URGENT: STELLER SEA LIONS IN BIG TROUBLE, NOW !!!

[Guest guest]

URGENT, STELLER SEA LIONS IN BIG TROUBLE , NOW +ACEAIQAh-

 

Dear Friend of animals,

 

The following are two very urgent pleas for endangered

Steller Sea lions. There are two +ACI- WHAT YOU CAN DO +ACI- below.

Let's summerize them here :

 

NOW, PLEASE CALL/FAX TO (Politely and Urgently) :

 

1: Julie Anderson, Special Assistant to the

President for Legislative Affairs,

Ph: (202) 456-1769

Fax: (202) 456-6220

 

2: Chief of Staff John Podesta at : 202-456-6798

 

3: Director Jacob Lew at : 202-395-4840.

 

 

PURPOSE : Urge them to :

 

+ACI-PLEASE OPPOSE ANY and ALL provisions (or rider) that

would undermine protections for endangered Steller Sea Lions.+ACI-

 

EXPLAIN to them very briefly :

 

+ACI-The Steller Sea Lions population has declined from 140,000

decades ago to less than 16,000 today, mostly as a result of

over-fishing in sea lion habitat. A recent federal court ruling

mandated the cessation of groundfish trawling in sea lion habitat

in order to reverse this deadly trend. This is the LAST CHANCE

for Steller Sea lions entire specie +ACE- +ACI-

 

Thanks for your urgent help for Steller Sea Lions plight.

Citizens concerns.

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Sandy Abels +ADw-grwhales+AEA-mindspring.com+AD4-

Saturday, November 04, 2000 3:28 AM

Stellar Sea Lions Need Your Help.

 

 

STELLER SEA LIONS IN DIRE STRAITS:

 

As reported in the recent Special Alert (10/11/00), the world's

Steller Sea Lion population is in serious trouble+ACE-

 

The population has declined from 140,000 decades ago to less

than 16,000 today, mostly as a result of over-fishing in sea lion

habitat. A recent federal court ruling mandated the cessation of

groundfish trawling in sea lion habitat in order to reverse this

deadly trend.

 

Now, an outrageous special provision, or +ACI-rider,+ACI- to the federal

Commerce, State, and Justice Appropriations bill will reverse the

federal court ruling to stop groundfish trawling and will nullify the

protection given to sea lions under the Endangered Species Act+ACE-

 

This insidious rider will exempt trawl fisheries from complying with

the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy

Act. The rider would also eliminate additional protections for

Steller Sea Lions by lifting the requirement for Environmental

Assessments in crucial sea lion habitat zones.

 

WE HAVE JUST BEEN ADVISED THAT THE WHITE HOUSE MIGHT

CAVE IN ON THIS ISSUE and allow corruption of the Endangered

Species Act. If so, the demise of these magnificent, animals draws

dangerously closer. They are literally starving to death+ACE-

 

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

 

Take just one moment TO CALL AND FAX the White House with

a message asking them to

 

+ACI-Oppose ANY and ALL provisions that would undermine protections

for endangered Steller Sea Lions.+ACI-

 

Direct comments to the attention of:

 

Julie Anderson, Special Assistant to the President

for Legislative Affairs,

Ph: (202)456-1769 / Fax: (202) 456-6220.

-----

This message is from last week.

 

SEA LIONS IN TROUBLE+ACE-

 

+ACYAIw-10033+ADs- Special Alert+ACE- +ACYAIw-10033+ADs-

+ACYAIw-10033+ADs- Backdoor Congressional rider could spell disaster for

endangered sea lions+ACE- +ACYAIw-10033+ADs-

 

We have just received critical information that last minute maneuvering

in Congress could undermine recently-enacted federal protection for

the endangered Steller sea lion+ACE-

 

Your phone calls and emails to the White House could be the last chance

to save the entire species,whose numbers have crashed in recent

decades because of years of ruthless overfishing by trawling and

other methods favored by modern industrial fisheries. Groundfish

trawling devastates the local ecology wherever it passes, scooping up

vast numbers of fish and other marine life from ocean floors. As a

result, sea lions in many areas are literally starving to death+ACE- Since

the 1960's, some portions of the Steller sea lion population have

declined by well over 80+ACUAIQ- The rest of the ocean ecosystem is faring

little better at the hands of the trawling industry: harbor seals,

fur seals, and fish-eating bird populations are declining dramatically,

and local king and snow crab fisheries have collapsed.

 

In recognition of this ecological crisis, a federal court closed sea

lion critical habitat to groundfish trawlers in July of this year,

ordering the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to take

a comprehensive look at its fisheries management program and

assess its effects on endangered sea lions. The court ruling halts

trawl fishing for groundfish species in Steller sea lion habitat until a

complete environmental assessment is done. The court will then

evaluate and make a ruling on the NMFS's findings on how best to

protect Steller sea lions from extinction.

 

However, several anti-environmental members of Congress are trying to

thwart sea lion protection by attaching an outrageous special provision,

or +ACI-rider,+ACI- to the Commerce, State, and Justice Appropriations bill. The

rider would reverse the federal court ruling to stop trawling in

critical sea lion habitat --- nullifying the protections for sea lions

mandated by the court, and exempting trawl fisheries from complying

with the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy

Act.

 

It would also lift the requirement for environmental assessments that

would provide additional protections for the endangered

Steller sea lions

 

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

 

Only phone calls will make the difference now+ACE-

Please take a few moments to make these crucial phone calls to the

Whitehouse+ACE-

 

Call Chief of Staff John Podesta at : 202-456-6798 and

Director Jacob Lew at : 202-395-4840.

 

Ask them to urge President Clinton to +ACI-oppose any provisions that

would undermine protections for endangered Steller sea lions.+ACI-

 

They have helped with other anti-environmental riders, so thank

them and politely encourage them to help the sea lions+ACE-

 

For more information on the crisis facing the Steller sea lions, contact

Barbara Jeanne Polo, Executive Director,

American Oceans Campaign,

600 Pennsylvania Ave. SE . Suite 210, Washington, DC 20003 /

ph: (202)544-3526 / fax: (202) 544-5625 /

email: bjpolo+AEA-americanoceans.org OR visit

http://www.americanoceans.org/ and http://www.stopextinction.org

 

Sandra Abels

U.S. Citizens Against Whaling

+ACI-Saving Our Oceans One Whale At A Time+ACI-

www.usagainstwhaling.org