An urgent call for help

From Larry Schweiger on the Louisiana Coast

As you read this, 200,000 gallons of oil a day are threatening over 400 species of wildlife off the Mississippi Delta.

Endangered sea turtles may lose their food supplies, dolphins are at risk for chemical burns, and birds are at risk of ingesting of toxic oil as they desperately try to groom.

I arrived in Louisiana just 3 short days ago, and I’m frustrated, saddened, and angry by the scale of the ecological disaster. We need to create a world where disasters like this won't happen again.

Right now, Congress is dragging their feet on policies that could protect wildlife from disasters like the one along the Gulf Coast – the National Wildlife Federation Action Fund needs your help to turn up the pressure on Congress and get them passed.
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Can you help? Please make a contribution today to help push for legislation that offers cleaner and safer energy choices that prevent spills like the one along the Gulf Coast that is threatening so many wildlife populations.

I’m here in Louisiana working with local communities on the front lines of the cleanup. But the truth is, oil spills like this can never be simply or completely “cleaned up.” We can contain the damage and rescue as many animals as possible – but once the oil spills, there is a very real threat that entire generations of marine and wildlife could be lost forever.

Your gift will go directly to our work to advocate for wildlife by:

1. Ending our reliance on the oil companies that endanger our natural world. This spill makes it clear: Congress can no longer put oil companies before America's environment, economy and wildlife. We are urging the U.S. Senate to pass comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation, that moves us rapidly toward cleaner and safer energy alternatives.

2. Restoring Coastal Louisiana's wetlands. The oil spill poses a severe threat to Louisiana’s already endangered wetlands. The Obama Administration should take immediate action to restore wetlands and barrier islands along Louisiana's Gulf Coast.

3. Stopping the rush to invest in dirty fuels. Right now our government is considering whether to allow tar sands oil companies to build a pipeline that would pump oil straight through America’s heartland, destroying wildlife and their habitats.

We have the expertise and the know-how to fight for America’s wildlife. We’re going to fight harder than ever to make these protections a reality - but we can’t do it without you.

Please make a donation today to protect wildlife from preventable disasters like the Gulf Coast Oil Spill.

Thanks so much for standing with us as we continue our emergency efforts in Louisiana. We’ll keep you updated as cleanup efforts continue to unfold in the coming days.

Sincerely,
Larry Schweiger
Board Member
National Wildlife Federation Action Fund