitat for wildlife while ensuring energy development on public land. 

- This unique desert landscape which is the subject of the DRECP is easily damaged and slow to heal. This was taken into account through eight years of intensive data collection and scientific studies as well as hundreds of public meetings and tens of thousands of public comments. All of these were ultimately considered and became the DRECP which has never been challenged in court. This is almost unheard of. 

- Reopening the plan would waste taxpayers money. The plan was just agreed upon less than 18 months ago and there have been no challenges to the plan. 

SIGN AND SHARE:

Center for Biological Diversity

Wilderness Society

CalWild

Defenders of Wildlife

California Desert National Conservation Lands

NRDC

Pew Trusts

NPCA