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 Orca Watching
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This Green Life, our free monthly online journal.
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BioGems Update
A big thank you to BioGems Defenders who recently sent more than 40,000 messages to keep logging out of the last pristine areas of the Tongass National Forest.
BioGems Defenders:
616,887
Action Messages Sent:
12,388,462
» See the timeline of victories we've won
To Do Even More
You can support NRDC's BioGems campaign to save these and other threatened wild places.
» Donate
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Bristol Bay
Alaska's magnificent wilderness named newest BioGem
The untouched wilderness of Alaska's Bristol Bay is home to an incredible array of wildlife; grizzlies, wolves, seals and whales are all drawn here by the abundance of salmon, which arrive by the millions to spawn in the cool, pristine waters. Bristol Bay's complex web of life has long sustained fishing communities and indigenous peoples, but now giant mining interests threaten to disrupt this delicate balance. With a number of foreign mining companies eyeing Bristol Bay for its gold and copper deposits, NRDC has named it our newest BioGem -- an imperiled wild place that needs urgent protection. When we first notified BioGems Defenders back in August about the imminent threat to Bristol Bay from a mining proposal, more than 53,000 of you took action. Hard-rock mining -- the only way to extract the region's gold and copper ore -- is incredibly destructive and polluting, and even a single accident could be disastrous, especially for the area's wildlife. The proposed Pebble Mine, for example, would be one of the largest open-pit mines in the world and could create more than nine billion tons of toxic waste.
» Learn more about the wildlife of Bristol Bay and, if you haven't already, take action to keep hard-rock mining out of this BioGem.
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| In the News |
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YELLOWSTONE'S GRIZZLIES WIN BACK ENDANGERED SPECIES PROTECTION
 In a huge victory for Yellowstone's grizzly bears, a federal district court in Montana restored endangered species protections for grizzlies in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem last month. The judge ruled that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service violated the law when it removed Yellowstone's grizzlies from the endangered species list in 2007. Among other issues, the Fish and Wildlife Service failed to consider how the drastic decline in whitebark pine trees, a major food source for grizzlies in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem, would affect the area's grizzly population. The decision is a boon to Yellowstone's grizzlies, which already face grave threats from climate change, habitat loss and development. We'll be sure to keep you updated on NRDC's efforts to protect the West's remaining grizzlies.
INTERIOR DEPARTMENT BLOCKS OIL DRILLING IN UTAH
This month, the Interior Department concluded its review of 77 oil and gas leases in Utah's Redrock Wilderness by blocking development on 60 of the sites, stating the process to issue the leases was rushed and flawed. Earlier this year, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced that his agency would review the leases, which were issued by the Bush Administration in its final days in office. NRDC and our environmental partners had filed a lawsuit challenging the giveaway of more than 100,000 acres of Utah wilderness -- including lands next to Arches and Canyonlands national parks, Dinosaur National Monument and Nine Mile Canyon. In addition, NRDC Trustee Robert Redford spearheaded a campaign of citizen protest against the oil and gas leasing. The Interior Department cited a number of reasons for its latest decision, including the impacts of drilling on the region’s sage grouse population, which is being considered for endangered species protection.
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| Action Insider |
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JOIN BIOGEMS DEFENDERS FOR DAY OF CLIMATE ACTION ON OCTOBER 24
NRDC is teaming up with author and environmentalist Bill McKibben's 350.org campaign to encourage citizens worldwide to participate in an international day of action to stop climate change on October 24th. 350.org invites people to submit pictures incorporating the number "350" -- the target for limiting the concentration of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere - into a photograph of a place special to them. Jacob Scherr, Director of NRDC's BioGems Initiative, will be blogging about the effects of climate change on each special place that we've designated as a BioGem. You can also go to www.350.org to learn more about how you can take part in this international demonstration of citizen resolve to protect the planet -- the ultimate biological gem.
THIS GREEN LIFE
A boating excursion to observe whales in the Pacific Northwest may seem like the best way to see these magnificent creatures in action, but Sheryl Eisenberg explains why that's not always the case. Find out more in this issue of This Green Life.
VOTE NRDC
If you're a customer of Working Assets/CREDO, the socially responsible company that contributes a portion of its revenue to nonprofits, please vote for NRDC by December 31 and increase our share of the 2009 Working Assets donations pool. Last year, thanks to BioGems Defenders, NRDC earned the most votes of any nonprofit! Cast your vote now.
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