From the Inbox: eNews:The Oily Beast

The Belly of the Oily Beast Last week, Defenders of Wildlife’s Executive Vice President Jamie Clark headed back to the Gulf Coast for a firsthand look at the devastating impacts of the offshore oil disaster on the region’s wildlife. What Jamie witnessed was both heartbreaking and heartening: While oil-coated birds and their chicks struggled with thick globs of invading oil, people from all across the country were frantically working to contain the mess and save the wildlife from the toxic deluge. Read Jamie’s Firsthand Account Read Wildlife Photographer Krista Schlyer’s Moving Blog Post on the Iconic Brown Pelican Get the Latest on Defenders’ Efforts in the Gulf of Mexico How You Can Help Help Save Loggerhead Sea Turtles More than 56,000 Defenders supporters have taken action. If you haven’t already, please urge federal officials to list these rare sea turtles as an endangered species Save Our Beaches Join others from across the U.S. in support of clean beaches on June 26th by participating in “Hands Across the Sand.” Visit our partners at to find an event near you -- or organize your own event. Wins for Wildlife Senate Votes to Uphold the Clean Air Act Last week, the Senate rejected an attempt by Senator Lisa Murkowski (AK) to prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gases -- a victory for polar bears and other wildlife in a warming world. Defenders supporters sent in more than 23,000 messages urging their senators to oppose the terrible proposal. Learn More Arctic Win! In the wake of the offshore Gulf oil disaster -- and the more than 118,000 Defenders activists who wrote to the President and other federal officials -- the Obama administration postponed new Arctic drilling for a year, giving walrus, polar bears and other wildlife a reprieve from another round of dirty drilling. Learn More This victory should make you "hoppy!"Last summer more than 37,000 Defenders activists spoke out against the use of endosulfan -- a deadly poison that threatens birds, and amphibians like the northern leopard frog. This week, the Environmental Protection Agency finally banned the toxin’s use. According to one scientific study, even a low dose of endosulfan was enough to kill 84% of leopard frog tadpoles that came in contact with it. Learn more about frogs Advancing Lead-Free Wildlife Defenders supporters in California sent more than 15,000 messages to their State Assembly members and helped advance important legislation to reduce toxic lead in wildlife living in The Golden State by requiring the use of lead-free ammunition in state-managed wildlife areas. The bill now heads to the California Senate. Tampa Bay Clean-Up More than one hundred volunteers helped Defenders and our Florida conservation partners clean up debris at the mouth of Tampa Bay in anticipation of oil reaching these shores. Roughly one ton of garbage and debris was collected during two clean up days. Watch a video from one of our beach clean-ups Defending Wildlife "Charter-ing" the Storm If you’ve been following coverage of the offshore Gulf oil disaster, chances are you’ve seen our very own Richard Charter. Richard is Defenders’ Senior Policy Advisor for Marine Programs and is an internationally recognized expert on offshore drilling and marine wildlife. Richard has worked for more than 30 years on offshore drilling issues, and he’s been front-and-center in the media since the Deepwater Horizon disaster began. Richard has been featured in news coverage on CNN, The Financial Times, USA Today, Mother Jones, The Washington Post, and many other outlets as he shares his expertise on the devastating effects of oil on sea turtles, coral reefs, and other sensitive wildlife. More important, Richard has been working on policy recommendations to help prevent the next offshore oil disaster and respond to the crisis in the Gulf of Mexico. Luckily for us, he’s also taking some time to post his own reports and analysis on Defenders’ blog. Read Richard's posts on Defendersblog.org. Share this edition of eNews

Adopt a sea turtle to help save these ancient sea travelers as they struggle with the Gulf oil disaster and other threats. Save Our Wolves with your next cup of coffee! Brown Pelican Recently recovered from near extinction, the brown pelican is feeling the effects of the biggest oil disaster in U.S. history. Learn more with Defenders’ Wildlife and Offshore Drilling Fact Sheet (PDF). Download our latest wallpaper for your computer desktop! Getting Away Planning a summer vacation? Why not visit a National Park or other public lands? Plan Your Visit at recreation.gov. Learn more simple steps to improve your “WildLifeStyle” on our website Whether you are an activist looking for ways to make your voice heard or a biologist seeking a conference where you can share your latest paper, Defenders has an event for you. Click here for the latest upcoming events.