Support the development of Hybrid and Fuel Efficient Vehicles

I am so frustrated that our government has done so little to provide high-mileage hybrid cars or non-polluting fuel alternatives. So what I'm about to tell you is great news! Sen.

Evan Bayh has introduced the Vehicle and Fuel Choices for American Security Act to increase the use of alternative fuels and cut our dependence on foreign oil. Now, you can help make sure it makes it through the Senate: http://go.care2.com/e/A6mp/BTT/Erx6

Today, Americans are more reliant on oil from unstable Middle Eastern nations, gas prices are rising, and in the meantime, oil companies are raking in record multi-billion dollar profits. We must address this energy crisis now. But the fact is, the extent of change required to put us on the right track with our energy policy is not going to happen under this President unless he hears the message loud and clear from the people.

Start by telling your Senator to support the Vehicle and Fuel Choices for American Security Act.

This legislation aims to reduce our dependence on oil by 7 million barrels a day in 20 years. It includes:

The development and mass marketing of hybrid technologies;

More pumps for alternative fuels at gas stations;

Fuel-efficiency standards for trucks;

Tax credits for manufacturers to retool facilities for advanced technology and alternative fuel cars and trucks;

R&D funding for cellulosic ethanol that can be made from cornstalks, paper pulp, switchgrass, and agricultural waste. It's time to end the energy crisis. Sign this petition and call on your Senator to support the Vehicle and Fuel Choices for American Security Act

Stop the Alaskan Wolf Hunt

There is reason for hope in Alaska. The state’s anti-wolf governor recently lost his primary, and a state ballot measure group is just weeks from turning in the signatures they need to put aerial gunning on the Alaska ballot.

The tide is turning, but we need your help to secure lasting victory for Alaska wolves. Help put this critical ballot initiative over the top. Please donate now to help support our work.

Since 2003, Alaska’s Board of Game has allowed the brutal practice of aerial gunning. Under the state’s program, gunmen in private planes can shoot wolves from low flying aircraft or chase them to exhaustion, land and kill them at point-blank range.Over the last year, Alaskans for Wildlife, a statewide group of sportsmen, scientists and recreationists, has been gathering signatures for a ballot measure that would prohibit using aircraft to kill wolves and bears, except by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in cases of biological emergencies.

They’ve collected tens of thousands of signatures to put this crucial issue before the Alaskan public -- who have twice before voted to end the use of aerial gunning only to have their will overturned by the state legislature. Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund has committed to do everything in our power to help Alaskans for Wildlife secure a lasting victory for common sense wolf management on America’s last frontier.

Please help support our work. Donate right now to save Alaska wolves.

Later today, Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund and our sister organization, Defenders of Wildlife, will send messages to mobilize our wildlife activists in Alaska.

Our message is simple: Sign Alaskans for Wildlife’s petition and let Alaskans, not out-of-state trophy hunters, determine the fate of the state’s wolves.And that’s not all our groups are doing to protect wolves. Because the Bush Administration has repeatedly failed to enforce the Federal Airborne Hunting Act as its authors clearly intended, we’re exploring ways to amend the Act to compel the Administration to action. We don’t have much time.

Signatures for the Alaska ballot petition are due by the end of October.

We need your help to meet our goal of raising $50,000 by October 1st. Please make a donation right now!

Your contribution will help support our efforts in Congress to improve federal law to protect wolves from aerial gunning. It will also help us highlight this terrible practice in the media and mobilize grassroots support to protect wolves. More than 550 wolves have been killed since Alaska reinstated its aerial gunning program. You can help end this brutal practice

We Need a Better Energy Plan

While states and even corporate America are taking steps to reduce energy use and slow global warming, what has our federal government done?

Many in Congress have sat idly on the sidelines, counting their contributions from Big Oil. Join us today in demanding that our elected representatives advance new energy policies that will benefit America and the environment, not their campaign coffers.

Click here now to sign LCV's New Energy Now! Petition.

Our New Energy Now! Petition, with your signature, will send a powerful message to Congress: America needs a 21st Century plan for energy independence. It's time to act.

As Election Day in November approaches, we are putting pressure on politicians to adopt smart energy policy platforms. To help them, the League of Conservation Voters actually devised a platform of its own! It includes:

Higher fuel economy standards. We can make cars go further on a gallon of gas, and reduce oil consumption, smog, and global warming pollution.

Renewable energy and energy efficiency. New technologies can significantly reduce our dependence on oil.

Long-term global warming solutions. America can be a world leader in reducing greenhouse gas pollution.

Protection of America's special places. The U.S. should keep our wild places wild, our coasts free of drilling, and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge intact.
With important midterm elections in November, your representatives in Congress would be truly remiss to ignore you. So speak up today!

Add your name to the New Energy Now! Petition – tell your representatives in Congress to pursue smart energy solutions.

If our elected leaders pursue this platform, it would have a dramatic impact on our economic and environmental future and help solve our energy problems.
Thank you for standing with us for better energy for America

Help Save California Condors from extinction

Only 138 California condors survive in the wild today -- and lead poisoning from ammunition is threatening to wipe out the remnants of this majestic species forever.But you have a rare opportunity right now to speak out and help ensure their future on earth.

Go to http://www.nrdcaction.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=53813and urge
California state officials to ban the use of lead ammunition for hunting in counties where condors live.The California condor is North America's largest bird, with a wing span of nearly 10 feet. These birds can fly as many as 140 miles in a single day at heights of up to 15,000 feet.

Condors were granted federal and state protection more than three decades ago -- yet they remain among the most endangered wildlife on earth.Condors accidentally ingest fragments of lead ammunition when feeding on game shot by hunters. Since 1992, nine condors are known to have perished after ingesting fragments of lead bullets. Lead poisoning has been implicated in the death or disappearance of at least 15 other condors, and other poisonings likely occur on a routine basis.

California officials are considering new hunting regulations right now. Banning lead ammunition would save condors and other wildlife, such as golden eagles, which can be accidentally poisoned as well. Non-lead ammunition for many hunting activities is widely available. All that's missing is the political will.

Go to http://www.nrdcaction.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=53813and urge officials to protect the California condor and other imperiled wildlife.

The League of Conservation Voters Environmental Scorecard

Nothing more starkly illustrates how your representatives in Congress have helped or harmed the environment than our newly released 2006 National Environmental Scorecard.

Since 1970, the League of Conservation Voters' Scorecard has tracked your Congress members' voting records. Every member gets a final "LCV score" that should either shame them or make their constituents proud.
Unfortunately, too many Members of Congress put Big Oil’s interests before their constituents.

How did your elected officials score?

Find out – click here to check out LCV's 2006 Scorecard.LCV's Scorecard is based on crucial environmental votes, including energy and oil drilling, environmental health standards, and protecting wild places.

Who scored the worst? Twenty Senators and 80 Representatives scored a dismal 0%, voting against the environment every single time. Rep. J.D. Hayworth (AZ) took home a zero, as did Sens. George Allen (VA), James Inhofe (OK), and Mitch McConnell (KY). Rep, Pombo (CA) got a paltry 17% and Sen. Santorum (PA) got an appalling 14%.

This bad voting record was made worse by the fact that congressional leaders blocked debate on good, sensible solutions to America's energy problems, such as making cars go further on a gallon of gas or increasing use of renewable energy. That's unfortunate in a year of skyrocketing gas prices, record-high oil company profits and growing concern about global warming.

Hats off to those legislators receiving a perfect environmental score of 100%. They include Sens. Robert Menendez (NJ), Jack Reed (RI) and many House members.

The good news is that the next Congress can do a whole lot better. They will have new opportunities to debate and vote on legislation to tackle global warming and promote a cleaner, safer, and cheaper energy future.

That's why we have launched New Energy Now!, a bold new energy plan for Congress to adopt. Over 31,000 people have already signed the New Energy Now! Petition to Congress.

Please click here today to add your name to the petition.
Then, tell your friends about the petition and the 2006 Environmental Scorecard.

The New Energy Now! Petition will help push America's next Congress to improve its National Environmental Scorecard score, promoting clean energy, protecting the environment, and reinvigorating the economy. It's what America needs. It's what America wants. It should be what America gets.

And just imagine – if your elected representatives advanced these energy solutions – how very proud they'll make you next time we deliver their report card!

Again, click here to find your representatives on LCV's 2006 National Environmental Scorecard.

And show your friends.

We are so grateful that you share our concern for the environment.

Sinapu and Forest Guardians Sue Colorado Wildlife Commission to Prevent Recreational Trapping

Sinapu and Forest Guardians Sue Colorado Wildlife Commission to Prevent Recreational Trapping

Denver, CO. Sinapu and Forest Guardians filed suit in Denver yesterday, challenging a July decision by the Colorado Wildlife Commission to allow trappers to capture mink and marten with box traps and then kill the animals for their fur. The decision was made at a contentious public hearing on July 13th in Fort Collins, where the Commission voted 5-3 in partial favor of a Colorado Trappers Association request.

"The Commission's approval of trapping tramples the rights of the majority of Coloradoans who voted to outlaw recreational trapping in Colorado in 1996," stated Wendy Keefover-Ring of Sinapu.

Hellp Stop Global Warming - Sign the Petition today

Despite urgent warnings from the scientific community - our leaders have yet to take serious steps to stop global warming. With midterm elections just around the corner, now is the time to tell Congress that you want clean energy to be part of their new agenda. Ask your representatives to support clean energy legislation>>

The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) has launched the campaign New Energy Now! They are calling on Congress to start advancing solutions like energy efficiency, renewable energy, less global warming pollution, and protection of America's wild places from oil drilling.

Join them by urging your reps to support these important bills:
Higher Fuel Economy Standards (H.R. 3762) - This bill would increase fuel economy standards from 25mpg to 33mpg by 2016.

The Energy for Our Future Act (HR 4384) - This bill calls for renewable energy and energy efficiency. If passed it would save oil, reduce energy bills, and repeal tax breaks for Big Oil.

The Safe Climate Act (HR 5642) and the Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act (S. 3698) - These bills outline long-term global warming solutions by setting achievable goals for reducing greenhouse gas pollution. Ready to make clean energy a reality? You can take action to ensure a healthy future for all of us on this planet. Sign the petition letting Congress know that you support these important bills; they should too! http://go.care2.com/e/F7rx/MGW/Erx6

Help Save Canada's Boreal Forests

Last week, top executives at Weyerhaeuser pulled the plug on two lumber mills in Saskatchewan, laying off 300 workers. Unions representing mill workers called this week for the suspension of the company's logging rights in the Province.

We think Province officials should listen.Weyerhaeuser's cut-and-run strategy represents the utter failure of the corporate logging industry to benefit people and forests in Canada's Boreal region.

Demand that Weyerhaeuser turn over its rights to log in Saskatchewan's forests.

A Provincial task-force assigned to investigate the issue reported that more than 4000 workers have lost jobs in Saskatchewan within the last year as a direct result of Weyerhaeuser's decisions to cut-and-run from these local communities while leaving behind a trail of environmental destruction.

Throughout Canada's Boreal Forest, corporate loggers are abandoning rural communities even as they invest in the foreign tree-farms that they blame for the layoffs.

The Weyerhaeuser model has also failed for the nearly 600 First Nation communities that live in the Boreal Forest, including Grassy Narrows in Ontario, where three decades of clearcut logging have left only a devastated landscape and a legacy of mercury poisoning.

Shortsighted industry bail-outs from governments struggling to keep sinking local economies afloat only forestall the inevitable—and at substantial cost to Canadian taxpayers.

The lesson of the developing crisis in Canada's logging industry is that local communities know how to care for their forests best. The Poplar River First Nation and the Innu First Nation are just two examples where community-led planning has set a positive vison for healthy, stable local economies that preserve culturally and ecologically significant areas.

Help Save our Oceans

Our oceans are in serious decline. Over-fishing, marine habitat destruction, coastal development, and pollution are pushing our ocean systems to the brink of collapse.

Take Action.

Over-fishing and other harmful effects from poorly managed fisheries have been increasing at an untenable rate. Only 13 percent of the nation's ocean fish populations can be considered healthy, yet some members of Congress want to rollback longstanding safeguards, which would increase serious environmental threats to ocean fish and marine ecosystems.

If these safeguards are lost, managers will be allowed to over-fish for a longer period of time before they are forced to clean up their act. As a result, fish populations that are already dangerously low may never recover and currently healthy populations may be placed at risk. Our marine environment and coastal economy could be devastated.

Say No.

Consider these facts:

The federal government is allowing over-fishing of 20 of the nation뭩 most vulnerable fish populations, those that are already at unsustainably low levels.

The health of 70 percent of the nation뭩 ocean fish populations is unknown.

Only 3 percent of red snapper remain in the Gulf of Mexico and they aren뭪 expected to recover for 26 years.

Tell Congress that you care about the health of our oceans and want them to oppose efforts to weaken protections for ocean fish.

Sign this petition today!

November is just around the corner - the time when our vanishing polar bears settle down to den in their Arctic home. It’s also when Big Oil and other special interests find out if their millions in campaign contributions to Representative Richard Pombo will buy America’s #1 Wildlife Villain another trip to Congress.

Help us stop them! Donate now to support our work to defeat Richard Pombo and protect polar bears and other wildlife threatened by his dangerous, self-serving agenda.

Since taking office, Pombo has taken millions in campaign contributions from Big Oil and other special interests including $18,000 from VECO, an oil services firm now under federal investigation for influence peddling.[1]In return, Pombo has championed a polluter-friendly agenda that includes destructive drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the most important onshore denning habitat for America’s vanishing polar bears.

America’s polar bears, already facing the threat of extinction within the next century, could be devastated by Pombo’s drilling plans.Pombo’s abuses of power have earned him the dubious distinction of being named one of the 13 most Corrupt Members of Congress by the independent group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. [2]

What Others Are Saying about Rep. Richard Pombo“If you prefer the politics of extremes; if you're OK with selling off national parks; if backroom dealmaking and tainted money suit you; if you embrace out-of-balance budgets and the concentration of wealth — Pombo's your man.”- Modesto Bee, Oct. 10, 2006"His intention is clearly to disrupt the protection of threatened animals."- Fort Wayne News SentinelNovember 30, 2005“

Mr. Pombo in my view represents all that is wrong with the national government in Washington today.” Former Congressman Pete McCloskey (R-CA)"He's the dark knight of the environment who wants to gut endangered-species protections and is now clearing the way for open-water drilling."- San Francisco ChronicleOctober 21, 2005

We can stop Richard Pombo! Please donate now to help us defeat America’s #1 Wildlife Villain.

So far, our lobbying and grassroots activism has stopped Pombo’s dangerous drilling scheme. And our latest poll numbers have him two points behind in his bid for reelection. [3] That’s good news for polar bears and other wildlife threatened by Pombo’s self-serving agenda. But we still have a lot of work to do in the 24 days leading up to the election and the lame duck Congressional session that will follow. To win this thing and stop Pombo’s destructive drilling plans, we need to raise at least $40,000 in the next seven days… more if we can.Last weekend alone, our campaign personally contacted nearly 8,000 households in Pombo’s district!

That’s nearly 8,000 people who now know who Pombo has really been representing in Washington, DC - Big Oil and the special interests.But we still need to print door hangers and mail pieces, feed volunteers and transport them to neighborhoods in Pombo’s district where their efforts will make a differenceI know you don’t live in Pombo’s Congressional district, but you can still make a big difference to defeat his agenda in Congress and hold him accountable on Election Day -

Please make a donation right now to support our important work.

Let me be clear: No one in this Congress has done more to hurt wildlife and serve Big Oil and other special interests than Richard Pombo. Nothing you can do would do more to protect the wildlife we all love than to help us stop his agenda in Congress and send Pombo packing.Pombo’s agenda isn’t just bad for his Congressional District -- it hurts us all. As the powerful head of the House Resources Committee, Pombo has worked to roll back protections for our most cherished wildlife, allow harmful drilling in our vanishing wild places and weaken the laws that safeguard the air we breathe and the water we drink.

Stop the Alaska Board of Game's Illegal Wolf Kill

There is reason for hope in Alaska. The state’s anti-wolf governor recently lost his primary, and a state ballot measure group is just weeks from turning in the signatures they need to put aerial gunning on the Alaska ballot.

The tide is turning, but we need your help to secure lasting victory for Alaska wolves. Help put this critical ballot initiative over the top. Please donate now to help support our work.

Since 2003, Alaska’s Board of Game has allowed the brutal practice of aerial gunning. Under the state’s program, gunmen in private planes can shoot wolves from low flying aircraft or chase them to exhaustion, land and kill them at point-blank range.

Over the last year, Alaskans for Wildlife, a statewide group of sportsmen, scientists and recreationists, has been gathering signatures for a ballot measure that would prohibit using aircraft to kill wolves and bears, except by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in cases of biological emergencies.

They’ve collected tens of thousands of signatures to put this crucial issue before the Alaskan public -- who have twice before voted to end the use of aerial gunning only to have their will overturned by the state legislature.

Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund has committed to do everything in our power to help Alaskans for Wildlife secure a lasting victory for common sense wolf management on America’s last frontier.

Please help support our work. Donate right now to save Alaska wolves.

Later today, Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund and our sister organization, Defenders of Wildlife, will send messages to mobilize our wildlife activists in Alaska.

Our message is simple: Sign Alaskans for Wildlife’s petition and let Alaskans, not out-of-state trophy hunters, determine the fate of the state’s wolves.And that’s not all our groups are doing to protect wolves.

Because the Bush Administration has repeatedly failed to enforce the Federal Airborne Hunting Act as its authors clearly intended, we’re exploring ways to amend the Act to compel the Administration to action.

We don’t have much time. Signatures for the Alaska ballot petition are due by the end of October.

Your contribution will help support our efforts in Congress to improve federal law to protect wolves from aerial gunning. It will also help us highlight this terrible practice in the media and mobilize grassroots support to protect wolves. More than 550 wolves have been killed since Alaska reinstated its aerial gunning program. You can help end this brutal practice.

Stop the Alaska Board of Game

There is reason for hope in Alaska. The state’s anti-wolf governor recently lost his primary, and a state ballot measure group is just weeks from turning in the signatures they need to put aerial gunning on the Alaska ballot. The tide is turning, but we need your help to secure lasting victory for Alaska wolves. Help put this critical ballot initiative over the top. Please donate now to help support our work. Since 2003, Alaska’s Board of Game has allowed the brutal practice of aerial gunning. Under the state’s program, gunmen in private planes can shoot wolves from low flying aircraft or chase them to exhaustion, land and kill them at point-blank range.Over the last year, Alaskans for Wildlife, a statewide group of sportsmen, scientists and recreationists, has been gathering signatures for a ballot measure that would prohibit using aircraft to kill wolves and bears, except by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in cases of biological emergencies.They’ve collected tens of thousands of signatures to put this crucial issue before the Alaskan public -- who have twice before voted to end the use of aerial gunning only to have their will overturned by the state legislature. Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund has committed to do everything in our power to help Alaskans for Wildlife secure a lasting victory for common sense wolf management on America’s last frontier.Please help support our work. Donate right now to save Alaska wolves. Later today, Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund and our sister organization, Defenders of Wildlife, will send messages to mobilize our wildlife activists in Alaska. Our message is simple: Sign Alaskans for Wildlife’s petition and let Alaskans, not out-of-state trophy hunters, determine the fate of the state’s wolves.And that’s not all our groups are doing to protect wolves. Because the Bush Administration has repeatedly failed to enforce the Federal Airborne Hunting Act as its authors clearly intended, we’re exploring ways to amend the Act to compel the Administration to action. We don’t have much time. Signatures for the Alaska ballot petition are due by the end of October.We need your help to meet our goal of raising $50,000 by October 6th. Please make a donation right now!Your contribution will help support our efforts in Congress to improve federal law to protect wolves from aerial gunning. It will also help us highlight this terrible practice in the media and mobilize grassroots support to protect wolves. More than 550 wolves have been killed since Alaska reinstated its aerial gunning program. You can help end this brutal practice.

Impact of Global Warming in Massachusetts

Groundbreaking climate projections outlined in a new report, Climate Change in the U.S. Northeast, show devastating consequences for our state, unless we take action today to reduce our global warming emissions.

By the end of the century:

annual average temperature could increase between 6-12 degrees Fahrenheit;

with rising temperatures and humidity, summers in Massachusetts could feel like typical summers in South Carolina; and

for citizens in Boston, rising summer temperatures could result in more than 60 days per year over 90 degrees Fahrenheit, more than six times the current number.

We in Massachusetts have a unique opportunity not only to reduce global warming emissions in the region but also to lay the groundwork for other states, regions, and the nation to take action on global warming.

Predator Protector - Mike Stevens

Predator Protector
Mike Stevens is bringing agriculture and wildlife conservation together in one of the West's most spectacular places -- raising more than 6,000 sheep on nearly 1 million acres in Idaho's Sawtooth National Forest.

Mike is an active member of Defenders' Livestock Producer Advisory Council -- a group that provides essential input, perspective and recommendations to resolve conflicts with wolves and other predators.

This summer, Defenders partnered with Mike's ranch, Lava Lake Land and Livestock, on an experimental non-lethal project to protect his flock -- and the wild predators they live with.

Giving Voice to Our Wildlife Refuges

Giving Voice to Our Refuges

From grizzlies to gnatcatchers, red wolves to red knots, America’s wildlife depends on our National Wildlife Refuge System.

For over a century, these special places have been an important haven for our most cherished wildlife, providing essential habitat for hundreds of imperiled creatures. But in recent years, these treasures have suffered from severe budget cuts. In the northeast alone, seven refuges face an uncertain future due to inadequate funding.

Now, thanks in large part to Defenders supporters like you, help could be on the way. Over 21,000 of you have written your U.S. Representatives urging them to join the Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus. The Caucus is now more than 100 strong, giving wildlife and the places they live a stronger voice in Congress.

Find out if your Representative has joined the Caucus -- and if not, urge him or her to become a voice for wildlife by joining the Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus!

National Wolf Awareness Week - Oct 15-21 2006

October 15 - 21, 2006 marks National Wolf Awareness Week. This week is an important vehicle for dispelling misconceptions and educating the public about the role predators play in maintaining biological diversity.

The wolf is a striking symbol of wild nature, yet they have long been shrouded by myth and superstition. Earlier this century, this keystone species was methodically exterminated from nearly all of its historic range.

Wolf Awareness Week encourages conservation efforts not only for wolves, but for all wild species. Defenders sponsors events nationwide to celebrate wolves during the third week of October.

We encourage you to plan educational activities in your area. Contact Gina Schrader with the event details so we can help promote your event on this website.