[Denveraudubon] Fw: Bush Administration to be in Colorado Springs - speak up for Endagered Species Act and Teshekpuk Lake

[Pauline P Reetz]

Anyone interested?  This might be very frustrating, but worthwhile. I'd
like to go but would want to carpool with other folks.
Polly

From: "ORENSTEIN, Karen" <korenstein at audubon.org>
Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2006 17:59:01 -0400
Subject: Bush Administration to be in Colorado Springs - speak up for
Endagered Species Act and Teshekpuk Lake
The Bush Administration will be rolling into Colorado Springs on
September 15 for a special “listening session” on “cooperative
conservation and environmental partnerships.” We hope you will consider
attending this session. This is a rare opportunity for Colorado Audubon
volunteer leaders to directly make high-level Administration officials
aware of the tremendous significance of and public support for Audubon’s
highest priorities, like ensuring the Endangered Species Act remains a
strong safety net for species on the brink of extinction. It is also an
important opportunity to tell the Administration to protect the
tremendous natural values of Teshekpuk Lake, a fragile wetland wilderness
in northern Alaska. 
 
Participation is easy and won’t take up too much of your valuable time.
Having our conservation voice represented at the listening session is
incredibly important to wildlife protection. We will provide everything
you need to send an effective message.  In this memo, you will find
concise talking points for the session to help make a difference for U.S.
birds and wildlife.  
 
Unfortunately, there are strong indications that the Administration
intends to use these sessions to further its attempts to weaken the
Endangered Species Act (ESA) and other bedrock environmental laws.  We
need to make our voices heard at these sessions to make sure they don’t
get away with it!
 
Therefore, it’s crucial that our folks get to the sessions as early as
possible, with supportive friends in tow. The more folks who show up on
our side, the louder and clearer our message will be.
 
You will only have a few minutes to present your testimony, so you will
need to be clear and concise.
 
Here are some key talking points that will help you be most effective at
the session:
 
The Endangered Species Act is a Success
For over thirty years, the Endangered Species Act has been a safety net
for wildlife on the brink of extinction. The ESA has prevented extinction
for 99% of those listed as endangered or threatened, including the
American Bald Eagle, Gray Wolf, and Pacific Salmon. 68% of species listed
are stable or improving. (Note: If possible, talk about local examples.
Include a local species protected by the ESA, as well as stories of your
community’s involvement with successful endangered species protection
efforts.) 
Cooperative conservation, though important, only works because of the
ESA’s strong regulatory requirements, which give the public assurance
that species will not go extinct. Cooperative efforts are important but
are not a substitute for the safety net provided by the Endangered
Species Act. 
The ESA should be strengthened, not weakened or shortchanged. Full
funding for listing, recovery, consultation, and cooperative conservation
programs of the ESA would allow a strong and successful law to do more to
save the United States’ great natural heritage. 
 
Teshekpuk Lake Is Worth Protecting
Interior Secretary Kempthorne should cancel the planned September lease
sale in the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area.  
Drilling in Teshekpuk Lake will NOT solve the United States’ energy
problems. Instead, drilling will fragment and damage one of the most
important wetlands in the circumpolar Arctic. 
Teshekpuk Lake is a natural treasure with a unique and fragile wilderness
that is home to an incredibly diverse variety of migratory birds and
wildlife.  
The wetlands surrounding Teshekpuk Lake provide prime nesting or molting
grounds for waterfowl from three nations, nesting birds from six
continents, and the rare yellow-billed Loon. Development of oil and gas
fields in this fragile habitat will harm its birds and other wildlife,
particularly the Black Brant that use this area during their very
sensitive molting season. 
Congress and three Department of Interior secretaries have previously
recognized the ecological importance of the Teshekpuk Lake area. 
 
It is always most effective to attend public sessions like this in
person. However, if you cannot make it, the Department of Interior is
accepting written comments. Additionally, even if you are able to attend,
we encourage you to submit written comments to provide more detailed
information than conveyed orally. Written comments on the Listening
Sessions on Cooperative Conservation may be submitted at
http://cooperativeconservation.gov/contact-us/index.html. According to
this website, if you transmit your comments via e-mail, use 'Listening
Session Comments' in the subject line of the message. Comments may also
be mailed or faxed to the address provided. In any case, please let us
know of your plans.
 
The Colorado listening session will take place at 9 a.m. on September 15
at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, University Center
Gymnasium. The U.S Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Natural
Resources and Environment, Mark Rey, will attend. The Secretaries of
Agriculture, Interior, Commerce, the Administration of the Environmental
Protection Agency, and the Chairperson of the White House Council on
Environmental Quality are the organizers of this and other listening
sessions across the country. 
 
For more information on Teshekpuk Lake, see
www.audubon.org/campaign/teshekpuk/. For more information on ESA, see
www.audubon.org/campaign/esa.  For more information about the sessions
themselves, see the Department of Interior’s cooperative conservation web
page http://cooperativeconservation.gov/sessions/index.html. 
 
And, of course, please feel free to contact me with any concerns,
questions, or other assistance pertaining to the listening sessions. 
 
Thank you for your consideration and keep up the good work!
 
Sincerely,
 
Karen Orenstein
 
 
 
Karen Orenstein
National Outreach Coordinator
National Audubon Society
Tel: 202-861-2242 x 3002
Fax: 202-861-4290
www.audubon.org
 
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