{"id":2288,"date":"2015-01-26T06:32:13","date_gmt":"2015-01-26T06:32:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/revoscience.com\/en\/?p=2288"},"modified":"2015-01-26T06:32:13","modified_gmt":"2015-01-26T06:32:13","slug":"obama-administration-moves-to-protect-arctic-national-wildlife-refuge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/obama-administration-moves-to-protect-arctic-national-wildlife-refuge\/","title":{"rendered":"Obama Administration Moves to Protect Arctic National Wildlife Refuge"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recommends Largest Ever Wilderness Designation to Protect Pristine Habitat<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"images<\/a>Washington, DC– President Obama\u2019s Administration moved to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, widely considered one of the most spectacular and remote areas in the world. The Department of the Interior is releasing a conservation plan for the Refuge that for the first time recommends additional protections, and President Obama announced he will make an official recommendation to Congress to designate core areas of the refuge \u2013 including its Coastal Plain \u2013 as wilderness, the highest level of protection available to public lands.\u00a0 If Congress chooses to act, it would be the largest ever wilderness designation since Congress passed the visionary Wilderness Act over 50 years ago.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDesignating vast areas in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as Wilderness reflects the significance this landscape holds for America and its wildlife,\u201d said Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell. \u201cJust like Yosemite or the Grand Canyon, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is one of our nation\u2019s crown jewels and we have an obligation to preserve this spectacular place for generations to come.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s action builds upon years of public engagement by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to revise the Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) and complete an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, as required by law. The plan will guide the Service\u2019s management decisions for the next 15 years.<\/span><\/p>\n

Based on the best available science and extensive public comment, the Service\u2019s preferred alternative recommends 12.28 million acres \u2013 including the Coastal Plain \u2013 for designation as wilderness. The Service also recommends four rivers \u2013\u00a0the Atigun, Hulahula, Kongakut, and Marsh Fork Canning\u00a0\u2013 for inclusion into the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Currently, over 7 million acres of the refuge are managed as wilderness, consistent with the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980.\u00a0 However, more than 60 percent of the refuge \u2013 including the Coastal Plain \u2013 does not carry that designation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Designation as wilderness would protect and preserve the refuge, ensuring the land and water would remain unimpaired for use and enjoyment by future generations. Only Congress has the authority to designate Wilderness areas and Wild and Scenic Rivers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recommendations for Wilderness or Wild and Scenic River designations require approval of the Service Director, Secretary of the Interior and the President. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today released the revised comprehensive conservation plan and final environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. While the Service is not soliciting further public comment on the revised plan\/EIS, it will be available to the public for review for 30 days, after which, the record of decision will be published. At that point, the President will make the formal wilderness recommendation to Congress.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Arctic National Wildlife Refuge preserves a unique diversity of wildlife and habitat in a corner of America that is still wild and free,\u201d said Service Director Dan Ashe. \u201cBut it faces growing challenges that require a thoughtful and comprehensive management strategy. The incorporation of large portions of the refuge into the National Wilderness Preservation System will ensure we protect this outstanding landscape and its inhabitants for our children and generations that follow.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The revised plan\/EIS addresses a variety of issues, including the protection of wildlife populations and their habitats, opportunities for fish- and wildlife-dependent recreation, subsistence needs of local inhabitants, and other public uses. The plan also strengthens wildlife and habitat monitoring, as well as the monitoring of public use of the refuge so as to better respond to changing conditions on the landscape, particularly those associated with climate change.<\/span><\/p>\n

The 19.8 million acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is home to the most diverse wildlife in the arctic, including caribou, polar bears, gray wolves, and muskoxen. More than 200 species of birds, 37 land mammal species, eight marine mammal species and 42 species of fish call the vast refuge home. Lagoons, beaches, saltmarshes, tundra and forests make up the remote and undisturbed wild area that spans five distinct ecological regions.<\/span><\/p>\n

The refuge holds special meaning to Alaska Natives, having sustained their lives and culture for thousands of years.\u00a0 The Gwich\u2019in people refer to the Coastal Plain of the refuge as \u201cThe Sacred Place Where Life Begins,\u201d reflecting the area\u2019s importance to their community,maintaining\u00a0healthy herds of caribou and an abundance of other wildlife.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Recommends Largest Ever Wilderness Designation to Protect Pristine Habitat Washington, DC– President Obama\u2019s Administration moved to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, widely considered one of the most spectacular and remote areas in the world. The Department of the Interior is releasing a conservation plan for the Refuge that for the first time […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":2289,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2288","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/images-1.jpg",289,174,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/images-1-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/images-1.jpg",289,174,false],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/images-1.jpg",289,174,false],"large":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/images-1.jpg",289,174,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/images-1.jpg",289,174,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/images-1.jpg",289,174,false],"ultp_layout_landscape_large":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/images-1.jpg",289,174,false],"ultp_layout_landscape":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/images-1.jpg",289,174,false],"ultp_layout_portrait":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/images-1.jpg",289,174,false],"ultp_layout_square":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/images-1.jpg",289,174,false],"newspaper-x-single-post":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/images-1.jpg",289,174,false],"newspaper-x-recent-post-big":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/images-1.jpg",289,174,false],"newspaper-x-recent-post-list-image":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/images-1.jpg",95,57,false],"web-stories-poster-portrait":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/images-1.jpg",289,174,false],"web-stories-publisher-logo":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/images-1.jpg",96,58,false],"web-stories-thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/images-1.jpg",150,90,false]},"author_info":{"info":["Amrita Tuladhar"]},"category_info":"News<\/a>","tag_info":"News","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2288","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2288"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2288\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2289"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2288"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2288"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2288"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}