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More Than 1,000 Scientists Confirm Drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Will Harm Wildlife

Posted on: Monday, 14 February 2005, 12:00 CST

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 1,000 leading U.S. and Canadian scientists called on President Bush today to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil drilling. In a letter to the President, the scientists questioned assertions that oil could be safely extracted from the Refuge and urged President Bush to "support permanent protection of the coastal plain's significant wildlife and wilderness values."

The scientists said oil development could seriously harm caribou, polar bears, muskoxen and snow geese -- among other wildlife. They warned it could disrupt the fragile ecosystem of the coastal plain, which they said could lead to even more widespread injury to wildlife and its habitat. The signers categorically rejected the notion that the impacts of drilling could be confined to a limited footprint, as pro-drilling forces claim, noting that the effects of oil wells, pipelines, roads, airports, housing facilities, processing plants, gravel mines, air pollution, industrial noise, seismic exploration and exploratory drilling would radiate across the entire coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge.

"The coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge encompasses 1.5 million acres of key wildlife habitat vital to the integrity of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. We urge you, Mr. President, to permanently protect the biological diversity and wilderness character of the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from future oil and gas development," the letter concludes.

The scientists who signed the letter are experts in the fields of ecology, wildlife and conservation biology, natural resources management and cultural anthropology. They include Edward O. Wilson, winner of the National Medal of Science and two Pulitzer Prizes for his landmark books on social biology.

"Hundreds of scientists are telling President Bush that throwing the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge open to oil companies will harm wildlife and permanently disrupt the wild nature of this unique place. It simply does not make sense to destroy the Arctic Refuge for oil that won't lower prices and won't make a noticeable dent in our dependency on foreign energy, when it's so much easier to get the same amount of energy through common-sense conservation steps," said Rodger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders of Wildlife.

For a copy of the letter text and list of signers, go to http://www.defenders.org/newsroom

Defenders of Wildlife is a leading nonprofit conservation organization recognized as one of the nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and its habitat. With more than 480,000 members and supporters, Defenders of Wildlife is an effective leader on endangered species issues. To stay current on hot topics in wildlife conservation, subscribe to DENlines (http://www.defenders.org/den), Defenders of Wildlife's electronic update and action alert network.

Defenders of Wildlife

CONTACT: William Lutz, +1-202-772-0269, or Brad DeVries,+1-202-772-0237, both of the Defenders of Wildlife

Web site: http://www.defenders.org/

Source: PRNewswire

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