We are two kids (ages 8 and 6) on a mission to visit all 63 national parks. At Crater Lake, we learned about the Mazama Newt. It looks like a Minecraft axolotl! It has been Crater Lake's top predator for thousands of years, keeping the whole ecosystem balanced.

Then we learned it was almost extinct. 

Crater Lake is the only place on Earth where this animal lives. The Mazama Newt has been there since before humans existed. It survived the actual volcano that created the lake. But 100 years ago, humans made a mistake that is killing the newts today.

In the 1800s, people introduced non-native fish to attract tourists. Some really aggressive bullies called signal crayfish came with them. Today, crayfish have taken over 95% of the lakeshore. They eat the newts' food. They attack the newts. These crayfish have even started making the lake's famous clear blue water turn green with algae. They're ruining this amazing national park and hurting the creatures in it!

A 2024 National Park Service survey found just 13 newts left in the entire lake. The year before, there were 35. The newts are in danger but the government doesn't know about it yet! You can help us tell them about it!

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has the power to officially list the Mazama Newt as endangered. Officially listing the newts as endangered would get federal funding for the newts, protect their habitat, and help scientists coordinate a real plan to save them. The head of the USFWS (a man named Brian Nesvik) will decide the future of the Mazama Newt by October of this year. That's why we created this petition.

We're just two kids and we used mom's Change.org account. We don't vote and we're not elected...but we have this petition, and we are inviting you to sign and share it today.