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         Dear Defender,
         Look closely at this photo, and you’ll see a wolf ... running. Soon this wolf won’t be merely running in the snow.
         This wolf will be running for its life!
         The airplane above will be tracking her ... in order to land and immediately gun her down .
         
         You see, the Alaska legislature passed a law that once again allows any private citizen with just a $15 trapping or $25 hunting license to track wolves by aircraft and then land and gun them down. This cruel, unethical wolf-hunting practice is called “same-day airborne land-and-shoot.”
         It was a total shock and surprise.
         In May the Alaska legislature voted to reinstate same-day airborne wolf killing. Frankly, we never thought Alaska’s anti-wolf politicians would go this far. But they did, overriding Governor Tony Knowles’ veto — and ignoring the will of the majority of Alaska’s citizens.
         Unfortunately, this practice will begin after the first snow ... this September ... when wolves will be “can’t-miss” targets against Alaska’s snowy terrain. Wolves can run fast — but they certainly can’t outrun airplanes.
         Given the urgency of the situation in Alaska, Defenders needs your immediate assistance to help save Alaska’s wolves from same-day airborne land-and-shoot slaughter.
         Support the Emergency Effort to Save Alaska’s Wolves.
         
         Defenders hopes to raise at least $100,000 to help Alaskans For Wildlife, a coalition of Alaska citizens, win a citizens’ ballot initiative this November. And we face very wealthy opponents. So today, I urge you to do these two things:
         FIRST: Sign the enclosed Citizens’ Advisory Ballot to show our Alaska allies your strong personal support to reinstate the ban on “same-day airborne
         land-and-shoot” wolf killing in Alaska;
         SECOND: Rush an urgent donation to help put this measure on the ballot and win passage in November.
         The Alaska Legislature is completely out of step with the will of Alaska’s citizens and the American public at large.
         Like you, the majority of Alaskans oppose same-day land-and-shoot wolf killing. But the anti-wolf politicians in the Alaska legislature don’t care what the majority of Alaska citizens want. And they didn’t listen to the recommendations of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, which opposed this legislation!
         They are utterly out of step with their Alaska constituents ... the state agency that manages Alaska wildlife ... and the rest of the American public!
         In the name of “wolf control,” wolf killers will predictably once again use aircraft to hunt wolves to the point of exhaustion, so that the wolves have, literally, no chance of survival.
         And if history is any guide, over the years thousands of Alaska’s wolves will be brutally killed.
         Before the 1996 ban on same-day land-and-shoot, as many as 400 wolves were killed in Alaska each year because of this barbaric and unethical practice.
         Anti-wolf interests are prepared to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to make sure that the new land-and-shoot law stands — even though most Alaskans do not support it.
         So if we don’t act right now, Alaska’s snowy tundras will once again become bloody killing fields for wolves in America’s “Last Frontier.”
         Say “NO” to the barbaric practice of same-day airborne wolf killing.
         The only way Alaskans can repeal the new law and reinstate the ban on same-day airborne land-and-shoot wolf killing is with a Citizens’ Referendum.
         That’s why your special financial support is so important — and urgently needed.
         Alaska wolf advocates need your immediate support to save wolves.
         As I mentioned, this new same-day airborne land-and-shoot practice will start in September after the opening of hunting season and the first snow — and when wolves will be an easy target.
         To repeal this unconscionable law, Defenders must help provide our friends in Alaska -- Alaskans For Wildlife — with the resources necessary to win at the polls in November.
         Our well-funded opponents will spend whatever it takes to mislead and confuse voters about this ballot measure. We need help to supplement the funds raised by Alaskans For Wildlife for careful polling, the development of voter education spots for television, radio and newspapers, the placement of those ads, and “get-out-the-vote” efforts on election day.
         If Alaska’s new law is not replaced, thousands of Alaska's wolves will die in the years to come.
         And it will be a major setback for wolves nationwide — at a time when the American public overwhelmingly favors wolf reintroduction and protection. A loss will encourage those anti-wolf fanatics who want to stop wolf restoration and put bounties on those wolves already in the wild.
         So, please don’t wait another minute.
         Please sign your Citizens’ Advisory Ballot to demonstrate to our Alaska allies that you’re behind them; and send an urgent donation today to help them win this effort.
         So how will your money be spent?
         Here’s the projected budget breakdown:
         $35,000 — in-depth, state-wide survey conducted by a top pollster to determine voters’ positions on the ballot measure and arguments that will help persuade undecided voters.
         $45,000 — salaries /office expenses for staff to oversee the effort between now and election day.
         $30,000 — production of television and radio spots alerting the public to the findings of the above survey.
         $100,000 — placement of voter education spots in the key media including print, radio and television. Money must be in hand by mid-August to reserve time for September and October!
         $15,000 — election day “get-out-the-vote” drive, including phone calls to get voters to the polls.
         You stood by Defenders when we defeated the wealthy American Farm Bureau in court and saved the lives of the wolves in Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho.
         Now, I’m hoping I can count on your moral and financial support again today. to help save Alaska’s wolves from same-day airborne land-and-shoot killing.
         Your special donation today is absolutely critical, because many of Alaska’s politicians clearly have anti-wolf agendas. They have the financial backing of powerful special interests and the determination to ignore the will of the people of Alaska and the American public.
         Please let Alaskans know that you’re behind them. Let them know you share their concern about protecting Alaska’s wolves.
         Please help save Alaska’s wolves by doing these two things:
         1. SIGN the enclosed Citizens’ Advisory Ballot to show your support
         for repealing “same-day airborne land-and-shoot” wolf killing in Alaska;
         2. RUSH a special donation to help our Alaska allies overturn this odious new law.
         Remember, for this emergency effort to succeed, we must act immediately.
         So, please take out your pen right now and sign your absentee ballot. And then, mail it back to us along with your emergency donation to help save Alaska’s wolves.
         Thank you for your strong support.
         Sincerely,
         Rodger Schlickeisen
         President
         P.S.:	Defenders needs your help to raise $100,000 in emergency funds to help ensure that the coalition’s Emergency Effort to Save Alaska’s Wolves succeeds. So, please sign the
         enclosed Citizens’ Advisory Ballot to lend your moral support to our Alaska friends and return it in the enclosed envelope with a special donation. Time is so short.
      
      
   
