Members Project: This Week, Vote for Florida Panthers

Thanks to everyone who has been voting for Defenders of Wildlife each week to help us try to win $200,000 in funding from Members Project from American Express. You can vote once a week through February 20, 2011 and this week you’re voting for Florida panthers!

At last count, just an estimated 100 to 160 Florida panthers are left in the world.

Tragically, too many of these rare and beautiful cats are dying as victims of road kill (16 killed in 2010!) and suffering due to the loss of habitat.

Help us secure the funds we need to save Florida panthers. Please vote today!

Did You Know…? Panthers are habitat generalists, meaning that they use a variety of habitat types, including forests, prairies and swamps.

Vote for Defenders today to help save Florida panthers!

Two hundred thousand dollars can do a lot of good for panthers and other wildlife.

It can help us plan and advocate for panther crossings to reduce the number of cats killed on Florida’s roads. It can help us protect panther habitat, such as Big Cypress National Preserve, expanding the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, and working with landowners for preservation of habitat on private lands. And it can help us reduce conflicts between panthers and humans through education and on-the-ground efforts.

How to Vote for Defenders

The current round of voting runs through midnight on Sunday, February 20, 2011. You can vote once a week throughout the voting period. Here’s how to get started:

1. Go to the Defenders Members Project page at www.defenders.org/membersproject.
2. Scroll down to the Vote section in the lower left corner of the page. The Members Project is a partnership between American Express and TakePart, so you need to be a member of TakePart to vote. First, click the Sign Up And Vote button. NOTE: If you’re already registered and logged in with TakePart, the button will say Vote For This Charity and clicking it will take you to the final step below.
3. Click the Register to Vote button.
4. A form will pop up. Fill out all the required fields and make sure you check the boxes to accept the terms for both TakePart and Members Project. NOTE: You can use your full name as your username, including a space, if you want.
5. Once you’re registered, scroll down the page and click the Defenders logo. A little box will pop up.
6. Click the Vote button in the popup. You’ll be prompted to confirm your choice.

That’s it! Thanks for voting for Defenders of Wildlife!

Thanks to the dedicated support of caring wildlife champions like you, Defenders is currently leading the pack in the Environment and Wildlife category, with 83% of the votes. There are only a few weeks left until the winner is announced so let’s finish up strong! Remember, you can vote once a week until February 20th!