ACTION ALERT!

Whales in a Sea of Trouble

Tell President Obama to STOP THE PROPOSAL TO SUSPEND THE BAN ON COMMERCIAL WHALING!

Now more than ever, whales need us – ACS and you - to partner and act on their behalf to ensure that protection measures remain intact throughout international waters. A fortified moratorium on whaling protects whales... commercial whaling protects whalers! Every one of us can do something to help! Here are a few things you can do right now to help protect whales.

• Contact the White House! It's easy!
  1. Call the Comment Line at (202) 456-1111
  2. Tell the operator that you have a comment about the Administration's position on the international ban on whaling. You will be transferred to a White House staff member
  3. Give your name and state, "I want President Obama to keep his campaign promise to uphold the moratorium on whaling and oppose commercial whaling by reversing his Administration’s position on the 'compromise package' being negotiated with Japan and other whaling nations."
• Tell IWC Commissioner Monica Medina what it takes to save whales! Let Commissioner Medina know that you want her and her team to strengthen the international moratorium on whaling, work to eliminate commercial whaling by Japan, Iceland, and Norway, remove trade incentives, and close regulatory loopholes that reward whaling nations. We know that Commissioner Medina pays attention to public concern and perception – let her hear your thoughts! To send an e-mail, go to publicconcerns.whales@noaa.gov.
• Urge your Representatives to co-sponsor the Whale Conservation and Protection Act of 2010, championed by Senator John Kerry (D, MA). This legislation aims at protecting whales by addressing the most challenging threats to whale conservation, including climate change, ocean noise, bycatch, net entanglement, and strengthening policy and trade through international organizations such as the International Whaling Commission (IWC), and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). For information about the legislation, go to kerry.senate.gov/cfm/record.cfm?id=323076. For a directory of state senators, go to www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.
• Donate to the "50-Mile Dolphin Dash" to send ACS’s Cheryl McCormick to the 2010 IWC meeting in Morocco. ACS Executive Director Cheryl McCormick can't run to the 2010 IWC meeting in Morocco, but you can help send her there to advocate on behalf of whales everywhere! To show her commitment, Cheryl will run 50 miles on Thursday, June 17th and leaves for Agadir, Morocco the very next morning! To learn how you can help, go to dolphindash.eventbrite.com
• Live in California? Attend a “Save The Whales Day Rally” on May 23rd, 2010 at 10:00 a.m.! Join demonstrators in California Coastal county as they spread the word about the IWC compromise package and tell President Obama to keep his promise to the whales! For demonstration locations and contacts, contact the Wan Conservancy/Western Alliance for Nature at www.wanconservancy.org/whale_locations.htm.
• Join ACS! We put your passion for protecting whales into action that matters! ACS is the oldest whale conservation group in the world, and we put our experience to work on behalf of whales, dolphins, and porpoises through education, research and conservation. We have members in virtually every state in the U.S. and in 20 countries. Together, we can and do make a difference! How to Help ACS.
• Keep up with the latest news! For all the latest news and information on all of the issues effecting whales, dolphins, and cetaceans, look for ACS on Facebook (American Cetacean Society -National) and Twitter (CetaceanSociety). ACS Chapters have Facebook pages, too!