While polar bear mothers and cubs were nestled in their dens, the Bush/Cheney Administration auctioned off key habitat for these struggling animals to Big Oil --despite the opposition of tens of thousands of activists like you. 

As a warming climate takes its toll on polar bear habitat, federal officials are selling off the very places these great white bears depend on for hunting, denning and survival.
America’s polar bears will likely be extinct in fewer than 50 years, according to U.S. Geological Survey scientists. Yet federal officials have once again delayed action to protect these struggling animals as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act.
Instead, officials auctioned off millions of acres of vital habitat in Alaska’s Chukchi Sea to Shell and other Big Oil companies earlier this month -- and yet again, President Bush has included dangerous drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in his budget.
Increased drilling in these critical habitats could devastate America’s polar bears. But ExxonMobil, Shell and other Big Oil companies continue to use their billions in profits to press for harmful drilling in the places polar bears need to survive -- and continue our dependence on the fuels that spur rising temperatures that are causing the bears’ demise.
Here's a hint of what our polar bears are up against: Royal Dutch Shell bid more than $105 billion for a single tract of drilling acreage in the Chukchi Sea. [1]
WHAT YOU CAN DO:

...work to prevent Arctic Refuge drilling language from entering the federal budget.  ..work to pass the Udall-Eisenhower Arctic Wilderness Act, a bill to permanently protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and continuing to battle efforts to open this special place to Big Oil’s dirty rigs. ..work to pass the Global Warming Wildlife Survival Act -- already passed by the House of Representatives, this legislation is a vital first step to ensure that polar bears and other wildlife can cope with a changing climate. ...work to pass the Polar Bear Protection Act, legislation to stop wealthy U.S. trophy hunters from killing polar bears in Canada and returning with their quarry. ...work with Congressional staff to find sensible energy solutions to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, help combat global warming and protect our wildlife. ...hold our elected officials accountable for their actions on global warming and other wildlife-related issues.