John,
More than a century ago, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act was passed to protect over a thousand species of migratory birds from human-caused harm—intentional or not. Now, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed that the law should no longer protect birds against unintentional harm, no matter how many birds are killed—eliminating common-sense protections for migratory birds.
With just 5 days left until the comment period ends, we need you to speak out today in opposition of the new proposal to undermine and weaken the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
Under this harmful new proposal, industries will no longer be held accountable for activities that unintentionally cause bird deaths.
By exempting “incidental” bird deaths from enforcement, we eliminate a powerful incentive for companies to adopt practices that protect birds from threats such as toxic oil and waste pits. It also eliminates the financial penalties for actions that kill a substantial amount of birds, like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill which killed hundreds of thousands of birds. These penalties direct money back into bird conservation to mitigate the damage and help affected species recover. Will you take action now to prevent future tragedies for our migratory birds?
Now is not the time to weaken America’s landmark bird protection act. One third of North American birds are in trouble, and this trend is part of a larger crisis impacting America’s wildlife.
Instead of repealing common-sense practices, the federal government should be making it easier for companies to do the RIGHT THING. You only have 5 days left to take action to stop one of the oldest and most successful conservation laws in the United States from being severely weakened.
As you read this, wood duck pairs are moving out to beaver ponds and other wetlands to nest in tree cavities or man-made nest boxes. Some will migrate to the northern United States and Canada as the ice-covered rivers, ponds, and wetlands melt with the warming spring temperatures. By the early twentieth century, the wood duck was at risk of extinction due to habitat loss and unregulated market hunting. Will you speak out to protect the laws that saved the wood duck?
The fate of our migratory birds is in the hands of friends of wildlife like you. When the wood duck and other migratory birds return south this winter, will they be more vulnerable to old threats and new challenges than ever before? Yes, unless we save the laws that protect them. Please submit a comment to let the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to oppose this new proposal to undermine and weaken the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
Thank you for standing up for one of our nation’s bedrock wildlife conservation laws.
