Support endangered species status for manatees

Dear Interior Secretary Deb Haaland,

We, the undersigned, urge you to support restoring the manatees' endangered status. According to Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, nearly 1,000 manatees have died in 2021 alone. That's more than double the five-year annual average.

This calamity comes four years after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service downlisted the manatee from endangered to threatened under the Endangered Species Act, over the objection of many environmentalists and biologists. In order to give these gentle sea cows the best chance at survival, it's critical that the manatees' endangered status be restored and their critical habitat protected.

Sincerely,