WESTERN ARCTIC MEETING WITH DOI AND BLM TO SUPPORT ALTERNATIVE B - BLM PROPOSAL

Connecting wildlife habitat in Alaska's National Petroleum Reserve and wildfowl that migrate through Missouri was a concept that Debra Lee did not forsee in her first six months at Conservation Federation of Missouri.  The Show-Me State is a far reach from the Western Arctic.  Yet through the close network of conservation colleagues at National Wildlife Federation and across the nation she found that Alaska is not as far as most think.  A good numbers of the wildlife - mostly waterfowl and shorebirds - that nest in the Reserve travel through Missouri each fall. That makes the Reserve's habitat vital to a resource connected to Missouri's outdoorsmen and women.

Lee, the Teaming With Wildlife Coordinator for Conservation Federation of Missouri is attending a Fly-In Meeting in Washington D.C. on May 23rd and 24th hosted by National Wildlife Federation.  She and her colleagues will meet with Department of the Interior  (DOI) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to discuss the BLM proposals and support Alternative B.

Over the past two months a well-orchestrated campaign to educate residents about the connection, the importance and the research that points to a balanced approach for the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska has brought this topic to the forefront. 

Lee commented, "As a native Missourian I am so pleased to have this opportunity to meet with DOI and BLM to discuss Alternative B and the Western Arctic.  I have learned so much about the importance of having a balanced approach.  Alternative B allows development yet it will give our wildlife and critical areas the environmental protections needed."

The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public comment on several options to allow oil and gas drilling and exploration within the Reserve. The Reserve contains vital habitat for waterfowl, songbirds, shorebirds, caribou and many other species of wildlife. Many of the waterfowl and bird species migrate through Missouri each year.

  

 Sportsmen and conservation-minded citizens need to make the connection and take this opportunity to comment on the BLM proposal.  It is easy to do.  The BLM proposals can be found on the National Wildlife Federation's website.  Comments can be made digitally on the website, through the mail or by fax.

The comment period is closing soon.  It ends June 1, 2012.  Be sure to make your voice heard.
BLM Comment Page | National Wildlife Federation  Arctic Page| Blog on Protecting Alaska's Duck Factory | Facts Page