Good news: In response to a lawsuit brought by the Center for Biological Diversity, the federal government today proposed to protect more than 200,000 square miles of coastal lands and waters along the north coast of Alaska as critical habitat for the polar bear.
Critical habitat is one of the most important provisions of the Endangered Species Act -- species with critical habitat designated are twice as likely to be recovering as those without it. So today's announcement is a crucial step forward in protecting polar bears.
However, at the same time the Interior Department is proposing to designate polar bear critical habitat, it is also authorizing oil development in these very same areas. Earlier this week, Interior approved oil-company plans for exploratory drilling in the polar bear's habitat in the Beaufort Sea, and is considering a similar drilling proposal in the neighboring Chukchi Sea.
Please take a moment now to write Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and let him know that polar bear critical habitat must be truly protected -- not sacrificed to oil companies.
If you have trouble following the link, go to http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2167/t/5243/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1598.
Sample letter:
Subject: Protect Polar Bear Habitat
Dear Secretary Salazar,
I am writing to urge you to protect polar bear critical habitat. While the proposal to designate critical habitat for the polar bear is an important and positive step, your recent approval of oil drilling in polar bear habitat threatens to completely undermine polar bear protection efforts. Please designate all areas used by polar bears on land and ice as critical habitat, and permanently protect these important areas rather than sacrificing them to oil companies.
Please take action by January 1, 2010.
Donate now to support our work.
Polar bear photo (c) Pete Spruance.
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