From PennEnvironment (http://www.pennenvironment.org):
Disappearing sea ice has forced thousands of skittish walrus onto Alaska’s Arctic shores in recent years. Packed in unusually large numbers, the slightest disturbance can then cause these animals to stampede and trample one another to death, particularly the younger, more vulnerable pups.
The administration has put forward a new plan for western Arctic development in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska that could further risk walrus by increasing oil drilling disturbances that trigger stampedes.
Make sure ConocoPhillips officials hear from you at https://secure.everyaction.com/y4oQ2nun-U6biLvanCgPXQ2: Tell them not to bid on drilling leases in protected parts of the western Arctic.
These areas were set aside because they are important to local communities for subsistence and the region’s wildlife. It would be irresponsible to hastily open them to oil drilling now.
The threats don’t stop with walrus. Grizzly bears, caribou, wolverines and polar bears rely on the Reserve to survive. Millions of birds gather every summer from all four North American flyways and six continents to benefit from one of the most important bird habitats in the global Arctic. All of this incredible wildlife will be at risk if the western Arctic is transformed into one enormous spiderweb of roads, pipelines and oil pads.
Incredible effort was put into identifying and protecting the most important places of the western Arctic. Now is no time to roll back this progress and potentially allow walrus to die at the hands of the oil industry.
Tell ConocoPhillips not to bid on new leases in the Reserve.
(1) https://news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-and-energy/alaska-drilling-plan-envisions-walrus-stampedes-climate-impacts?fbclid=IwAR1R5svn_6GdVK_G816VQTJJmK4jzRsexmNVZ3F048eSOK2dEEiq2WBzB6Y
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