Tortoise & Hare

And the Winner is…

Hopefully both.

The race against extinction is one that neither the Sonoran
desert tortoise nor the white-sided jackrabbit can afford to
lose. That’s why we recently filed lawsuits to require the
federal government to protect them under the Endangered Species
Act. Write a letter to Interior Secretary Salazar by June 21st,
urging him to deliver this protection:
[http://ga4.org/ct/41LBzBY1USz0/]

The facts are in: the Sonoran desert tortoise’s population has
been slashed in half over the past two decades, and surveys have
counted only five white-sided jackrabbits per year. Threatened
mostly by habitat degradation and the climate crisis, both of
these desert dwellers are in need of immediate help.

WildEarth Guardians is working to protect the tortoise and the
jackrabbit as part of our “Western Ark” campaign, where we are
seeking federal protection for a diversity of life forms – from
plants to mussels to mammals – encompassing 19 U.S states,
Mexico and Canada.

Our Western Ark campaign launched last fall, but unfortunately
the Obama administration has not yet brought smooth sailing – at
least when it comes to endangered species. Despite over 300
species awaiting federal safeguards, the Obama administration
has provided just one previously unprotected species with
listing under the Endangered Species Act. Shockingly, the
tortoise, jackrabbit and hundreds of other imperiled species are
not yet even in the queue for protection.

That’s why we need your help today. Write a letter to Secretary
Salazar by June 21st demanding the change we need to prevent
native wildlife and plants from vanishing forever, including
those we first came to love through childhood fables:
[http://ga4.org/ct/41LBzBY1USz0/]

For the wild,
Nicole Rosmarino
Wildlife Director
WildEarth Guardians