Spring is here. It's time to Defend Our Parks.

The Trump Administration is trying to destroy the Endangered Species Act. The Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Land Management have proposed removing regulations that protect wolves, grizzlies, mountain lions, and other species from the ESA and allowing states to “manage” them.

We all know what “manage” means: hunting seasons. In Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming (states that already have “state management”), wolves and bears are being slaughtered right now. Many hunters in these states have no concept of what an ecosystem is, and think only of their own egos and how they can brag about killing large, dangerous animals. Schools have failed to teach these hunters about the circle of life. The hunters have convinced themselves that wolf predation is the major reason why elk and deer populations decrease. That’s wrong. The major reasons for reduced numbers of elk and deer are severe winters, collisions with vehicles on highways, and hunting. Wolves are the 9th or 10th cause of elk and deer death annually in states where wolves live.

Equally bad are the actions the Trump Administration has taken to open our public lands to oil and gas drilling, mining, domestic animal grazing, and border wall construction. The Wilderness Society has been vigilant in making us aware of what the Trump Administration is up to. You can follow the Wilderness Society, Defenders of Wildlife, the Center for Biological Diversity, and other watchdog groups on Twitter if you don’t have time to read all the daily reports in the newspapers yourself.

Earth Day is April 22. Many people will be marching, speaking, and taking part in activities that help the earth on that day. Have you signed up to help?

State legislatures are in session in most states, but will complete their work soon. Have you called, emailed, or written a letter to your state legislator about public lands? How about contacting your Congressional delegation too? It’s easy to do. You can find their addresses through Google. Get yourself a stack of plain postcards and write a sentence or two to each of your representatives every month. They need to know how we feel and where we stand on public lands and wildlife.

Only YOU can defend our parks from attack by politicians. Please step up.