The Endangered Species Act is one of the country’s most important and powerful conservation laws. It has a whopping 99 percent success record at preventing the extinction of species in its care and has helped to save iconic American wildlife such as bald eagles, peregrine falcons, gray whales, green sea turtles, and grizzly bears, just to name a few.
Alarmingly, Congress is considering multiple pieces of legislation that could radically weaken this bedrock law. Congress needs to know that Americans do not support these efforts. By taking the Stop Extinction Challenge, you can help to protect the Endangered Species Act and the plants, fish, and animals it protects.
An astounding 24 bills attacking the Endangered Species Act (ESA) have already been introduced to the House of Representatives and Senate this session. Included among them are bills to legislatively delist wolves in as many as four states, slash funding for recovery programs, and even to turn listing decisions over to politicians at the state level instead of scientists.
The August Stop Extinction Challenge will help to stop these bills and allow you to take your advocacy for wildlife to the next level. There is also a cool prize or two if you complete each step!
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The first step is to commit to meet with your senator or representative or their staff by requesting a meeting in August.
Step 1: Visit your senator’s or representative’s local office or attend a town hall
When congressional staff members are asked, they will tell you that one of the most effective ways to help shape the outcome of legislation is to meet in person with the congressperson or their staff. While calls, emails, and tweets are very important, the act of physically voicing your concerns reigns supreme.
Members of Congress will be home in their states and districts for at least the last two weeks of August. This is our collective opportunity to stop these bills and keep the Endangered Species Act intact. Please take the first step in the August Stop Extinction Challenge and find an office or town hall and commit to go and make your voice heard!
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To prepare you for your visit or town hall, we have created materials you can download and read or bring with you to leave with the office.
Materials to read | Materials to print
Step 2: Call your senators
The second step in the Stop Extinction Challenge is to call your senators.
Calls into Congress have made a difference in past legislative fights. It only takes a minute of your time to make a call and can help to save endangered species. We will provide talking points and connect you with the office of your senators. You just need to pick up the phone!
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Step 3: Take action on social media
The third step is to tweet or post to your senators’ and representative’s Facebook pages.
Posting to your elected representative’s social media pages is a way to both get your message across and alert others to the need to take action. Click the button to tweet or post to your senators’ Facebook pages in just a couple clicks.. We’ll match you with your senators’ Twitter and Facebook profiles and help you write a compelling tweet or post.
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Step 4: Submit a letter to the editor of your local paper
Submitting a letter-to-the-editor is an almost certain way to get your elected officials’ attention. Everyone in Congress reads their local papers (or has staff read them) and when constituents write about matters before them, they take notice. Especially if you mention them by name. Click the button to go to a page where we’ll match you with your local paper and provide a draft letter for you to edit and send.
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Step 5: Tell us how it went and we’ll send you a prize!
Now that you’ve taken action online, take action offline by going to that meeting or walk-in office visit! Let us know you have scheduled a meeting here and report back on how it went here. If you complete all of the actions, we will send you an “I Stopped Extinction” tote bag as a small token of thanks for your efforts!
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