BIOGEMS NEWS from THE NRDC FEB2010

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Visit Natural Resources Defense Council Save BioGems - The monthly update for BioGems Defenders - February 2010
BioGems Update
A big thank you to BioGems Defenders who recently sent nearly 19,000 messages to protect grizzly bear habitat in Wyoming's Shoshone National Forest.

BioGems Defenders:
598,103

Action Messages Sent:
12,621,803

America's Arctic

Shell's Drilling Threatens the Arctic Refuge

A half a century ago, the Eisenhower administration created the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge "for the purpose of preserving unique wildlife, wilderness and recreational values." But reckless oil development continues to endanger the future of this one-of-a-kind natural sanctuary. The Obama administration has given the Shell oil company a preliminary green light to begin exploratory drilling off the coast of the refuge as early as this summer. Government experts have predicted that least one oil spill will occur if Shell proceeds with full-scale production. Apart from killing polar bears and their cubs on their main birthing ground, the oil could also suffocate or poison whales, including endangered bowhead and beluga whales.

» Tell the Obama administration to reject Shell's plan and protect the coastline of the Arctic Refuge from a disastrous oil spill.



In the News
NEW SONAR RANGE IMPERILS WHALE CALVING GROUNDS
NRDC is headed to federal court to block the Navy from building a sonar training range just outside the only known calving grounds of the North Atlantic right whale, one of the most critically endangered species of whales left on the planet. The proposed $100 million range, spanning 500 square nautical miles off the coast of northeastern Florida, would effectively transform the area into an epicenter of ear-splitting sonar use. The Navy's plans would expose the right whales to a triple threat from sonar, vessel strikes and entanglements, and scientists say that the loss of even a single whale could drive the species to extinction.

MORE ROOM TO ROAM
We continue to fight diligently to help ensure a safe and easy passage for Yellowstone bison that wander beyond park boundaries into Montana during the harsh winter months in search of food. Recently, local NRDC staffers lent a hand by helping to dismantle about two miles of unused barbed-wire fencing on an old grazing allotment north of West Yellowstone. Opening up this critical migration corridor is a key step toward making the area more hospitable for roaming bison.

WOLVES IN PERIL
In a grim setback to wolf recovery efforts, a preliminary estimate has shown that wolves in the northern Rockies failed to increase in number last year. Since being reintroduced to Yellowstone in the mid-1990s, the population had achieved a roughly 20 percent annual growth rate. But wolf hunts and aggressive government control actions precipitated a record of more than 500 wolf deaths in 2009, bringing recovery progress to an abrupt halt. The current population now reportedly rests at about 1,650. Scientists say this number must reach at least 2,000 to ensure a sustainable recovery.


Action Insider

STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest updates on wolves, bison and other western wildlife: Become a fan of NRDC's new Northern Rockies Wildlife page on Facebook and follow NRDC's wildlife expert Matt Skoglund, a.k.a. @YellowstoneMatt, on Twitter.

GOOD NEWS ROUNDUP
A highly endangered right whale -- feared dead -- may actually be alive. Meanwhile, wolf sightings have expanded in Oregon's Cascade Mountains. Get the full roundup of good news on wildlife from NRDC's Andrew Wetzler.