Let's all be hope for polar bears, whales, and walrus!

Hey, Katalusis friends, I kind of like the idea of being hope for polar bears, whales, and walrus (see the letter below), and I think you will, too!

Via FGGAM.ORG.

The walrus.

A Humpback whale from the public domain archives of the USFW.

Dear Virginia,


You are hope for polar bears, whales and walrus.

You shone a light on Shell’s mishaps and misdeeds. You made sure drilling regulations were tight. After Shell left, your voices helped deny Big Oil’s Arctic Ocean lease extension requests. And you helped secure a two-year reprieve on new lease sales! Victories like this are so critical for creatures already coping with climate change.

But attacks on America’s Arctic continue. So, on Giving Tuesday, to encourage effective supporters like you to keep hope alive, your gift will be matched. Please take advantage of this offer and donate today!


As soon as Shell left the Arctic Ocean, Alaska Governor Bill Walker pushed the White House to sink drills into the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s Coastal Plain. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) called opening up the Refuge a ‘top priority.’

So far, these politicians haven’t been successful in drilling through the heart of the Coastal Plain, But, these are not the only politicians threatening birthing polar bears and caribou. With your help we can fight and win the strongest protections for the Arctic Refuge.

For over 20 years, the League has identified and fought back Big Oil schemes lurking in the shadows. When destructive plans surface, we rally our forces and do what we do best: defend America’s last frontier in Alaska – the most majestic and wild public lands in our country.

Next year we have big plans.

We will seal the deal on the strongest possible protections for polar bear and caribou birthing grounds in the Arctic Refuge in President Obama’s last term.

We will push back on existing leases in the Arctic Ocean and encourage the President to take drilling in the region off the table for good. Whales and walrus should be free from Big Oil’s drills and deafening noises.

Please take this opportunity on Giving Tuesday to be that spark of hope for polar bears, caribou, walrus and whales. Your gift will be matched dollar for dollar.

Thank you,


Cindy
Executive Director
Alaskan Wilderness League

Mrs. Claus: "Ho!Ho!Ho!...Shell has got to go!

Hi Katalusis and Facebook friends,

In case you didn't notice, the winter solstice 2014 began on Sunday, December 21 at 6:03 EST, marking the shortest day of the year. So one of our Christmas gifts on December 25 will be a few minutes more of daylight.  And I'll look forward to those gradually expanding hours of daylight until suddenly I'll get home before dark after dashing into town at 3:30 or 4:00 p.m. to pick up a few groceries.

And speaking of Christmas, Mrs. Claus is getting into the act up there at the North Pole - hey, I just got an email from her:


Ho! Ho! Ho...Shell has got to go!
1 message

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Mrs. Claus, Alaska Wilderness League	Tue, Dec 23, 2014 at 9:57 AM
Reply-To: action@alaskawild.org To: Virginia Bergman
Dear Virginia, Help us stand up to Big Oil and protect Arctic wildlife! Be a hero for polar bears, walrus, whales, caribou and other Arctic animals this holiday season. Donate to Alaska Wilderness League to help keep Shell out of the Arctic Ocean in 2015.  We’re halfway to our $20,000 goal – please give what you can to help us hit our target!! *Your gift will be doubled! Lots of people know that Santa keeps track of who’s naughty or nice. But did you know that as Santa and I sit up here in the North Pole watching our ice melt, he and I keep another list? It’s our list of heroes. And you’re on it. Why? Because we know that you’ve joined Alaska Wilderness League in standing up to Shell Oil and its Big Oil buddies. You’ve taken action to protect wild lands and waters essential to the Arctic creatures we love. Will you help again today? You’ve spoken up for polar bears in America’s Arctic, and for the caribou of the Porcupine Caribou Herd who birth their calves every year on the Refuge’s Coastal Plain (and happen to be good buddies with my pal, Rudolph). And for Arctic walrus, which have been fleeing to land further from their food sources because of sea ice melt. Trust me, you’ll never find these guys speaking up for themselves in Washington – they’re positively terrified of airplanes. And yet the League needs your help again. Can you donate today to Alaska Wilderness League and help them continue the fight for Alaska’s wild public lands and waters? Thanks to a generous donor, your donation will be doubled! Shell has submitted larger, noisier and dirtier drilling plans aimed at the very Arctic waters where polar bears, walrus and endangered bowhead whales are struggling to survive. You’d think the company would have learned after all its crashing and burning in 2012, but instead of addressing its mistakes, Shell is claiming its disasters were actually part of a successful season! Help stop Shell and protect polar bears, walrus, whales and our Arctic home. Together, we can put a big lump of coal in Shell’s stocking this year. Thank you! - Mrs. Claus P.S.  We’re halfway to our $20,000 goal – please give what you can to help us get there! Privacy Policy - Unsubscribe

Chasing bears with a camera in Orr, Minnesota

courtesy of njadams1.wordpress.com

My friend and wildlife photographer Mary Lundeberg recently spent a week up north in Orr, Minnesota photographing bears. To see Mary's photos of bears and wolves, go here.

Protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

An endangered species.

Dear Katalusis readers,


We must continue our efforts to protect our beautiful world by protesting human thoughtlessness and greed.

I just signed a letter asking the Obama administration to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

The Arctic Refuge’s Coastal Plain, where polar bears den and raise their cubs, and the 100,000-member Porcupine caribou herd migrates and calves, is a truly unique, wild place. It’s also an area that has been in Big Oil’s sights for decades. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service could offer a recommendation for true wilderness-level protection to the Coastal Plain for the first time in history– we need to be sure they include that recommendation in their 15-year management plan’s final draft.

Will you join me and sign the letter to the Obama administration, asking them to protect the Arctic Refuge's Coastal Plain? You can sign here -- it only takes a minute:

Thank you,

Virginia