Sea Otter

Sea Otter
With up to 1 million hairs per square inch, sea otters have the thickest fur of any animal. But their coats cost millions of these animals their lives during the fur trade, pushing these playful marine mammals near extinction.

They’re now protected, but still face challenges from habitat loss, limited prey, disease and other threats.

Learn more about sea otters

RIP Macho B

RIP Macho B

Jaguars once ranged as far north as the Grand Canyon -- but only a few have been documented in the U.S. since 1971.

One in particular -- a 16-year-old dubbed Macho B -- was the most photographed jaguar in the U.S.

Late last month, Macho B was inadvertently caught during a research project, and Arizona Department of Game and Fish officials took the opportunity to fit him with a GPS collar. Researchers were excited at the prospect of studying the behavior of jaguars in the U.S. based on the data that Macho B would send back.

But that excitement turned to sadness. Days later, Macho B had to be euthanized when it was determined that he was suffering from terminal kidney failure.

Our fight for U.S. jaguars lives on. Later this month, Defenders will be in court to force federal officials to develop a recovery plan for U.S. jaguars -- a move the Bush Administration refused to take on.

Read more about Macho B on our website.


Adopt a jaguaror one of 23 other animals from Defenders Wildlife Adoption Center and help support our fight to save jaguars like Macho B and other wildlife in need.

Fighting on for Prairie Dogs and Ferrets

In an ongoing battle on the Kansas prairie, wildlife-friendly ranchers Larry & Bette Haverfield and neighboring landowners Gordon & Martha Barnhardt and Maxine Blank are resisting Logan County Commissioners who want to forcefully poison the state’s largest prairie dog complex on their land -- a move that would put highly endangered black-footed ferrets and other wildlife at risk.

Last month, a county judge in Kansas upheld a restraining order that protects most of the 10,000-acre ranch from poisoning -- all but a depth of 90 feet around the perimeter. For now, the majority of the ranchers’ land -- and the prairie dogs and ferrets it supports -- remain safe.

But in retaliation, County Commissioners ordered the poisoning of the 90-foot buffer area -- and stuck the wildlife-friendly ranchers and landowners with a bill reaching into the thousands of dollars.

These landowners have already spent tens of thousands of dollars on previous Commissioner-forced poisonings and court costs to fight for their piece of the American prairie and the wildlife that depends on it.

Take action now -- Send a message of support to the Barnhardts, Haverfields and Mrs. Blank for their ongoing fight to save prairie dogs, black-footed ferrets and the grassland ecosystem on their land.

Florida eNews: Panther Week in March!

Panther Week!

Defenders of Wildlife, Friends of the Florida Panther Refuge, the Fish & Wildlife Service and other conservation partners are teaming up for a week-long series of events to celebrate the Florida panther.

Join us during Florida Panther Week in southwest Florida with a kick-off event at the Naples Zoo on March 15th. Spend a fun-filled day learning about these highly endangered cats through zoo exhibits and activities. You can also meet with Defenders staff, agency biologists and others actively involved in panther conservation.

The week of festivities wraps up on March 21st with Save the Florida Panther Day at the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge near Naples. Explore important habitat for these great cats on the Duncan Memorial Trail or on a guided field trip or two.

Events held throughout the week provide opportunities to learn about the wildlife and habitat found on the refuge and nearby public lands.

Starting March 9th, you can RSVP for field trips and presentations by calling (239) 353-8442 x239 or by emailing events@floridapanther.org.

Learn more about Panther Week from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

BREAKING: Terrible News for Wolves

Nearly 1000 Wolves
Could be Killed

Last year, more than 100 wolves were killed in the opening days of wolf delisting in the Northern Rockies and Greater Yellowstone region before our legal efforts won the day.

Now, the Obama Administration embraced the deadly Bush-era delisting plan, and another round of wolf killing could begin in just weeks.

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Please donate now to support our Northern Rockies and Greater Yellowstone Wolf Legal Defense Fund so we can win again for our wolves.

World famous "Limpy" was one of the first wolves killed when federal protections were temporarily eliminated last year.

Please forward this message on to others who care about our wolves and other wildlife.

I have some terrible news. Today, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced that he would follow the discredited path of the Bush Administration and delist wolves in the Northern Rockies and Greater Yellowstone region.

This is a stunning development, just six weeks into the Obama Administration. This delisting paves the way for almost 1000 wolves to be killed under deadly state management plans in Idaho and Montana.

The killing could begin in just weeks.

As I write this, we are already preparing an emergency legal challenge to this harmful proposal -- and we’ll be in court as quickly as possible. But we need your help for the legal fight ahead.

Please make an emergency donation now to support our Northern Rockies and Greater Yellowstone Wolf Legal Defense Fund.

This delisting will put the fate of our wolves in the hands of state governments that want to slaughter nearly 1,000 wolves. Last year, when federal wolf protections were temporarily lifted in the region, more than 100 wolves were killed in just a short time -- including the world renowned “Limpy.”

In addition, regular wolf hunting seasons could begin as early as this fall in Idaho and Montana -- and Idaho Governor “Butch” Otter said again today that he still wants the first available hunting tag to shoot a wolf himself.

We can’t allow the out-of-control killing of wolves to happen again.

Please donate now to support our emergency legal challenge to protect our wolves in the Northern Rockies.

For more than 35 years, Defenders of Wildlife has fought for our wolves. We were there when the first wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park and we’ve been there to defend them ever since. We’ve beaten back efforts to prematurely delist these wolves in the past, and I'm confident we can do so again.

Just this week, we celebrated a hard-fought victory made possible with your help as the Senate voted to overturn the Bush Administration's last-minute gutting of the Endangered Species Act. We now need to beat back another deadly Bush-era plan that will open the door to the slaughter of nearly 1,000 wolves.

Please donate what you can today to save the lives of wolves in the Northern Rockies and Greater Yellowstone.

Together, we can win our legal challenge of the same bad plan originally put forth in the last throes of the Bush Administration -- and ensure that our wolves will continue to be around for future generations.

Sincerely,

Rodger Schlickeisen
President
Defenders of Wildlife

P.S. Your donation through our secure website will ensure that your contribution will be put to immediate work. You can also donate by calling 1-800-385-9712.

Congress Sees the Light!

After such a long drought in federal leadership on renewables, we find ourselves pleasantly surprised by Congress' newfound love for the sun. Congress just passed an economic recovery package that makes good on Obama's promise to unleash the economic development engine that is clean energy. Nearly all of the solar provisions on the table made it into the final bill. Serious kudos to our hard-working friends at SEIA who traversed the halls of Congress until the 11th hour, and to all of our members who chimed in online to make their voices heard.

Click here to read about the solar provisions in the bill. The recovery package will immediately spur job creation along each link in the solar supply chain- from PV panel manufacturers to solar hot water system installers.

Next up on the federal solar agenda - a Renewable Electricity Standard. We are working to ensure that this important policy tool effectively deploys solar from coast to coast. As always, we will be counting on you to help deliver the message. Stay tuned, it may only be February, but it's already shaping up to be a great year for solar victories.

Onwards,

Annie + Vote Solar Team

The Vote Solar Initiative

300 Brannan Street, Suite 609

San Francisco, CA 94107

www.votesolar.org

Words from President Obama

Start an Energy
[R]evolution to
stop global Warming.

"This is the moment when we must come together to save this planet. Let us resolve that we will not leave our children a world where the oceans rise and famine spreads and terrible storms devastate our lands." - President Obama, July 25 2008

On this Presidents' Day, many Americans are suffering. Our economy is struggling, millions of jobs have been lost and thousands more are at risk. But at Greenpeace we also see hope - if our President, our Congress and our nation make the right choices, we can begin to achieve energy independence with thousands of green jobs and real solutions to global warming.

Can you give $30 or more today to start an Energy [R]evolution to stop global warming? Click here to contribute.

On March 2^nd Greenpeace will mobilize thousands of Americans to send a powerful message of urgency through peaceful protest and civil disobedience at the coal-fired Capitol Power Plant in Washington DC - a plant that literally powers Congress with dirty energy. This will be the largest mass civil disobedience for the climate in US history.

President Obama has made it clear that he is committed to returning the United States to being a world leader in stopping global warming. Greenpeace is committed to making sure that he follows through on this and receives the support needed from the Congress and the American people. Your gift of $30 or more can ensure that future generations do not have to live with the dire predictions of unchecked global warming - increased storms and floods, rising ocean levels, species extinction and the spread of tropical diseases. Please donate today. Thank you.

For a renewable future, Lisa Finaldi