Friend,

When massive seismic "thumper trucks" crisscross the Arctic in search of fossil fuels, the machines have a 1 in 5 chance of killing or injuring a denning polar bear. The heavy machinery leaves tracks that linger for decades, replacing pristine tundra with a grid of tread marks.1

Seismic testing -- and the drilling that will come after -- could destroy the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is on the cusp of authorizing this harmful practice, and we're running out of time to prevent it.

But it's not too late. We have until Jan. 7 to submit public comments opposing the proposal, so we need you to add your name to protect polar bears today.

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is one of the last pristine wildernesses left on Earth. Its coastal plain is the calving ground of the Porcupine caribou herd, and hundreds of thousands of migratory birds from around the world travel there on their amazing annual journeys.2,3

It's also a vital habitat for the 900 remaining Southern Beaufort Sea polar bears, whose population declined at least 40 percent between 2001 and 2010. These bears dig their dens under the snow of the coastal plain -- where mothers and their young would be helpless against the giant trucks pounding the tundra in search of oil.4

Opening the refuge to drilling would replace a priceless ecosystem with roads, airstrips and heavy machinery. This proposal to allow seismic testing on the refuge will mark the first step in that transformation -- unless we put a stop to it today.

Add your name before the public comment period closes on Jan. 7. Polar bears, caribou, and all the wildlife that make the Arctic Refuge so special are counting on us.

We know protecting the Arctic Refuge is possible. Together, Environment Colorado and our national network helped convince all the major banks in the U.S. not to finance drilling in the Arctic, and we're even taking the Trump administration to court to protect this special place.

But right now, the most important thing we can do to ensure the Arctic Refuge survives is to put a stop to this shortsighted proposal to allow seismic testing in the tundra. If we can't convince the FWS to abandon its plan by Jan. 7, drilling in the Arctic will be one step closer to reality.

We still have time to make our voices heard. Stand up for the Arctic by adding your name before the deadline.

Thank you,

Hannah Collazo
State Director

1. Henry Fountain, "Arctic Seismic Work Will Not Hurt Polar Bears, Government Says," The New York Times, December 7, 2020.
2. "Caribou," The US Fish and Wildlife Service, December 6, 2016.
3. Joel K. Bourne Jr., "Oil prospecting may begin in Alaska refuge this winter," National Geographic, November 20, 2018.
4. Henry Fountain, "Arctic Seismic Work Will Not Hurt Polar Bears, Government Says," The New York Times, December 7, 2020.