The Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW) Treaty was conceived in
order to protect the Carribean’s multitudes of highly endangered animals
(including sea turtles, whales, dolphins, manatees, bald eagles and
parrots) from being taken or killed for commercial trade. While the U.S.
government negotiated and signed the treaty in 1990, the U.S. Senate must
now ratify the agreement in order to officially participate in the
upcoming first Conference of Parties in September. If the Senate does not
ratify the treaty before the deadline, the U.S. will be excluded from the
Conference of Parties, and there will be no strong conservation voice at
the meeting. The absence of U.S. input would greatly compromise the
effectiveness of the SPAW Treaty.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
The SPAW treaty is awaiting action in the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, where it needs to be passed before it can go before the full
Senate for a vote. Contact both of your United States Senators and ask
them to urge Senator Jesse Helms, the Chair of the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee, to allow his committee to immediately consider of the
treaty:
The Honorable (full name),
United States Senate,
Washington, DC 20510
ph: 202-224-3121 (Senate switchboard).
If you need help locating
your Senators’ names, see http://thomas.loc.gov
or call us at
(202)955-3666.
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