John,

We're experience a global extinction crisis, losing a species almost every hour. Scientists predict that more than 1 million species are on track to vanish forever in the coming decades. With each extinction, natural systems we all depend on for survival — like pollination, water purification and carbon sequestration — will falter.

Take action for Endangered Species Day: Urge your members of Congress to pass the Extinction Prevention Act.

This legislation would work in tandem with the Endangered Species Act, which prevents extinction for 99% of the animals and plants under its care. Due to decades of underfunding, imperiled species are falling through the cracks — and the Extinction Prevention Act would help remedy this.

It would provide $5 million per year, per group, to pay for the urgently needed conservation of four groups of species at greatest risk of extinction: freshwater mussels, desert fish, Hawaiian plants and North American butterflies.

The current extinction crisis is entirely of our own making. Centuries of habitat destruction, pollution, invasive species expansion, overharvest from the wild, population growth and now climate change are pushing nature to the brink. It’s up to us to take restorative action — and there’s no time to waste.

Tell your members of Congress to pass the Extinction Prevention Act to provide crucial funding for our most critically endangered species.