Momoko, I'm writing to you because the landscapes that caribou depend on—and that sustain life across the region—are under immediate threat. We need your help to stop it.
The administration is expanding oil leasing across the Western Arctic and approved a massive seismic and oil exploration drilling program—both of which could forever change this incomparable landscape. We're working to raise $15,000 by February 28 to help power our lawsuit to block leasing as part of the lease sale of more than 5.5 million acres, and defend this critical caribou habitat that must remain intact for their survival. Will you make a gift today to power the science, legal action and other crucial efforts needed to protect the Western Arctic and other vulnerable landscapes from fossil fuel destruction?
Here's what's happening:
The administration is offering to lease millions of acres in the Western Arctic for oil drilling. Simultaneously, it has rushed through approvals for exploratory seismic and drilling operations, allowing ConocoPhillips to launch damaging activity this winter in large swaths of America's Western Arctic, including in ecologically sensitive areas. It is bringing heavy, destructive equipment to an already-fragile ecosystem, irrevocably altering the land and threatening the survival of caribou and other wildlife. In fact, the largest oil drilling rig in North America just collapsed in this sensitive landscape enroute to the drill site, spilling thousands of gallons of fuel into the Arctic tundra.
The Wilderness Society is fighting with everything we have to block destructive development and protect this incredible landscape for all who depend on it. Will you make a gift today to help defend the Western Arctic and other at-risk public lands?
Here's why it's important:
When we protect caribou habitat, we are protecting so much more than caribou.
Caribou trample the tundra, helping to keep permafrost cool and fertilize plants. They also support predator species like bears, wolves, eagles, wolverines and lynx.
And it is not just animals that rely on caribou. People—especially Alaska Native peoples who have lived with caribou since time immemorial—rely on healthy caribou herds and their habitat.
But this new oil leasing and oil project threatens to permanently disrupt this delicate balance and natural harmony—and the impact could be catastrophic to not just the caribou, but all the people and animals who depend on this vast landscape.
Here's how you can help:
We need to raise $15,000 by February 28 to support The Wilderness Society's rapid response to this attack. Your gift helps defend the Western Arctic and sensitive landscapes across the nation that are being targeted for destruction.
Just like caribou rely on their herd to survive, this work depends on all of us moving together. Please, Momoko, make a gift today to help stop seismic testing in the Western Arctic while there is still time.
Thank you for joining us in this movement, Momoko.
Sincerely,
Margot Krieger
Director of Membership
The Wilderness Society
