World Resources Institute

The World Resources Institute is an environmental think tank that goes beyond research to find practical ways to protect the earth and improve people’s lives.

1. Develop robust international agreements and US policies to protect the climate system.
2. Foster widespread investment in climate-friendly energy and transportation technologies.
3. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions through clean alternatives supported by businesses, governments, nongovernmental organizations, and the public.

1. The Access Initiative–the largest global network dedicated to ensuring that people have the right and ability to influence decisions about the natural resources that sustain their communities.
2. Electricity Governance Initiative–a collaboration of civil society, policy-makers, regulators, and sector actors to promote open, transparent, and accountable decision-making processes in the electricity sector.
3. Poverty, Environment, and Distributional Equity–promote equitable allocation and distribution policies for revenues from ecosystem goods and services.
4. Decentralization and Natural Resources–promote representative local government as a tool to improve environmental justice, reduce poverty, and raise the efficiency and equity of decision-making.
5. Mapping Poverty and Natural Resource Revenues–overlay data about geographical distribution of poverty, natural resources and fiscal transfers to improve development approaches and outcomes.

American Forests

www.americanforests.org

Trees have an irreplaceable role in maintaining the health of our Earth’s ecosystems and atmosphere. While humans and other animals breathe in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, trees and other plants capture and store carbon dioxide and release oxygen back into the air. Ultimately, trees not only help keep our lungs filled with oxygen, but play a crucial role in reducing harmful carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere. In fact, forests are the largest forms of carbon storage, or sinks, in the United States. This is part of the reason why our atmosphere has suffered so much over recent years: millions of trees have been cleared with no replacements planted. It is estimated that deforestation, especially of rainforests, is responsible for roughly a fifth of global carbon dioxide emissions from human activities. Overall, planting trees is one of the cheapest, most effective means of removing excessive carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

American Forests is a world leader in planting trees for environmental restoration, a pioneer in the science and practice of urban forestry, and a primary communicator of the benefits of trees and forests.

American Forests is about action, and so its major campaigns focus on taking actions for healthy ecosystems. Today, the organization’s primary campaigns are “Tree-Planting for Environmental Restoration” and “Reversing the National Urban Tree Deficit,” which encourage people to improve rural, suburban, and urban ecosystems by planting and caring for trees that provide important environmental and economic benefits including pure water, clean air, and wildlife habitat.

Over the past 20 years, the organization has planted over 25 million trees, and will plant an estimated 4 million trees this year alone!

For 70 years, American Forests has also run and maintained the National Register of Big Trees, documenting the largest of over 800 species of trees from all over the country. Topping the list as the biggest tree in the U.S. is the towering “General Sherman” giant sequoia, which has a whopping 1,020 inch waist line and stands 274 feet tall. The latest, most comprehensive and up-to-date edition of the Register will be released in the spring of 2010.

Although its educational and restoration operations take place mostly in the United States, American Forests also has several projects under way in China and South/Central America. The organization’s recent work in the States includes restoring forests damaged by the California wildfires, and collaborating with major companies, including IKEA and Chegg, to reduce their use of paper and plastic.

American Forests is the nation’s oldest conservation group, celebrating its 135^th anniversary in 2010. It is an IRS recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and any gifts, donations, and grants may be tax deductible.

To donate to American Forests click here. Every $1 plants a tree!
To visit the American Forests website and learn more about its mission and current programs, click here.

www.pennfuture.org

PennFuture (Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future) works to create a just future where nature, communities and the economy thrive. The organization enforces environmental laws and advocates for the transformation of public policy, public opinion and the marketplace to restore and protect the environment and safeguard public health. PennFuture advances effective solutions for the problems of pollution, sprawl and global warming; mobilizes citizens; crafts compelling communications; and provides excellent legal services and policy analysis.

According to the PennFuture website, its current work focuses on the following areas:

Working to replace old outdated dirty sources of power with clean renewable Pennsylvania-made electricity.

Fighting factory farm pollution;

Helping to stop damage from mining;

Protecting watersheds from sprawl and pollution;

Reducing global warming pollution;

Watchdogging state government and

Providing $2 million per year of free legal services to protect the environment.
In those areas, PennFuture has already won victories in several “David vs. Goliath” type opponents:

Standing up to the polluters, fighting for a strong state rule to clean up toxic mercury pollution from the state’s power plants;

Leading the fight for passage of a new law that requires the state’s electricity providers to supply ever larger amounts of renewable energy to their customers;

Winning $80 million to support clean, renewable electricity in utility cases;

Convincing Governor Rendell to support a nearly $1 billion bond issue for environmental funding;

Saving water and streams, parks and undeveloped pristine areas around the state.
For more information on PennFuture, visit the website at www.pennfuture.org.

You can help PennFuture continue to grow and succeed by taking part in their volunteer opportunities. You can help us with tasks such as writing letters to newspapers, event planning, administrative support, or visiting with legislators. Learn more about the subject here.

In addition, PennFuture is an IRS recognized non-profit and your charitable contribution may be tax-deductible.
Learn more about donation options by clicking here.

Buckminster Fuller

The Buckminster Fuller Institute is dedicated to accelerating the
development and deployment of solutions which radically advance human well being and the health of our planet’s ecosystems. The organization aims to deeply influence the ascendance of a new generation of design-science pioneers who are leading the creation of an abundant and restorative world economy that benefits all humanity.

BFI programs combine unique insight into global trends and local needs with a comprehensive approach to design. The organization encourages participants to conceive and apply transformative strategies based on a crucial synthesis of whole systems thinking, Nature’s fundamental principles, and an ethically driven worldview.

Programs include the Buckminster Fuller Challenge, an annual international design Challenge awarding $100,000 to support the development and implementation of a strategy that has significant potential to solve humanity’s most pressing problems. The Buckminster Fuller Challenge attracts bold, visionary, tangible initiatives focused on a well-defined need of critical importance. Winning solutions are regionally specific yet globally applicable and present a truly comprehensive, anticipatory, integrated approach to solving the world’s complex problems.

For more information about the Challenge, visit http://challenge.bfi.org.

If you would like to learn more about the Buckminster Fuller Institute,
visit their website here .

To contribute, visit their donation page by clicking here.

Human Rights Organizations

The DNA sequences between humans and chimpanzees are 98.5% similar; the similarity is 99.9% between humans. As we know today, DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms. Unfortunately, for humans, that 0.1% difference fuels the hate behind genocide, war and crime.

To achieve universal peace, humans must place their allegiance within the human race before their ethnicity, creed, or religion. We must place the rights of every person on the planet, regardless of gender, ethnicity, social standing or religion, above our own.

This is not a task to be undertaken by the lone wolf – there are simply too many subsections that the term ‘human rights’ can be broken up into. That is why the Attorney.org Equality, Justice, and Peace Network has compiled the following list of human rights organizations in order to provide our users with the most prominent names pursuing worthy causes. We hope that you can find an organization pursuing the same cause as you and that you choose to stand alongside them in their mission.

We have categorized each advocacy organization according to the continent that their work focuses on:

Africa

Action for Integration and Tolerance – http://www.afsi.org.uk/
Voluntary organization based in London, UK. Responds and advances African and ethnic minority communities’ welfare, rights and development needs through information provision, support, advice and capacity building. Develops effective partnerships between voluntary and community groups, funding bodies and statutory agencies.

Africa Action – http://www.africaaction.org/
Organization based in Washington, DC. working to change U.S. foreign policy and the policies of international institutions in order to support African struggles for peace and development.

Africa Files – http://www.africafiles.org/
A network of volunteers committed to promoting African perspectives and alternative analyses for human rights and economic justice in Africa.

Africa: Law – http://www.africa.upenn.edu/About_African/ww_law.html
Constitutions of African countries. Details of Africa Legal Aid (AFLA), counseling individuals and groups on human rights matters, promoting awareness of human rights, and publicizing violations.

African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies – http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/africa/ACOHRS.htm
Charter and general information on this initiative for equal rights.

African Commission on Human and People’s Rights – http://www.achpr.org/
Organization charged with ensuring the promotion and protection of human and peoples’ rights throughout the African Continent.

Africans In America Inc. – http://www.aiainc.org/
A nonprofit organization combating modern trafficking and slavery of African children, and providing services for the victims of African child trafficking and slavery in New York City

All Africa – http://allafrica.com/
AllAfrica Global Media is a multi-media content service provider, systems technology developer and the largest electronic distributor of African news and information worldwide. Registered in Mauritius, with offices in Johannesburg, Dakar, Lagos and Washington, D.C., AllAfrica is one of a family of companies that aggregate, produce and distribute news from across Africa to tens of millions of end users.

Black Sash – http://www.blacksash.org.za
Works to advance equality, social justice and human rights in South Africa. Provides a paralegal service to those who need help in a variety of matters, including child support, social grants, labour problems, debt counselling and citizenship applications.

Foundation for Human Rights of South Africa – http://www.fhr.org.za/
Foundation for Human of South Africa advocates human rights awareness, promotion of children’s rights, public interest litigation, security of tenure on farms and youth and human rights development. It is the main South African grant maker.

Independent Advocacy Project – http://www.ind-advocacy-project.org/
Promotes respect for good governance in Nigeria. IAP brings together individuals and organisations to promote participation, transparency, accountability and respect for human rights.

Kabissa – Space for Change in Africa – http://www.kabissa.org
Seeks to strengthen the capacity of African non-profits to build civil society and democracy in Africa. Includes Newsletter.

Kenyan Human Rights Commission (KHRC) – http://www.khrc.or.ke/
An NGO based in Nairobi, Kenya. Originally formed in the US in 1991 by Kenyan exiles and activists to lobby for human rights and the promotion of democratization, accountability and good governance in Kenya.

Legal Assistance Centre – Namibia – http://www.lac.org.na
A public interest law centre advocating human rights in Namibia by making the law accessible to those with the least access.

Nelson Mandela Foundation – http://www.nelsonmandela.org/
Supports conflict resolution, removal of poverty as well as improving the health of the public, especially in regard to terminal diseases. The Foundation was established in 1999 as the primary vehicle for Mr Mandela’s pursuit of his ideals and goals.

POWA – People Opposing Women Abuse – http://www.powa.co.za/
People Opposing Women Abuse is an NGO undertaking research into gender-based violence in Africa.

Sangonet – http://www.sangonet.org.za/
Supports the effective use of ICTs in Southern African civil society organisations by providing quality services and initiatives. Includes list of South African NGOs on the web.

The Africa Law Institute – http://www.africalawinstitute.org/
Legal and social science think tank that engages in policy-oriented research that promotes good governance, democracy and the rule of law in Africa.

Asia

Afgan Women’s Association International – http://www.awai.org/
A non-profit, tax-exempt organization to establish and defend the basic rights of Afghan women. Includes current projects, reports, and news.

American Institute for Taiwan-China Strategy – http://fire.prohosting.com/aitcsweb
Organization producing articles supporting Taiwanese independence and opposing China and other communist countries.

Arizona Friends of Tibet and Dalai Lama – http://www.arizona-friends-of-tibet.org
A non-profit organization supporting non-violent efforts of the Dalai Lama to regain dignity and sovereignty for Tibetan people, to preserve the endangered culture of Tibet, and its Buddhist tradition.

Asian Human Rights Commission – http://www.ahrchk.net/
Seeks to promote human rights in Asia by monitoring, investigations, advocacy, education, conflict resolution, truth commissions and international tribunals.

Free Tibet Campaign – http://www.freetibet.org/
Official site, campaigning for an end to the Chinese occupation of Tibet and for the Tibetans’ fundamental human rights to be respected. UK based.

Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities – http://www.hrcbm.org/
Information about the worldwide campaigning movement dedicated to protecting the human rights of people in Bangladesh

Initiatives for International Dialogue – http://www.iidnet.org/
The IID is a solidarity and advocacy group involved primarily in peoples’ issues in East Timor, Burma and Mindanao in the Philippines.

Montagnard Alliance – http://www.montagnard-foundation.org/
Group of Australian lawyers and advocates dedicated to protecting the human rights of the indigenous Montagnard/Degar peoples of Vietnam’s Central Highlands.

People’s Union for Civil Liberties – http://www.pucl.org/
Provides online journal and documents concerning unresolved human rights problems in India.

Tibet Support Group Grampian – http://www.tibetsupport.org.uk/
Campaigns for Tibetans’ right to determine their own future and preserve their culture, for an end to the violation of their human rights and for a Tibet free from Chinese occupation.

Tibetan Liberation Theatre – http://www.tibetanliberation.org/
Grassroots performance organization supporting Tibetan freedom. Theatre, dance, music programs, community festivals and bazaars. Participate in demonstrations, campaigns, and celebrations.

Tibetan Support Programme – http://www.tibetsupport.org/
A non-religious, non-political group dedicated towards improving the quality of life of ethnic Tibetan people.

Uni Sosial Demokrat – http://www.unisosdem.org/
A nonpartisan NGO in Indonesia which seeks social, economic, and environmental democracy.

Central America

Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador – http://www.cispes.org/
Organization providing solidarity to the people of El Salvador. Also, donations taken online for disaster relief from the earthquake of 2001.

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights – http://www.cidh.oas.org/
An autonomous organ of the Organization of American States for the promotion and protection of human rights, as well as investigating abuses.

Latin America Working Group – http://www.lawg.org/
A advocacy coalition of 65 U.S. organizations concerned with an improved policy of human rights, peace and justice towards Latin America.

Europe

Association for the Prevention of Torture – http://www.apt.ch/
Founded in 1977, and based in Geneva, Switzerland, the APT is an independent non-governmental organisation working worldwide to prevent torture and ill-treatment.

Centre Europe – Tiers Monde (CETIM) – http://www.cetim.ch/
Pursuing its research and publications devoted to North-South relations, focuses on human rights and participated in related United Nations work. Based in Switzerland.

European Roma Rights Centre – http://errc.org/
An international public interest law organisation which monitors the situation of Roma in Europe and provides legal defence to victims of human rights violations.

Fortress Europe? – Circular Letter – http://www.fecl.org/
Organisation providing news, analyses and comments on European developments in the fields of liberties, human rights, public order, policing, justice, data protection, immigration and asylum.

Liberty – http://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk/
An independent human rights organisation which works to defend and extend rights and freedoms in England and Wales.

NEMECIS – http://www.nemecis.org/
A non-governmental, non-profit organization working for the protection and promotion of human rights in Greece.

Human Rights Institute of the Bar of Bordeaux – http://www.idhbb.org/uk-default.htm
Promoting human rights and the training of lawyers in human rights and international criminal law, and reporting on the respect of defense rights.

Human Rights Server, Germany – http://www.humanrights.de
Organization placing human rights within the context of the progress of the mass of humanity. Includes links to those who resist.

Hungarian Helsinki Committee – http://www.helsinki.hu/
Hungarian human rights organisation monitoring respect for human rights in Hungary and providing legal counselling to victims of rights violations.

Justice et Solidarité Mondiales – http://www.jsmddh.com/
Seeks greater human rights for people, aid for victims of repression, children in need and victims of catastrophes worldwide.

Nordic Committee for Human Rights (NCHR) – http://www.nkmr.org/english/index.htm
Non-governmental organisation seeking to protect family rights in the Nordic countries.

OSMTH of Norway – http://www.osmth.no
An ecumenical order of Christians based on the foundations of the knights templars who advocate for human rights.

PanCyprian Association for the Protection of Human Rights – http://agrino.org/humrights/main/main.htm
Organisation providing information on human rights issues, with particular interest in the situation of human rights in the Republic of Cyprus.

The Danish Centre for Human Rights – http://www.humanrights.dk/
The Centre’s site gives information about the organization’s activities and also brings news about Human Rights issues.

The Finnish League for Human Rights – http://www.ihmisoikeusliitto.fi/tausta/introduction
European Union’s Finnish monitoring center against racism. Principle objectives are supporting the Sami people against mining activities and logging in the Sami areas, and fighting against all forms of racism and discrimination.

Middle East

Al-Bushra – http://www.al-bushra.org/
Arab American Roman Catholic community standing for truth, justice and peace.

Arab Association For Human Rights – http://www.arabhra.org/
Founded in 1988 by lawyers and community activists, the HRA is an independent, grassroots, non-governmental organization (NGO), registered in Israel.

Human Rights in the Middle East and North Africa – http://www.derechos.org/human-rights/mena/
Resource for organizations related to human rights issues in the Middle East and North Africa.

Kurdish Human Rights Project – http://www.khrp.org/
An independent, non-political project based in Britain to protect and promote human rights of people living in the Kurdish regions of Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and the former Soviet Union.

Middle East Children’s Alliance Home Page – http://www.mecaforpeace.org/
A non-governmental organization working for peace and justice for Palestine, Israel, Lebanon and Iraq. Especially focusing on the rights of children.

North America

Alliance for Native American Indian Rights Inc. – http://www.anairtn.org/
Native American advocacy organization focused on Native American burial site preservation and stopping burial ground desecration and looting in Middle Tennessee.

American Civil Liberties Union – http://www.aclu.org/
Advocating individual rights by litigating, legislating, and educating the public on a broad array of issues affecting individual freedom.

Boycott-Riaa.com – http://www.boycott-riaa.com/
Organization rebutting arguments of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and writing critiques of the industry lobbyists’ attempts to control music sharing and copying. With background information, news, essays, and links.

Canadian Arab Federation – http://www.caf.ca/
Umbrella organization whose mandate is to identify, articulate, defend and otherwise pursue the interests of the Arab-Canadian community.

Dakota Lakota Nakota Human Rights Advocacy Coalition – http://www.dlncoalition.org/
Chartered on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation, the DLN is an advocacy group for human, civil, legal, and indigenous rights, and social justice for traditional Dakota/Lakota/Nakota People.

El Centro Hispanoamericano – http://www.elcentronj.org/
A non profit agency advocating for and protecting immigrant rights. Based in new Jersey.

Healthy Citizens – http://www.healthycitizens.com/
Citizens against human experimentation. Focuses on the development of post World War II United States health and military programs.

North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee – http://home.comcast.net/~nscolombia/
Committee formed by people from various North Shore communities in Massachusetts in response to news that a portion of the coal for the Salem, Mass. power plant was coming from a mine in Colombia where grievous human rights atrocities were being committed against the people in the villages surrounding the mine.

Ontario Human Rights Commission – http://www.ohrc.on.ca/
Information guide about Canadian human rights, classifications of rights and laws, links to individual rights and to the work of the commission.

Ozarkopathy – http://ozarkopathy.org
Claims the attitudes and prejudices in the Ozark Mountain Region of the United States are dangerous.

Rights Action (Formerly Guatemala Partners) – http://www.rightsaction.org
Rights Action raises funds for community development, relief and human rights projects in Chiapas, Guatemala, Honduras and Haiti. Advocates and educates on these issues in US and Canada.

The Center for the Study of Race and Race Relations – http://www.law.ufl.edu/centers/csrrr/
An interdisciplinary academic institution that explores issues of race and race relations

War Child Canada – http://www.warchild.ca/
A non-profit organization to raise awareness and support of war affected children globally through local and international initiatives. Along with the music industry, targets youth with concerts, online chats, and documented footage and diaries of music artists.

Water Matters

Water Matters @ Columbia is the blog of the Columbia Water Center. The Center is leading intellectual inquiry into the assessment, prediction and solution of the growing scarcity of fresh water. The Water Center conducts research on water shortages in some of the most challenging settings in the world, and also acts as the focal point for water-related research at Columbia.

Founded in January 2008, the Columbia Water Center is committed to understanding and addressing both the role and scarcity of fresh water in the 21st century. The Water Center was established for the purpose of studying the diminishing levels of fresh water and creating innovative sustainable and global solutions.

The Water Center’s work is founded on the principle that meaningful improvements in water quality and access depend on resolving increasing water shortages. The greatest improvements in water sustainability stem from concentrating on the sector with the greatest consumption – the agricultural sector. Much of their research, therefore, focuses on improving efficiency of agricultural water use, especially in the developing world where water problems are most prevalent.

The Water Matters @ Columbia blog aims to be an informative and conversational forum for everyone -– academics, students, and interested amateurs –- to discuss the current water-related issues around the world.

Visit the blog by clicking here.

Ecological Tower

Earth Policy Institute

The Earth Policy Institute (EPI), founded in 2001, is dedicated to providing a vision of a sustainable global economy and a roadmap of how to get from here to there, what we call Plan B, the alternative to business as usual. EPI works at the global level simply because no country acting alone can stabilize climate or preserve the earth’s biological diversity. EPI’s unique global vision often allows it to see trends that more specialized organizations cannot, its research generates attention.

Plan B is a comprehensive global strategy for reversing the trends that are fast undermining our future. It aims to stabilize climate, stabilize population, eradicate poverty, and restore the economy’s natural support systems. It prescribes a worldwide cut in net carbon emissions of 80 percent by 2020 to stop atmospheric CO2 concentrations from exceeding 400 parts per million, thus keeping the future global temperature rise to a minimum. Failure to reach any one of these goals will likely mean failure to reach the others as well.
Their founder, Lester Brown, was called “one of the world’s most influential thinkers” by the Washington Post. The Telegraph of Calcutta refers to him as the “guru of the environmental movement.” In 1986, the Library of Congress requested his personal papers noting that his writings “have already strongly affected thinking about problems of world population and resources.”

In 1974, with support of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Lester Brown founded the Worldwatch Institute, the first research institute devoted to the analysis of global environmental issues. While there he launched the Worldwatch Papers, the annual State of the World reports, World Watch magazine, a second annual entitled Vital Signs: The Trends That are Shaping Our Future, and the Environmental Alert book series.

In May 2001, he founded the Earth Policy Institute to provide solutions through its publications—books, Plan B Updates, Eco-Economy Indicators, and Book Bytes. In November 2001, he published Eco-Economy: Building an Economy for the Earth, which was hailed by E.O. Wilson as “an instant classic.” The most recent book is Plan B 4.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization. David Roberts of Grist said, “It’s the best summation of humanity’s converging ecological problems and the best roadmap to solving them, all in one compact package.”  All of their publications are available online for free downloading—a phenomenal bargain—along with supporting data.
According to their website, EPI’s goals are

1. To provide a global plan (Plan B) for moving the world onto an environmentally and economically sustainable path.
2. To provide examples demonstrating how the plan would work.
3. To keep the media, policymakers, academics, environmentalists, and other decision-makers focused on the process of building a Plan B economy.

People can help by getting involved. Depending on the person, that can mean a lot of things. Some people simply give money; others only give time, by writing elected officials on critical issues, helping out with mailings, tree plantings or whatever urgent matter needs our attention that day.

Earth Policy Institute is an independent, nonprofit environmental research organization supported by financial contributions from foundations and individuals, along with internal sources of income such as publication sales. Therefore your support is invaluable to our efforts. Please consider making a donation.

Click here for their donation page. (A contribution to the Earth Policy Institute goes a long way. Less than two percent of our income is used for fundraising; the rest supports program activities.)

Click here for how you can get involved with the EPI.

Human Rights

Although human rights has come a long way since men dragged women by their hair, our world still has just as long a way to go in order to achieve global peace and harmony. The problem with human rights is that it pervades every level of our society. At the macro-level, wars blur the line between acceptable and unacceptable human rights practices. In 2004, Israel’s IDF detained a 13-year-old boy throwing stones at the soldiers and strapped his left arm onto the screen that guarded the Humvee’s windshield. In Iraq, suspected terrorists are detained for indeterminate amounts of time, with little evidence or rights provided to them. On the micro-level, racial tensions have turned communities against each other.

We at Attorney.org believe that regardless of whether you promote women’s rights, LGBT rights, minority rights, or anything else — it is one step in the pursuit of truly egalitarian human rights. As part of our new human rights campaign, Attorney.org is partnering with premier institutions striving for change in the hopes bringing greater awareness to their causes. Attorney.org’s role will be to promote the free flow of information and bring well deserved recognition to the people who fight to make this world a better place.

Wolf

Founded in 1947, Defenders of Wildlife is one of the country’s leaders in pragmatic science-based, results-oriented wildlife conservation. They stand out in their commitment to saving imperiled wildlife and championing the Endangered Species Act, the landmark law that protects our rarest wildlife.

A message from their president best describes the purpose behind their mission:

“Our nation’s wildlife and wild places are precious gifts that enrich our planet and sustain us. But nearly everywhere, natural habitats—home to all kinds of creatures—are being destroyed to make way for new shopping malls, roads and housing developments. Meanwhile, in the halls of Congress, some politicians are eager to open public lands to oil drilling. Others are pressing to unravel the Endangered Species Act, our country’s pre-eminent wildlife conservation law. And beyond our borders, millions of animals are being exploited or killed illegally each year—becoming pets, food or souvenirs. With so many threats, concerned citizens are coming to the defense of America’s wildlife, and Defenders of Wildlife is proud to be a leader in the fight to preserve our nation’s animals and plants for generations to come.”

Here are some of their success stories that inspired Attorney.org to highlight them as part of our current campaign:

Safe Passage for Colorado Wildlife

In early 2009, Defenders of Wildlife called on its supporters to take action to urge their state’s Governor and Department of Transportation to make safe passage for wildlife a top priority by devoting a portion of the infrastructure improvement funding it receives as part of the federal government’s stimulus package to the construction of wildlife crossings. Two ’shovel-ready’ projects will be built using recently approved federal stimulus funds.

These strategically-placed wildlife crossings and fencing will allow deer, elk, bears, mountain lions, imperiled Canada lynx, and other animals to travel safely under or over the highway and access the food, mates and quality habitat they need to survive.

Reprieve for Sea Turtles

Through grassroots activism and legal advocacy, Defenders of Wildlife has raised the alarm about bottom longline fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, where threatened and endangered sea turtles have been drowning and dying at alarming rates the victims of razor sharp hooks on fishing lines that span anywhere from four to nine nautical miles.

To save these turtles, the Defenders legal team engaged in intense negotiations with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in spring 2009, taking legal action and mobilizing nearly 50,000 caring Defenders supporters to speak out in favor of closing the bottom longline fishery in the Gulf of Mexico.

In April 2009, Defenders of Wildlife efforts paid off in a huge victory for threatened and endangered sea turtles. The NMFS ordered a 6-month emergency closure of the bottom longline fishery in the Gulf of Mexico, providing a crucial lifeline to protect the lives of imperiled sea turtles from capture and death in the fishery.

Mexican Wolf Recovery Back on Track

Mexican wolves are the most endangered wolf in the world, saved from total extinction only by captive breeding and a reintroduction program launched in 1998. Unfortunately, after the release of almost 100 captive-bred Mexican wolves in Arizona and New Mexico, just 52 wild wolves were counted in early 2009.

The wolves are doing their part to recover – forming packs, killing elk, pairing up and raising pups. But in 2003, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) ceded responsibility for Mexican wolf recovery to an Adaptive Management Oversight Committee, which implemented a stringent “three-strikes” rule punishing wolves who prey on livestock. More than 45 wild wolves have been killed or removed from the wild based on that rule (known as Standard Operating Procedure 13, or SOP13).

In October 2008, Defenders of Wildlife filed a lawsuit challenging FWS’s decision to cede its responsibility, as well as the draconian “three-strikes” rule. On November 13, FWS settled the suit by reasserting its authority over the multiagency management team and scrapping SOP13, offering hope for a more scientific approach to Mexican wolf recovery.

Getting Northern Rockies Wolf Recovery Across the Finish Line

Defenders of Wildlife has been involved in helping wolves recover in the Northern Rockies region for more than 20 years. Defenders was the first wildlife organization to advocate for the return of the wolf to Yellowstone National Park, and our staff was there in 1995 and 1996 assisting in the effort to reintroduce wolves to Yellowstone and central Idaho.

Unfortunately, wolf recovery goals for the Northern Rockies were set long before anyone knew what a truly recovered wolf population should look like. For the past two years, the FWS has made premature efforts to take wolves off the endangered species list, leaving them vulnerable to poorly crafted state management plans that are not designed to maintain wolves as a a healthy, robust part of the Northern Rockies ecosystem. This fall, wolves in the Rockies are being hunted for the first time since they were reintroduced, and so far, nearly 190 wolves have been killed.

Defenders is in court seeking the return of federal protections for wolves in the Northern Rockies until a scientifically sound delisting plan is developed, and state management plans are in place that will ensure a healthy population of wolves across the region.

To learn more about the Defenders of Wildlife mission, visit their homepage at www.defenders.org.

The Defenders of Wildlife is recognized as a non profit by the IRS and any contributions may be tax-deductible.

If you want to support their cause, through charitable contributions or giving your time, visit the ’support us’ page here.