Obama does nothing without a tremendous grassroots push to get him to act. For more than two years the Alaska Coalition has blasted him with letters, post cards, emails, etc to ask him to make the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge a National Monument. Obama has hand written letters from scores of elementary and university students asking him to protect the Arctic Refuge--the result of more than 20 programs this year. In Iowa the Alaska Wilderness League has been the lead organization, supporting the Iowa, Sierra Club Alaska Wilderness Committee with materials, kites kits, Arctic Bird seed, post cards, flyers, DVDs of the Refuge, etc. Lois Norgaard, Upper Midwest Regional Director has helped us with events in Ames and Des Moines. The boots on the ground have been Sierra Club activists like Karen Tigges, Co-Chair of IA SC AK Wilderness Committee, finding news schools for programs, and members like Debbie Neustadt, who arranges Arctic Refuge programs for her classes and volunteers at events, activists like Dennis Nicholson, who cthe IA Arctic 50th birthday part with post cards signed, Sharon Johnson, Donna Balzer, Jane Clark, Pat Fuller, Student member Kevin Marquardt with his awesome Op-ed in the Register and help with programs at ISU, just to metion a few activists who helped get the message to Obama this year. Always thanks to Neila for her support always--she broke her ankle helping at one event & Jane Clark took her to the hospital. Even the polar bear almost passed out from the heat but we got the message to children.

When the Arctic Refuge is made a National Monument it will be the tens of thousands of activists accross America who can take the credit for their passion and their relentless efforts to educate the public and let lawmakers know we want our wilderness protected. Iowa activists have done and continue to do their part! Phyllis