Support Emergency Legislation to Save Wildlife
- by: Center for Biological Diversity
- recipient: U.S. Senate
Bats are dying of white-nose syndrome; amphibians are dying of chytrid fungus; and across the country incidents of new infectious diseases in wildlife are on the rise. These diseases threaten to drive many species extinct. You can help turn much-needed federal attention on these devastating diseases and save millions of lives.
Currently, there's no system that rapidly addresses fast-moving wildlife emergencies like new infectious diseases. But there's now a bill in the Senate, the Wildlife Disease Emergency Act that addresses these concerns and would establish a fund to coordinate a rapid response to wildlife epidemics and enable government officials to quickly develop the necessary policies and procedures.
A perfect example of why such is bill is desperately needed is the slow, stumbling response of wildlife agencies to white-nose syndrome when it first appeared five years ago.
Please send a letter to your senators today and urge them to support the Wildlife Disease Emergency Act.
Currently, there's no system that rapidly addresses fast-moving wildlife emergencies like new infectious diseases. But there's now a bill in the Senate, the Wildlife Disease Emergency Act that addresses these concerns and would establish a fund to coordinate a rapid response to wildlife epidemics and enable government officials to quickly develop the necessary policies and procedures.
A perfect example of why such is bill is desperately needed is the slow, stumbling response of wildlife agencies to white-nose syndrome when it first appeared five years ago.
Please send a letter to your senators today and urge them to support the Wildlife Disease Emergency Act.
Dear Senator,
I am writing in support of the Wildlife Disease Emergency Act, S.B. 357. Emerging wildlife diseases are a growing threat to our natural heritage, to economic enterprise, and human health and well-being; yet our nation is poorly prepared to deal with this deepening problem. In recent years sudden outbreaks of previously unknown illnesses, such as white-nose syndrome in bats and chytrid fungus in frogs, have decimated native species, potentially destabilized natural communities and caused the loss of vital ecological services that humans depend on. For example, it has been estimated that bug-eating bats are worth $3.7 billion to $53 billion annually to American agriculture -- money saved in foregone pesticides because bats keep insects in check.
While many wildlife diseases cause no harm to people (though they are often caused by our actions), some wildlife diseases have the potential to become infectious to humans in the future. This makes immediate attention to wildlife diseases not only important as a matter of wildlife conservation, but also as a means to safeguard ourselves against unnecessary threats to public health.
While state and federal agencies, to date, have responded to wildlife disease events such as white-nose syndrome on an ad hoc basis, this is not efficient or cost-effective. Preparing for future wildlife disease emergencies, even though the specifics can't be known ahead of time, is money well spent. Just like any other emergency planning, creating the means for a prompt response and ensuring adequate resources are available when needed improves the chances that any crisis can be contained, or at least that harm can be minimized. In the long run, this saves money, as addressing urgent problems before they get out of control is almost always cheaper than trying to repair the damage later.
The Rapid-response Team and interagency Wildlife Disease Committee envisioned in the Wildlife Disease Emergency Act will facilitate scientific discoveries and inform decision-making in the early stages of an outbreak. Authorizing the secretary of the interior to declare a wildlife disease emergency will help the public to recognize and respond to a wildlife disease crisis and will raise awareness and spur more private funders to support disease response.
Thank you very much for your consideration of these important issues. I hope you will support the Wildlife Disease Emergency Act.
Sign PetitionSign PetitionI am writing in support of the Wildlife Disease Emergency Act, S.B. 357. Emerging wildlife diseases are a growing threat to our natural heritage, to economic enterprise, and human health and well-being; yet our nation is poorly prepared to deal with this deepening problem. In recent years sudden outbreaks of previously unknown illnesses, such as white-nose syndrome in bats and chytrid fungus in frogs, have decimated native species, potentially destabilized natural communities and caused the loss of vital ecological services that humans depend on. For example, it has been estimated that bug-eating bats are worth $3.7 billion to $53 billion annually to American agriculture -- money saved in foregone pesticides because bats keep insects in check.
While many wildlife diseases cause no harm to people (though they are often caused by our actions), some wildlife diseases have the potential to become infectious to humans in the future. This makes immediate attention to wildlife diseases not only important as a matter of wildlife conservation, but also as a means to safeguard ourselves against unnecessary threats to public health.
While state and federal agencies, to date, have responded to wildlife disease events such as white-nose syndrome on an ad hoc basis, this is not efficient or cost-effective. Preparing for future wildlife disease emergencies, even though the specifics can't be known ahead of time, is money well spent. Just like any other emergency planning, creating the means for a prompt response and ensuring adequate resources are available when needed improves the chances that any crisis can be contained, or at least that harm can be minimized. In the long run, this saves money, as addressing urgent problems before they get out of control is almost always cheaper than trying to repair the damage later.
The Rapid-response Team and interagency Wildlife Disease Committee envisioned in the Wildlife Disease Emergency Act will facilitate scientific discoveries and inform decision-making in the early stages of an outbreak. Authorizing the secretary of the interior to declare a wildlife disease emergency will help the public to recognize and respond to a wildlife disease crisis and will raise awareness and spur more private funders to support disease response.
Thank you very much for your consideration of these important issues. I hope you will support the Wildlife Disease Emergency Act.
See more petitions:
You have JavaScript disabled. Without it, our site might not function properly.
By signing, you accept Care2's Terms of Service.
You can unsub at any time here.
Having problems signing this? Let us know.