The 23 million-acre Reserve is home to incredible array of migratory waterfowl, grizzly and polar bears, caribou, wolves, and wolverine as well as beluga and bowhead whales, walrus, and several species of seals.

Please share this exciting news and thank Secretary Salazar for protecting critical wildlife habitat in the western Arctic by sharing this image on Facebook.

This week Congressional leaders are working with the White House behind closed doors to come up with a budget deal to avoid the “fiscal cliff” — and may be considering including a Farm Bill with subsidies that reward people for destroying wetlands and causing soil erosion. 

Don’t let special interests use backroom deals to undermine common sense conservation provisions that protect streams, wetlands and grasslands.

Pintail ducks in flight (Photo: USFWS Pacific)

Farm Bill Must Not Cave to Special Interests

Up until now, conservation has been an important part of the federal Farm Bill.  Conservation programs have protected wildlife by providing farmers and other private landowners incentives to set aside land for wildlife, such as grasslands, wetlands and stream corridors — and landowners have been required to protect wetland habitats and control against serious soil erosion as a condition of receiving subsidies.

If special interests get their way in the fiscal cliff deal, taxpayer dollars will be used to reward the destruction of millions of acres of wetlands and reward farming practices that lead to worsened soil erosion–choking streams with silt and harming fish.

Help Stop the Destruction of Wildlife Habitat

Right now, we can stop lawmakers from using the fiscal cliff as an excuse to subsidize the destruction of Prairie Pothole wetlands where Northern Pintail ducks breed.

Urge President Obama to ensure that any final Farm Bill he signs include conservation measures that were voted on by the Senate. Failure to include these conservation provisions could lead to a massive destruction of important habitat for the Northern Pintail duck.

Urge President Obama to protect our remaining prairie wetlands for northern pintails.

A student activist stands in front of the White House in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Liz Starke/NWF)

They spent over 20 hours traveling by bus—through the night—in order to join with over 3,000 activists marching from Freedom Plaza to the White House on Sunday to speak out against the tar sands oil pipeline.

“The march itself was really exciting,” said Mariah, who was instrumental in getting the bus to D.C. for the day of action, “All 50 of us were chanting really loudly and trying to get everyone around us pumped up.”

Giving Students a Voice

The issue is one the Student Environmental Alliance, of which Mariah is an active member, has been working on for the past year. In addition to attending the rally, the student group has created photo and video petitions, making sure President Obama knows that stopping the Keystone XL pipeline is important to the nation’s young people.

Mariah, an Environmental Studies major, began taking classes on the subject in high school. “Learning about Keystone XL has perpetuated that interest and made me want to fight for climate justice,” she says.

Students gather under a parachute (thanks to Vinnie Roncelli) in Freedom Plaza (Photo: Liz Starke/NWF)

Sending a Colorful Message

For many of the Central Michigan University students, it was their first experience at a rally, and they were determined to make their presence known.

At the rally, Mariah and the other students spread out under a brightly colored parachute on which they had painted the words “Michigan against KXL” and “End Climate Silence” so that people in the buildings along Freedom Plaza would get their message. “We wanted to make a big statement since we were coming all the way from Michigan.”

Couldn’t make it to the rally? You can still stand up against tar sands! Tell President Obama to reject the Keystone XL pipeline.

Fran Steidle, a supporter of conservation from Florida, has already submitted a great climate question to Google: “What actions will you take to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions?”

Use the link above to see Fran’s question and click the check mark under the words “Good question” to let Google know that you stand with her. (Please note that you will need to sign in to a Google account in order to vote.)

The questions that receive the most votes are the ones most likely to be asked during the debate. By all voting YES to Fran’s question, we can make climate change — the most important threat to polar bears — an issue in the next debate!

Sea Ice Melts to Record Low

A polar bear climbs onto thin Arctic Ocean ice (Flickr/U.S. Geological Survey)

This is devastating news for polar bears, who rely on sea ice as they hunt for food.

Despite this increasing threat facing polar bears, the presidential candidates have not been asked to compare their positions on climate change in the weeks leading up to the election.

The debate moderator failed to address global warming last week during the first presidential debate, despite over 160,000 people calling for Jim Lehrer to ask President Obama and Governor Romney about the climate crisis putting the future of wildlife at risk.

Make Climate Change Part of the Debate

We can’t expect our leaders to take action to protect wildlife from rising global temperatures unless they start talking about it now. This debate is an important opportunity to demand that the candidates tell us their plans to address climate change before Election Day.

Speak up for polar bears! Vote for the climate question to be used in the presidential debates.

Coalition delivers over 160,000 petition signatures to the offices of PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer

The petitions, signed by supporters of the National Wildlife Federation and eight partner organizations, including League of Conservation Voters, the Climate Reality Project, and Moms Clean Air Force–urge Jim Lehrer to ask the presidential candidates about their plans to deal with climate change.

On October 3, President Obama and Governor Romney will square off in the first of three presidential debates. The focus will be domestic policy issues, with candidates responding to questions on the most pressing challenges facing our nation.

It would be irresponsible if they failed to address climate change–one of the greatest threats to wildlife today.

Debate to be Held in State Suffering from Climate Change

Black bears  are going hungry from extreme droughts.

Black bears in Colorado–where the first debate will be held–are desperate to find food as heat and drought shrink their food supply, causing them to wander into towns and neighborhoods searching for sustenance.

In Colorado climate change is worsening droughts that led to a crop failure in 62 of the state’s 64 counties. As crops are failing, so are black bears’ woodland foods–serviceberries, chokecherries and acorns–that just can’t grow well enough in the heat, drought and wildfires.

Elections Coverage Must Address Climate Change

Despite the gravity of the climate challenges we face, the issue has been largely absent from television news and election coverage. Americans need to know that their leaders will work to protect wildlife and their habitats by fighting climate change.

“Voters want to know how the next president will work to solve the climate crisis that is knocking on the door today and staring our future generations right in the face,” said Joe Mendelson, Director of Climate and Energy Policy at National Wildlife Federation.

Share this image on your Facebook page, then post a message on the PBS NewsHour’s Facebook page telling presidential debate moderator Jim Lehrer you want him to “Ask a question about climate” http://www.facebook.com/newshour

Climate change must be part of the conversation. Americans deserve to know how the next president will deal with the nation’s most urgent environmental challenges.

Keep the Momentum Going

Post a comment on PBS NewsHour’s Facebook page urging Jim Lehrer to “Ask a question about climate.”

Then, share this forest fire image on your Facebook page to help more people urge Jim Lehrer to ask President Obama and Governor Romney to lay out their plans on climate change.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The National Wildlife Federation and a coalition of allies, including Environment America, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Interfaith Power and Light, just delivered more than 2.1 million comments to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in support of carbon pollution standards for coal-fired power plants. The massive delivery marked the largest number of public comments ever submitted to a federal agency!

The Environmental Protection Agency’s new safeguards are a historic step, setting the first-ever national limits on the amount of dangerous carbon pollution that new power plants can emit into our air. These limits are critical to protecting public health and tackling climate change that threatens the future of wildlife.

Gina McCarthy, Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, accepted the comments on behalf of the EPA and thanked the coalition for giving voice to millions of Americans who are concerned about our environment. The record-breaking 2.1 million comments—over 100,000 of which were submitted by NWF activists—will give the EPA the support they need to finalize strong carbon emissions standards. McCarthy told us:

Presenting Gina McCarthy, EPA Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation, with comments from NWF’s activists.

It’s  going to take these voices – loud voices – to make all the right things happen here in Washington, D.C., and your ability to bring millions of those voices to the table will make a difference…It’s going to make a difference in how this administration can achieve the kind of goal that it promises to achieve.

While these carbon pollution standards for new power plants are an important first step in the EPA’s work to address climate change, they are not enough, and we look forward to the EPA’s release of a proposal to safeguard the public and wildlife from carbon emissions from existing power plants. We know our activists will be up to the challenge of setting yet another comment record.

The official comment period is over, but EPA is still accepting comments in support of limiting carbon pollution from new coal-fired power plants. Add your voice to the 2.1 million!

The flute-like melody of the Western Meadowlark is a familiar and iconic sound across the grasslands of the American West and Midwest. These vibrantly-colored songbirds build their nests and forage for food in native grasslands, meadows, and farm fields during the winter, and in the spring males can often be spotted perched on fence posts, singing out across the grasslands.

Unfortunately, as large-scale agricultural land development destroys and degrades native grasslands, Western Meadowlark populations continue to decline. Right now, crucial conservation programs — including those that protect native grasslands on which Western Meadowlarks depend — are at risk of being cut in the re-authorization of the Federal Farm Bill.

Even worse, federal farm subsidies that lead to the destruction of native grasslands are continuing to expand. Special interests are fighting efforts to conserve and recover some of America’s most crucial wildlife habitat, and that’s why our decision-makers need to hear from you! 

Help Protect the Western Meadowlark

Tweet like a meadowlark. Congress can’t hear the song of the meadowlarks in DC, so we have to tweet for them! Listed below are Senators on the Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee. Simply find your Senator(s), and click “Tweet” to speak up for the Western Meadowlark.

Arkansas

Tweet Senator John Boozman: @JohnBoozman Please support conservation programs in the 2012 #FarmBill that protect our soil, water, and wildlife.

Colorado

Tweet Senator Michael Bennet: @SenBennetCO Please support conservation programs in the 2012 #FarmBill that protect our soil, water, and wildlife.

Georgia

Tweet Senator Saxby Chambliss: @SaxbyChambliss Please support conservation programs in the 2012 #FarmBill that protect our soil, water, and wildlife.

Indiana

Tweet Senator Richard Lugar @dicklugar Please support conservation programs in the 2012 #FarmBill that protect our soil, water, and wildlife.

Iowa

Tweet Senator Charles Grassley @ChuckGrassley Please support conservation programs in the 2012 #FarmBill that protect our soil, water, and wildlife.

Tweet Senator Tom Harkin @SenatorHarkin Please support conservation programs in the 2012 #FarmBill that protect our soil, water, and wildlife.

Kansas

Tweet Senator Pat Roberts: @SenPatRoberts Please support conservation programs in the 2012 #FarmBill that protect our soil, water, and wildlife.

Kentucky

Tweet Senator Mitch McConnell: @McConnellPress Please support conservation programs in the 2012 #FarmBill that protect our soil, water, and wildlife.

Michigan

Tweet Senator Debbie Stabenow: @stabenow Please support conservation programs in the 2012 #FarmBill that protect our soil, water, and wildlife.

Minnesota

Tweet Senator Amy Klobuchar: @amyklobuchar Please support conservation programs in the 2012 #FarmBill that protect our soil, water, and wildlife.

Nebraska

Tweet Senator E. Benjamin Nelson: @SenBenNelson Please support conservation programs in the 2012 #FarmBill that protect our soil, water, and wildlife.

Tweet Senator Mike Johanns: @Mike_Johanns Please support conservation programs in the 2012 #FarmBill that protect our soil, water, and wildlife.

New York

Tweet Senator Kirsten Gillibrand: @SenGillibrand Please support conservation programs in the 2012 #FarmBill that protect our soil, water, and wildlife.

North Dakota

Tweet Senator John Hoeven @SenJohnHoeven Please support conservation programs in the 2012 #FarmBill that protect our soil, water, and wildlife.

Ohio

Tweet Senator Sherrod Brown @SenSherrodBrown Please support conservation programs in the 2012 #FarmBill that protect our soil, water, and wildlife.

Pennsylvania

Tweet Senator Robert Casey, Jr. @SenBobCasey Please support conservation programs in the 2012 #FarmBill that protect our soil, water, and wildlife.

South Dakota

Tweet Senator John Thune: @SenJohnThune Please support conservation programs in the 2012 #FarmBill that protect our soil, water, and wildlife.

Vermont

Tweet Senator Patrick Leahy: @SenatorLeahy Please support conservation programs in the 2012 #FarmBill that protect our soil, water, and wildlife.

Not on Twitter? Click here to send a message urging your Senator to support crucial conservation programs in the re-authorization of the 2012 Farm Bill.

Don’t have a Senator on the committee? You can still help the Western Meadowlark by sharing this post with friends in states that do.

Species that depend on camouflage to blend in with snow in the winter face unique threats from climate change.  With less snow for protection, they become more susceptible to hungry predators. Species like the snowshoe hare are struggling to adapt effectively to warmer temperature and reduced snow fall, and this seriously threatens their chances for survival.

Nowhere to Hide

During warm months, the snowshoe hare’s coat is a rusty brown, but when the days start to shorten, the hare’s coat whitens to hide it from predators like lynxes, coyotes, and eagles. Unfortunately, in recent years, snow is falling later and melting sooner, leaving the snow-white rabbit dangerously conspicuous against a green and brown background. According to the NWF report:

 ”…Winter is becoming less white: The extent of snow cover across the Northern Hemisphere has decreased by approximately 3 to 9 percent since 1978, with especially rapid declines in the western United States. Climatologists expect these trends to continue, and they project that by the end of the century, parts of the Northeast will lose as many as half of their snow-covered days each year.”

This is a particularly deadly forecast for the snowshoe hare who may not be able to adapt quickly enough to survive these changes. While it’s only natural for these rabbits to provide sustenance to hungry predators throughout the winter, if the hares become too easy to catch, entire hare populations could be at risk, along with the species that rely on them for food. According to University of Montana researcher Scott Mills, “Hares are important because they are prey for almost everything in the forest that eats meat. Without hares, the ecosystem unravels.”

Getting Back on Trend

For the snowshoe hare, wearing white after Labor Day is more than just a faux pas – it’s a matter of life and death. Fortunately, the Environmental Protection Agency has begun the process of tackling climate change by proposing historic limits to industrial carbon pollution from new power plants. Big polluters are expected to challenge these limits, so it’s up to us to show our decision-makers that we want the EPA to protect wildlife from the dirty fossil fuels that cause climate change. The future of snowshoe hares depends on it.

Protect the future of snowshoe hares, polar bears, and other wildlife imperiled by global warming by urging the EPA to finalize a strong standards to reduce carbon pollution from power plant smokestacks.

Read the full report On Thin Ice: Warming Winters Put America’s Hunting and Fishing Heritage at Risk at NWF.org/CleanAir

Rachel Carson

I wouldn’t feel right about starting with anyone other than Rachel Carson. This extraordinary woman and author brought environmental awareness to mainstream America in 1962 with her book Silent Spring, which exposed the hazards of pesticide use. The book introduced the idea that science and industry could pose a serious threat to the environment and public health. Her work also pointed out the need for environmental regulation — the EPA calls itself the extended shadow of Rachel Carson.

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.”

 Margaret “Mardy” Murie

Considered the “grandmother of conservation,” Margaret “Mardy” Murie grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska, where her love of wilderness began. She married naturalist and biologist Olaus Murie in 1924, and their outdoor adventures led her to a life dedicated to the preservation of wild places. Her tireless advocacy led to the the protection of some of the most important wilderness areas left on the planet, including Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Her testimony was instrumental in the passage of the 1980 Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, legislation that set aside 104 million acres of land in Alaska and doubled the size of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In 2003, at age 100, Murie received the National Wildlife Federation’s highest honor, J.N. “Ding” Darling Conservationist of the Year.

“I am testifying as an emotional woman and I would like to ask you, gentlemen, what’s wrong with emotion? Beauty is a resource in and of itself. Alaska must be allowed to be Alaska, that is her greatest economy. I hope the United States of America is not so rich that she can afford to let these wildernesses pass by, or so poor she cannot afford to keep them.”

Winona LaDuke

An Anishinaabekwe enrolled member of the Mississippi Band Anishinaabeg, Winona LaDuke is a Native American environmentalist, activist, writer, and orator who advocates on issues of climate change, renewable energy, sustainable development, food systems, and environmental justice. She co-founded the Native American-led organization, Honor the Earth, that works to raise public awareness and increase financial resources for the Native environmental movement. She lives on the White Earth Ojibwe Reservation in Minnesota where she works to help land-based communities protect their cultures and traditions. LaDuke also joined Ralph Nadar on the Green Party ticket in 1996 and 2000. Watch her present comedian Stephen Colbert with an Ojibwe nickname in this clip from The Colbert Report in 2008.

“Power is not brute force and money; power is in your spirit. Power is in your soul. It is what your ancestors, your old people gave you. Power is in the earth; it is in your relationship to the earth.”

Majora Carter

In an incredibly compelling, emotionally-charged TED talk, Majora Carter defines environmental justice with the statement: “No community should be saddled with more environmental burdens and less environmental benefits than any other.” This amazing activist works to transform under-served communities into sustainable places to live, something she calls “greening the ghetto.” She started with her own neighborhood by founding the non-profit Sustainable South Bronx and continues to help communities throughout the country solve challenges with environmentally sustainable solutions.

“We need to work together to embrace and repair our land, repair our power systems and repair ourselves.”

Maya Lin

She may be best known for designing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC, but Maya Lin is also a conservationist whose art aims to bring awareness to pressing environmental issues. She has collaborated with Pacific Northwest tribes, civic groups, and other artists on the Confluence Project, a series of seven installations along the Columbia River Basin that explore the intersection of environment, cultures, and regional history. Her memorial entitled “What is Missing” features a webpage and multiple installations that focus on biodiversity and habitat loss. Visit her MAYA LIN STUDIO to find out more about her art, architecture, and memorials.

“I think the natural environment is beautiful; nothing I can do is going to be better than what nature has done. So when I approach a site, I want to do it with a lot of respect, with a gentle touch, and whatever buildings I put down, I want them to frame and give you views out to the landscape — to have you be a part of and connected to the landscape. I really believe you can teach people that way. They may not be aware of what is going on with the architecture, but you can make them feel a part of nature — not above it, not superior to it, and not conquering it.”

Leap day is almost here!  Take some time this February 29^th to leap into fun with frogs.

Nearly a third of the world’s amphibian species, including frogs, are now threatened. So, take the extra day we get every four years to spend some time showing your appreciation for these amazing amphibians.

Leap Day Activities

Test your knowledge: Take the Leap Day Frog Quiz!

Get creative: Make origami frogs, and have a leaping contest.

Go outside: Build a frog pond.

Challenge yourself: Play the tree frog game.

Find out: What other animals have self-catapulting capabilities?

Learn more: Read about how frogs and toads are threatened by climate change and how new limits to carbon pollution from smokestacks can help.

My origami frog leaped a whole 29 inches!  Use the comments section below to share how far your frog can leap and which frog activities you enjoyed most this Leap Day.