Conservation groups will hold a rally in downtown Denver on Saturday afternoon to raise awareness of proposed federal regulations which would gut the Endangered Species Act by removing key species protections from threats such as greenhouse gas emissions, oil and gas drilling, livestock grazing, logging, and urban sprawl.
Here in the Rocky Mountains, the proposed changes could place such iconic wildlife as the lynx and the greenback cutthroat trout in danger.
The regulations were released by the Bush administration in mid-August. The public comment period is set to close October 14th after it was extended in response to public pressure. Federal legislators have criticized the regulations and the short comment period as a last-minute, back-door attempt by the Republican administration to severely weaken the Endangered Species Act. The proposed regulations have also sparked nationwide criticism from the media, with newspapers across the country editorializing against the regulations. The Denver Post referred to them as nonsense in a September 2 editorial.
Speakers at Saturdays rally include representatives from WildEarth Guardians, Defenders of Wildlife, Center for Native Ecosystems, and the Colorado Wolf & Wildlife Center. Timber, an ambassador wolf, will be at the event, in defense of his wild cousins whose fate rests with strong Endangered Species Act protections.
What: Rally in Defense of the Endangered Species Act
Where: Skyline Park, between 15th & 16th Street (along Arapahoe) in Downtown Denver
When: Saturday, September 13th from 1-3pm.
For more information, contact: Darlene Kobobel, Colorado Wolf & Wildlife Center, 719-237-2663, darlene@wolfeducation.org
Nicole Rosmarino, WildEarth Guardians, 505-699-7404, nrosmarino@wildearthguardians.org
