SIGN NOW: Protect essential caribou habitats in the Arctic for Public Lands Day!

National Public Lands Day is approaching this weekend, so we’re taking the opportunity to defend the Western Arctic Reserve from Big Oil’s corporate destructive exploitation.

The Western Arctic Reserve includes protected landscapes known as Special Areas because they are extremely important for fish, wildlife, historical, cultural and other values. These areas must be federally protected to safeguard the lands, water and wildlife in the region from corporate polluters like Big Oil that are threatening sensitive caribou habitats, which so many wildlife and communities in the Arctic rely on for livelihood.

The decline of caribou populations creates a cascade of negative effects throughout the Arctic ecosystem and threatens Alaska Native ways of life that are inextricably linked to these landscapes — so we MUST stop Big Oil from WIPING out this vulnerable keystone species that brings so much value to the Arctic, its inhabitants, and the planet.

The Arctic and its inhabitants are being pushed even closer to the BRINK, as threats from oil and gas companies continue to rise. Will you take immediate action to defend the public lands of the Western Arctic Reserve? Add your name now to defend the Arctic and all of its inhabitants from the fossil fuel industry >>

Comments

Dear Bureau of Land Management,

The Western Arctic Reserve spans nearly 23 million acres. Unfortunately, the Arctic is warming at four times the rate of other regions and is particularly vulnerable to climate change—and threats from oil and gas development are growing.

While there are hundreds of species in the Reserve, caribou merit special consideration. Globally, caribou herds have declined by more than 50% in the past two decades. The Western Arctic Reserve supports three important caribou herds: the Teshekpuk Caribou Herd, the Western Arctic Caribou Herd, and the Central Arctic Herd. All three herds are under threat from oil and gas development and increasing impacts from climate change.

The Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act requires that the Department of the Interior provide maximum protection for areas with significant fish and wildlife, subsistence, recreational, and other values. To fulfill the BLM’s obligations, I urge that the agency:

Protect critical migration pathways, calving grounds, and habitats for caribou;

Safeguard vital subsistence values for Alaska Native communities who have depended on the region for their way of life since time immemorial;

Ensure that the nesting grounds for millions of migratory birds remain undisturbed by oil and gas development and that fish have fresh, clean waterways that will be sustained well into the future; and

Expand existing Special Areas, particularly the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area to bridge the gap between it and the Colville River Special Area because of this region’s importance to caribou and the way of life for the Native Village of Nuiqsut.

I urge you to utilize the best available science and traditional knowledge to maximize protections for caribou migration pathways and habitats, other wildlife and fish habitats, and the communities that are inextricably linked to the caribou and other species in this landscape.

Sincerely,

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