At one point the Great Lakes region was home to anywhere from 500 to 800 nesting pairs of Piping Plovers. But by 1990, the birds had become alarmingly scarce: Along the 4,500-mile Great Lakes coast, a mere 12 pairs had maintained a foothold. The Piping Plover is now endangered or threatened across every corner of its range—and it is nearly gone as a breeder from the entire region. Worse yet, if climate change continues unchecked, a staggering 87% of this bird’s current breeding range could be lost.

We're not going to sit by and let that happen—and we know you won't either. We’re counting on 99 committed bird lovers to start an annual gift before midnight to power our best efforts on behalf of birds like the Piping Plover. Thanks to a group of generous donors, your first gift will be matched, up to $500,000, for birds in need.