NWF Applauds Nomination of Sen. Kerry to be Secretary of State

December 21 – President Obama is expected today to nominate Senator John Kerry to be the next Secretary of State.

Larry Schweiger, CEO, and president of National Wildlife Federation, issued the following statement:

“National Wildlife Federation enthusiastically supports Senator’s Kerry’s nomination to be Secretary of State.  President Obama has promised to make climate change a top priority for his second term and Senator Kerry is a great addition to his cabinet to help get the job done. Senator Kerry is a leader on the environment and climate change and he has worked across the aisle to build bipartisan support for action in the Senate.  Senator Kerry understands the urgent need for U.S. leadership and global cooperation to tackle climate change and speed the transformation to a clean energy economy.  National Wildlife Federation looks forward to supporting him as he tackles these critical threats to wildlife and our children’s future.”

New Plan Balances Wildlife Conservation with Drilling in Western Arctic

December 19 – The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) today announced a final management plan that will determine how oil and gas leasing can move forward while protecting wildlife in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, also known as the Western Arctic Reserve.

“Today’s release of the final Integrated Activity Plan/Environmental Impact Statement represents a balanced approach to managing the Western Arctic Reserve, taking into account the needs of local wildlife, local communities and for oil and gas production,” said Adam Kolton, executive director of the National Wildlife Federation’s National Advocacy Center. “We commend the Interior Department for providing vital protections for Teshekpuk Lake, Kasegaluk Lagoon and the Colville River Special Area.”

And here are highlights from NWF in the News:

• UPI: Alaska oil plans draw fire, praise
• Reuters: U.S. unveils plan to manage huge Alaskan oil reserve
• Seattle Times: With climate change, winter isn’t what it used to be
• The Coloradoan: Report: Climate change already altering the rhythms of nature
• Deseret News: Climate change already playing out in West, report says
• Dot Earth (NYTimes blog): Scientists See Big Impacts on U.S. Ecosystems from Global Warming

For more, visit www.nwf.org/News

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.

The following is a guest post from Larry Bartlett from Fairbanks, Alaska—he gives a firsthand account of  traveling in the Western Arctic Reserve (also known as the National Petroleum Reserve or NPR-A), the single largest unit of public land in the nation encompassing 23.5 million acres. This land provides habitat for caribou, grizzlies, polar bears, wolves, and millions of migratory birds—including tens of thousands of ducks and geese highly valued by sportsmen throughout the nation.

When Alaskans are asked about the National Petroleum Reserve (NPR), most have never heard of it, few have visited this region, and still fewer have hunted this barren landscape.  That’s precisely the way I prefer it; wild, uncorrupted, scenic, stark, and extremely remote.

Most notably this region in Northwest Alaska serves two biological purposes:

1. Spring breeding grounds for hundreds of thousands of migratory birds;
2. Calving grounds and summer range for the Western Arctic Herd of caribou (the largest caribou herd in Alaska, numbering over 550,000 animals).

I’ve frequently visited the largest drainage existing within the NPR, the Colville basin, starting around 1998. Surprisingly, not much has changed in this region.  It continues to provide wild and remotely scenic adventures to those who wish to endure its vastness firsthand.

©Dave Shreffler

Pristine Wilderness in the Truest Form

Most visitors begin trips to the northwest region starting in July, since breakup occurs in late June on these northwest rivers.  Mosquitos are intense until mid August, so most of my personal travels occur during this time period to mid-September.

After spring calving season, caribou slowly begin a southwest movement from the Utukok uplands, across the Colville River, and continue southwest over the Continental Divide through river drainages and over broad mountain passes of the Brooks Range. Most caribou hunters pursue opportunities along major tributaries of the upper Colville and Noatak rivers.

A unique region, floaters often find bituminous coal chips washed up on the many gravel beaches of the Colville River and its tributaries.  This region has abundant bituminous deposits close to the surface, and oil seeps can also be seen in this region, giving rise to the question of when, not if, these valuable resources will be tapped and exploited from the NPR.

As far as the “experience” floaters can expect, I’ve enjoyed many types, from hunting pursuits for moose and caribou to archeological finds to char fishing.  It’s a great place to escape human encounters and soak up the wonder of this unexploited landscape.

Many fossils, such as mastodon and mammoth tusks, dinosaur bones, and ancient human remains, can be found jutting out from eroding high cliffs and along the shorelines of many clear-flowing tributaries of the Colville River. This region’s wildlife has experienced flows and ebbs of life and death for hundreds of thousands of years, and it continues to be considered one of the richest sources for scientific importance in all of Alaska. The first known inhabitants of North America are thought to have crossed into Alaska and to the Americas from Siberia across the nearby Bering Land Bridge as early as 15,000 years ago. Peoples in this region often buried their dead in shallow rock-covered graves, since permafrost prevented traditional burial practices.  And these mounds can be located in sporadic locations across the tundra and near the banks of the Colville River, so visitors must travel with bright eyes and wary souls to spot these unique anthropologic treasures.

This region has a bounty of possible adventures; however, there are simply too many unique attributes to list that make up the whole “experience” of travelling to this region of Alaska. It’s a resource worth protecting from crude resource extraction, heavy human use and careless travel. Perhaps this region is best described as Alaska’s Northwest Gem, full of wonder, adventure, and historic importance.

Currently, the Bureau of Land Management is finalizing a management plan to determine which lands and waters will be protected and which will be leased for oil and gas development in the Western Arctic Reserve. Thanks to widespread support for conservation, they have identified a preferred plan called ‘Alternative B2′. This plan will preserve wildlife habitat for caribou, grizzly and polar bears, and millions of migratory birds in the Western Arctic. 

Although this is a major step forward — we’re not over the finish line yet. It is important the management plan be finalized to permanently protect wildlife habitat in the Reserve.

Please “like” and “share” our image on Facebook, to thank Interior Secretary Salazar and urge him to stand strong against pressure to open more of the Reserve to oil and gas development.