SUBJECT: Restore Protection for the Marbled Murrelets' Habitat
Dear President Obama,
I am writing to urge you to take action to prevent the extinction of the marbled murrelet, a seabird that nests in ancient forests along the Pacific Northwest coast. Your administration has entered into an illegitimate "consent decree" with the timber industry that strips away the "critical habitat" protection the murrelets need to survive. This decision undermines protections put in place by the Clinton administration in 1996 that safeguard the murrelet and 4 million acres of old-growth forest.
The marbled murrelet nests in moss on the branches of old-growth trees, both parents flying back and forth to sea to provide food for the single chick they raise each summer. More than 90 percent of the ancient forest the murrelets need has already been logged, and the bird is rapidly declining toward extinction. Protected "critical habitat" is essential to the survival of the murrelet. Without it, this seabird is doomed to extinction.
Scientific studies show the murrelet's population is already in decline and additional habitat protection is needed for the species to be able to survive.
I respectfully urge you to withdraw the consent decree the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service entered into with the timber industry, and to restore critical habitat protection for the marbled murrelet.
Logging the last remnants of ancient forests on our public lands is not in the best interest of the American people or the planet.
Thank you.
