Take Action With Us: The Endangered Species Act

In April, the current federal administration (that oversees the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) proposed a change to the Endangered Species Act that would roll back protections for threatened animals and the lands they reside on. We are asking for your help in opposing this proposed rule.

Right now, the term “harm,” used throughout the legislation, includes “significant habitat modification or degradation where it actually kills of injures wildlife by significantly impairing essential behavior patterns, including breeding, feeding or sheltering.”

Under the proposed change, such prohibited “harm” would only refer only to physical acts against individual animals, clearing the way for habitat destruction and population decline.

Without healthy habitats, there is no wildlife. 

Habitat loss remains the number-one cause of wildlife decline. Without the language now in the ESA, the progress we’ve made would be reversed and so many of the amazing and iconic species that exist today would be one step closer to disappearing forever.

We urge you to raise your voice for the 1,519 species listed as endangered species by the ESA. Help protect the places where they live, preserve the planet’s resources, and support us in standing For Wildlife. For All.

Take Action With Us

Join us in submitting a comment to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by May 19. In your comment, be sure to state your opposition to the proposed change, note that habitat protection is critical to saving endangered species, and add a personal note about why this is important to you.

If it is helpful, you can also copy and paste the following language into the comment box:

I am a U.S. citizen who is passionate about wildlife conservation and the protection of natural spaces. I strongly oppose the proposed rule to rescind the regulatory definition of “harm” in the Endangered Species Act, as it would allow the destruction of habitats that are critical to the survival of endangered species. History indicates that the Endangered Species Act in its current form works; it has brought back bald eagles, American alligators, gray wolves, and more from the brink of extinction. So, please do not rescind the definition of “harm” in the Endangered Species Act. Not only could it be devastating for wildlife populations, but it could also destroy the lands and waters that make America such a beautiful place.

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