Dear Alaska activists,

As you are all aware, America’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge faces
unprecedented threats.  With the Bush administration and a Congress
determined to abuse the budget process by ramming through the
controversial proposal for drilling in our beloved Arctic Refuge, we are
gearing up for the fight of our lives.

As part of our efforts, we’ve designated March 12, 2005 as Arctic Action
Day.  On this day, we are inviting all of you to participate in the
showing of one of two documentary videos about America’s Arctic Refuge.
One is called Oil on Ice, and the other is Being Caribou.  These videos
are both tremendous tools for showing people in your community what is at
stake with the Arctic Refuge.  Whether you choose to show the video in
your home with five close friends, or the local library with 50 friends,
or if you want to set up a showing at a local theater or auditorium for
even bigger crowds, we want you to help us show the country what this
amazing place is all about.

What will all of these video showings in one day accomplish?  First of
all, it will dramatically raise the awareness in your community about the
Arctic Refuge.  Second of all, it will give you the opportunity to
collect the names and contact information for all of the people who come
to see it.  This is an extremely valuable tool and the list can then be
used to send out alerts about when the Arctic vote will happen so
everyone can call their Senators, and just generally keep people in the
loop (much the way you are on this list).

Below is a description of the two videos.  If you would like to
participate in this event in any way, please follow the instructions for
getting one of the videos and accompanying activist kit.

Being Caribou (from the National Film Board of Canada).
Environmentalist Leanne Allison and wildlife biologist Karsten Heuer
follow a herd of 120,000 caribou on foot, across 1,500 kilometres of
rugged Arctic tundra. The husband-and-wife team want to raise awareness
of threats to the caribou’s survival.
They let the caribou guide them through a wild and remote landscape, from
the central Yukon to coastal Alaska and back. During the five-month
journey, they ski and hike across mountains, swim icy rivers, brave
Arctic weather and endure hordes of mosquitoes. They survive an encounter
with a hungry grizzly bear that forces them to reconcile what it means to
be a part of true wilderness.
Hunger, fatigue and pain become routine, but the sacrifice is worth it
when they witness the miracle of birth just metres from their tent.
Dramatic footage and video diaries provide an intimate perspective of an
epic expedition. At stake is the herd’s delicate habitat, which could be
devastated if proposed oil and gas development goes ahead in the herd’s
calving grounds in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
The Alaska Wilderness League is offering the Being Caribou action kit
free of charge for anyone who would like to show it.  Email
[log in to unmask] for your activist kit and copy of Being
Caribou.


Oil on Ice

In March 2002 Senator Frank Murkowski, held a blank white poster in front
of Congress as his rendition of the Refuge to encourage the federal
government to open the protected area to oil drilling.  “Don’t be
misinformed,” he demanded.  Oil on Ice, an award-winning one-hour
documentary about the Refuge and the controversy over drilling for oil
there, unveils a very different picture than the image of a snow-covered
and lifeless wasteland portrayed by Murkowski.  The film is a visually
stunning journey through a pristine land that is teeming with wildlife,
enriched by centuries of Native American culture, and at risk of being
destroyed by the invasive trucks, bulldozers and pipelines of the oil
industry.

Oil on Ice shows how the fate of the Refuge, one of America’s last wild
places, is inextricably linked to decisions our nation makes about energy
policy, transportation choices, and other seemingly unrelated matters,
while the culture and livelihood of the native Gwich’in Indians and the
survival of migratory wildlife are caught in the balance.  Because the
film examines both the consequences of oil drilling and alternative
solutions to our energy needs, it tells the viewer, “Don’t be
misinformed.”

The Oil on Ice educational WebDVD includes not only the one-hour
documentary, but also exclusive interviews with environmentalists Carl
Pope and Amory Lovins, a grassroots action toolkit and a number of other
bonus features.  The Oil on Ice WebDVD engages audiences with interactive
content as well as tools to empower any concerned citizen to easily take
action and make a difference.

Click here to order DVDs at www.oilonice.org or call toll-free
866-866-4733.  You can also order one free through the Sierra Club by
contacting Brendan Bell ([log in to unmask]).

After you receive your DVD, be imaginative and think creatively about
showing it!  Think BIG!  Everyone deserves to see this amazing place that
as Americans, we all own together.

Feel free to pass this message to others you feel may be interested in
helping to protect America's Arctic Refuge.

Katie E. Little
Grassroots Campaigns Associate
Alaska Coalition
122 C Street NW
Suite 240
Washington, DC 20001
202-266-0482 ext 182
[log in to unmask]

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