1. What's the Arctic National Wild Life Refuge?
It is 19 million acres of arctic forests, snow-capped mountains, beautiful prairie wetland, and precious Arctic Ocean shoreline. It's almost at the top of the world. And because you are a U.S. resident, this protected parkland belongs to you. Look for it on a map. It's in northeastern Alaska. Check out the location on the map.
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is one of 538 wildlife parks that are protected by the United States government for you, me, and all the animals who need this home to survive. It's a wondrous protected area where spring brings glorious fields of wildflowers to the tundra (arctic prairie). The 1.5 million-acre Coastal Plain on the Arctic Ocean provides a home for precious species who can live nowhere else. For helpful information about the Refuge, go to KSE Action Program partner The Alaska Wilderness League's site. Also the official Arctic National Wild LifeRefuge site.
2. What's the Problem?
For now - it's against the law for anyone to harm the water, land, or living creatures by building and drilling in our Refuge. But that may change soon without your help. Oil companies want to drill for oil on the Coastal Plains of the Refuge. Some government leaders want to help these oil companies by changing the laws that protect our Refuge. Earth-Savers don't want oil companies to drill for oil in this special part of the planet. We need to protect this area for the wild species who live there and for the Gwich'in people (Native inhabitants) who have lived there for thousands of years.
If oil companies were to drill for oil in our Refuge, the oil could be all used up in about 6
months. Oil companies will make their money and then leave the damaged lands. The fact is that we don't really need this oil! With energy efficiency Americans could easily save the same amount of oil that can be found in the Coastal Plain. And now we use sun power, wind power, and electric and hybrid cars, we don't need so much oil. Using less oil will help slow global warming and solve other air pollution problems as well.
3. Who Gets Hurt?
No matter how big or how small, every living creature on the planet is important to the balance of nature. When industry moves into an area, the eco-system (the animal and plant life) may be ruined. The U.S. Congress made laws to protect creatures that can be harmed by human activity in your Refuge. Even tiny snails and the wooly bear caterpillars can get sick from the pollution oil drilling usually creates. Drilling would upset polar bears who have baby cubs in the snow bank dens in your Refuge. There are only around 4,700 Polar Bears in all of the U.S. and most of them give birth to cubs on the Coastal Plain of the Arctic Refuge where oil companies want to drill. Snow geese, grizzly bears, ringed seals, muskoxen and 180 species of birds all make this land their home. During the summer a herd of about 120,000 caribou (look like reindeer) travel 700 miles from Canada to have their baby calves in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This is the kind of habitat they must have to stay healthy. What if the land is filled with machines, pollution and people? To learn more about the animals of this delicate habitat go to
the Arctic Study Center
4. What Can I Do to Help?
As Congress and President Obama work together to develop an energy strategy that preserves our nation's public lands legacy, now is the time to ensure that special places in the Arctic - such as the Coastal Plain of the Arctic Refuge - are kept off limits to oil and gas development.
The Udall-Eisenhower Arctic Wilderness Act (H.R. 39) does just that by ensuring that the Coastal Plain of the Refuge is granted the strongest protection possible as wilderness for the future. Check out this link to see the actual bill.
Send this Kids for Saving Earth postcard to your congressman or senator. If you don't know who they are, now is the time to learn. Click here to find out who they are by using your zip-code. Print out this postcard on card stock. Have your students draw their favorite Arctic Animal on one side of the postcard. Then sign the postcard, list your state and place a stamp on it. We will collect all the cards and send them to your senators.
|
