In the next few weeks we need to mount an impressive effort in support of the Marine Turtle Conservation Act (MTCA) to ensure that this small but important program continues to grow. Proposed budget cuts by President Bush threaten the effectiveness of the MTCA and its umbrella program, the Multinational Species Conservation Fund, which also benefits Asian and African elephants, rhinos and tigers, great apes, and neotropical migratory birds.

Please contact your Congressional Representative and both Senators to ask that they sign letters of support to the Interior Appropriation Subcommittees in the House and Senate. Letters have been circulated and signatures are being collected by the staff of Rep. Clay Shaw from Florida in the House and Senator Mike DeWine from Ohio. Support from Republican Senators and Representatives is especially needed. The official deadline for signatures is March 13th!

In 2005 the Marine Turtle Conservation Act received $691,000 from the U.S. Congress, an appropriation well above President Bush's proposed budget of $300,000 for the MTCA. The Congress also restored money to the other funds which had been scheduled for cuts, in large part because there was an outpouring of support from constituents for these highly effective programs. As a result, the Fish and Wildlife Service has been able to fund 22 of the 78 MTCA requests received and is now notifying successful applicants. Unfortunately, the President's new budget for Fiscal Year 2007cuts MTCA funding by 57% to $297,000. FY 2007 runs from October 1, 2006 - September 30, 2007.

The MTCA has enormous potential for sea turtle conservation around the world. Our challenge is to ensure that American legislators understand the value of the MTCA and the umbrella Multinational Species Conservation Fund for other imperiled species. The Congress should maintain and grow these programs modestly. Cuts to small programs are unacceptable.

If you live in the United States, please contact your Congressional Representative and both your Senators. You can do this by

1. Calling the U.S. Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 and asking for the office of your Representative and two Senators and
2. logging on to the website of The Ocean Conservancy, Caribbean Conservation Corporation, World Wildlife Fund, or Wildlife Conservation Society to send an electronic action alert or
3. going to http://www.congress.org where messages can be sent to many individual Congressional offices.

Two weeks ago the Multinational Species Conservation Fund Coalition met with staff of the Congressional Interior Appropriations Subcommittees to discuss the importance of these programs. These staff members were interested in the status of the new MTCA and impressed that the Fish and Wildlife Service had received 78 qualifying proposals. They also recognized that annual MTCA funding needs to be raised to the level of the other funds within the next few years. Those of you submitting MTCA proposals have done a wonderful job--please keep up the good work.

This year the conservation community is asking the Congress to appropriate $15.3 million for the 6 multinational species funds and the Wildlife without Borders program. To be most effective, your request should mirror this request, which breaks down as follows:

Marine turtles: $1.2 million
Great apes: $1.6 million
African elephants: $1.6 million
Asian elephants: $1.6 million
Rhinos & tigers: $2 million
Neotropical birds: $5 million
Wildlife w/o Borders: $2.3 million
Total: $15.3 million