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Next Steps in Defending the Arctic Refuge Refuge1
Photo by Milo Burcham
Today the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved Senator Lisa Murkowski's legislation to open the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas development. 

The drilling bill will now be folded into the larger tax proposal currently working its way through Congress, with a full Senate vote possible in the next few weeks. Learn more here, and keep the pressure on your representatives to oppose drilling in the Arctic Refuge. Take action here! 
The 2,000-Acre Footprint Myth map
A speculative scenario of how development could span the Coastal Plain. Click image to see enlarged map with key.
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge drilling legislation that passed out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee today states that surface development in the Coastal Plain would be limited to 2,000 acres.

This 2,000-acre figure is often cited by proponents of drilling in the Refuge when they want to downplay the impact drilling would have on the Arctic ecosystem. The reality is that the entire 1.5-million-acre Coastal Plain would be subject to leasing and exploration. Learn the truth behind this deceptive figure.
Photo by Bob Wick / BLM
The "National Petroleum Reserve is more than an untapped oil drum waiting for a straw. The western Arctic contains a world, wild and rich and like no place else. It must not be sacrificed," writes Christopher Solomon in a commentary piece in the New York Times. Read the article and view the amazing accompanying graphics here.npra
Photo by Nick Jans
Tongass Threatened by Congressional Review Act tongass

Last December, the US Forest Service finalized an amendment to the Tongass Land Management Plan (TLMP). While the plan has some flaws, it still sets strong boundaries around ecologically important watersheds in the Tongass National Forest, and it affirms the need for a transition away from tax-payer subsidized, environmentally destructive, old-growth clearcut logging. 

Unfortunately, this TLMP amendment may be repealed by way of the Congressional Review Act (CRA), a law that empowers Congress to review new federal regulations and vote to overrule them by simple majority vote.


'Name that Bird' Photo Quizquiz
Photo by Mark Peck


Photo by Matthew Hansen
Last Month's  Quiz Bird

This Month's Quiz Bird
Last month's quiz bird was the Pine Grosbeak. The grayish bodies of Pine Grosbeaks are decked out in pinkish reds on males and yellows on females. They are often absurdly tame, allowing very close approach. 

This month's quiz bird breeds mostly on northern Great Plains, but localized populations also nest on tundra at James Bay, Ontario and on the Alaska Peninsula.
Upcoming Events  
The Big Picture: An Ecological Atlas of the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas
TONIGHT: Wednesday, November 15th, 7 pm blm
BLM Campbell Creek Science Center
5600 Science Center Drive

Join Max Goldman, Audubon Alaska's Arctic Marine Ecologist, for a fireside chat about the  Ecological Atlas of the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas. Max will explain the process of making the Atlas, the importance of scientific synthesis and data sharing, and the state of the Arctic and Arctic science today. 
The talk is free and open to the public!
Bird Trivia Night! 
Cynosure Brewingtrivia
Wednesday, December 6th
5:30 - 7:00 PM

Dust off those bird guides you set aside at the end of summer and start studying up! Audubon Alaska is hosting an evening of Alaska bird trivia at Cynosure Brewing.   Enjoy some friendly competition and tasty craft beers.

Trivia will start at 6pm. Free event, beer available for purchase. 
We hope to see you there!
Christmas Bird Count for Kids
The Alaska Zoo
Saturday, December 9thxmas
9:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Kids 6 and over are invited to come explore the outdoors with experienced birders and discover how local birds tough out the Alaska winter. Only a small number of birding spots are available so please contact Stephanie Hartman at the Alaska Zoo at 907-341-6463 to make your reservations today! The fee is $3 per person.