From the Alaska Wilderness League (http://www.alaskawild.org):
The Western Arctic caribou herd completes one of the greatest land migrations on Earth. Climate change has already made that long journey more difficult, and now, the caribou are facing a new challenge on top of surging rivers and melting permafrost: a proposed industrial access road that would slice right through their migration path. That’s bad news for a herd that has shrunk by nearly a quarter in just the last two years(1).
“It’s around 60 animals per day that died. This decrease is huge. If this happens again two years from now, we’re going to be really panicking,” said Tom Gray of the Western Arctic Caribou Herd Working Group (2).
The proposed Ambler mining road would make the migration even more challenging, risking an essential food source for Alaska Native villages that depend on the caribou to feed their communities.
Stop the construction of this road. Send a message to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) today at https://secure.alaskawild.org/a/23amblerblm.
The mining road would also destroy more than 1,400 acres of wetlands and cross nearly 3,000 streams. And the open pit mining that the road would provide access to threatens fisheries of the Kobuk and Koyukuk rivers and other traditional subsistence resources that local people depend upon.
Your comment can help ensure that caribou already at risk will not face additional challenges. Many of you already took action earlier this year, and this new opportunity will let the BLM know that they have a responsibility to provide a thorough review of the possible environmental impacts of this enormous project.
>> Send a message today to stop the destructive Ambler Road.
P.S. When we say Ambler “Road,” this isn’t a road you could actually drive on. It’s actually a “private industrial mining corridor” with large trucks transporting hazardous materials throughout the day. There are risks of asbestos-laden dust as well as spills along the 3,000 rivers and streams crossed. Please speak out today.
(1) https://www.arctictoday.com/a-huge-alaska-caribou-herds-population-is-again-in-decline/
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