Action deadline: March 16, 2007 Dear Alan,
**Stop cuts in funding for imperiled species.** Over the past two days, WWF activists resoundingly opposed cuts in funding for conservation in developing countries by sending an amazing 18,000 letters to Congress. Thank you! Now there's another wildlife program that is equally in need of your help. The Bush administration has requested reduced funding for special funds that help conserve rhinos, tigers, elephants, great apes, sea turtles and neotropical migratory birds. But these species are facing increased pressure -- from poaching, disease, habitat loss and many other serious threats -- and need even more support. Congress created these funds so our country could give a hand to the places where these animals live. Thanks to 16 years of grants for antipoaching patrols, habitat protection, animal population surveys, disease prevention and many other conservation measures, some populations of these creatures have held their own or increased in number. Many, however, remain highly endangered because the threats are so large and the funding has been limited. TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress to restore the funding and to provide the additional support that these creatures desperately need. Hit "reply" and "send" in your email system and we will send the letter below on your behalf. NOTE: You can only take this action by replying to this email. This action is NOT posted on the Conservation Action Network website. Please speak out now. Thank you for your help. Sincerely, Ginette Hemley Chief Conservation Officer (acting) Conservation Programs World Wildlife Fund ***************************LETTER TEXT************************** Dear (the names of your U.S. senators and representative will be inserted here): As your constituent and someone who cares about protecting wildlife around the globe, I urge you to request $2 million each for the Asian Elephant Fund, the African Elephant Fund and the Great Apes Fund; $1.5 million for the Marine Turtle Fund; $2.5 million for the Rhino-Tiger Fund; and $5 million for the Neotropical Migratory Bird Fund when you submit your personal request to the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee for fiscal year 2008. Please also show your support by signing the Dear Colleague letter being circulated by Senator Lieberman and Representative George Miller in support of these programs. The administration wants to reduce these funds to a total of $8.2 million; this is a reduction of more than $2 million from last year's level. These programs need much more funding, not less. Poaching, disease and habitat loss are among the many continuing threats these animals face. The countries that are home to these creatures struggle with poverty, insurgencies and natural disasters, making it hard for them to manage conservation programs. As a result, grant requests have far outstripped the available resources. These modestly funded programs have been extremely effective over the years. They've supported law enforcement, scientific monitoring, habitat preservation, disease prevention and public education in the countries where the species are found. Time after time, these programs have helped improve the status of imperiled animal populations, from black rhinos in Africa, to tigers in the Russian Far East, to mountain gorillas in East Africa, to elephants and rhinos in South Asia. These funds are matched by donors in public-private partnerships, leveraging three times the U.S. contribution. In addition to directly saving threatened animals, the funds contribute to economic and domestic stability by providing employment and education for the local people of these places. By protecting forests, which can absorb and store immense amounts of carbon dioxide, these funds also help control climate change. Please do all you can to secure this vitally important funding and to protect these magnificent creatures. Sincerely, Your name and address will be inserted here **************************END OF LETTER TEXT************************* Learn about WWF's species conservation programs: http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/ctt.asp?u=30516&l=137566 _____________________________________________________________________ You received this message because [EMAIL PROTECTED] is an activist with the World Wildlife Fund Conservation Action Network. _____________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] from [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word REMOVE in the subject line or you can unsubscribe at http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/unsubscribe/index.asp. _____________________________________________________________________ Direct any questions about the WWF Conservation Action Network to [EMAIL PROTECTED] _____________________________________________________________________ The Conservation Action Network is sponsored by World Wildlife Fund-US. Known worldwide by its panda logo, WWF is dedicated to protecting the world's wildlife and the rich biological diversity that we all need to survive. The leading privately supported international conservation organization in the world, WWF has sponsored more than 2,000 projects in 116 countries and has more than 1 million members in the United States. WWF calls on everyone -- government, industry, and individuals -- to take responsibility by taking action to save our living planet. World Wildlife Fund 1250 Twenty-fourth Street, NW Washington, DC 20037 http://www.worldwildlife.org http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org
