Francis at
NRDC tells
US that the administration listened to pleas from concerned Americans to protect areas within the Western Arctic Reserve. The Bureau of Land Management selected conservation's preferred management plan (B-2) that should protect key wildlife habitat from oil and gas development, some 11 million acres out of a total of about 23 million. Secretary Salazar was under significant pressure from oil and gas companies to allow unrestricted exploration in one of the largest expanses of untouched wilderness remaining in the United States, but that was designated a National Petroleum Reserve when it was created almost a century ago. The selected designation includes Teshekpuk Lake and Kasegaluk Lagoon both of which are extremely significant habitats for wildlife. The Teshekpuk Lake area is calving grounds for a large caribou heard and Kasegaluk is a nursery for thousands of beluga whales. Millions of birds return to these areas annually in their long distance migrations south. The cliffs along the Colville River are dense with nesting raptors and will also be protected if B-2 becomes final.
Green Kudos to Secretary Ken Salazar for making the right choice for wild America.
