ADD YOUR GROUP TO OUR LETTER URGING FWS TO TAKE THE HISTORIC STEP OF RECOMMENDING WILDERNESS FOR THE ARCTIC REFUGE COASTAL PLAIN!
On August 15, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) released a draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This plan will guide how the Refuge is managed over the next fifteen years and beyond. The FWS has requested public input on its draft plan for the Arctic Refuge that, for the first time, could recommend Wilderness designation for the Coastal Plain – the Refuge’s biological epicenter that has been in Big Oil’s sights for decades. We need your help to ensure that this Wilderness recommendation for the Arctic Refuge’s Coastal Plain is ultimately included in the final version of the Refuge’s CCP. The Arctic Refuge was set aside 50 years ago for its “unique wildlife, wilderness, and recreational values,” and it is up to us to ensure that this biological treasure is protected for future generations. Please help demonstrate overwhelming support for protecting the Arctic Refuge’s Coastal Plain – if Americans speak with a loud and united voice, we’ll be sending a strong message that the Fish and Wildlife Service can’t ignore.
Please sign your organization on to the letter below to demonstrate broad public support for protecting the Coastal Plain of the Arctic Refuge as Wilderness. To sign on, send an email with your organization's name, the name of the signer, his/her title, city and state to alaskacoalition [at] alaskawild [dot] org by November 1.
LETTER TO INTERIOR SECRETARY KEN SALAZAR:
Alaska Center for the Environment ~ Alaska Coalition ~ Alaska Wilderness League ~ Arctic Treks ~ Arctic Voices ~ Brandenburg Gallery/Ravenwood Studios ~ Californians for Western Wilderness ~ Central Westchester Audubon ~ Defenders of Wildlife ~ Eyak Preservation Council ~ Flemish Centre for Indigenous Peoples ~ Fort Collins Audubon Society ~ Green Alliance ~ Hernando Audubon Society ~ Mankato Area Environmentalists ~ Medina County Park District ~ Migrations ~ Morning Earth ~ National Garden Clubs, Inc. ~ Nature Abounds ~ Natural Resources Council of Maine ~ Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness ~ Northern Alaska Environmental Center ~ Pack Paddle Ski ~ Richard Hamilton Smith Photography ~ Seniors for the Future ~ Sierra Club ~ Sitka’s Secrets ~ St. Louis Audubon Society ~ Tennessee Audubon Council ~ Titus Gallery ~ Upper Missouri Breaks Audubon ~ Western Nebraska Resources Council ~ The Will Steger Foundation ~ 5H Consulting ~ XXX
November 15, 2011
The Honorable Ken Salazar
Secretary
U.S. Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240
RE: Comments on the Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan/ Environmental Impact Statement for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Dear Secretary Salazar:
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan/Environmental Impact Statement (Draft CCP/EIS) for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. On behalf of the above groups and the millions of members we represent, we urge the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to select Alternative C because it recommends Wilderness designation for the Arctic Refuge’s incomparable Coastal Plain Wilderness Study Area.
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was set aside fifty years ago for its “unique wildlife, wilderness, and recreational values.” This unparalleled landscape, and particularly its Coastal Plain, is home to some of America’s most iconic wildlife, including polar bears, grizzly bears, muskoxen, caribou, and hundreds of thousands of birds that gather each year from around the globe. Additionally, the Gwich’in people who have lived in this region for thousands of years rely on the Porcupine caribou herd, whose calving and nursery grounds are in the Arctic Refuge’s Coastal Plain.
We appreciate that the FWS conducted a full wilderness review of all Arctic Refuge lands not already designated Wilderness. This updated study clearly identifies the wilderness values of virtually all Arctic Refuge lands. For the vital Coastal Plain Wilderness Study Area (WSA), the Draft CCP/EIS states: “This WSA is the most biologically productive part of the Refuge and contains important habitats for a great diversity and abundance of life…The WSA’s ecological integrity enables all native species to maintain their natural behavior, interactions, cycles, and ecological roles.” With this area’s biological importance established yet again, we believe the appropriate next step is to recommend Wilderness designation for the Coastal Plain WSA. For the Brooks Range and Porcupine Plateau Wilderness Study Areas, we encourage FWS to manage them in a manner that maintains their wilderness values while allowing the Gwich’in people to meet their traditional and cultural needs.
We support the Arctic Refuge vision statement articulated in the Draft CCP/EIS, which recognizes the “Special Values” of the Refuge, and the restraint needed to maintain those values into the future. We also support the nine goals outlined in the Draft CCP/EIS, which include protecting the Refuge’s wildlife, wilderness qualities, natural ecological processes, subsistence opportunities, and wilderness-related recreational opportunities, while also addressing climate change.
Oil and gas leasing, exploration, development, and production, including seismic activity, support infrastructure or any geological surveys, are entirely incompatible with Refuge purposes, and would permanently harm the values for which the Arctic Refuge was established. Any such activities should continue to be prohibited, and should not be included in any Refuge management policies. FWS correctly did not include any alternatives considering oil and gas exploration and development as it is not a refuge purpose. Further, as climate change continues to impact the Arctic region, exacerbating those effects through oil and gas development is unconscionable. The Refuge’s value as an intact ecosystem becomes increasingly important each year.
To conclude, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is an incredible landscape with values unlike any other public lands in our nation. Its wilderness, ecological integrity, wildlife, adventure-oriented recreational opportunities, and Alaska Native cultural and subsistence values are unmatched. FWS should maintain the Refuge’s Special Values by adopting the Vision and Goals outlined in the Draft CCP/EIS. Further, we urge FWS to recommend Wilderness designation for the crucial Coastal Plain WSA (Alternative C), and to manage the rest of the Refuge in a manner that maintains Wilderness characteristics while supporting the Gwich’in people’s traditional and cultural access to the area.
We appreciate your consideration of our comments on the Draft CCP/EIS for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Sincerely,
cc: Dan Ashe, Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
cc: Richard Voss, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Manager
Alaska Wilderness League
Cindy Shogan, Executive Director
Washington, D. C.
Alaska Coalition
Liz VanDenzen, Director
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Eyak Preservation Council
Carol Hoover, Executive Director
Cordova, Alaska
