The Wilderness Society has launched a cyberspace campaign to gather opponents of oil drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The goal of the electronic campaign is to convince President Clinton to designate the refuge as a national monument, which would permanently protect it from development.
People who visit the society’s new Arctic Refuge Web pages can sign their name to a pre-written electronic letter, e-mail, fax or mail it to the president, and forward another automated message to friends or family members who may be interested. Visitors can also join a mailing list to receive news about the campaign and other Wilderness Society projects.
"We want to make it easy and meaningful for visitors to get involved with this campaign, especially if they have never visited the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, because it really does affect all Americans," says Jim Waltman, the Wilderness Society's refuges and wildlife director. "This Web site and campaign helps us promote the idea that wilderness is everywhere, and everyone can help protect it -— even from a computer."
The Arctic Refuge provides habitat for polar bears, migratory birds, and caribou. It is also the home of the Native American Gwich’in people. Drilling in the refuge has become a topic of debate in the presidential campaign.
"Every time energy prices rise, big oil interests and their political friends start singing the same old song -- drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge coastal plain, one of America’s last, pristine wilderness areas —- and our national energy problems will be solved," Waltman says.
According to U.S. Geological Survey estimates cited on the society’s Web site, drilling in the refuge would yield only a six-month supply of oil for American consumers, but would cause extensive environmental repercussions.
The Wilderness Society site offers comprehensive information about the refuge, data on the long-term effects of drilling, photographs and profiles on the native people and wildlife.
To read this article in its entirety, please visit:
http://www.wilderness.org/arctic/index.htm?fm2
