WASHINGTON— Activists in endangered species masks today delivered more than 500,000 petition signatures supporting the Endangered Species Act to more than 70 in-district congressional offices in 25 different states.

The petition deliveries, organized by the Center for Biological Diversity, took place from California and Washington to North Carolina and Florida.

Activists urged their members of the House of Representatives to pass H.R. 4348 — the PAW and FIN Conservation Act — to repeal the Trump administration’s new rules that cripple the implementation of the Endangered Species Act.

“Trump’s extinction plan is totally out of touch with the American public, which broadly supports endangered species protections,” said Valerie Love, deputy organizing director at the Center. “We’re calling on Congress to rescind these dangerous regulations. Unless we restore the Endangered Species Act, we could lose animals like the wolverine and the monarch butterfly to extinction.”

The Trump administration’s rollbacks to Endangered Species Act implementation rules severely weaken protections for threatened and endangered species across the country. The changes, which could lead to extinction for hundreds of animals and plants, were developed under the supervision of Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, a former fossil fuel industry lobbyist.

“This is a blatant giveaway to corporate interests that want to drill, frack, mine and log without regard for wildlife,” said Love. “But we’re here to speak up for vulnerable species and fight for their survival.”

H.R. 4348 has more than 35 co-sponsors in the House and Senate. It was introduced by House Natural Resources Chairman Raúl Grijalva of Arizona and Senate Interior Appropriations Ranking Member Tom Udall of New Mexico.

More photos can be found here.