Americans are Stepping Up to Protect Wildlife and Their Wild Places

Over 80,000 Earthjustice advocates have raised their voices against the Trump administration’s all-out assault on imperiled wildlife and their habitat across the U.S.

The White House is trying everything it can to gut the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to pave the way for logging, drilling, mining, and other extractive industries. The ESA is one of the most effective environmental laws ever enacted, saving thousands of plant and animal species from disappearing. It’s also extremely popular, with 84% of Americans in support.

So it’s no wonder that advocates across the country have raised alarms about the unprecedented efforts the Trump administration has taken to undermine this bedrock conservation law, and the irreversible damage these attacks will have on imperiled species.

Read about the threats and what our supporters had to say.

Opposing weakened habitat protections

Many expressed deep concern about a rule that changes the ESA’s regulatory definition of “harm” to exclude habitat – a move that attempts to open the door to widespread destruction of the places endangered wildlife need to survive.

“Common sense, science, and the ESA itself tells us that habitat destruction harms species. Just one company or project can destroy habitat, but when a species disappears, we all suffer the consequences.

-C., Minnesota

“The wildlife we seek to protect — be it the gray wolf, the Florida manatee, or the northern spotted owl — were here long before us. Their habitats are not just patches of land; they are ancestral homes, intricately woven into the fabric of our ecosystems. To destroy these habitats through clear-cutting, drilling, or mining is not only an act of environmental degradation, but a profound disrespect to the natural order that predates human development. Any attempt to redefine harm to exclude habitat destruction undermines decades of conservation efforts and threatens the survival of species that have every right to exist in their native homes.”

-B., New Jersey

A northern spotted owl in Oregon. The northern spotted owl was listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act in 1990. (Kyle Sullivan / BLM)

Calling for science-based protections – because extinction is forever

Folks strongly opposed two additional newly finalized rules to gut the ESA: One eliminates the ESA’s full protections that kick in when a species is listed as threatened. The other prioritizes “economic considerations” over science in decisions about whether to protect species, putting industry profits above all else.

“Once there is an extinction there is no turning back, and extinction begins way in advance of the loss of the last creature; it starts with a gradual decline. The Endangered Species Act is the essential tool for stopping the extinction crisis in its tracks. We cannot guarantee species survival and recovery without the strong backstop of a fully protective ESA”.

-M., Oklahoma

“I am writing as a family physician and environmental advocate who strongly supports continued, full protection for our highly endangered species. The proposed rules are a repeat of attacks on imperiled species and the places they live that ignore respect for science and prioritize destruction over conservation.”

– J.N., New York

Speaking out against threats to polar bears from oil and gas activity

In addition to weakening the ESA, the Trump administration is violating it by failing to protect threatened Southern Beaufort Sea polar bears and the habitat they depend on. Earthjustice supporters urged the administration to reject a proposal allowing oil and gas operations in Alaska’s Arctic region that would disturb the bears during critical periods of their lives, including denning and raising their young.

“I have visited the Gates of the Arctic and have seen first-hand the stunning array of wildlife in that part of the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. I know how fast polar bear habitat is disappearing due to warming temperatures. Bears and gas and oil development are not good neighbors, and bears will suffer the consequences of development in shrinking habitat.”

-W., California

“I was an Alaska Department of Fish and Game employee and have seen what is going on personally.  We have enough oil and gas. No need to spoil the land and disrupt the bears for greed.”

-M., Oklahoma

Two polar bears at the whale bone pile on Barter Island in the Beaufort Sea near Kaktovik, Alaska. (Reimar Gaertner / Getty Images)

Standing up for wolves’ recovery in Colorado

Many Coloradans were irate at the federal government’s efforts to undermine the reintroduction of gray wolves – a measure they voted for — in the state. The ESA requires the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to facilitate the recovery of endangered species. The Service failed to fulfill that requirement by blocking Colorado’s plan to release more wolves last winter. It has also invited and collected complaints from anti-wolf groups that have repeatedly tried to thwart wolf reintroduction.

“Here in Colorado we’ve worked extremely hard to reintroduce wolves, an endangered species. Wolves are critical to the health of our whole ecosystem.”

-B., Colorado

“I live in Colorado and like many other Coloradans voted for wolf reintroduction. The federal government needs to respect our votes and back off.”

-S., Colorado

A wolf sprints across a field on Colorado’s Western Slope during reintroduction release by state wildlife agents in December, 2023. (Courtesy of Colorado Parks and Wildlife)

Decrying killing endangered Gulf of Mexico species

Many were appalled by the Trump administration’s decision to exempt oil and gas activities in the Gulf of Mexico from having to comply with the ESA. The White House assembled an Endangered Species Committee, better known as the “God Squad” for the first time in over three decades. The committee of Trump-appointees voted to give the oil and gas industry free rein to harm and kill endangered species in the Gulf. This unlawful decision could serve as a death sentence for imperiled marine life, including Rice’s whales, of which fewer than 100 remain.

“We benefit from the web of life, yet under this administration there is a lack of scientific understanding about the necessity of maintaining biodiversity. I find it infuriating and extremely sad that there is no respect for other species’ right to survive on Earth. Instead of marveling at the rich diversity of life with whom we share our one known habitat in the universe, this administration callously dismisses the risk of species extinction. Most Americans support the ESA and protecting endangered plants and animals.”

-G., Virginia

“As a young member of my community, I have been brought up with a strong love and appreciation for our natural environment, and an interest in protecting our vital ecosystems. I have seen firsthand the effects of mining and offshore oil drilling on species and our waters, and I know the imminent damage that will occur in the Gulf. I strongly oppose the current presidential administration’s use of the Endangered Species Committee to potentially wipe out entire species so that extractive industries can exploit our public lands and waters.”

-J., California

A Rice’s whale observed in the western Gulf of Mexico during an aerial survey on April 11, 2024. (Paul Nagelkirk / NOAA Fisheries – NMFS ESA/MMPA Permit #21938)