We asked BioGems Defenders to tell us -- in their own words -- why they took action recently to protect threatened grizzly bears and their last wild habitats in the lower 48 states. Hundreds of pro-bear activists answered our call from across America and beyond. In response to this overwhelming outpouring of support, NRDC grizzly bear expert Louisa Willcox said, "I can't tell you how much it means to me personally, as someone who has spent more than 20 years on the front lines of this fight, to read through every one of the inspiring messages that have flooded in."

We hope you'll find them inspiring, too. Here's a random sampling:

John L.
Melbourne, FL

I consider the grizzly bear as an equal to the bald eagle as a symbol of our country. The grizzly is representative of the wild and free spirit that symbolizes the United States of America and its people. I have never had the opportunity to view one in the wild or even a zoo. I am 72 years old and still have the dream to …

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Minet V.
South Africa

I live in South Africa and have had the privilege to see lions and tigers... but bears only in a zoo. And even the big brown bear in the zoo was majestic and fierce and filled me with fear looking at it. I can only imagine encountering one in its proper environment …

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Lisa Z.
Holbrook, NY

The future of grizzly bears is important to me for more than just the obvious ecosystem reasons. I have never seen one in the wild. I am legally blind, and they are working on a cure to the condition I have. Hopefully in my lifetime I will see normally. When I do, I intend to see all the animals in the wild that I've imagined seeing all my life! Grizzlies are on the list! The hope of this keeps me positive about the future. So please save them!!

Fred S.
Oxford, OH

I am of Shawnee descent and a caretaker of stories. Although the Bureau of Indian Affairs does not recognize us due to our not having signed a treaty, our culture is very much alive in Ohio. The following is a story that has been handed down to me from the Elders …

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Bev H.
Altadena, CA

If we can't save something as precious as an entire species of bear, what does that say of our ability to save any living thing or accomplish any positive achievements? I would not want to live in this country were it not for the fact that there are millions of people who understand that when we help any part of the ecosystem, we help every part.

Beverly C.
Anchorage, AK

The bear has always been a part of what makes the West the West in the U.S. The bear is at the top of the food chain and deserves respect. The grizzly helps keep humans humble. It reminds us of the wilderness from which we have emerged and which now depends on us to respect. When we loose this magnificent animal we have lost a part of ourselves. The grizzly bear is a symbol, an icon, a totem …

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Deanna R.
Palmdale, CA

I work for a wildlife sanctuary where we provide sanctuary to several grizzly bears, among many other wild animals that have no where else to go. Two of them were orphaned as cubs, their mother shot by hunters, and another one was privately 'owned' and I think used in the entertainment industry. Three of his tendons on each front foot were severed so …

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Deborah M.
New Zealand

I grew up in California, and spent summers up in the Sierras around an area called Bass Lake. Don't know if grizzlies ever were around there, but certainly bears were plentiful in and around Yosemite. I want a world that still has wild bears in it. I don't want my grandkids to only know about bears through the Animal Planet. Here in New Zealand we don't have bears, but I want them to survive in the States despite the Bush administration.

Terry P.
Kansas City, MO

I want to help ensure a future for America's grizzly bears because they are one of the most majestic of the native North American predators. They are dangerous, colorful, exciting, and interesting. And they are so symbolic of our wilderness heritage. The grizzly is a living part of our own history. And besides, every species has a right to live!

Renee S.
Seattle, WA

First of all, grizzly bears play an important role in helping to maintain the ecologic health and well being of Yellowstone National Park. They are part of a fragile ecosystem that we seem to be learning more and more about all of the time. Didn't we originally set aside Yellowstone as a National Park so every generation forward could come and experience its unique and awesome beauty? Didn't we promise to protect it in its natural state? The grizzly was always a part of what we define as Yellowstone …

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Photo credits: Top: © Patrick Endres, Alaska Stock; Bottom right and all slideshow photos: © Florian Schulz.

Map sources: U.S. and border region: Troy Merrill, Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative; Canada: Michael F. Proctor, University of Calgary.