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.

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.

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. [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. [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. 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