DENlines Issue #31
Defenders Electronic Network (DEN)
Friday, December 29, 2000

1.YEAR-END WRAP UP: Defenders of Wildlife Looks Back at Successes
2.PUBLIC HEALTH: White House Finalizes New Diesel Truck and Bus Standards
3.ENERGY: President-Elect Backs Oil, Gas Industry
4.WOLVES: Defenders Launches Wolf, Grizzly Protection Fund
5.DOLPHINS: Help us Track Down Dolphin-Deadly Tuna!
6.WOLVES II: Want to Save Something Wild and get a Year-End Tax Deduction too?

1. YEAR-END WRAP UP: Defenders of Wildlife Looks Back at Successes

The year 2000 was successful for Defenders’ Electronic Network (DEN) - we grew to a membership of more than 370,000 and become an influential voice in e-activism for saving wild things and protecting the environment. DEN members have played a key role in some notable cases, including: a victory for endangered sea turtles in Texas, the designation of the Northwest Hawaiian Islands as a coral reef ecosystem reserve, the removal of anti-environmental amendments from budget bills, and the passage of the Anti-Shark Finning and Bear Protection Acts.

Defenders thanks you for your continued interest in DEN and looks forward to continued victories in the coming year. For more on DEN, click here for a message from Rodger Schlickeisen, President of Defenders of Wildlife: http://www.defenders.org/audio/thankyou.html.

2. PUBLIC HEALTH: White House Finalizes New Diesel Truck and Bus Standards

President Clinton has approved new regulations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to clean up emissions from diesel trucks and buses. These heavy-duty vehicles are two of the worst polluters of our air and account for 27% of smog and soot produced by all of the nation’s motor vehicles. This pollution threatens the air quality of wildlife habitat in urban and suburban landscapes. Defenders thanks the over 1,000 DEN members who sent e-mails urging the EPA to get tough on big trucks and buses with common-sense steps like promoting use of low-sulfur diesel fuel and enacting a requirement that big trucks meet improved emission standards. This is a great victory for the environment and public health.

For more on the new standards, click here: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/diesel.htm.

3. ENERGY: President-Elect Bush Backs Oil, Gas Industry

During his national campaign, President-elect George W. Bush said that his administration would open the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. Oil exploration and extraction could be catastrophic for wildlife. The oil fields of neighboring Prudhoe Bay are estimated to have spilled over 100,000 gallons of petroleum products in one recent year alone. The coastal plain would experience oil spills, disruptive seismic testing, road and pipeline building, and a massive increase in human activity that could have disastrous impacts on wildlife.

The incoming Bush Administration may need to help solve the current, short-term energy problem. But it would take 10 years to get oil from the Arctic Refuge, and could seriously hurt wildlife there. President-elect Bush needs to look at new and innovative energy sources. For example, raising the fuel efficiency of cars and light trucks would save more oil than we import from the Persian Gulf and even the most optimistic projections of reserves under the Arctic Refuge and offshore California. And it would help with the problem quickly, not 10 years from now.

4. WOLVES: Defenders Launches Wolf, Grizzly Protection Fund

To help protect wolves and grizzly bears, Defenders of Wildlife has established a new Proactive Carnivore Conservation Fund. The fund will assist landowners with on-the-ground projects that reduce potential conflict between large predators and livestock. By heading off livestock conflicts before they happen, these measures can save the lives of many wolves and bears every year. For example, lethal removal by government agencies following livestock predation is the single biggest cause of wolf mortality in the northern Rockies. For several years, Defenders has supported innovative measures to keep wolves and bears feeding on their natural food sources instead of livestock. For example, we’ve supported the use of guard animals, purchasing hay and renting alternative pasture for livestock growers away from wolf den sites. The fund will allow Defenders to expand this important work to protect wolves and grizzly bears in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, New Mexico and Arizona.

For more on the fund, click here: http://www.defenders.org/releases/pr2000/pr122100.html.

5. DOLPHINS: Help us Track Down Dolphin-Deadly Tuna!

Canned tuna from Mexico’s largest cannery, which purchases tuna caught with dolphin-harming nets, has slipped into the United States with an "Amigo del Delfin" (dolphin friendly) label. That’s illegal in the U.S., and we need your help to stop it.

The tuna is sold under the "Dolores" brand in supermarkets from California to Chicago -- you can see a photo of a label at: http://www.defenders.org/tunalabel.jpg. If you spot one of these cans of dolphin-deadly tuna, contact Bill Snape at denlines@den.defenders.org immediately.

6. WOLVES II: Want to Save Something Wild and get a Year-End Tax Deduction too?

Help save the lives of wolves by "adopting" a wolf in your name or giving the sponsorship to someone special in your life. And it’s easy – just go to http://www.defenders.org/adopt.html. Your tax-deductible sponsorship gift of $25 or more will bring that special person an adoption certificate in his or her name, a wolf sponsor seal, our informative publication "Wolves of America", a 2001 subscription to Defenders, our award-winning quarterly four-color magazine, and a cuddly, plush wolf toy. So adopt a wolf today!

If the adoption is for you, just leave the "sponsor" space blank. While your "adopt a wolf" material will arrive within four to six weeks, your contribution is tax deductible for 2000 if made online or mailed by December 31. If you wish to send a check, mail it with the appropriate information to: 

When you adopt a wolf, you’ll know you helped a wolf survive somewhere in the wild. Thank you, and Happy New Year!

SEND AN E-CARD: 

As a thank you for taking action and staying informed on important wildlife and conservation issues through DENlines, Defenders of Wildlife invites you to send a FREE dolphin e-card to your friends telling them about DEN. The e-card features a photo of a dolphin and a personal message from you.

Send a free dolphin e-card now.

DENlines is a bi-weekly publication of Defenders of Wildlife, a leading national conservation organization recognized as one of the nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and its habitat. It is known for its effective leadership on endangered species issues, particularly predators such as brown bears and gray wolves. Defenders also advocates new approaches to wildlife conservation that protect species before they become endangered. Founded in 1947, Defenders is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with more than 400,000 members and supporters.

Copyright © Defenders of Wildlife 2000