Defend the Arctic: Add your signature to protect key habitat for polar bears and other wildlife!

Support stronger protections for five important habitat areas in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska! ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [Defenders of Wildlife] [ACT NOW]( [Polar Bear (c) Karen Perry]( Support Stronger Protections for Habitat in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska! Dear Defender, If you’ve never heard of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (also known as the Reserve or NPR-A), you might not expect it to be teeming with wildlife. But the Reserve is home to a beautiful array of Arctic animals: Polar bears, caribou, wolves, muskox, migratory birds, and so many more species rely on healthy habitat in this extraordinary landscape! This vast tract of public land is vital for Arctic wildlife. Sadly, the Reserve is also a target of fossil fuel companies seeking to pillage this undisturbed land to profit off oil and gas development. We need to make sure that the most ecologically important areas of the Reserve are protected from exploitation and destruction! [Add your signature: Tell the Bureau of Land Management to enact stronger protections for five sensitive wildlife areas in the NPR-A!]( It’s hard to imagine a region as ecologically rich as the Reserve. Thousands of birds migrate from as far away as South America and East Asia to breeding grounds in the NPR-A. Caribou have relied on the Reserve as a migratory corridor, to find relief from insects, and to give birth and raise their calves since time immemorial. Southern Beaufort Sea polar bears, one of the most imperiled populations in the world, are spending more time onshore in places like the Reserve due to climate change and ice conditions. Habitat must be protected in the Reserve so polar bears can survive and give birth to cubs. Five habitat zones have been identified in the Reserve as vital to these species and many more. The health of the entire Arctic ecosystem is tied to these Special Areas – that’s why it’s so important that we ensure they’re defended! [Protect the Reserve and its wildlife by signing a petition to the Bureau today in support of stronger protections for these five Special Areas!]( The Arctic is in serious danger: It’s warming four times faster than the rest of the world. Alaska’s permafrost is thawing at an alarming rate. We must expand protections for these ecologically important Special Areas to defend the region’s wildlife and important habitat, including polar bear denning critical habitat, and to prevent dangerous fossil fuel developments like the Willow Project from destroying the Arctic! Your signature will help preserve this natural treasure for generations to come – please add your voice today! [SIGN TO SAVE THE ARCTIC!]( Thank you for helping us restore and defend our wild world. Sincerely, [Nicole Whittington-Evans, Alaska Program Director] Nicole Whittington-Evans Director, Alaska Program Defenders of Wildlife [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [YouTube]( Defenders of Wildlife 1130 17th Street NW • Washington, DC 20036 defenders.org © 2023 Defenders of Wildlife --------------------------------------------------------------- Photo credit: Polar Bear © Karen Perry This email was sent to {EMAIL} Please do not respond to this email. [Click here to unsubscribe]( [supporter]