Habitat Loss Is Harm: Why We Must Speak Out for Wildlife Before May 19
As someone who paints endangered species and raises funds for conservation through art, I spend a lot of time thinking about the fragility of life, and how every brushstroke can be a call for awareness, a plea to protect what’s vanishing. But right now, a real-world threat to habitats demands more than paintings.
It needs our voices!
Save the ESA – Save Habitats
What the Heck is going on?
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed a rule change that would narrow the definition of “harm” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). In short: habitat destruction would no longer count as harm unless it causes immediate injury or death to individual animals.
Let that sink in.
If a forest is bulldozed and an endangered species loses its only home… under this change, that wouldn’t be considered harm.
If a wetland is drained and all the birds disappear from the sky… not harm.
If a pollinator corridor is paved over, causing entire bee colonies to collapse… still not harm.
But we know better.
Habitats are LIFE! Without them, there is no food and no shelter.
How are you to survive without?
Habitat loss is harm. Always has been. Always will be.
What’s at Stake?
This rule doesn’t just weaken one word. It guts decades of legal precedent and environmental protection. It gives industries, such as logging, mining, oil and gas, real estate, etc. the green light to destroy critical ecosystems without consequences, as long as animals don’t die on the spot.
But the Endangered Species Act was designed to prevent extinction, not wait until it’s too late. If we allow this change to go through, we’re saying we’ll only act after the damage is done.
That’s not conservation. That’s surrender.
Here’s What You Can Do
Even if you’ve never done this before, it’s easier than you think—and your voice truly matters.
- Be original. Don’t copy-paste; speak from your heart.
- Identify yourself. Are you a teacher, artist, parent, hiker? Say so.
- Be specific. Use the docket number: FWS-HQ-ES-2025-0034
- Be clear. Say you oppose redefining “harm” to exclude habitat destruction.
Why This Matters to Me
At Artsefact, we use art to connect people with the beauty and vulnerability of the natural world. One of our most recognized works, Plea from the Shadows, was inspired by this exact crisis—the silent disappearance of species due to habitat loss.
Art is powerful. But advocacy is action.
Now is the time for both.
Let’s speak up. For the grizzlies and the bees.
For the wetlands and the forests.
For the children who deserve to inherit a living planet.
Protect their homes.
Protect their lives.
Protect hope.
