http://www.nrdconline.org/biogemscenter/home.html Alerts from NRDC's BioGems program about action you can take online to save threatened wildlife and wild places. Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) &#169; Natural Resources Defense Council http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~r/BioGems/~3/b7eRxJkl-wI/biogems_buffalo_0509_b <P>Ask the Obama administration to protect buffalo that roam outside Yellowstone National Park into Montana.</P><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=b7eRxJkl-wI:Z27IhjOayd4:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=b7eRxJkl-wI:Z27IhjOayd4:dnMXMwOfBR0"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=dnMXMwOfBR0" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=b7eRxJkl-wI:Z27IhjOayd4:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BioGems/~4/b7eRxJkl-wI" height="1" width="1"/> alert 2009-05-20 2020-09-20 http://img.getactivehub.com/alert_images/act_now.gif Secretary Tom Vilsack I am dismayed by the recent hazing of bison -- better known as buffalo -- off U.S. Forest Service land on the west side of Yellowstone National Park in Montana on the Horse Butte peninsula. I'm calling on you to prevent these forced removals in the future. Because Horse Butte is cattle-free year-round, there is simply no basis to haze -- and likely kill -- buffalo on Horse Butte. While millions of wild buffalo once roamed North America, the Yellowstone herd is comprised of about 3,000 buffalo -- the only continuously wild, free-roaming herd in America. In the spring, some of these buffalo leave snow-covered Yellowstone in search of fresh forage at lower elevations in Montana. Many buffalo also travel to these grass-rich areas to give birth. Unfortunately for the buffalo on Horse Butte in Montana, however, the government agencies in charge, including the U.S. Forest Service, do not allow them to stay there after May 15. As one of the five agencies that manage Yellowstone's buffalo population under the Interagency Bison Management Plan, the Forest Service -- which is under your jurisdiction -- has the power to effect positive change for Yellowstone's buffalo. The justification for this deadline -- as well as last year's slaughter of more than 1,600 buffalo -- is concern that wild buffalo may spread brucellosis to domestic cattle in Montana. But there has never been a documented case of transmission of brucellosis from buffalo to cattle in the wild. Furthermore, there are no cattle on Horse Butte, and there is significant support among the Horse Butte landowners for allowing buffalo there year-round. As a result, there is absolutely no reason to haze buffalo back into Yellowstone and needlessly endanger the park's iconic buffalo population. Please act immediately to allow buffalo to roam free year-round on Horse Butte in Montana. http://www.nrdconline.org/campaign/biogems_buffalo_0509_b http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~r/BioGems/~3/-l2fbKDkliI/biogems_carrizo_0409 <P>Thank California's senators for supporting the Carrizo Plain National Monument.</P><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=-l2fbKDkliI:q9W21CuKVYo:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=-l2fbKDkliI:q9W21CuKVYo:dnMXMwOfBR0"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=dnMXMwOfBR0" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=-l2fbKDkliI:q9W21CuKVYo:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BioGems/~4/-l2fbKDkliI" height="1" width="1"/> alert 2009-04-23 2030-04-21 http://img.getactivehub.com/alert_images/act_now.gif Senator Dianne Feinstein Senator Barbara Boxer Thank you for your support of the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009. Among many other accomplishments this landmark bill codified the National Landscape Conservation System -- a network of 26 million acres of lands owned by the Bureau of Land Management. The National Landscape Conservation System Act provides congressional recognition and endorsement of special BLM lands across the country like the Carrizo Plain National Monument in California's Central Valley. The Carrizo Plain is one of California's last, great wild landscapes and is home to the highest concentration of endangered species in the state, including the California condor and the San Joaquin kit fox. Hidden among its vast grasslands and mountains are priceless cultural artifacts that date back thousands of years. This unique place is exactly the kind of landscape that will benefit greatly from the codification and full funding of the NLCS. Thank you for all your work on behalf of the Carrizo Plain National Monument and BLM wildlands across America. http://www.nrdconline.org/campaign/biogems_carrizo_0409 http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~r/BioGems/~3/4Ze-0RrJAAs/biogems_cumberland_0309 <P>Tell Congress to stop coal companies from using mountain streams as waste dumps.</P><BR><I>Note: This action is for residents of U.S. states only; please do not attempt to send the message without using a valid U.S. state address.</I><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=4Ze-0RrJAAs:CQ6Bx-5CMVM:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=4Ze-0RrJAAs:CQ6Bx-5CMVM:dnMXMwOfBR0"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=dnMXMwOfBR0" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=4Ze-0RrJAAs:CQ6Bx-5CMVM:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BioGems/~4/4Ze-0RrJAAs" height="1" width="1"/> alert 2009-03-25 2020-09-20 http://img.getactivehub.com/alert_images/act_now.gif United States Senate I urge you to support the bipartisan Appalachia Restoration Act (S. 696), which would prohibit the dumping of mountaintop mining waste into streams and rivers. America's Appalachian Mountains are under siege. Mountaintop removal mining ravages the landscape, harms communities, destroys irreplaceable natural resources and threatens the region's unique heritage. This destructive strip mining practice has blasted hundreds of mountaintops to rubble, wiped out forests and the wildlife that depend on them and buried countless streams. Coal companies should no longer be allowed to blow up mountains, turn streams into waste dumps and clear-cut some of the most biologically diverse forests in the world. Nor should they be allowed to destroy the quality of life for those who call Appalachia home. It is time for our nation to invest in clean, renewable energy sources that will safely and efficiently fuel our future. Again, I urge you to support the Appalachia Restoration Act and put an end to mountaintop removal mining. http://www.nrdconline.org/campaign/biogems_cumberland_0309 http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~r/BioGems/~3/HsI7ljWScIo/biogems_wolves_bighowl <IMG height=79 src="http://img.getactivehub.com/08/custom_images/biogemscenter/HowlSmallerwoodcut4.7.09.jpg" width=598 border=0> <P style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">Tell the Interior Secretary, "Put Wolves Back on the Endangered Species List!"</P> <P style="FONT-SIZE: 14px; COLOR: red">Send Your Message, Then Hear the Wolf Howl!</P><BR> <STYLE type=text/css>.action-page h2 {display:none;}</STYLE> <META content="Take Action: Join the Big Howl" name=title> <META content='Tell the Interior Secretary, "Put Wolves Back on the Endangered Species List!"' name=description><LINK href="http://www.nrdconline.org/img/08/custom_images/biogemscenter/biogems_crm_titlebar_wolves.jpg" rel=image_src><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=HsI7ljWScIo:XaSA6-DKmlk:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=HsI7ljWScIo:XaSA6-DKmlk:dnMXMwOfBR0"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=dnMXMwOfBR0" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=HsI7ljWScIo:XaSA6-DKmlk:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BioGems/~4/HsI7ljWScIo" height="1" width="1"/> alert 2009-03-19 2020-09-20 http://img.getactivehub.com/alert_images/act_now.gif Secretary Ken Salazar, Department of the Interior I am dismayed that you are carrying out the Bush Administration's plan to take gray wolves off the endangered species list, leaving them vulnerable to mass killing. In so doing, you have abandoned President Obama's pledge to follow a science-based approach to environmental protection. According to a letter signed by some 230 scientists, a severe reduction in current wolf numbers would dramatically increase the threat of extinction for a gray wolf population that is still recovering. If you hand wolf management back to the states, more than 500 wolves could be caught in the crossfire. Wolves once thrived in much of the lower 48 states. Today, they reside in only five percent of their former range. If there is one place in this country where they should be allowed to flourish, it is in and around Yellowstone, Glacier National Park, and the remote Selway Bitterroot ecosystem in central Idaho. I urge you to withdraw this Bush-era plan and submit it to rigorous scientific review. The wolves of the Northern Rockies are world-renowned as living icons of the American West. Please call off the guns and develop a sound wolf recovery plan that ensures a healthy future for these magnificent creatures. http://www.nrdconline.org/campaign/biogems_wolves_bighowl http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~r/BioGems/~3/P1-gYkPiDnA/biogems_wolves_0309 <P>Tell the Interior Secretary to withdraw plans to strip wolves of their endangered species protection.</P><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=P1-gYkPiDnA:4D2Y_y0xoJM:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=P1-gYkPiDnA:4D2Y_y0xoJM:dnMXMwOfBR0"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=dnMXMwOfBR0" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=P1-gYkPiDnA:4D2Y_y0xoJM:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BioGems/~4/P1-gYkPiDnA" height="1" width="1"/> alert 2009-03-11 2020-09-20 http://img.getactivehub.com/alert_images/act_now.gif Delete Delete Secretary Ken Salazar, Department of the Interior I am dismayed that you are carrying out the Bush Administration's plan to take gray wolves off the endangered species list, leaving them vulnerable to mass killing. In so doing, you have abandoned President Obama's pledge to follow a science-based approach to environmental protection. According to a letter signed by some 230 scientists, a severe reduction in current wolf numbers would dramatically increase the threat of extinction for a gray wolf population that is still recovering. If you hand wolf management back to the states, more than 500 wolves could be caught in the crossfire. Wolves once thrived in much of the lower 48 states. Today, they reside in only five percent of their former range. If there is one place in this country where they should be allowed to flourish, it is in and around Yellowstone, Glacier National Park, and the remote Selway Bitterroot ecosystem in central Idaho. I urge you to withdraw this Bush-era plan and submit it to rigorous scientific review. The wolves of the Northern Rockies are world-renowned as living icons of the American West. Please call off the guns and develop a sound wolf recovery plan that ensures a healthy future for these magnificent creatures. http://www.nrdconline.org/campaign/biogems_wolves_0309 http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~r/BioGems/~3/WiYpDXad4F0/biogems_redrock_0209 <P>Send a letter of thanks to Interior Secretary Salazar for canceling oil and gas leases in Utah&rsquo;s Redrock wilderness.</P><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=WiYpDXad4F0:IgSmsVvnD0E:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=WiYpDXad4F0:IgSmsVvnD0E:dnMXMwOfBR0"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=dnMXMwOfBR0" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=WiYpDXad4F0:IgSmsVvnD0E:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BioGems/~4/WiYpDXad4F0" height="1" width="1"/> alert 2009-02-09 2020-09-20 http://img.getactivehub.com/alert_images/act_now.gif Secretary Ken Salazar, Department of the Interior I want to express my profound gratitude to you for your decision to withdraw from oil and gas leasing 77 parcels of public land in the Redrock Wilderness. By withdrawing these parcels near Arches and Canyonlands national parks, Dinosaur National Monument and Nine Mile Canyon, your actions remove the immediate and irreversible harm that these lands were facing from inappropriate oil and gas development. The Redrock Wilderness is an unspoiled part of our nation's natural heritage, characterized by its red-walled canyons, slick rock monuments and unrivaled indigenous rock art. By standing up for these values, unique to the Redrock Wilderness, your act of leadership on behalf of the Obama administration puts America one step closer to embracing a clean energy path, where we do not have to sacrifice our nation's unspoiled wilderness in the name of increased energy security. Thank you again for choosing a clean energy future that will hopefully leave a distinguished legacy protecting these lands for generations to come. http://www.nrdconline.org/campaign/biogems_redrock_0209 http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~r/BioGems/~3/UlE4fYzOS-k/biogems_whales_0209 <P>Urge the Obama administration to reject a last minute Bush administration rule that would barrage whales along the Eastern Seaboard, the Gulf of Mexico, California and Hawaii with Navy sonar.</P><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=UlE4fYzOS-k:NkIrNJd8fl8:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=UlE4fYzOS-k:NkIrNJd8fl8:dnMXMwOfBR0"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=dnMXMwOfBR0" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=UlE4fYzOS-k:NkIrNJd8fl8:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BioGems/~4/UlE4fYzOS-k" height="1" width="1"/> alert 2009-02-05 2020-09-20 http://img.getactivehub.com/alert_images/act_now.gif President Barack Obama Dr. Jane Lubchenco, Under Secretary of Commerce & NOAA Administrator NOAA Fisheries Service I strongly oppose rules, issued by the Bush administration in its final days, that would allow the Navy to harass or injure marine mammals more than 10 million times during naval training with mid-frequency active sonar. I urge your agency and NOAA Fisheries, which is under your authority, to review and reissue the three rules authorizing the Navy to take marine mammals in its Hawaii Range Complex ("Hawaii") and Southern California Range Complex ("SOCAL"), and during Atlantic Fleet Active Sonar Training ("AFAST") along the entire east coast of the United States. In issuing these rules, the Fisheries Service relied on the Navy's faulty estimations of harm, and did not meaningfully analyze the cumulative impacts of millions of sonar exposures on populations of marine mammals. In addition, the Fisheries Service did not impose adequate protections for marine mammals as required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act. It is critical that you adopt effective safeguards for marine life, given the extensive, long-term environmental impacts of the Navy's sonar training. For these reasons, I urge you to reissue the AFAST, SOCAL and Hawaii rules after properly analyzing take estimates, accounting for cumulative impacts, and imposing meaningful safeguards for marine mammals. I know that good science and environmental protection are hallmarks of the new administration. Please make sure the Navy upholds our environmental laws and protects marine mammals. http://www.nrdconline.org/campaign/biogems_whales_0209 http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~r/BioGems/~3/SnU6eRZII2w/biogems_bears_0209 <P>Urge the Obama administration to restore endangered species protections for grizzly bears.</P><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=SnU6eRZII2w:KaKOZYZg1p0:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=SnU6eRZII2w:KaKOZYZg1p0:dnMXMwOfBR0"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=dnMXMwOfBR0" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=SnU6eRZII2w:KaKOZYZg1p0:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BioGems/~4/SnU6eRZII2w" height="1" width="1"/> alert 2009-02-03 2040-06-01 http://img.getactivehub.com/alert_images/act_now.gif Secretary Ken Salazar, Department of the Interior I urge you to restore endangered species protections for Yellowstone's grizzly bear population. In 2008 alone, approximately 49 grizzlies were killed -- the largest level of mortality since 1972, when bears were still legally hunted. The previous year, we were just one female grizzly death shy of breaching the allowable mortality limit. These numbers are devastating to the already imperiled grizzly population. In recent years, grizzly bears have suffered from a serious decline in whitebark pine seeds in the Yellowstone ecosystem -- one of their major food sources. This decline is only expected to accelerate as a result of global warming and mountain pine beetles. With this major loss in the grizzly diet, it is especially critical that your agency take immediate steps to reduce human-grizzly conflicts. These include simple steps such as requiring hikers and hunters to carry bear pepper spray, enforcing and implementing food storage regulations in occupied bear habitat, and funding bear education programs that will prepare outdoor enthusiasts for potential bear encounters. With grizzlies already reduced to one percent of their former range because of excessive killing and habitat loss, it is clear that they need access to additional suitable habitat, such as the Wind Rivers and Palisades. If this alarming and excessive grizzly mortality rate continues, the hard-earned progress toward recovery will be quickly reversed in a few years. The Yellowstone grizzly, a symbol of our wilderness heritage, deserves our best efforts to ensure that it will still be here for future generations in and around our nation's oldest park. Please restore endangered species protections for Yellowstone's imperiled grizzlies. http://www.nrdconline.org/campaign/biogems_bears_0209 http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~r/BioGems/~3/nzVY3c9byT0/biogems_peace_0209 <P>Tell Canadian government officials to protect bird habitat throughout the boreal forest. </P><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=nzVY3c9byT0:y2p72HYwWDc:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=nzVY3c9byT0:y2p72HYwWDc:dnMXMwOfBR0"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=dnMXMwOfBR0" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=nzVY3c9byT0:y2p72HYwWDc:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BioGems/~4/nzVY3c9byT0" height="1" width="1"/> alert 2009-02-02 2020-11-30 http://img.getactivehub.com/alert_images/act_now.gif Minister Jim Prentice, Environment Canada I am very concerned about the way in which Alberta is mining and drilling boreal forests and wetlands for tar sands oil. In particular, I am concerned about the huge threat that tar sands development poses to migratory bird populations, which depend on the boreal forest for survival. Tar sands development has been called the "most destructive project on earth" because of the excessive global warming pollution it produces and the way its toxic mining operations devastates the boreal forest and wetlands that serve as breeding grounds for migratory birds. If this destruction continues at the projected rate, as many as 166 million birds including future generations could be permanently lost. I ask that you call a halt to tar sands expansion and restore the land that has already been despoiled, protecting bird habitat in Alberta and elsewhere throughout Canada's boreal forest. http://www.nrdconline.org/campaign/biogems_peace_0209 http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~r/BioGems/~3/yBtKJB_hC44/biogems_northwoods_0109 <P>Tell the governor of New York to permanently protect lands within the Adirondack Park.</P><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=yBtKJB_hC44:PDCbQre-_ao:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=yBtKJB_hC44:PDCbQre-_ao:dnMXMwOfBR0"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=dnMXMwOfBR0" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=yBtKJB_hC44:PDCbQre-_ao:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BioGems/~4/yBtKJB_hC44" height="1" width="1"/> alert 2009-01-28 2020-09-20 http://img.getactivehub.com/alert_images/act_now.gif Governor David Paterson I write to ask that you move expeditiously to acquire the Finch-Pruyn and Follensby Pond lands within the Adirondack Park. The Finch lands are some of the most ecologically valuable of all private lands in the park, encompassing 161,000 acres of lush forests, beautiful streams and dazzling lakes. Despite the economic recession, it is still critical to proceed with these land acquisitions now. It is also critical to stop the building of the Adirondack Club and Resort south of Tupper Lake until major modifications are made to protect the environment. Of particular concern are the lands zoned "resource management" that the developer wants to convert into "great camp" lots. The adjacent Follensby Pond tract of almost 15,000 acres is where Ralph Waldo Emerson, painter James Stillman, poet James Russell Lowell and others convened a "philosphers' camp" 150 years ago. It is essential that state agencies take precautionary action to ensure that our great Adirondack heritage is not despoiled by this proposed development. The purchase of these high priority special areas will require significant funding from the Environmental Protection Fund. You have indicated that you want to divert monies from this critical fund, and reduce a critical funding source that would result in $45 million dollars worth of projects funded, when over a billion dollars of projects have been identified for this year. While I understand that budget cuts are necessary, this extreme move represents more than an 80 percent reduction in funding. I urge you not to make such drastic cuts to the Environmental Protection Fund, which is so critical to protecting New York's natural heritage, and to proceed with the acquisition of the Finch-Pruyn and Follensby Pond lands. http://www.nrdconline.org/campaign/biogems_northwoods_0109 http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~r/BioGems/~3/r2kLGV6sAeU/biogems_polar_0109 <IMG height=79 src="http://img.getactivehub.com/08/custom_images/biogemscenter/sos_thinbanner_border.jpg" width=598 border=0> <P style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">Urge Interior Secretary Salazar to use the Endangered Species Act to protect the polar bear against the deadliest threat it faces -- global warming pollution -- as well as Arctic oil development.</P> <STYLE type=text/css>.action-page h2 {display:none;}</STYLE> <META content="Take Action: Save Polar Bears" name=title> <META content='Tell the Obama Administration, "Grant Endangered Species Protection for Polar Bears!"' name=description><LINK href="http://www.nrdconline.org/img/08/custom_images/biogemscenter/biogems_crm_titlebar_polarmomcub.jpg" rel=image_src><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=r2kLGV6sAeU:4CPz_HYSuog:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=r2kLGV6sAeU:4CPz_HYSuog:dnMXMwOfBR0"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=dnMXMwOfBR0" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=r2kLGV6sAeU:4CPz_HYSuog:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BioGems/~4/r2kLGV6sAeU" height="1" width="1"/> alert 2009-01-27 2020-09-20 http://img.getactivehub.com/alert_images/act_now.gif Secretary Ken Salazar, Department of the Interior I'm dismayed that you have decided to adopt a Bush-era policy against using vital Endangered Species Act protections to save polar bears from global warming and Arctic oil development -- short-circuiting President Obama's pledge to follow a science-based approach to environmental protection. The scientific evidence is overwhelming that rising temperatures could cause two-thirds of the world's polar bear populations, including all of Alaska's polar bears, to go extinct by 2050. Polar bears are already drowning and starving. In the face of this unfolding disaster, it is too late for half-measures and polluter exemptions. It's not too late to withdraw this Bush-era plan. Please act now to close polluter loopholes and give the polar bear full-fledged endangered species protection to safeguard its habitat from global warming pollution, oil and gas development, and other threats. The plight of the polar bear is urgent. We can still save this magnificent species, but the window for action is closing rapidly. Please act immediately to pull polar bears back from the brink of extinction. http://www.nrdconline.org/campaign/biogems_polar_0109 http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~r/BioGems/~3/fC60lDfroRk/biogems_patagonia_0109 <P>Tell the Chilean government to reject the HydroAisen dam project and to pursue a sustainable energy future.</P><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=fC60lDfroRk:TL0kuh4dxk4:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=fC60lDfroRk:TL0kuh4dxk4:dnMXMwOfBR0"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=dnMXMwOfBR0" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=fC60lDfroRk:TL0kuh4dxk4:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BioGems/~4/fC60lDfroRk" height="1" width="1"/> alert 2009-01-27 2020-09-20 http://img.getactivehub.com/alert_images/act_now.gif President Michelle Bachelet Jeria I am pleased that your government has challenged the HydroAisen dam scheme due to its environmental impacts. During the next few months, I urge you to work with NRDC in developing energy alternatives for Chile and to reject the HydroAisen project altogether. I am concerned about the harmful impacts that the proposed mega-dam projects in Patagonia would have on the region's thriving wildlife. NRDC has already begun to identify technologies and investors that can help build a clean and sustainable energy future for Chile, given your nation's significant solar and geothermal potential. I appreciate and am encouraged by the government agencies' analysis and hope that you will work with NRDC to pursue a range of alternative energy opportunities for Chile. http://www.nrdconline.org/campaign/biogems_patagonia_0109 http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~r/BioGems/~3/VZR_QSX0whE/biogems_yellowstone_0109 <P>Ask the Obama administration to protect the Rocky Mountain West, rather than allow energy development to despoil these western wildlands.</P><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=VZR_QSX0whE:tlmp4ixsoFc:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=VZR_QSX0whE:tlmp4ixsoFc:dnMXMwOfBR0"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=dnMXMwOfBR0" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=VZR_QSX0whE:tlmp4ixsoFc:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BioGems/~4/VZR_QSX0whE" height="1" width="1"/> alert 2009-01-27 2020-09-20 http://img.getactivehub.com/alert_images/act_now.gif Delete Delete As you know, for eight years the Bush administration worked to push projects, plans and rules that would turn the Rocky Mountain West into a vast industrial zone, stripped of its iconic wildlife, open spaces and clean water. As the new Secretary of the Interior, you are in a position to protect and conserve our western lands and their irreplaceable natural resources. In addition to their world-famous national parks, the Rockies boast some of America's most beautiful, remote and unprotected wildlands. These wildlands include vital habitat for many of our nation's most beloved wildlife species: threatened grizzly bears and wolves and thriving herds of pronghorn and elk. I urge you to revisit the devastating Bush policies and reverse rules and agency directives that made oil and gas drilling and oil shale development the primary uses of our public lands and that weakened protections for endangered species. And I ask that you reconsider plans that allow industrial activities such as logging, mining and energy development in pristine areas that should instead be treated as the crown jewels of our natural heritage that they are. The Interior Department should be an institution based on the best available science, where scientists are respected and not ignored. A delicate balance should be reached to preserve our most special places and wildlife corridors, while requiring responsible operations where development does occur and allowing local recreation-based economies to thrive. To prevent more damage to our western wildlands, I urge you to act quickly to return balance to the management of the public's natural resources in the Rocky Mountain West, and restore a strong role for public input. http://www.nrdconline.org/campaign/biogems_yellowstone_0109 http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~r/BioGems/~3/FYUrcJ7yFbM/biogems_costarica_0109 <P><FONT face=Verdana color=black size=2>Thank President Arias for his commitment to carbon neutrality by 2021 and urge his administration to outline specific actions to meet this goal.</FONT><FONT face=Verdana color=black size=2></P></FONT><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=FYUrcJ7yFbM:cgs_UxsE6Sk:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=FYUrcJ7yFbM:cgs_UxsE6Sk:dnMXMwOfBR0"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=dnMXMwOfBR0" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=FYUrcJ7yFbM:cgs_UxsE6Sk:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BioGems/~4/FYUrcJ7yFbM" height="1" width="1"/> alert 2009-01-27 2020-09-20 http://img.getactivehub.com/alert_images/act_now.gif President Oscar Arias Sánchez Congratulations on your "Peace with Nature Initiative" in which you commit Costa Rica to become carbon neutral by 2021. I appreciate very much your nation's well-deserved reputation for protecting your extraordinary natural areas and biodiversity. I am grateful for your decision to go even further and to make your nation the first in the world to reduce and fully offset emissions of greenhouse gases. I also thank your government for encouraging other nations to pursue the goal of carbon neutrality. I am encouraged to learn that Costa Rica is working with NRDC to develop concrete plans and specific actions to implement the National Climate Change Strategy. Costa Rica has the opportunity to reduce its total carbon emissions through new renewable energy sources and higher energy efficiency. Your nation can also enhance carbon absorption by protecting existing forests and planting new ones. With such measures, Costa Rica can reaffirm its position as a global environmental leader and model for other nations. It can also reduce the pressure on your remarkable biodiversity and natural areas. Once again I thank you for your initiative and will be watching with great interest the implementation of your plans to become carbon neutral. http://www.nrdconline.org/campaign/biogems_costarica_0109 http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~r/BioGems/~3/JWaHBiCmqHw/biogems_tongass_0109_a <P><FONT face=Verdana color=black size=2>Tell President Obama to protect Alaska's Tongass rainforest.</FONT><FONT face=Verdana color=black size=2></P></FONT><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=JWaHBiCmqHw:P2hdr83aBVw:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=JWaHBiCmqHw:P2hdr83aBVw:dnMXMwOfBR0"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=dnMXMwOfBR0" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~ff/BioGems?a=JWaHBiCmqHw:P2hdr83aBVw:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/BioGems?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BioGems/~4/JWaHBiCmqHw" height="1" width="1"/> alert 2009-01-27 2020-09-20 http://img.getactivehub.com/alert_images/act_now.gif President Barack Obama More than a hundred years ago, President Theodore Roosevelt established our national forest system as a legacy for future generations. Because of his vision, these public lands have provided valuable habitat for fish and wildlife, clean drinking water for millions and unparalleled outdoor recreation opportunities for all to enjoy. Today, I'm calling on you to renew Theodore Roosevelt's commitment to our national heritage and protect more than 58 million acres of pristine national forests by resolving to: - Uphold the Roadless Area Conservation Rule that safeguards our last wild and undeveloped national forests. - Suspend all commercial road-building and logging in inventoried roadless areas that violates the rule. - Preserve Alaska's Tongass National Rainforest by reaffirming its protection under the rule. Thank you for your leadership in preserving our country's natural treasures. http://www.nrdconline.org/campaign/biogems_tongass_0109_a