Dear Defender of Wildlife,

The single biggest action we can take to save southern resident orcas from starving to death is clear – but we need your help.

On the lower Snake River in the Pacific northwest, four outdated dams hold back more than water. Those dams make it incredibly difficult for wild Chinook salmon – the orcas' primary food source – to reproduce, and both populations are in freefall.

These orcas have suffered for far too long. Join us in calling for these dams to be removed, while there’s still time to save these species!

Take Action: Tell your members of Congress to support removing outdated dams to save Chinook salmon and starving orcas!

Critically endangered southern resident orcas gather at the mouth of the Columbia River, waiting to feed on the Chinook salmon runs of the Columbia Basin. But as salmon are disappearing, so too are orcas.

Defender of Wildlife,the situation is desperate: Only 73 southern resident orcas remain, and the survivors are suffering right now. Without immediate action, we could see the rest of these orcas starve to death in our lifetime.

Leading orca researchers believe that without removing the four lower Snake River dams, it may be nearly impossible to save these orcas from extinction.

We can't lose these species. Support the removal of these unnecessary dams right now!

While federal agencies are currently assessing the impact these dams have on wildlife, they are only expected to support small steps that won't make enough of a difference to end this crisis. And the Trump administration recently shrank the public comment period for this assessment by over 80%, further depriving the public of a voice.

Now it's up to Congress to do what these agencies won't. Make sure they know they have your support! Tell your members of Congress: End the starving orca crisis!

With these dams removed, we could finally begin to see southern resident orcas and Chinook salmon make a recovery. And this long nightmare of watching these species suffer and die could finally be over.

But unless we act, this crisis is only going to get worse. Please join us today in fighting to save these vulnerable species, while there's still time!

Please take a moment to demand that your members of Congress support action to save Chinook salmon and starving southern resident orcas!

Sincerely,

Robb Krehbiel Northwest Program Representative Defenders of Wildlife