Urge Interior Secretary Zinke to protect Alaska's bear, wolf, and coyote cubs from being unfairly hunted on public lands

Hibernating bears fair game? 

Alaska's National Preserves are wild and remote places where large carnivores like wolves and bears are valued by the public as important contributors to natural ecosystems. But President Trump has a different set of values — and a different idea of what "National Preserve" means.

If the Trump administration gets its way, Alaska's National Preserves will soon allow vicious carnivore killing methods like shooting wolf pups and bear cubs in their own dens.

Trump's National Park Service is proposing to repeal a 2015 Obama administration rule that banned extreme predator hunting practices in these National Preserves. They're accepting public comments through July 23 — we need your help to make a public outcry, block NPS's attempts to undermine this rule, and save Alaskan wildlife.

SPEAK UP FOR WILDLIFE TODAY: Call on Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to protect Alaska's bears, wolves, coyotes, and other native predators from being brutally hunted and killed on our public lands.

Wolf cubs in their dens fair game? 

If this rule is repealed, it will become legal to:

• Lure grizzly bears and black bears with bait so they can be shot point-blank
• Use dogs to hunt black bears
• Kill hibernating black bear mothers and cubs
• Slaughter wolves and coyotes and their pups during denning season, when the young animals are still dependent on their parents

Why? So that the state of Alaska can conduct "predator control" — a scientifically indefensible method of population control that involves killing off native carnivores to artificially boost populations of deer, moose, and other prey animals for hunters to shoot. Predator control is cruel and unethical, and it threatens the natural diversity of Alaska's wildlife and fragile ecosystems.

Tell Secretary Zinke to reject this misguided plan and uphold protections for Alaska's iconic wildlife.

Most Americans — including the majority of Alaskans — oppose these antiquated practices. In a recent survey, Alaskans opposed killing black bear mothers and cubs in their dens by a three-to-one margin. A supermajority opposed using dogs to hunt black bears, and 60% opposed bear baiting.

Revoking the rule could greatly harm Alaska's economy. Tourists who travel to Alaska to see its unique wildlife contribute nearly five times as much to the local economy as hunters each year.

Please, take a stand for Alaska's bears, wolves, and coyotes today. Send a message to Secretary Zinke now.

- Rhea Suh. President NRDC

Save the Alaskan Wilderness: Urge the Army Corps to Reject the Permit for Pebble Mine

We're closer than ever to stopping the Pebble Mine, the catastrophic gold and copper mega-mine that could destroy Alaska's Bristol Bay wilderness for decades to come.

As we reported a few weeks back, Canadian mining company First Quantum Minerals just walked away from its planned investment in the Pebble Mine, thanks to opposition from Bristol Bay leaders and hundreds of thousands of activists like you.

Northern Dynasty Minerals — the company behind the mega-mine — is now running low on cash and unable to prove the economic viability of its mine plan, yet it is barreling ahead with the permitting process. So, now we must mobilize as much public pressure as possible on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to suspend — and ultimately reject — the project's permit, closing the door on this reckless scheme once and for all.

The Army Corps of Engineers is accepting public comments until June 29, so it's critical that they hear from you immediately.

Tell the Army Corps that you oppose the Pebble Mine — and urge them to suspend and reject the permit for this disastrous mega-mine.

The Pebble Mine could produce billions of tons of mining waste and completely devastate Alaska's Bristol Bay wilderness, its world-renowned salmon runs and wildlife, and its Native communities.

Despite the risks to the world's greatest wild salmon fishery, Northern Dynasty submitted an incomplete permit application that lacks either the scientific or economic support for its plans.

Worse, the company is now scheming to make the mine even bigger — without submitting any supporting documents to the Army Corps.

Tell the Army Corps to immediately suspend the mine's permitting process.
The agency is currently rushing to complete the permitting process in less time than any other large-scale development project in Alaska. And to make matters worse, they're not giving potentially impacted communities and businesses the opportunity to voice their concerns at public hearings as part of the process.

The Pebble Mine is the largest and most contentious mine ever proposed in Alaska.The Army Corps must take the time to properly assess the social, environmental, and economic impacts that this mega-mine could have on Alaskan communities and American businesses.

Tell the Army Corps to stop the Pebble Mine and save Alaska's Bristol Bay wilderness.

The Pebble Mine is opposed by 65 percent of Alaskans and 80 percent of people from Bristol Bay, including tribes, business leaders, commercial fishermen, and native village corporations.

And three of the largest mining companies in the world — Mitsubishi Corporation, Anglo American, and Rio Tinto — have already abandoned the project. Now First Quantum Minerals has joined that list.

So, it's time for the Army Corps to heed all of these voices — and reject the permit for the Pebble Mine.

Add your voice today: Submit your public comment to the Army Corps before June 29.

- Rhea Suh. President, NRDC

#SAVEBRISTOLBAY

Tell the Department of the Interior: No drilling or seismic exploration in the Arctic Refuge

The petition to the Secretary of the Department of the Interior reads: "Do not allow drilling or seismic exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge." Add your name:

In early March, two Trump administration officials took a week-long trip through Alaska to start laying the groundwork for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The environmental scoping process for the first oil and gas lease sale in the Arctic Refuge could begin as early as the next few weeks.1 Republicans have been hell bent on drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for decades. Thanks to Trump and the Trump Tax Scam, they now have their chance. They are moving at lightning speed to allow oil companies to ravage this land with seismic exploration and drilling. Seismic exploration and drilling both threaten the main calving ground for the Porcupine caribou herd and the cultural survival of the indigenous Gwich’in people, whose way of life depends on the caribou. The Gwich'in consider the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge land sacred, and they have asked for all our support in protecting it.2 To stand with the Gwich'in people, we need to stop this climate, environmental and cultural catastrophe now, before it's too late. Tell Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke: Do not allow drilling or seismic exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Click here to sign the petition Republicans scored a major victory in December when they passed the Trump Tax Scam, which included a provision that requires the government to hold at least two oil and gas lease sales there in the next decade. The first step will be seismic exploration, a destructive process that would harm the Arctic tundra's delicate ecosystem for decades – or even permanently – even if oil and gas are never found.3 The Arctic Refuge includes more than 19 million acres of protected land in northeastern Alaska, and it is home to polar bears, caribou, moose and hundreds of species of migratory birds. It is sacred land to the Gwich'in people, who live just outside the refuge and subsist on migrating caribou. In the 1980s, seismic exploration disrupted the biodiverse region, leaving ugly scars on the Arctic tundra that are still visible more than 30 years later.4 Experts worry that further seismic exploration will thaw permafrost, disrupt caribou migration and disturb denning female polar bears.5 Now Alaska Governor Bill Walker has just asked the Alaska Legislature for $10 million to begin seismic exploration again.6 Once exploration is underway, oil drilling could follow within just five years.7 At a time when scientists are urging us to keep oil in the ground to protect our climate, this project would destroy an irreplaceable and sacred place – all for short-term profit. Our friends at the Gwich'in Steering Committee and the Alaska Wilderness League are calling on us to join them in protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from this Republican assault. Tell Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke: Do not allow drilling or seismic exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/Arctic-seismic-exploration?t=7&akid=27738%2E3130208%2E7xp_Zz - Brandy Doyle, CREDO Action Add your name: References: Lorraine Chow, "Interior Moves to Sell Oil Leases in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge," EcoWatch, March 9, 2018. David Thompson, "Take Action," Gwich'in Steering Committee, Sept. 7, 2016. Chris D’Angelo, "The Arctic Refuge Still Bears Scars From Oil Exploration In The 1980s," HuffPost, Feb. 9, 2018. Ibid. Ibid. James Brooks, "State asks Legislature for $10 million to survey ANWR for oil," Juneau Empire, Feb. 20, 2018. Henry Fountain and Lisa Friedman, "Senate Takes Step to Approve Drilling in Arctic Wildlife Refuge," The New York Times, Oct. 13, 2017. #SavetheArcticRefuge #StopArcticDrilling

Don’t Let Trump and Pruitt Turn Alaskan Wilderness into Wasteland

The Trump administration is paving the way for the disastrous Pebble Mine — the toxic, gold and copper mega-mine that poses catastrophic risks to Alaska's spectacular Bristol Bay and its world-renowned salmon runs, abundant wildlife populations, and Native communities.

President Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency proposed common-sense restrictions that would have banned this dangerous mine because of the obvious environmental risks it would pose, like generating a staggering 10 billion tons of contaminated mining waste that would have to be stored forever—in a seismically active area.

But President Trump’s EPA recently reached a backroom deal with Northern Dynasty Minerals — the Canadian company behind the mine — to reverse those restrictions. The EPA’s decision is a handout to the mining industry at the expense of one of America’s last wild places and its people. We can’t let it stand. 

Tell President Trump and the EPA you’re outraged that they would put the profits of foreign mining companies ahead of the American people — and that you’ll fight them every step of the way until they slam the door on the Pebble Mine and protect Bristol Bay, its wildlife, its economy, and its communities from destruction.

SEND A MESSAGE HERE.

Your message will be sent to:

Scott Pruitt, EPA Administrator
Michelle Pirzadeh, Acting Region 10 Administrator
President Donald J. Trump

Subject line:  Stop the Pebble Mine

(Consider adding your own thoughts — personalized messages are especially effective)

Dear President Trump, Administrator Pruitt, and Acting Region 10 Administrator Pirzadeh:

I am outraged that you plan to reverse course and green-light the proposed Pebble Mine, despite the catastrophic risks it poses to Alaska’s Bristol Bay watershed, its world-renowned salmon runs, and its Native communities. 

President Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency proposed common-sense restrictions that would have banned this dangerous mine because of the obvious environmental risks it would pose. The EPA’s recent settlement with Northern Dynasty Minerals to reverse those common-sense restrictions is a blatant giveaway to the mining industry at the expense of the American people, our environment, and our economy.

Bristol Bay's wild salmon fishery supports 14,000 jobs and is valued at more than $1.5 billion annually. It also supplies nearly half of the world’s sockeye salmon. More than 65 percent of Alaskans, 80 percent of Bristol Bay residents and Native communities, and 85 percent of commercial fishermen oppose the mine.

I urge you to listen to those voices, and for the sake of the Bristol Bay watershed, its world-class salmon fishery, and its people, keep the door closed on Pebble Mine. If you don’t, you will have to answer to me and hundreds of thousands of people in Alaska and across the United States and the world who stand in fervent opposition to this toxic mega-mine. 

- NRDC