Great news…Washington D.C. (October 22, 2009) — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed today to designate over 200,000 square miles of coastal lands and waters along the north coast of Alaska as a habitat for the polar bear. This proposal is a response to a partial settlement in a lawsuit brought by the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Center for Biological Diversity, and Greenpeace.
The habitat proposal, required under the Endangered Species Act, comes the same week that another Interior Department agency, the Minerals Management Service, approved oil-company plans for exploratory drilling in the polar bear’s habitat in the Beaufort Sea. Interior is considering a similar drilling proposal in the Chukchi Sea.
We all know that polar bears are in serious long-term trouble. Today’s designation of critical habitat is an essential step toward saving this increasingly imperiled species. But we have to do much more if we are to save the polar bear from extinction, said Andrew Wetzler, director of NRDC’s Wildlife Conservation Project. Controlling carbon pollution, reducing commercial hunting in Canada, and stemming the tide of toxic chemicals in their habitat are all necessary to ensure this magnificent animal’s future.â€
To read more of this article, click HERE