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Stop Congress from gutting the Endangered Species Act!

Target: U.S. Representatives
Sponsored by: Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund

The Ivory-billed Woodpecker was one of the first species listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Long feared extinct, the bird clung to life in habitat protected in hopes of its recovery, and just last month the conservation community was rewarded with confirmed evidence of the bird's survival in the forested swamps of Arkansas.

But a new bill introduced by Representative Dennis Cardoza (D-CA) - the misnamed Critical Habitat Enhancement Act of 2005 - would eliminate crucial protections for habitat that endangered species like the ivory-billed woodpecker need to both survive and recover.

The Cardoza bill abandons a fundamental goal of the Endangered Species Act - recovery of endangered species. Under this bill, we would lose the very protections that brought both the bald eagle and the Peregrine falcon back from the brink of extinction, and that allowed us to never lose hope for the Ivory-billed woodpecker.

Critical habitat is just that - it is habitat that is essential to both the survival and recovery of an endangered species. But the Cardoza bill aims to gut the meaning and definition of critical habitat. If we can no longer protect critical habitat, then we can no longer protect species themselves. By stripping wildlife habitat of critical protection, the Cardoza bill is essentially leaving our wildlife homeless, and dooming our most imperiled species to extinction.

Take action today - tell Congress to protect the Endangered Species Act! Sign this petition to send a letter to your Representative, and urge her/him to vote NO on H.R. 1299.

deadline: 5-25-2006
goal: 20,000

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Dear Representative,

I am writing to urge you to vote "no" on H.R. 1299, the Critical Habitat Enhancement Act of 2005. This bill, introduced by Representative Dennis Cardoza, would undermine protections for the very places that imperiled plants and animals need to survive and recover.

Instead of meaningful reform, H.R. 1299 would effectively eliminate one of the Endangered Species Act's central habitat protections – the designation and protection of "critical habitat" – and replace it with absolutely nothing.

The Cardoza bill abandons the primary recovery goal of the Endangered Species Act by weakening the definition of critical habitat. Instead of preserving and strengthening the Act's current goal of species conservation and recovery, the Cardoza bill changes the definition of critical habitat to that which is essential to merely preventing total extinction.

By stripping wildlife habitat of critical protection, the Cardoza bill is essentially leaving our wildlife homeless, and dooming our most imperiled species to extinction.

Please uphold the Endangered Species Act and its crucial goal of species recovery - vote "no" on H.R. 1299, the Critical Habitat Enhancement Act of 2005.

Thank you,

[Your name]

We signed the “Stop Congress from gutting the Endangered Species Act!” petition!

# 100:

2:27 pm PDT, Jun 2, Warren Fieldhouse, California

# 99:

2:26 pm PDT, Jun 2, Shirley Moog, Arkansas

# 98:

2:26 pm PDT, Jun 2, Karen Mazer, Rhode Island

# 97:

2:26 pm PDT, Jun 2, Joy Kaleta Hansen, Arizona
Stop destroying all of the land and killing endangered species. Can't anything be kept from the hungry hands of government?

# 96:

2:25 pm PDT, Jun 2, Barbara Bartel, Oregon

# 95:

2:25 pm PDT, Jun 2, Charlene Root, California

# 94:

2:24 pm PDT, Jun 2, Name not displayed, Louisiana

# 93:

2:24 pm PDT, Jun 2, Name not displayed, California

# 92:

2:23 pm PDT, Jun 2, Mark Nielson, Washington
The Cardoza bill is one of the most cynically named bills I have ever seen. Critical Habitat ENHANCEMENT? What a joke!

# 91:

2:22 pm PDT, Jun 2, Natalie Hayes, California

# 90:

2:21 pm PDT, Jun 2, Donna Craig, New Jersey
YOU HAVE TO STOP SCREWING WITH NATURE. IF NOT THERE WILL BE NO WORLD FOR YOUR CHILDREN. wE ALL NEED EACH OTHER. mAN AND ANIMAL

# 89:

2:21 pm PDT, Jun 2, Jean Bartell, California
Protect endangered species.

# 88:

2:21 pm PDT, Jun 2, Name not displayed, Colorado
We're barely protecting what we have now. Diversity of species is critical to our very earth, as well as out humanity, and the sorry fact is that species of wildlife and plants are disappearing every year. Let's improve, not gut, the existing Act.

# 87:

2:20 pm PDT, Jun 2, Laura Raile, Colorado
Now is the time to step up and make a stand that we will not tolerate any actions that harm living creatures. We must honor the nature that has nurtured and protected us, the bio-diversity must not be tampered with.

# 86:

2:20 pm PDT, Jun 2, Name not displayed, California

# 85:

2:20 pm PDT, Jun 2, Leha Carpenter, California
Diversity of species guarantees the ongoing existence of life on earth. Let's not destroy that, please.

# 84:

2:20 pm PDT, Jun 2, Carol Rosell, New Jersey

# 83:

2:20 pm PDT, Jun 2, Jennifer Iannaco, Pennsylvania
All animals have the right to live without interference from man.Why do we have to destroy everything we touch!Leave their land to them.

# 82:

2:19 pm PDT, Jun 2, Michelle McElhaney, Washington

# 81:

2:19 pm PDT, Jun 2, Name not displayed, Arkansas

# 80:

2:18 pm PDT, Jun 2, Gene Haberman, California

# 79:

2:18 pm PDT, Jun 2, Becki Brunelli, California

# 78:

2:16 pm PDT, Jun 2, James D. Thomas, New Jersey
The Act, as presently formed, is barely enough. There is no logical or concerned reason to 'Endanger' it as well.

# 77:

2:16 pm PDT, Jun 2, Vicka Lanier, Montana
If we destroy critical habitat for endangered species, they won't survive. This Cardoza bill will not help protect endangered species. Please don't gut the true Endangered Species Act. Don't allow this Administration's anti-environment mentality to destroy vital protections. Vote NO on H.R. 1299 and keep our endangered species alive. Thank you!

# 76:

2:15 pm PDT, Jun 2, Sandra Rudy, New Mexico
We as humans have responsibility to take care of nature and the environment.

# 75:

2:15 pm PDT, Jun 2, James Gilland, Arizona
When species like those covered in the Endangered Species Act are gone it will only be a matter of time before we are gone also. All things are related.

# 74:

2:15 pm PDT, Jun 2, Name not displayed, California

# 73:

2:15 pm PDT, Jun 2, Name not displayed, California
We need to protect our environment. All species contribute to the health of the planet. Without a healthy environment, all is lost.

# 72:

2:14 pm PDT, Jun 2, Madeline Tucker, Arkansas

# 71:

2:14 pm PDT, Jun 2, Susan Dzienius, California
We need to protect the ones who can't speak for themselves. It's the right thing to do.

# 70:

2:14 pm PDT, Jun 2, Richard Whaley, California

# 69:

2:13 pm PDT, Jun 2, Trevor Milledge, California
THE ENVIROMENT IS CRUCIAL PLEASE PROTECT IT WHEREVER POSSIBLE!

# 68:

2:12 pm PDT, Jun 2, Coleen Scherf-Ghara, California
As species disappear so does the balance of this world. We are all interconnected. We need to support the Endangered Species Act in order to protect the balance of nature and the world we live in.

# 67:

2:11 pm PDT, Jun 2, Barry Saltzman, California

# 66:

2:11 pm PDT, Jun 2, Laurie Carr, California

# 65:

2:11 pm PDT, Jun 2, Andrew and Esperanza Stancioff, Maine
We must protect animals for our generation and future generations. habitat is critical and needs our protection--every living thing is dependent on the other including humans. Our fates are intertwined!

# 64:

2:11 pm PDT, Jun 2, Brian Christian, New Mexico

# 63:

2:11 pm PDT, Jun 2, Pamela Petersen, California

# 62:

2:09 pm PDT, Jun 2, Name not displayed, Oregon

# 61:

2:08 pm PDT, Jun 2, Name not displayed, California

# 60:

2:07 pm PDT, Jun 2, Name not displayed, California

# 59:

2:07 pm PDT, Jun 2, Sherrie Woodbury, California
Please, on behalf of our children and grandchildren, stand up for the environment we are leaving them to inherit.

# 58:

2:04 pm PDT, Jun 2, B. Merritt, California

# 57:

2:04 pm PDT, Jun 2, Name not displayed, Colorado

# 56:

2:03 pm PDT, Jun 2, Mary F Platter-Rieger, California
Critical habitat is CRITICAL and MUST be protected, and these species are absolutely necessary to the long-term survival of humans on this planet. We can't just fly to another life-supporting planet.

# 55:

2:03 pm PDT, Jun 2, Jim Witoszynski, California
We have to protect the ESA. These congressional misnamed policies give used car salesman a good name!

# 54:

2:02 pm PDT, Jun 2, Garrett Smith, Arizona

# 53:

2:02 pm PDT, Jun 2, Katrina Berg Sussmeier, California

# 52:

2:00 pm PDT, Jun 2, Judy Edmonson, California
We MUST NOT weaken the Engangered Species Act! It is important to our survival and the animals survival. Don't be fooled by this bill!!

# 51:

2:00 pm PDT, Jun 2, Leigh Cagan, California

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Stop Congress from gutting the Endangered Species Act!

This petition has been closed.