The Bush administration has released its plan to drill for oil and gas in 100% of the Teshekpuk Lake area, one of the most sensitive and important wetlands of the Western Arctic. Only the lake itself is subject to a temporary leasing deferral. By rejecting any idea of balance and opening virtually every acre around the Lake, the administration’s plan undoes longstanding protections for wildlife and subsistence values -- tens of thousands of geese and 45,000 caribou could be surrounded by roads, pipelines, and industrial sprawl.

Take action now -- send a letter to Interior Secretary Gale Norton telling her to retain protections for critical bird, fish, and wildlife habitats around Teshekpuk Lake.

If you wish to send your own hard-copy letter, mail it to:

Sample Letter for Campaign

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I am writing you today asking you to reconsider your plan to open the Teshekpuk Lake Surface Protection Area to leasing as stated in your Final Environmental Impact Statement. Please, protect the Teshekpuk Lake Surface Protection Area and other important wildlife areas in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska by going back and offering a new alternative that protects more special fish, wildlife and subsistence hunting areas and includes more protective stipulations. At the very least, the BLM should adopt Alternative A, the "No Action" Alternative.

The plan released on January 25 proposes to open 100% of the Teshekpuk Lake Surface Protection area to oil and gas development. This is a complete reversal of Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) 1998 plan, in which 600,000 acres are off limits around Teshekpuk Lake to protect important habitat and subsistence use for caribou and waterfowl. BLM's preferred alternative fails to provide even the minimal level of protection given the area by Secretary of Interior James Watt.

The majority of scientific evidence indicates that significant impacts could occur to fish and wildlife if more of this area is opened to oil development. Teshekpuk Lake and its surrounding wetlands is a vital tundra-wetland complex in the circumpolar Arctic that is home to thousands of waterfowl and caribou. Tens of thousands of birds, including brant, greater white-fronted geese, Canada and Snow geese gather in the Teshekpuk wetland system to molt their flight feathers and are thus vulnerable to human disturbances.

Additionally, coming to nest in this area with few predators are thousands of birds, including the threatened spectacled eider listed under the Endangered Species Act. These species will also suffer from the increased number of predators, such as gulls, ravens and foxes that are attracted to oil fields.

Also, the 45,000-animal Teshekpuk Lake Caribou Herd will be threatened by such development. Each year, the herd migrates to the Teshekpuk Lake area to calve and escape from insects. If caribou are forced to move to less desirable habitats, calving numbers could decline, reducing the population and greatly impacting many Alaska Natives who depend on the herd as a subsistence resource.

Instead of opening up more of the area to leasing and oil and gas development, the BLM should provide a more balanced, science-based approach to energy development and environmental protection by permanently protecting the Teshekpuk Lake and Coleville River Special Areas and strengthening monitoring and lease stipulation requirements. At a very minimum, the BLM should adopt Alternative A, the "No Action" Alternative, which retains current protections for the critical fish and wildlife habitats around Teshekpuk Lake.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
February 14, 2005