ON THE ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE FROM STEVE SWAN,
FORWARDED BY JANE CLARK

The coastal plain of America's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

I recently had the opportunity to go to Washington, DC to participate in
Wilderness Week.  Wilderness supporters from all over the United States
participated in a massive lobbying effort on behalf of two of the major
wilderness projects of the American
environmental movement, the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge in Alaska and America's Redrock Wilderness in Utah.  During this
week nearly every member of the House and Senate were visited and educated
about the issues relating to these two critical wilderness areas.

Currently 95% of the Arctic coastal plain is open for oil development.  The
remaining 5% is within the boundaries of the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge.  This small piece of coastal plain enables the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge to be one of the last intact
ecosystems on the planet.  Arctic tundra is also one of the most fragile
environments on earth with human caused damages taking generations to heal.

The coastal plain of the refuge is the largest land denning site for the
Beaufort Sea polar bear population.  More than 180 species of birds nest on
the coastal plain including Golden Plovers, Peregrine Falcons, Pintails,
Sandhill Cranes, and Tundra Swans, all of
which pass through Iowa.  This is also the calving area for the
129,000-member Porcupine River caribou herd which the native Gwich'in
Indians have depended upon to support their subsistence lifestyle for
thousands of years.

Although the refuge is currently off limits to oil development, the oil
industry is continually pushing for access to this American treasure.  This
is the same oil industry that in 1995 alone had 500 spills totaling 80,000
gallons of harmful waste on the north slope,
was recently fined $1million for illegal dumping, and brought us the Exxon
Valdez.  Wilderness designation is the way to permanently protect the
refuge for all Americans.

Please write your representative and Senators in Washington and ask them to
protect the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge with
wilderness designation.  Mention that even though most Americans will never
actually visit the refuge, it is important to have wild places on the
Earth.  Mention the birds that nest there and migrate through Iowa.
Mention the Gwich'in and the Porcupine River caribou herd.  Ask if we
really need any more oil on an already glutted market competing against our
Made-in-Iowa renewable ethanol.

Thanks,

Steve Swan, 3182 310 AV, Dickens, IA 51333, [log in to unmask]

Rep. Leonard Boswell, 1029 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC
20515
Rep. Greg Ganske, 1108 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC
20515
Rep. Tom Latham, 324 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515
Rep. James Leach, 2186 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515
Rep. Jim Nussel, 303 Canon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515
Sen. Charles E. Grassley, 135 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC
20510
 Sen. Tom Harkin, 731 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC20510

-----------------------------------------------------------------
To get off the IOWA-TOPICS list, send email to [log in to unmask]
Make the message text (not the subject): SIGNOFF IOWA-TOPICS