Urge Congress Not to Remove Endangered Species Act Protections for the Lesser Prairie-Chicken
Dear John,
Protections for the lesser prairie-chicken are again under attack in Congress. This bird, which was listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 2022, has declined in abundance by 20% since 2021 and now inhabits less than 10% of its former range. Two populations are federally protected: A population in Texas and New Mexico is listed as endangered, while a separate northern population in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Colorado is listed as threatened. Despite the clear peril this bird faces, the Senate plans to vote this week on a resolution that would reverse those ESA protections.
Under the ESA, listing decisions are supposed to be based on the best available science, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service went through a rigorous process to determine that the lesser prairie-chicken is in need of protection. The proposed Senate resolution would nullify the ESA listing, ignoring science and severely jeopardizing the species' survival. S.J. Res. 9 seeks to decide the fate of this bird based on political considerations and could prevent the USFWS from ever relisting the lesser prairie-chicken in the future.
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What You Can Do
The Senate will vote on the resolution this week. Please contact your senators and urge them to vote NO on S.J. Res. 9.
Share our action alert with family, friends, and co-workers, and encourage them to take action, too. As always, thank you very much for your help!
Sincerely,
Kate Dylewsky
Assistant Director, Government Affairs
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Photo by from Flickr by alwaysabirder |