BLACK FOOTED FERRETS NEED YOUR HELP!
What if I told you that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's black footed ferret recovery program was in danger of going away in the future?
DOGE has already hit the USFWS, and is planning to come back for yet more cuts. USFWS is in charge of overseeing the Endangered Species Act, and they run the black footed ferret recovery program.
USFWS has been asked to prepare plans for budget cuts that would slash up to 40% of their budget, with emergency response & fire staff being "safe" from cuts.
A 40% budget cut will mean that the decades-long BFF recovery program will be in grave jeopardy; in fact, the head of the program, Tina Jackson, and at least one quarter of the permanent care staff at the BFF breeding facility have already been terminated.
It's no secret that the current administration is not a fan of the ESA in general. If major cuts are made at USFWS, it will not be a surprise if the ESA and it's programs are directly targeted. The BFF program has been one of the most successful (though costly) recovery programs in ESA history. They are currently cloning ferrets to add genetic diversity to the species, which is a tremendous leap forward in endangered species recovery.
You and I may think that this is awesome, but will the DOGE team target it and eliminate the program?
So here is your assignment. It's simple, it's polite, and it doesn't matter if you are Republican, Democrat, Independent, or literally anything else. The only prerequisite is that you believe in the recovery of endangered species.
Call your senators, call your reps. Write to them as well. Tell them you value the Endangered Species Act and specifically that you value the black footed ferret recovery program and other ESA recovery programs. Tell them to stand firm.
It harms nothing to let you congressional representatives know that you support the ESA/BFFs. Please, please contact them now, in advance of the looming budget cuts, and be a voice for the ESA.
Let's stand together and be the voice for endangered species in our country and the important work carried out by the USFWS!
⚠️⚠️KEY STAFF AT THE BFF BREEDING CENTER HAVE BEEN TERMINATED⚠️ ⚠️