John,

Venture into your local wetland, and you'll quickly see how unique these places are.

Bobbing cattails and bullfrogs croaking atop lilypads, muskrats snuffling for food beneath the sprawling limbs of mangrove trees, birdsong chattering out of the bushes.

But these unique, biologically rich ecosystems are under threat. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a plan that would weaken the Clean Water Act and strip back protections for our nation's wetlands.

Protect our wetlands: Tell the EPA not to weaken the Clean Water Act.

This new plan would roll back federal clean water protections from even more wetlands and streams across the nation, threatening drinking water sources for millions of Americans.1,2

This move would also make it easier for developers and mining companies to pave over our nation's wetlands.

These ecological treasures were once regarded as wastelands. Now we know just how valuable they are. They help purify polluted water. They provide critical habitat for birds, fish, amphibians and other wildlife. They can even help protect our communities from flooding.3

And they're some of our favorite places to enjoy the outdoors -- fishing, hunting or birdwatching amid the stuttering chorus of birdsong.

Right now, our remaining wetlands need protection. Send your message to the EPA urging the agency not to weaken the Clean Water Act and open wetlands to pollution.

We know what happens when we don't protect our nation's wetlands. In 1990, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released a startling report -- more than half of the 221 million acres of wetlands that existed in the continental U.S. in the late 1700s had been destroyed.4

It was through ambitious conservation efforts that wetlands have been protected and restored across the country. Thanks to this work, fish, waterfowl and other wildlife continue to thrive among the bobbing cattails -- and a new generation of Americans can enjoy the beauty and benefits of these wildly unique ecosystems.

Our wetlands can't afford for us to go backwards on clean water protections now.

Take action to protect our nation's wetlands and streams by adding your voice today.

Thank you for standing with our nation's wetlands,

Ellen Montgomery

1. "Updated Definition of Waters of the United States," Environmental Protection Agency, November 17, 2025.
2. "Geographic Information Systems Analysis of the Surface Drinking Water Provided by Intermittent, Ephemeral, and Headwater Streams in the U.S.," Environmental Protection Agency, last accessed November 13, 2025.
3. "Why are Wetlands Important?," National Parks Service, May 16, 2025.
4. "Why are Wetlands Important?," National Parks Service, May 16, 2025.