Sent: Wednesday, March 08, 2006 3:10 PM Subject: Urgent message from New England Wild Flower Society and NEWFS Conservation Director Bill Brumback NATIONAL CALL-IN DAY: CALL YOUR SENATOR ON MARCH 9 IN SUPPORT OF THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT! Be the voice for the native plants and the health of our natural habitats. Please join the Society and me in this urgent action and call your Senator. You will find contact information below. -Bill Brumback, Director of Conservation, New England Wild Flower Society The Endangered Species Act is Under Threat For more than thirty years, the Endangered Species Act has been a safety net for wildlife, fish, and plants on the brink of extinction. Now the effectiveness of the Act itself is under immediate threat, and it needs your help. The House of Representatives has passed a bill that would significantly weaken protections for endangered species and habitat. It is now up to the U.S. Senate to save the Endangered Species Act. This situation is urgent because the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works may soon take action that would severely undermine the positive effects of the Endangered Species Act. New England Wild Flower Society is STRONGLY AGAINST these revisions. A recent analysis showed that 93% of New England species listed under the Act increased in number or maintained stable population numbers. As you know, with assistance from the Act, NEWFS was instrumental in helping to recover the Robbin's cinquefoil (Potentilla robbinsiana). It is critically important that Senators from across the country hear from their constituents that the American public supports the Endangered Species Act and the fish, plants, and wildlife it protects in their states. Please join thousands of Americans across the country by calling your Senators on Thursday, March 9. Please ask your friends, relatives, and colleagues to join you in calling. It only takes about three minutes of your time, but the results could last a lifetime. ACTION: On Thursday, March 9, call your Senators in support of a strong Endangered Species Act and urge them to oppose any efforts to change the Act. You can search for contact information on your Senator at www.senate.gov. Phone numbers are given below: Connecticut: Dodd, Christopher J. - (D - CT) - (202) 224-2823 Lieberman, Joseph I. - (D - CT) - (202) 224-4041 Maine: Collins, Susan M. - (R - ME) - (202) 224-2523 Snowe, Olympia J. - (R - ME) - (202) 224-5344 Massachusetts: Kennedy, Edward M. - (D - MA) - (202) 224-4543 Kerry, John F. - (D - MA) - (202) 224-2742 New Hampshire: Gregg, Judd- (R - NH) - (202) 224-3324 Sununu, John E. - (R - NH) - (202) 224-2841 Rhode Island: Chafee, Lincoln - (R - RI) - (202) 224-2921 Reed, Jack - (D - RI) - (202) 224-4642 Vermont: Jeffords, James M. - (I - VT) - (202) 224-5141 Leahy, Patrick J. - (D - VT) - (202) 224-4242 BACKGROUND: The House of Representatives passed a bill in September of 2005 that would significantly weaken protections for endangered species and habitat. If Representative Pombo's bill (HR 3824) becomes law, it would eliminate habitat protection, abandon the commitment to recovering species on the brink of extinction, repeal protections against hazardous pesticides, and politicize the scientific decision-making process. In addition, it would set up an unprecedented entitlement program that would require the federal government to use taxpayers' dollars to pay developers for complying with the Endangered Species Act's prohibition against killing or injuring endangered species. It is now up to the Senate to save the Endangered Species Act. Senators need to stand up and support the Endangered Species Act. The Endangered Species Act is a successful law. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, over 99% of species given the Act's protection are still with us today; their extinction has been prevented. In addition, the American public supports the Endangered Species Act. A poll by Decision Research illustrated that 86% of American voters support the Endangered Species Act. The Endangered Species Act is a safety net for wildlife, plants, and fish that are on the brink of extinction. We owe it to our children and grandchildren to be good stewards of the environment and leave behind a legacy of protecting endangered species and the special places they call home. -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.375 / Virus Database: 268.2.0/276 - Release Date: 3/7/2006