"All creatures great and small" - including wolves!

Photo of wolf by Mary Lundeberg.

Maybe it's the influence of my good friend Mary Lundeberg, a wildlife photographer, who passionately defends her subjects against the ravages of uncaring human beings, but here at Katalusis I jump at the chance to support an endangered species. This morning I'm posting a message from Jamie Rappaport Clark on behalf of endangered wolves in several states, which I'm sad to say, include my own state of Minnesota:

Help Us Fight Dollar-for-Dollar Without the protections of the Endangered Species Act, hundreds of wolves, including mothers and pups, will die. $30 becomes $60 $50 becomes $100 $100 becomes $200 $250 becomes $500 Double your gift today! Dear Virginia, Without firing a shot, two U.S. Senators may be about to trigger the death of hundreds of wolves. Sens. Ron Johnson (R-WI) and John Barrasso (R-WY) have introduced a bill that would forcibly delist gray wolves in Wyoming, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Without the protections of the Endangered Species Act, hundreds of wolves, including mothers and pups, will die. We’re fighting tooth and nail to stop these horrific attacks, and we need your help. Your urgent donation will help us fight this and other despicable efforts to turn back the clock on wolf recovery. Because the situation is so serious, our Board of Directors and National Council have offered to match your gift dollar-for-dollar, up to a total of $75,000, until Monday, November 23rd! By introducing this bill just before final negotiations take place over the 2016 federal budget, Senators Barrasso and Johnson are hoping to encourage the inclusion of delisting language into a must-pass budget bill. If that happens, how long do you think it will take for more wolves to be killed? To add insult to injury, the bill would also prevent federal courts from ever restoring Endangered Species Act protections for these wolves, no matter how bad the situation gets! With federal protections gone, most of Wyoming will immediately be re-designated a "predator zone," literally a free-fire zone where anyone could kill any wolf at any time and for any reason. With your help, Defenders will mobilize our grassroots community to oppose this blatant abuse of Congressional power, reach out to the media to spread the word and continue to fight on Capitol Hill against this deadly bill. Please donate today. Your gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to a total of $75,000 until Monday, November 23rd. Thanks to you, we’ve been leading the charge for wolf recovery since wolves were first reintroduced into the Lower 48, more than 20 years ago. With your support, we’ve gone to court and won repeatedly to make sure wolves get the legal protections they deserve. We’re pioneering new, non-lethal strategies for wolves to coexist with people and livestock. With you at our side, we’ll weather this current crisis and look forward to a day when wolf recovery is truly complete! The wildlife you love is counting on you to help. Are you in? For the wolves, Jamie Rappaport Clark President, Defenders of Wildlife Defenders of Wildlife leads the pack when it comes to protecting wild animals and plants in their natural communities