An urgent and free way to help endangered species

It's important, and today's the last day it's possible.

By Dan Fletcher

In lieu of a full report today, I’m going to ask you to spend the five minutes you normally take on this newsletter to do something important for America’s endangered species. And today, May 19, is the last day you can do it so please take a second if you can spare one.

You might remember last month’s newsletter about the proposed changes to America’s Endangered Species Act:

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Here’s a quick recap: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to remove the current definition of "harm" from the Endangered Species Act, quietly gutting one of America's most important conservation laws. Right now, "harm" includes both direct actions (like hunting or trapping) and indirect ones (like destroying critical habitat) that hurt protected species. This broad interpretation has been vital for protecting not just individual animals, but the places they need to survive — nesting grounds, migratory corridors, breeding sites. But under the proposed change, only direct actions would qualify, leaving habitat destruction completely unchecked.

This seemingly small definitional change would have devastating real-world consequences for wildlife across America. Without habitat protections, developers could drain wetlands where endangered frogs breed, timber companies could cut down forests where spotted owls nest, and energy firms could destroy sagebrush ecosystems where sage grouse perform their ancient mating dances — all without violating the ESA, as long as they don't directly kill the animals. It's like saying you can't harm a fish by draining its pond, as long as you don't physically touch it. The change stems from the Supreme Court's recent overturning of the Chevron deference, which previously allowed agencies flexibility in interpreting ambiguous laws.

Want to speak up? The last day for public comments is today, and here’s how you can file them.

⭐⭐⭐ You can submit your thoughts electronically by going to this link on Regulations.gov. ⭐⭐⭐

And while you're at it, the comment period for listing monarch butterflies as threatened closes today too — you can weigh in on that proposal right here. (We’ve covered the butterflies on FUZZ before, too, if you want to catch up fast.)

Remember, these agencies actually do read public comments, and strong public opposition has stopped harmful rule changes before. Thanks very much for adding your thoughts on this proposal — they truly make a difference. And if you want to help even more, forward this newsletter to a friend or share it on your social networks. Let’s get as many comments in as we can.