Powerful politicians in Washington are seizing to advance their anti-environmental agenda
As we watch thousands of our neighbors slowly return to take up lives shattered by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, most Americans hear a call to caring and compassion for those who have borne the unbearable.
But a few powerful politicians in Washington are seizing this tragedy as an opportunity to advance their anti-environmental agenda. Already they have moved to gut the Endangered Species Act, ravage the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and sell off our great western public lands, all under the disingenuous pretext of hurricane relief and reconstruction.
None of this will help hurricane victims, nor does it reflect the wishes of the majority of Americans. We don't respond to tough times by selling off our national parks and our last unspoiled forests. In good times and in bad, in war and in peace, Americans have always safeguarded the places that make our country special.
Thank you for all you have done over the past weeks to keep America strong, in spirit and in fact.
Kathy Kilmer Director, Electronic Communications The Wilderness Society
Go Wild
As autumn shortens the long golden days in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, animals are on the move. Tens of thousands of snow geese, their flight formations like bits of intricate lace against the blue sky, have departed. Millions of other birds -- eiders, tundra swans, and other species -- have flown to milder climates. A hundred thousand caribou (or more) have moved farther south, below the Brooks Range or into Canada where the winters are not so harsh.
But some animals call the Arctic Refuge home year-round, evidenced by the chirrup of a snowy-coated ptarmigan, the bark of an arctic fox, or the howl of an arctic wolf. Pregnant polar bears have set up dens. Moose and muskoxen will use mighty hooves to graze beneath the winter snow. Farther south, in the foothills of the Brooks Range, grizzlies begin their hibernation.
And in Washington, shortsighted officials plot, through propaganda and policy, to despoil this unmatched place forever.
Take Action
Your Calls Needed
More than 5,000 citizen activists came to Washington, DC, on September 20 to rally support for protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Together, we literally jammed the halls of Congress with people like you who understand that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is too wild to waste.
Now, it's time to build on the momentum of Arctic Refuge Action Day. Arctic Refuge drilling could come up for a vote any time this month as part of the pending budget reconciliation bill. Please take a moment to phone your Members of Congress. Congress is in recess until Thursday, but you should be able to leave a message. State your name and address (to prove that you are a constituent) then tell your Members of Congress to oppose ANY bill that would hand the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge over to oil companies.
You can look up the phone numbers for your Members of Congress here: http://ga1.org/wilderness/leg-lookup/search.tcl
Thank you for your continuing attention to this most important legislative battle! You can read more about Arctic Refuge Action Day at:
http://www.wilderness.org/NewsRoom/Release/20050920.cfm
But a few powerful politicians in Washington are seizing this tragedy as an opportunity to advance their anti-environmental agenda. Already they have moved to gut the Endangered Species Act, ravage the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and sell off our great western public lands, all under the disingenuous pretext of hurricane relief and reconstruction.
None of this will help hurricane victims, nor does it reflect the wishes of the majority of Americans. We don't respond to tough times by selling off our national parks and our last unspoiled forests. In good times and in bad, in war and in peace, Americans have always safeguarded the places that make our country special.
Thank you for all you have done over the past weeks to keep America strong, in spirit and in fact.
Kathy Kilmer Director, Electronic Communications The Wilderness Society
Go Wild
As autumn shortens the long golden days in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, animals are on the move. Tens of thousands of snow geese, their flight formations like bits of intricate lace against the blue sky, have departed. Millions of other birds -- eiders, tundra swans, and other species -- have flown to milder climates. A hundred thousand caribou (or more) have moved farther south, below the Brooks Range or into Canada where the winters are not so harsh.
But some animals call the Arctic Refuge home year-round, evidenced by the chirrup of a snowy-coated ptarmigan, the bark of an arctic fox, or the howl of an arctic wolf. Pregnant polar bears have set up dens. Moose and muskoxen will use mighty hooves to graze beneath the winter snow. Farther south, in the foothills of the Brooks Range, grizzlies begin their hibernation.
And in Washington, shortsighted officials plot, through propaganda and policy, to despoil this unmatched place forever.
Take Action
Your Calls Needed
More than 5,000 citizen activists came to Washington, DC, on September 20 to rally support for protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Together, we literally jammed the halls of Congress with people like you who understand that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is too wild to waste.
Now, it's time to build on the momentum of Arctic Refuge Action Day. Arctic Refuge drilling could come up for a vote any time this month as part of the pending budget reconciliation bill. Please take a moment to phone your Members of Congress. Congress is in recess until Thursday, but you should be able to leave a message. State your name and address (to prove that you are a constituent) then tell your Members of Congress to oppose ANY bill that would hand the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge over to oil companies.
You can look up the phone numbers for your Members of Congress here: http://ga1.org/wilderness/leg-lookup/search.tcl
Thank you for your continuing attention to this most important legislative battle! You can read more about Arctic Refuge Action Day at:
http://www.wilderness.org/NewsRoom/Release/20050920.cfm
Starmail - 5. Okt, 11:58
