The first of this year’s threatened and endangered Gulf sea turtle hatchlings

In just a few days, the first of this year’s threatened and endangered Gulf sea turtle hatchlings are supposed to emerge from their nests and make their way down the beach to the ocean.

Sadly, they will be greeted by a terrifying world: toxic, oil-covered waters that many will be forced to swim through. [1]

Oil can poison sea turtles. It can cause them to drown. And it can cause deformities in the young, risking the continued survival of the 5 highly imperiled turtle species now found in the Gulf.

Please make a tax-deductible donation right now to support our efforts on the ground in the Gulf, in the courts and in Washington to protect threatened and endangered sea turtles.

Last week, reports indicated that Gulf sea turtles were even burned alive as BP tried to corral and burn off oil before it reached the shore.

With your help, we can make a difference for the imperiled sea turtles of the Gulf. Your donation will help us…

Fight in court to save sea turtles and other wildlife threatened by the Gulf oil disaster. Defenders – and our partners at the Southern Environmental Law Center – were the first to serve notice on BP that we will take them to court to ensure the greatest safeguards possible for sea turtles protected by the Endangered Species Act and to hold the company responsible for the loss of sea turtles and other wildlife.
Stop the next drilling disaster. We’ve mobilized more than 113,000 caring individuals like you in our efforts to stop dangerous new offshore drilling that could further threaten sea turtles and other coastal wildlife and we’re working with allies in Congress and fighting in the courts to stop risky drilling in the Gulf, off the coast of Alaska and off the coasts of Atlantic states like North Carolina.
Work on the ground to save sea turtles. We’ve recruited hundreds of people in Florida for beach clean-ups to speed recovery efforts as oil strikes the beaches of the Sunshine State. We’re also coordinating efforts with refuge managers, officials on the federal response team and wildlife rehabilitation professionals. And our hazmat-trained Florida team is on call, prepared to assist with cleanup and restoration efforts to protect our sea turtles and other wildlife.
The threat to our sea turtles is great and we need your help to do even more. Please help support these and other efforts to protect sea turtles.

With Hurricane Alex now threatening to complicate recovery efforts, we need your help more than ever. [1] Tuesday, officials were forced to postpone efforts to plug BP’s Deepwater Horizon well have been temporarily abandoned until the storm passes, allowing thousands of barrels of oil to once again gush unchecked into the Gulf.

More oil means more problems for the five threatened or endangered sea turtle species found in the Gulf – and an even greater need for your support.