The federal programs that protect our nation's wildlife—from gray whales migrating along our Pacific coast, to pronghorn who will soon travel between Grand Teton National Park and the Upper Green River Basin, to monarch butterflies flying thousands of miles to overwinter in warmer climates—are facing deep funding cuts, closures, and the loss of expert staff.
Tell Congress to take the federal conservation programs and services that safeguard wildlife OFF the chopping block as they finalize and vote on the fiscal year 2026 budget. And tell them WHY it's personally important to YOU by adding a few sentences to the message about a wildlife species, place, people and/or federal program you care about!
Dear Members of Congress,
I am calling on you to restore and keep support and funding for wildlife conservation programs and agencies in the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations bills. Please do not allow crucial conservation protections—and the scientists, engineers, and other staff who make them possible—to be lost. Many of these vital programs have already suffered staff layoffs and closures.
This isn't just about wildlife "somewhere out there." It's about the clean water you and I drink, the air we breathe, the places people like me love to hike, hunt, or fish, and the species that make our ecosystems thrive. I hope you will make it a personal priority to ensure the following programs and agencies are restored and retained:
• USFWS Science Applications - provides comprehensive, scientific information and tools for agencies, organizations, universities, and private landowners around the country to engage in conserving America's wildlife.
• U.S. Forest Service Research Stations and Laboratories - conducts research at nearly 80 locations across the United States to help ensure the health of our national forests and the survival of wildlife that depend on them.
• NOAA Fisheries - responsible for conserving and protecting marine species and habitats within about 200 miles of our coasts, including economically vital and threatened and endangered species.
• USGS Ecosystems Mission Area - includes the only programs in existence that are devoted to providing the necessary science and support to safeguard and conserve our native bees and migratory birds, as well as migrations and diseases of important game species.
• The EPA's Office of Research and Development - the federal independent scientific research program that provides the foundation of credible decision-making for the Environmental Protection Agency to safeguard human health and ecosystems.
• NASA Earth Science Division - provides state-of-the-art monitoring of Earth's ecosystems and wildlife habitat from space.
I care deeply about protecting conservation science and urge you to restore and keep support and funding for wildlife conservation programs and agencies in the fiscal year 2026 budget.
I am counting on you to do all that you can to protect the diversity of species found across our country and the air, waters, and lands that keep them and our communities healthy.
Sincerely,
[Name]
