DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE E NEWS 13APR12

ARTICLES on Earth Day, Yellowstone bison, panthers, ANWR, artic oil drilling, national forest and the new Defenders of Wildlife website....Enjoy!

View in Browser   |   Donate Now   |   Sign Up   |   Share: Take Action Pledge a Day for the Earth Sunday, April 22 is Earth Day -- and what better way to show your appreciation for our wildlife and wild places than giving back a few hours of your time? Whether you pick up trash in a local park, create a haven for wildlife by planting native shrubs in your backyard or get your friends together to restore habitat in a nearby national wildlife refuge or forest, there’s something each of us can do in our own communities to give wildlife and wild places a hand. Take the Earth Day pledge today -- and get your hands dirty for wildlife! Feature Where the Wild Bison Roam For nearly a century, most of America's last truly wild bison had been confined to Yellowstone National Park. But last month, a herd of these iconic animals ended a historic journey at a new home on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in northeastern Montana. For many years, Defenders and our conservation partners worked closely with the Assiniboine and Sioux tribes and Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer to make this win for wildlife possible on the Great Plains. And Defenders' supporters from across the country sent more than 225,000 messages to state and federal officials urging them to do more to protect and restore America's wild bison. The historic bison relocation is the culmination of years of hard work -- but it's just the latest step in our efforts to restore these iconic animals to the American Prairie. Watch a video of Defenders' Jonathan Proctor as he talks about the historic bison move. Learn More on Defenders Blog. Wins for Wildlife Progress for Panthers New nighttime speed restrictions are now in effect along a deadly 5-mile stretch of road in Florida, where nine endangered panthers have so far been killed by cars. The slower speeds should give the big cats enough time to avoid being hit. Defenders and our conservation partners worked with area landowners and local and state officials to make Keri Road (CR832) a safer crossing for panthers. >> Learn More "Jurassic Park" Bill Rejected Thanks in part to the urging of more than 5,000 Defenders supporters, Florida Governor Rick Scott vetoed a bill that would have allowed non-native species to roam on state lands. The veto of the so-called "Jurassic Park" bill is a huge victory for the Sunshine State's ecosystems and native wildlife -- which already face challenges from exotic species running wild. >>Learn More Senate Votes to Protect Arctic Refuge The U.S. Senate decisively rejected a plan to hand over the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to Big Oil. Nearly 9,000 Defenders supporters in key states across the nation urged their Senators to oppose opening this natural treasure to Big Oil's drills. >>Learn More New Course for Forests The Obama administration unveiled its final forest planning rule last month, making a strong commitment to wildlife and land conservation. Over the past three years, Defenders supporters have sent more than 200,000 messages to federal officials helping to secure stronger protections for these public lands and the lynx, martens and other wildlife that depend on them for survival. >>Learn More Feature Stunning Images Nearly 8,000 amazing photos were submitted -- and more than 35,000 Defenders supporters chose the winners. In the end, James Yule's adorable photo of a mother grizzly and her cub was the Grand Prize winner of Defenders' third annual Photo Contest. "I think it is a great honor to win this contest amongst nearly 8,000 entries," James told us. "I am truly elated about the award." James will travel to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks for a photo tour with renowned photographer Jess Lee to sharpen his already spectacular shutter skills. See high-resolution images of all the winners in both Wildlife and Wild Lands categories on Defenders Blog. See more incredible photos like these in DEFENDERS quarterly -- Donate $20 or more online to secure your subscription today! Defending Wildlife A Site to See! Defenders.org is all new and ready for your visit! From fascinating facts about your favorite wild animals to information about what Defenders is doing to protect our nation's treasured wildlife and wild places -- and what you can do to help! -- the entire site has been redesigned from the bottom up, making it easier to find what you're looking for. If you haven't already, visit the new Defenders.org today! Your IRA or 401(k) can help ensure a future for wildlife! With Thanksgiving Coffee Company, you can help save wolves with your next cup of joe. Bison A bison's winter coat is so thick and well insulated that snow can cover their backs without melting. Learn more about bison. Download our latest wallpaper for your computer desktop! Connect with Defenders! Defenders is on flickr! Join our group to share your wildlife photos Defenders' Cindy Hoffman has a tip that will help make your garden toad-ally cool. Watch Cindy's Video.     © Copyright 2012 Defenders of Wildlife Defenders of Wildlife is a national, nonprofit membership organization dedicated to the protection of all native wild animals and plants in their natural communities. Defenders of Wildlife can be contacted at: 1130 17th Street, NW Washington, DC 20036

WE WILL FIGHT SHELL TOOTH AND NAIL from THE NRDC 18AUG11

GIVEN shell oil's inability to control a "small" oil spill in the North Sea, during the Summer, one has to question the wisdom of the government to grant them permission for drilling in the Beaufort Sea. Here is the NRDC's response to shell oil's planned drilling.

I'm writing to share some disturbing news: the Obama Administration has given Shell a tentative go-ahead to begin drilling next summer in the Beaufort Sea, off the coast of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Please read my response to this potentially disastrous decision, which appears as an Op-Ed in today's New York Times. (The text of my Op-Ed piece also appears at the bottom of this email message for your convenience.) Thanks to your tenacious support, NRDC has staved off one attempt after another by Shell to drill in this sensitive Arctic ecosystem -- home to polar bears, bowhead whales and a stunning array of other vulnerable wildlife. I'm sure you agree: in the wake of BP's Deepwater Horizon catastrophe last year -- and Shell's own pipeline spill in the North Sea just last week -- we simply cannot let this oil giant roll the dice with a pristine Arctic environment, where cleaning up a spill would be all but impossible. NRDC is now mobilizing to challenge Shell's plan on every front, including in federal court if necessary. I will be in touch with you again soon, as we galvanize our army of activists to lodge a furious protest with the Obama Administration. In the meantime, you can be sure that NRDC will not back down from the next round of this fight with Shell. I know we will have your strong support. Sincerely, Frances Beinecke President Natural Resources Defense Council

		OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR No to Arctic Drilling By FRANCES G. BEINECKE Published: August 17, 2011 ABOUT 55,000 gallons of oil have escaped into the North Sea since last week from a leaky pipeline operated by Royal Dutch Shell, about 100 miles off Scotland. Last year, Americans watched in mounting fury as the oil industry and the federal government struggled for five disastrous months to contain the much larger BP blowout in the Gulf of Mexico. Now imagine the increased danger and difficulty of trying to cope with a similar debacle off Alaska's northern coast, where waters are sealed by pack ice for eight months of each year, gales roil fog-shrouded seas with waves up to 20 feet high and the temperature, combined with the wind chill, feels like 10 degrees below zero by late September. That's the nightmare the Obama administration is inviting with its preliminary approval of a plan by Shell to drill four exploratory wells beginning next summer in the harsh and remote frontier of the Beaufort Sea, off the North Slope of Alaska. The green light to drill now awaits Shell's receiving the necessary permits from various federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement. The administration should put on the brakes. This is a reckless gamble we cannot afford. We can't prevent an Arctic blowout any more than we can avert disaster in the Gulf of Mexico or the North Sea. We don't have the infrastructure, the knowledge or the experience to cope with one if it occurs. It's irresponsible to drill in these waters unless we have those capabilities. When the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, appointed by President Obama in May 2010, reported our findings and recommendations earlier this year, we specifically cited the need to address these shortcomings before exposing Arctic waters to this kind of risk. We need comprehensive research on the vibrant yet little understood Arctic ecosystems, which are home to rich fisheries of salmon, cod and char, and habitat for beluga whales, golden eagles and spotted seals. We need containment and response plans tailored to the demands of marine operations under some of the most unforgiving conditions anywhere on earth. And we must be realistic about the kind of backup available in a place 1,000 miles from the nearest United States Coast Guard station. Shell's latest spill, in the North Sea, reminds us of the peril we court by ignoring these urgent needs. When BP's Macondo well blew out last year, killing 11 workers aboard the Deepwater Horizon, Americans believed the damage would be quickly contained. The Gulf of Mexico, after all, is the epicenter of the global offshore oil industry, home to hundreds of companies that specialize in drilling wells beneath the sea. There were plenty of ships in the region, from the shrimping fleet to the Coast Guard, available to help the efforts to cap the well and contain the spill. And yet, in the five months it took to kill the runaway well, 170 million gallons of toxic crude oil poured into the gulf. The systems that we were promised would avert catastrophe by preventing or containing a blowout all failed one by one. And cleanup operations couldn't save the marine life and birds that died, the 650 miles of coastline that was oiled or the deep water habitat now carpeted in crude, despite the efforts of nearly 50,000 workers using nearly 7,000 ships and boats. Now comes Shell, claiming in its drilling application that its blowout preventers will work. If not, Shell asserts, it can quickly seal the well. And, should oil escape, the company insists, it will have booms, skimmers and helicopters at the ready. Upon those thin hopes the newly constituted Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement recently gave Shell preliminary approval to attempt this high-wire act in the Arctic. We have yet to embrace the lessons of the BP blowout, the worst oil spill in our history. While the bureau, formerly known as the Minerals Management Service, has improved drilling rules in helpful ways, Congress has yet to pass legislation to protect our waters, workers and wildlife from the dangers of offshore drilling. Those dangers are only greater in the harsh and remote Arctic waters. Before we go to the ends of the earth in pursuit of oil, we need deeper knowledge, better technology to prevent blowouts and to clean up after accidents, and greater expertise to protect Alaska's Arctic waters, one of our oceans' last frontiers, from grave and needless risk. Frances G. Beinecke, the president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, served on the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling.