It’s a place where you get used to seeing bald eagles soaring among the trees and moose, and caribou grazing in valleys (or in the middle of your hiking trail). Alaska is one of the few places I’ve been where the natural world still reigns supreme. As a friend of mine so aptly said: “If you can go to Alaska and not come away with respect and awe for the natural world, then you don’t have a soul.”

I’ve been asked several times why I am so passionate about protecting a place I’ve never been to. My response is a simple one — I want the option of going there, and I want my seven-year-old niece to have the option of going there. I also like knowing we have a place where the beauty and magic of nature is left alone.

For all those reasons–and because Kristine, my niece, just pointed out that drilling for oil where the polar bear babies are born is just dumb — my family and I are going to be in Washington, D.C., on September 20 for Arctic Refuge Action Day. Thousands of people from across the country are signing up to come to the nation’s capital and make show of force that will tell Congress we mean business.

You can be a part of this historic event as well–just send an email to alerts@nwf.org, and let us know you’re interested in more information. If you can’t make it to DC, but have an interest in attending (or even hosting) a rally or event in your city, let us know that as well. Working together, we can–and will–ensure that the wild beauty of the Arctic Refuge is protected both now and for future generations of people … and polar bears.

I stood side by side earlier with people from all walks of life — and together we kicked off a nationwide campaign to keep oil drilling out of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. All of us there felt a shared sense of purpose: a sense those of us who believe in the enduring value of the refuge — standing united in the shadow of the nation’s Capitol, and all across the country — can win this effort to protect a spectacular wildlife treasure.

Starting this morning, two Arctic rally vans started a journey across America. They’ll stop at cities, towns, villages, summer fairs, festivals, Little League games and backyard barbecues — every place they can remind people what we stand to lose if oil companies set up shop in the heart of the Refuge. This is just the beginning: events are planned across the country to spread the message that our children and grandchildren deserve to inherit a place so spectacular that Alaskan Natives refer to it as the place “where life begins.”

But don’t wait for the vans or rallies to come to you. We have to act now. Starting today, we all need to speak to our neighbors and friends — and encourage them to speak to their neighbors and friends — until ultimately, our Congress hears the voices of millions of Americans who oppose Arctic drilling and want America to have a safer, cleaner and more secure energy future.

So call your members of Congress — and find out where they stand on drilling in the Arctic Refuge. Make sure to press them for clear answers; then, report their responses here at our website. And support the rally vans — for events in your area, send a message to alerts@nwf.org.