---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2006 09:53:05 -0500 (EST) From: WWF Conservation Action Network <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Stop Cuts for Tigers, Rhinos, More SEND ACTION~a29390u30516
Action deadline: March 16, 2006 Dear Alan, You can help stop big cuts in programs that protect tigers, rhinos, elephants, great apes, marine turtles, and neotropical migratory birds. The president has asked Congress to slash funding for these initiatives. WWF activists succeeded in preventing similar cuts last year and even convinced Congress to increase some of the funding. We need your help again. These programs are small and desperately need to be increased, not cut. Now is the time to urge Congress to boost funding, before the budget numbers get locked in. Your members of Congress have until March 16 to urge key committees to increase the funding. These programs have been hugely successful, providing grants for antipoaching patrols, habitat protection, surveys of animal populations, public education, disease control, and innovative efforts to resolve human-animal conflicts. TAKE ACTION: Learn more and urge your members of Congress to support strong funding for the conservation of these imperiled creatures. * QUICK OPTION: Send the message below, as is, by simply replying to this email. (This option works only if you received this email directly from the Conservation Action Network.) * POWERFUL OPTION: Personalize your letter. Go to the address below and follow the instructions for adding your own thoughts to your message. Decision makers pay much more attention to personalized messages. http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/ctt.asp?u=30516&l=117469 If you have any questions or problems with taking action, contact us for help: [EMAIL PROTECTED] DO EVEN MORE: -- Forward this alert to your friends and colleagues. -- Call your members of Congress and make the main points from the letter below. You can reach your legislators via the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121. Please speak out now. Thank you for your help. Sincerely, Ginette Hemley Managing Vice President Global Support and Science World Wildlife Fund Washington, DC ***************************LETTER TEXT************************** Dear (your senators' and representative's names will be inserted here): I urge you to include strong funding for tigers, rhinos, elephants, great apes, marine turtles, and neotropical migratory birds in your personal request to the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee for fiscal year 2007. I love these animals and do not want to see them become extinct. Last year the funding for these creatures totaled $10.5 million. This year, the administration wants to reduce it to $8.2 million. I urge you to request $13 million, allocated as follows: * $1.6 million each for the Asian Elephant Fund, the African Elephant Fund, and the Great Apes Fund * $1.2 million for the Marine Turtle Fund * $2 million for the combined Rhino-Tiger Fund * $5 million for the Neotropical Migratory Bird Fund Please also show your support by signing the Dear Colleague letter, which is being circulated by Senator DeWine and Representative Shaw, in support of these programs. These funds have a solid record of success in supporting law enforcement, scientific monitoring, habitat preservation, disease prevention, and public education in the countries where these creatures live. They have helped improve the status of selected populations of black rhinos in Africa, tigers in the Russian Far East, mountain gorillas in East Africa, and elephants and rhinos in South Asia, all of which have increased or held their own in the face of continuing threats to their survival. The funds protect against poaching of tigers and rhinos, whose body parts are in great demand, and help protect elephants and great apes in Africa, who are threatened by the bushmeat trade. Creative solutions for human-animal conflicts have also been supported, such as using domestic elephants in India to protect tea estates against wild elephants, and using chili pepper to ward off elephant depredations in agricultural areas in Africa. The funds are a very wise use of public resources. They stimulate public-private partnerships and leverage three times as much in additional funds from conservation groups, corporations, and governments. Continued support will be needed to consolidate these gains and prevent downturns. The countries that are home to these creatures struggle with poverty, insurgencies, and natural disasters which affect their ability to manage conservation programs. A former success story, the recovery of rhinos in Chitwan and Bardia national parks in Nepal, has been undermined by Maoist insurgents in that country. India recently discovered that all the tigers in the Sariska Tiger Reserve had been taken by poachers. Gorillas and chimpanzees in Central Africa continue to suffer from illegal bushmeat hunting and outbreaks of ebola. Elephant, rhino, tiger, and great ape populations in Indonesia are shrinking because of poaching pressures and increasing human demands for forest resources. The relatively new Marine Turtle Fund especially needs more support. Demand for grants has far outstripped supply. This year, only 23 projects out of 78 qualifying proposals, valued at close to $2 million, could be funded. These initiatives help protect turtle nesting beaches and support turtle-based tourism. I also ask that you support a modest increase of $500,000 for the recently created Wildlife Without Borders regional program for Africa within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service international affairs budget. This program would build capacity for long-term, in-country wildlife management, with a particular focus on the bushmeat crisis, and is a good complement to the species funds. Please do all you can to support these vitally important programs. Sincerely, Your name and address will be inserted here **************************END OF LETTER TEXT************************* Learn more about WWF's efforts to protect Tigers http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/ctt.asp?u=30516&l=117470 Rhinos http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/ctt.asp?u=30516&l=117471 Elephants http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/ctt.asp?u=30516&l=117472 Great apes http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/ctt.asp?u=30516&l=117473 Marine turtles http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/ctt.asp?u=30516&l=117474 _____________________________________________________________________ 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
