Sierra Club Solicitation Letter

[Little Dave]

There has been other discussion about conservation and which organizations are in the fold.  Sierra Club may have been at one time, but it has gone astray.  Here below is a solicitation letter they mailed to my wife last week.  I am including the full text here so it can be used for reference or citation.

I’m asking for your immediate help.  You have the power to help hundreds of animals and plants on the brink of extinction that have yet to receive protection under the Endangered Species Act, a law designed to save them, which is under attack from extremists in Washington, D.C. and around the country.

Dear Friend,

Today, the Endangered Species Act is a shell of its original self—and a new anti-environment movement is threatening to weaken it even more.

For far too long, oil companies, logging corporations, mining conglomerates and other special interests have been allowed to undermine the Endangered Species Act.  To protect their profits, they have stopped at nothing to halt listing endangered species, remove protections for numerous species that are still threatened and shred the conservation safety nets that protected the habitats endangered species need to survive.

They have done a lot of damage.  And right now, as you read this letter, still no action can be taken under the Endangered Species Act to stop global warming or oil drilling in fragile Arctic polar bear habitat, even though these two threats are driving this magnificent animal toward extinction.

In fact, the Department of Interior has recently announced plans to remove federal protections for grizzlies under the Endangered Species Act—even though they still face significant risk of extinction.

[Little Dave]

They continue...

That’s why I’m writing to you today.  You have the power to help restore full protection for endangered species if you take the two following actions:  First, sign the enclosed Citizen Petitions to Speaker of the House John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.  These petitions urge our Congressional leaders to work with the Obama Administration to restore and strengthen Endangered Species Act protections. Then, return your signed petitions with a Membership contribution to join the Sierra Club.  We have slashed our usual Membership fee to only $15 for you.  It is a special introductory reduced rate that we’re making available to encourage you and other concerned Americans to join our campaign to preserve this important legislation … as well as our  many other efforts to protect our nation’s natural resources.

Together, we must use our power to overcome the deep pockets and political clout of the oil industry, logging and mining companies, developers and other anti-environmental special interests.  And no one has a better record of standing up to special interests than the Sierra Club.

Founded by the legendary conservationist John Muir in 1892, the Sierra Club’s first challenge was to protect what is now Yosemite National Park from destructive exploitation—a battle we won despite overwhelming odds.  Since then, the Sierra Club has become America’s leading environmental champion … helping to protect our remaining Giant Sequoia forests … designating numerous National Parks … and much, much more.

As America’s oldest and most effective environmental organization, the Sierra Club has the expertise to protect our nation’s most vulnerable wildlife species.  In fact, the Endangered Species Act was originally implemented at the Sierra Club’s urging.

With your support, the Sierra Club will implement three major steps to restore full protection of threatened and endangered species under the Endangered Species Act.

One:  For years, species that should be listed have been ignored.  As a result of the Bush Administration’s inaction, hundreds of species on the brink of extinction do not currently have federal protections under the Endangered Species Act.  There is a lot of time to make up for.  Therefore, it is imperative that we work with the Obama Administration to fast-track listing these precious and endangered species right away.

Two: A harmful “holdover” rule from the Bush era that limits protections for the polar bear has remained in place, while other animals, like the lynx, ocelot and wolverine, remain in need of protection.  They are not yet fully recovered from the brink of extinction, and could easily slide back into the abyss.  You can read more about threatened and endangered species on the enclosed map.  The Sierra Club is working with the Obama Administration to reverse the limits placed on protection by the Bush Administration and ensure that listed species receive the full protections that the Endangered Species Act provides.

Three: We need to restore and increase funding to programs under the Endangered Species Act, which was crippled by Bush-era cuts—and now faces additional cuts from the new anti-environmental leaders in the House of Representatives and their cohorts in the United States Senate.

I realize we live in difficult times, but if we do not provide at least the minimum support needed to protect endangered species, polar bears, panthers, wolves, even grizzlies could become extinct!

There are a lot of wrongs that need to be righted … but we urgently need your help because we face a tough battle.

While the Obama Administration has reversed some of the damage done to the Endangered Species Act, the Administration still faces tough opposition to conservation initiatives—especially from the new Congress.

[Little Dave]

More...


The special interests who want to destroy the Endangered Species Act have been very successful in Washington, D.C., because President Bush spent eight years stacking agencies that oversee our nation’s endangered and imperiled wildlife with former executives from the oil industry and big developers.  Their damaging legacy still lingers in short-sighted and anti-environmental decisions.  And now, the oil, gas, timber, mining and commercial development industries have many new allies in Congress.

Your support will help the Sierra Club fight these corporate special interests and champion the values of the Endangered Species Act and the wildlife it protects.  Your contribution will immediately help to mobilize our network of citizen conservationists, educate the public to increase support for endangered species protection, lobby leaders in Congress and key staff members on Capitol Hill, petition elected leaders, organize work projects to improve endangered species’ habitats, mobilize citizens to speak out in defense of our nation’s natural heritage.

With your help, we will fight our opponents—even as they unleash waves of lawyers, lobbyists, PR experts and pollsters—spending millions to try to defeat us.  This is a major challenge, but it’s one that we can overcome, if enough people like you stand with us.

[Bigshooter]

The Sierra Club is a JOKE.

[Little Dave]

Their position on wolves...


What’s at stake?

Yellowstone Wolves:  The wolves in and around Yellowstone have been a political hot potato for years.  Recently the Department of the Interior removed Endangered Species Act protections for the gray wolf in the Northern Rockies.  Controversial public hunts ensued, with nearly 200 wolves killed in Idaho and Montana.  This included the Cottonwood Pack, which wandered outside the safety of Yellowstone National Park, where it was gunned down.  However, the Sierra Club won a decision from a U.S. District Court striking down the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s rule delisting gray wolves from the endangered species list in the Northern Rockies, and reinstating federal protection for wolves in the region.

Polar Bears in Alaska:  When the Bush Administration’s Department of the Interior listed the polar bear as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act, it attached a devastating loophole.  It said that no action could be taken to stop global warming or oil drilling in polar bear habitat—even though those are the very two threats that are driving this magnificent animal toward extinction.  This shameless loophole essentially knocks the legs out from under the Endangered Species Act, and over three years later, it has yet to be corrected.

The Florida Panther:  There are fewer than 100 Florida panthers remaining in the wild today.  Overdevelopment in panther habitat has been the biggest culprit in the decline of this majestic cat.  Every year, more and more panthers are killed as a result of highway accidents.  Without the full protection of the Endangered Species Act, greedy developers could literally bulldoze the panther into extinction.  The Florida panther stands to lose more of its dwindling habitat due to rising waters caused by global warming.  The Sierra Club is working with its partners in southwest Florida to establish critical habitat for this imperiled species.

America’s Grizzly Bears:  The truth of the matter is there would be no grizzly bears in the lower 48 states were it not for the protections afforded them under the Endangered Species Act.  Now, ominous forces are at work trying to convince the Department of Interior to remove federal protection for grizzlies under the Endangered Species Act.  We saw the impact of such an action when the Bush Administration removed federal protections in 2007, leaving 40% of grizzly bear habitat without protection from development, clear cutting of forests or other destructive uses.  The grizzly bear is already struggling to survive the assault of the pine beetle, which is rapidly destroying one of the bears’ main sources of food: the white bark pine.  Further destruction of grizzly habitat due to premature removal from the Endangered Species Act would be an environmental disaster for these magnificent and endangered animals.

So please hurry to join the Sierra Club and help strengthen our fight to maintain a strong, effective Endangered Species Act by signing and returning the urgent petitions we’ve included to the Speaker of the House and Senate Majority Leader … and by also giving the Sierra Club the financial resources we need to fight for conservation.  A minimum contribution of $15 is all it takes.  But if you can afford to give more, I urge you to do so … because we really need your help.

As a Sierra Club Member, you will be eligible for many benefits, including … a subscription to the award-winning Sierra magazine … Membership to your local Sierra Club Chapter … and discounts on Sierra Club publications and calendars.  And if you take advantage of the special $15 introductory level or above today, you’ll receive your free Sierra Club Commemorative 1892 John Muir Rucksack.  Hurry, supplies are limited.  Please do your part by supporting our efforts to protect the Endangered Species Act, and all the living things that share this small, precious, blue planet we call home.

Sincerely,
Michael Brune
Executive Director

P.S. Please respond right away—your signed petitions will demonstrate widespread support for our efforts to strengthen and enforce the Endangered Species Act against attacks from the oil, mining and logging special interests.  We also need your financial support as a Member of the Sierra Club so support this and many other actions we are taking to protect the environment around us.  So please, respond right away and get your free limited-edition Commemorative 1892 John Muir Rucksack.

[Bob33]

The Sierra Club is a JOKE.

I wish I could laugh...

[Bigshooter]

Help defeat the Sierra Club.  http://www.biggameforever.org/    use the link and click on "how you can help".

[bearpaw]

 

What is going on in congress is primarily due to wolves. They attempt to garner support by making all these claims about drilling in polar bear habit and other @%$@$^*)#!~%

These people will say anything to richen their coffers....

[Elkaholic daWg]

 Yes they will and too many hunters ARE drinking their kool aid.  And then OUR tax dollars pay their legal bills and they make lots of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$



By the way ,so is this bunch. Wilderness Society


Dear Jim,

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Donate today and help TWS stop the budget axe from falling on the wild places America loves so much.

Recently we all watched in horror as the House passed legislation that has the potential to decimate pristine forests, pollute our air and water, close national parks, and put thousands of people out of work. Now we need each of you to help us work with the Senate to stop these budget cuts to conservation from taking place.

Donate today if you haven’t already, and help TWS oppose some of the most extreme cuts to conservation that we’ve seen in our 76 year history!