The orcas need your help

Dear Friend, There are only 73 Southern Resident Orcas left in the wild -- and they need your help. Donate $27 today. If you've saved payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: [Donate $5/month immediately]( [Donate $27 immediately]( Just one year after the deaths of Southern Resident orcas Cappuccino and Marina, young Ripple is now presumed dead. That leaves only 73 of these very endangered orcas left in the wild -- and they are suffering from starvation and grief. Their food sources are being driven away by Big Oil tankers and massive shipping projects. [Don’t let these amazing creatures disappear because of corporate greed -- donate $27 or more now to protect orcas and the planet.]( The orcas’ main food source is Chinook salmon, which once thrived abundantly in their Pacific Northwest habitat. Over the last decade, these salmon have been disappearing -- leaving orcas with no means of survival. Without enough food, the Southern Resident killer whales are starving, stressed, and dying. To make matters worse -- when one whale in a pod dies, the chances of survival decrease for the members left behind. Still reeling from the death of Cappuccino last autumn, their family recently suffered another tragic loss -- their second youngest, Ripple, is dead. Their grief can drive them further into starvation. If this pattern continues, you and I could be part of the last generation to share the planet with these majestic creatures. Save the orcas from starvation and extinction: Donate $27 to Friends of the Earth now. If you've saved payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: [Donate $5/month immediately]( [Donate $27 immediately]( Big Oil projects like the proposed expansion of the dirty Trans Mountain tar sands oil pipeline and the Roberts Bank T2 shipping terminal project are threatening orcas even more. If we don’t stop them, these projects will increase oil tanker and shipping traffic -- driving away Chinook salmon and pushing the Southern Resident Orcas to the brink. Orcas are one oil spill away from dying out completely. The oil tankers for the Trans Mountain Pipeline would transport 890,000 barrels of dirty and toxic tar sands oil each day through orca habitat. If orcas are in the area when the next oil spill happens, they won’t even be able to detect it -- which means they will likely inhale and get coated with oil, resulting in infection and even death. The increased ship traffic from both the Trans Mountain Pipeline and the Roberts Bank T2 shipping terminal will be so noisy it would disrupt the orcas’ sonar too, making it harder for them to hunt and find the remaining food that hasn’t already been driven away. We’re fighting hard against these projects, but we can’t save the orcas without your help. Stand up to Big Oil and its dangerous practices. Contribute $27 today to save the orcas and protect the planet. If you've saved payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: [Donate $5/month immediately]( [Donate $27 immediately]( Orcas are vital to a healthy ecosystem and planet -- even our health depends on their well-being. You see, orcas release vital nutrients for phytoplankton, which provide half of the oxygen we breathe and absorb hundreds of thousands of tons of carbon each year. This nutrient flow is crucial for a thriving ocean habitat and human health. Without the orcas, the very air you breathe is at risk. Orcas are at a tipping point. Even if an orca gets pregnant, if she’s malnourished, she runs a high risk of miscarriage -- it’s become nearly impossible for orca populations to rebound, especially when they are constantly hungry and in mourning. Time is running out for the Southern Resident killer whales -- we have to act now. Friends of the Earth is doing everything in our power to protect these animals, but it’s an uphill battle that we can’t win without your support. With your membership gift, we can stand up to Big Oil and promote a healthy ocean environment for the orcas. Please, Friend, stand with us and help us save the orcas and our planet. Don’t let Big Oil and corporate greed exploit our oceans anymore. Make your $27 donation now to stand up for our planet. If you've saved payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: [Donate $5/month immediately]( [Donate $27 immediately]( Standing with you, Marcie Keever Oceans and vessels program director, Friends of the Earth Contact Us: Friends of the Earth U.S. Washington, D.C. | Berkeley, CA 1-877-843-8687 [Contact us]( Email Preferences: [Click here to unsubscribe]( Learn more: www.foe.org/news www.foe.org/about-us www.foeaction.org Connect: [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Flickr]( © 2022, Friends of the Earth. All Rights Reserved. [supporter]