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Stop the Destruction of Sea Turtle Coral Reef Habitat

Military Base Expansion Would Destroy Coral Reefs

Endangered hawksbill and green sea turtles thrive in sensitive coral reefs that would be destroyed if the plans to expand the Okinawa base are approved. This delicate ecosystem full of endangered sea turtles, the endangered Okinawa dugong, and over 1,000 species of reef fishes needs our help. These reefs already suffer the deadly effects of pollution from the current military base, and now the Obama administration is pushing to expand the base.

Save Sea Turtles and the Endangered Dugong

The habitat for the critically endangered dugong would be destroyed when the base expands onto Henoko reef. The U.S. Marine Mammals Commission and the World Conservation Union's dugong specialists have expressed concerns that the project would be a serious threat to the dugongs' survival. In response to threats to this species' survival, Japan's Mammalogical Society placed the culturally treasured dugong on its "Red List of Mammals" in 1997.

Send the letter below, contact your local senator, and

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Subject:

Your Letter:

The military base expansion project being proposed by the U.S. and Japanese governments will destroy the Henoko coral reef ecosystem and jeopardize the continued existence of endangered sea turtles and marine mammals in this area.

Three species of sea turtles, the hawksbill, loggerhead, and green, depend on this ecosystem for survival. All of these turtles are listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and are the focus of U.S. and Japanese conservation projects.

Construction of the military facility will have dramatic consequences for the endangered Okinawa dugong, hundreds of species of reef fishes, sea birds, and many other ocean-dependent species. Many of these animals are protected under American, Japanese, and international law.

Okinawa's coral reefs are threatened by global warming and impacted by pollution. More than half of these reefs have disappeared over the past decade. Preserving the existing healthy reefs is absolutely critical.

Please put a halt to the shortsighted plan for expanding military operations onto the Henoko reefs in Okinawa.