Protect the Arctic Refuge for Good!

Next month, pregnant female polar bears will begin to come ashore and prepare for the long winter ahead. They will be eating massive amounts food to store up energy and building their dens, dug in snowdrifts or snow covered hills to provide cubs protection from the wind, cold, and attack from predators. Between November and February, her one-pound cubs will be born, and in the spring, she will emerge from her den in one of America’s most spectacular landscapes — the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

The coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge is the nation’s most important onshore polar bear denning habitat. But oil exploration and drilling in this spectacular place could drive polar bear mothers to abandon their cubs, leaving them to starve to death. Because polar bears exist in relatively small populations and have low reproductive rates, they are highly susceptible to even small decreases in population numbers.

December 6th, 2010 marks the 50th anniversary of the Arctic Refuge, which polar bears, arctic foxes, migratory birds and other wildlife depend on for their survival. To help protect this national treasure — one of the most fragile and ecologically sensitive in the world — we encourage you to join the thousands of wildlife advocates making calls to President Obama, urging him to permanently protect this unique national treasure.

Make a phone call to President Obama and proclaim our message: let’s finally protect the Arctic Refuge for good!

As we approach the Refuge’s 50th anniversary, let’s work to ensure that this last great wilderness is permanently protected for wildlife and future generations.