Dear President Obama,

We are writing to support reinstatement of the statutory protections under the Endangered Species Act for the West Virginia northern flying squirrel, the signature species of West Virginia's high elevation boreal forests. The Bush Administration failed to follow the Recovery Plan written for the endangered squirrel by top scientists in this field and removed all federal protections from this rare nocturnal mammal in September of 2008. This rush to judgment under the Bush Administration was based on shoddy science and ignored the opinions of experts on Appalachian flying squirrels.

We support the legal brief filed by Friends of Blackwater, The Wilderness Society, The Center for Biological Diversity, the Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition, Heartwood, and Wild South challenging the delisting. We ask you and the Department of Interior to rescind the rule that removed the squirrel from the Endangered Species list.

Sincerely,

Cc: Secretary of Interior Salazar, Congressman Nick Rahall