Sample Letter and Talking Points

Following is a sample letter to send to your U.S. House and Senate members. This can also be used for talking points if you call instead. (At this point in time, it’s most important for you to be contacting your U.S. senators.)

In addition, if you wish to expand on the following sample letter, look at other items on this website. The two major statements might be a good place to start. And you may wish to talk about your own experiences (e.g., of seeing a Bald Eagle in the wild.) But it’s also fine and effective just to send something short like the following:

[date] Dear Senator: [or Dear Representative:] I am a person of faith who believes that my religious tradition calls me to raise my voice for the protection of endangered species – to speak for those that cannot speak. One of our nation’s primary tools for protecting endangered species is the Endangered Species Act. I urge you to support a strong Act that will protect fragile wildlife. Also, since climate change is increasingly becoming one of the stresses that drives species toward extinction, I urge you to take action. Please craft policies that stem climate change and that help species being hurt by the effects of climate change. Please join many of us in the faith community in our commitment to caring for God’s world with its many marvelous creatures. Thank you. Sincerely, [Your name AND address so the legislator knows you are a constituent]

HOW TO SEND YOUR LETTER or HOW TO CALL:

1. It is better to fax a letter rather than putting it in the postal mail (which is very slow due to anthrax screenings) or emailing it. However, emailing is better than the postal mail.

Click here to get phone and fax numbers and email addresses for your U.S. representative and senator, click on the letter that begins the legislator’s last name. If you do not know who your legislator is, at this same place you can enter your zip code. [Note: To click on this effectively, you may need to hold down your computer’s “ctrl” key as you click.]

2. Phone Calls to congressional offices are very effective. You can use the letter above for talking points. (Calls tend to be short, so the letter above works quite well.)

Calls to either the legislator’s D.C. office or in-state office are effective. To find the phone numbers, check your phone book in the U.S. Government pages; often your U.S. House and Senate members are listed there under “Congress.” OR see above for getting phone numbers.

When the receptionist answers, ask to speak to a staff person who handles endangered species issues.

Also, feel free to contact us if you have questions. THANK YOU for taking the time to make a difference!