From the Inbox: Sea Turtle Emergency in the Gulf

Save Sea Turtles Donate now to help save sea turtles and other imperiled wildlife. We need to raise $75,000 by next Tuesday to support this vital work on behalf of our imperiled wildlife, so please donate now!

Dear Friend,

It’s a tragic event that need never have occurred: A rare sea turtle in the Gulf of Mexico forced to fight its way through miles and miles of toxic oil… just as the annual nesting season for threatened and endangered sea turtles begins.

These turtles are precious, and we’re going to go to court to court to save them.

Please donate now to support our efforts in the courts, on Capitol Hill and on the ground to save sea turtles and other imperiled wildlife.

For years, the federal government has been issuing “categorical exclusions” to help fast-track oil and gas exploration and drilling in the Gulf of Mexico – effectively priming the pump for the massive oil slick now jeopardizing the survival of threatened and endangered sea turtles and other wildlife.

On Monday, Defenders filed suit in federal court to stop the federal government’s continued use of these “categorical exclusions” … and demand an end to the cavalier disregard for the disastrous impact that offshore drilling and exploration can have on sea turtles and other imperiled species.

We need your support for the court fight ahead. Please make your contribution now.

Kemp’s ridley and loggerhead sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico are just now beginning to nest on the beaches where they lay their eggs each year. These and other endangered sea turtles are found throughout the coastal and offshore waters of the Gulf.

But this year is different. Some turtles had to fight their way across the massive oil spill to make it to their nesting beaches. And, in just sixty days, their offspring will hatch and make their way back to the oil-covered Gulf – and what could be a toxic journey out to sea for this year’s hatchlings.

Please help us save sea turtles. Donate now to support our court fight and other efforts to save threatened and endangered species.

We need to raise $75,000 by Tuesday to support this vital work on behalf of our imperiled wildlife, so please donate now

Our efforts don’t stop at the courthouse doors. Last week, our Florida staff met with the managers at wildlife refuges where these turtles will nest, offering our assistance to help promote recovery and rehabilitation of sea turtles and other wildlife impacted by the oil disaster.

In the past three weeks alone, our online campaigns have generated more than 140,000 messages to President Obama, the U.S. Senate and Interior Secretary Salazar with one singular purpose: to protect sea turtles and other wildlife by preventing the next offshore oil disaster and weaning America of its dangerous addiction to oil.

Just last week, we drew a line in the sand, calling on the Senate to pass legislation to address climate change and sea level rise that threatens to devastate sea turtle nesting grounds… without providing incentives for more dangerous offshore drilling. I’m proud to say that Defenders is one of only a handful of national conservation organizations that has taken such a decisive stand against including drilling provisions in much-needed climate legislation.

We’re doing everything we can to save our sea turtles and prevent the next drilling disaster, and we desperately need your help. Please donate now.

For the Wild Ones,

Jamie Rappaport Clark Executive Vice President Defenders of Wildlife

P.S. Our sea turtles are just now beginning to nest. Please make a secure donation on our website now or call 1-800-385-9712 to contribute by phone.