SierraScape March 2015 - August 2015
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by Richard Spener
Contributing Member
Eastern Missouri Group
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge,
located in the northeast
corner of Alaska, is one of the finest examples of wilderness
remaining anywhere in the world. The Arctic Refuge is a perfect
example of intact, naturally functioning Arctic and subarctic
ecosystems; in fact, such a broad spectrum of diverse habitats
occurring within a single protected unit is unparalleled in North
America. There are some places, like
Yellowstone,
Yosemite
and the
Grand Canyon,
that define what it means to be American. The
Arctic Refuge is one of these places.
It has been an important year toward getting permanent protection for the Refuge. It all started January 25, 2015 with the events outlined below.
As I am sure you've seen in the news, it's been a big week for protecting wild Alaska! On Sunday, President Obama became the first president in history to recommend that the Refuge's Coastal Plain be protected as federally designated Wilderness, the nation's highest level of public lands protection! And just yesterday, the President announced that he would withdraw areas of the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas from oil and gas leasing – including the biologically rich Hanna Shoal, which provides key walrus habitat.
The New York Times editorialized about the President's action on the Refuge, stating "President Obama has now come down emphatically on the side of conservation."
That said, we know we haven't won everything we want yet, and not everyone shares our sentiments. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) is already ranting about the President's actions and tried to attack the Refuge by attaching a harmful amendment to the bill authorizing the Keystone pipeline currently under consideration in the Senate. This was defeated, but Alaska's new senator, Dan Sullivan, has already vowed that the amendment was "just the beginning" of his efforts to open up the Arctic Refuge to drilling.
January 25, 2015 was the beginning of a historic moment but this is only the beginning. We need to let President Obama and Interior Secretary Jewell know that we the public are in favor of their actions. Please express your support by contacting:
President Barack Obama
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500www.whitehouse.gov/contact/submit-questions-and-comments
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell
Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, N.W.
Washington DC 20240
Phone: (202) 208-3100
E-Mail: feedback@ios.doi.gov
Please keep this contact information handy as there will be more times when your support will be needed as this Refuge battle goes on.