Stand Up to Protect Endangered Species in
National Wildlife Refuges

We need your voice to protect our nation's endangered species that call our national wildlife refuges home. These precious refuges are critical sanctuaries for our native threatened and endangered species, providing them with safe havens to thrive and recover. However, these refuges are under threat, and the species they protect need your help.

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) is the most effective law in the world for saving imperiled species and the ecosystems on which they depend. Since passage into law with overwhelming bipartisan support in 1973, the law has helped prevent the extinction of our nation's wildlife treasures, including the bald eagle, California condor, and the Florida manatee. Over 95 percent of species listed under the ESA are still with us today and hundreds are on the path to recovery.

The mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System goes hand in hand with the goals of the ESA. It provides sanctuary for 513 threatened or endangered species, a third of all U.S.-listed species, across 444 of our nation’s 568 refuges. These protected lands and waters provide the last remaining habitat for some of our most imperiled wildlife. For example, the Refuge System protects the last remaining wintering grounds for the endangered whooping crane at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas and provides the only known habitat for 24 species of flora and fauna found nowhere else but Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Nevada. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the crown jewel of the Refuge System, protects the largest on-shore denning habitat for polar bears in the United States. Other iconic species like the Florida panther, leatherback turtle, and red wolf rely on these protected lands for their survival. These national wildlife refuges are their last hope, and we must ensure they remain safe and intact.

Unfortunately, over a decade of drastically insufficient federal funding has left the Refuge System and the species it protects at risk, and funding continues to fall behind every year. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the primary agency tasked to implement the ESA. They are staffed with scientists, biologists, and conservationists who are experts in what species need to survive and thrive. However, no refuges are fully staffed, and more than half of refuges have zero staff on site. Many refuges are closed to the public and are completely unmanaged. In this age of rapidly decreasing biodiversity, we must invest as much funding as possible today so these protected areas are available tomorrow for shifting conservation needs.

Take action now to protect these irreplaceable refuges and the threatened and endangered species they harbor. Write to your elected officials and urge them to increase funding for the National Wildlife Refuge System and support legislation that strengthens protections for the endangered species that depend on it. Let them know that protecting endangered species is a top priority for you. Your action today can help safeguard these vital national wildlife refuges and the incredible creatures that depend on them.

Thank you for your commitment to conservation and the protection of our natural world.