The Arctic is all around us. Every year, birds that begin their lives on the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge journey to all 50 states and across six continents, before heading back to the Arctic, where the cycle of life begins again. The Arctic is the origin of life for more than just birds – numerous species of mammals bear their young on this vast expanse of tundra including polar bears, caribou and more. As we mark the 50th anniversary of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, we must do everything we can to be sure that this last wild haven remains protected for generations to come.
- ACTION: HR39 (Udall-Eisenhower Arctic Wilderness Act) – Currently, there are more than 100 cosponsors. Please check here to see if your representative is a cosponsor. If not, please encourage him/her to sign on now by clicking here!
- ACTION: S231 (Bill to designate a portion of the Arctic Refuge as wilderness) – There are currently 26 cosponsors.If your senator hasn't already done so,please encourage him/her to become a cosponsor.
- UPDATE: The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) is currently in the process of revising the Arctic Refuge’s management plan. These plans must be updated every 15 years for every wildlife refuge in the nation, as mandated inthe National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997. This plan, called the Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP), will help determine how the Refuge is managed, and significantly, gives FWS the historic opportunity to review the Coastal Plain and other non-wilderness lands in the Refuge for their suitability as wilderness. At the end of this process, the agency can recommend that these areas be designated wilderness. Ultimately, Congress will need to pass a law to make this designation official, but this is an important step in the right direction towards protecting the Refuge! FWS is currently taking your comments, through June 7th, 2010.
- ACTION: Submit your comment to US Fish & Wildlife Service to Protect the Refuge
- UPDATE: Arctic bird kite-flying to showcase widespread support for Arctic Refuge - Concerned citizens showed their support for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in May by telling the Obama administration to protect our nation’s wilderness icon – and by flying a kite. Supporters were testifying at FWS hearings in Washington, DC and Anchorage, Alaska on the Arctic Refuge’s CCP. They also gathered to celebrate the vital role that the Arctic Refuge, and its Coastal Plain in particular, plays in our nation’s natural heritage by flying Arctic bird kites. These kites demonstrated widespread, nationwide support for the Refuge by featuring the names of thousands of Americans who pledged to join the fight to gain long-term protection for one of our nation’s last great wild places during its 50th anniversary year. Similar kite-flying events will take place throughout the year across the country. If interested in joining an event or starting your own, go to: www.alaskawild.org/kites
MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: Should Obama make a National Monument in Alaska?; Activists fly kites for ANWR at US Capitol; Groups Speak Out on ANWR; Alaska's delegation eyes ANWR; ANWR wilderness designation talks pit conservation against resources; Fight over Arctic wildlife refuge heats up; Make noise for a quiet place: Support wilderness in ANWR; Don’t believe the hype; ANWR wilderness designation talks pit conservation against resources; Our view: Keep ANWR in play; Tally taken during public testimony in Fairbanks shows support for protecting ANWR; ANWR caribou; Is Arctic refuge grass greener?
- FREE VIDEO: Alaska Wilderness League has a video about the Arctic Refuge, written and narrated by acclaimed author Terry Tempest Williams. If your organization would like a copy or would like to show it to folks, please email me at anna (at) alaskawild.org.
