Dear Audubon Advocate,
Nearly 17,000 Audubon members have taken action to help save Lesser Prairie-Chickens. Will you join them? The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote this week on whether to rescind Endangered Species Act protections from these imperiled birds.
The Lesser Prairie-Chicken is one of the most iconic bird species of the Great Plains, with eye-catching plumage and elaborate courtship dances. Yet their populations have declined by 97 percent since the 1960s due to widespread habitat loss, making it one of the species most vulnerable to extinction in North America.
Last November, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Lesser Prairie-Chicken under the Endangered Species Act to help ensure its survival. But now, this protection is in jeopardy as Congress attempts to overturn the science-based decision.
Urge your members of Congress to vote NO on the removal of the Lesser Prairie-Chicken from the Endangered Species Act.
The Endangered Species Act, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, provides a critical safety net for our most imperiled wildlife. This Congressional Review Act vote—aka the Lesser Prairie-Chicken Extinction Act—will not only eliminate much-needed protections for this species, but it could also prevent any future protection, which may doom it to extinction. The vote would also set a dangerous precedent by replacing science-based decisions with politics.
Take action today and tell your members of Congress to continue protecting this vulnerable species on the brink of extinction, and to keep politics out of science-based conservation.
