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[ NRDC ]NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council)

Dear NRDC Supporter,

The last few years under the Trump presidency have been a catastrophe for
the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and for the wildlife that depend on it —
and this year has been no different. Now, before he leaves office, Trump
is trying to deliver some final gifts to his big polluter allies and is
cementing these devastating assaults before President-elect Biden is sworn
in next month.

The Trump administration just finalized TWO reckless regulations that
weaken this bedrock law by making it harder to protect habitat on which
endangered species rely amidst a biodiversity crisis — all to drive big
polluter profits.

For species struggling to survive in the face of climate change and other
threats, these attacks on critical habitats could push them further toward
the brink of extinction.

[ [link removed] ]NRDC will do whatever it takes to reverse these and other assaults —
but we need your support. Please make an all-important gift to
our Year-End Campaign. It will be MATCHED 3X, up to our goal of $500,000,
to help us double down and fight back harder than ever — in and out of
court.

[ [link removed] ]Help protect endangered species.

The Trump administration's new regulations would make it easier to open
critical endangered species habitat to fossil fuel development and other
industrial polluters and it would make it easier to leave areas crucial to
a species' long-term survival and recovery unprotected.

Thanks to the ESA, 99 percent of listed species have been saved from
extinction — like the iconic bald eagle and the Florida manatee. But
assaults on this bedrock law have put some of our most majestic and
critically important wild species back in the crosshairs of elimination,
which may also lead to irreversible destruction of the healthy ecosystems
we depend on for survival:

Gray wolves: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finalized a rule to strip
gray wolves of Endangered Species Act protections in the Lower 48 states.
The agency was required to implement a national recovery plan for the wolf
BEFORE delisting them. But it has so far failed to develop a national plan
to ensure wolves' recovery. Wolves are important members of the ecological
community and play a crucial role in Indigenous culture and spirituality.
NRDC has filed an intent to sue and will take this fight to court if
necessary. [ [link removed] ][Donate now to help us protect gray wolves.]

Bees, butterflies, and birds: America's bees and pollinators are suffering
alarming declines at the hands of bee-killing pesticides, habitat loss,
and other threats, and with their decline comes grave risk to our global
food supply. This leads to increased food insecurity, which
disproportionately impacts poor communities and communities of color.
Recently, Trump's Fish and Wildlife Service refused to designate critical
habitat for the highly endangered rusty patched bumblebee, a protection
that is essential if the bee is to recover. This once-common pollinator
has disappeared from nearly 90 percent of its native range. NRDC and its
environmental partners have formally notified the Service that we intend
to sue. [ [link removed] ][Donate now to fuel our court cases to protect critical
pollinators.]

The fights at hand to protect the sanctity of the Endangered Species Act
won't end once Trump is out of office. We'll need to stay vigilant until
these and other NRDC court battles are won. And if ever this bedrock law
comes face to face with another threat, from this administration or the
next, NRDC will do whatever it takes — even if it means racing to court —
to mount the best defense possible.

But until then, as the Trump administration ends and we welcome a new
Biden-Harris presidency, we need to shore up our resources now in
preparation for what's to come. [ [link removed] ]Please, make an end of year gift today,
and it will be TRIPLE matched, up to our $500,000 goal.

On behalf of my team at NRDC and the wildlife we work every day to
protect, thank you for everything you do. It makes a true difference.

Sincerely,

Lucas Rhoads
Project Attorney, Nature, NRDC


Bee Image: Jill Utrup/USFWS

Donations will be used to fight for the health and safety of future
generations on our planet, and for other campaigns that allow NRDC to
protect the environment in the most effective way possible.

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