She swam constantly for nine days without rest in search of sea ice to find food to feed her year-old baby. This polar bear mother finally reached an ice floe more than 420 miles offshore, but sadly, her baby didn`t make it.
As climate change increases -- and sea ice melts -- scenes like this one witnessed by U.S. Geological Survey biologists could be all too common.
Unfortunately, the U.S. House leadership has unleashed an unprecedented assault on the very tools we need to combat climate change and give struggling polar bears a fighting chance at survival.
It`s a truly reckless plan: In the name of budget austerity, House leadership wants to gut the Environmental Protection Agency`s ability to respond to climate change and slash the budgets for the agencies that protect our wildlife and wild places. They also want to permanently strip vital protections for wolves in the Northern Rockies -- and set a dangerous precedent for other struggling wildlife now protected under the Endangered Species Act.
If they succeed, the federal government will be powerless to save polar bears, walrus and other wildlife already struggling in a changing climate, wolves in Greater Yellowstone could be killed off in droves, and refuges across America that shelter our wildlife could be effectively shuttered for lack of funding.
Yet the House leadership`s plan shields billions in wasteful subsidies for big oil and other special interest polluters.
A vote will take place soon, and the next 48 hours are crucial to stopping this assault. Our advocates are busy on Capitol Hill, meeting with key members of Congress who can make a difference. More than 55,000 of our grassroots activists have written their elected officials, urging them to oppose these attacks on our natural treasures. And we`ve launched an ad campaign on Facebook to educate the public and recruit new activists to oppose these anti-wildlife proposals.
With our nationwide grassroots network, our seasoned advocates on Capitol Hill and our wealth of experience, Defenders is uniquely positioned to help win this fight. But we need the support of compassionate people like you.
Please donate today to help stop this assault on our natural treasures. Make no mistake. This is the opening salvo in a series of attacks on our wildlife and wild places that will be unleashed over the next two years. Your support is essential for our work to protect polar bears, wolves and other wildlife.
Together, we can ensure our natural treasures are protected for future generations.
For the Wild Ones,
Rodger Schlickeisen President Defenders of Wildlife
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As climate change increases -- and sea ice melts -- scenes like this one witnessed by U.S. Geological Survey biologists could be all too common. 
