The American public wants polar bears protected now that global warming is melting the sea ice earlier every year making it extremely difficult for the bears to hunt for seals. Three conservation organizations including the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) sued the federal government to gain more protection for the marine mammal {5.21.08}. On October 22nd the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service proposed to designate more than 200,000 square mile of Alaska's arctic coast as critical habitat for Ursus maritimus. While the designation proposal has generally pleased conservationists, Alaska officials are upset. Alaska's Attorney General Dan Sullivan said the designation will essentially turn the state "into the world's largest zoo". It is the largest designation ever made for a species protected under the Endangered Species Act. However, in the same week the same Department of Interior through its Minerals Management Service (MMS) approved oil company plans for exploratory drilling in the Beaufort Sea. The MMS said it will allow Shell to drill for oil and gas in the far western reaches of Camden Bay. Drilling in the Chukchi Sea has been delayed while the MMS reviews Shell's plan for next year. The U.S. has two polar bear populations, one in the Southern Beaufort Sea and the other in the Chukchi Sea. An attorney for one of the plaintiffs said the Department's actions were "schizophrenic" since it declared a commitment to preserving the species under threat from climate change while allowing industrial operations in their proposed critical habitat. If a bear's coat is contaminated by spilled crude, it is put at risk of dying from hypothermia. When bears are stranded on land unable to hunt in open seas, human-bear conflicts increase. Included in of the partial settlement of the suit is the requirement to finalize guidelines for non-lethal deterrence of polar bears deemed to be a threat to public safety. Public comments on the habitat designation will be accepted for a period of sixty days once an official notice is made. If you wish to comment on the designation, consult the agency's website. US Person suggests you ask USF&W to ban all importation of polar bear trophies into the United States, and work through the Oslo Agreement to further reduce sport and subsistence hunting. Since 1994 more than 800 dead polar bears have been imported as trophies into the United States, and natives in Canada sell about 14% of their permits to sport hunting guides. The USGS predicts that two-thirds of the world's polar bears will disappear by 2050 due to loss of sea ice habitat. The polar bear is a powerful apex predator, but is time to help the great white bear avoid extinction.