Interior Department proposes protected land for polar bears

Source: The Oregonian

Polar bears could get new protection under an Obama administration proposal to set aside about 200,540 square miles of Alaska's coast as critical habitat for the bears, which are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

The proposed range includes areas of oil and gas exploration. The Endangered Species Act orders federal agencies to make sure that the activities they authorize or carry out don't jeopardize the protected species.

The proposal, announced Thursday, is open to a 60-day public comment period. The Department of the Interior plans to make a final ruling by June 30.

Polar bears were added to the Endangered Species Act in 2008. The act requires that the secretary of the Interior designates critical habitat at the time the species are listed. But interior officials said they needed more time to evaluate the proposed designation

Read more: http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/10/interior_department_proposes_p.html

that understands "man" is screwing up the environment in a colossal way, and that mother nature needs help in a desperate way. This is a start.



Palin's brain to nowhere to explode when she hears about this. I hope it hurts...bad.

It's so sad to see what is happening to them. They deserve our protection.

They are amazing creatures. This would be a great help.

...to Interior. Do ranchers like polar bears? :eyes:

DU 2009 is quite a complicated place. :D

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Think of the just plain greed that wiped out millions of Bison for their TONGUES!

We haven't changed a bit - we just sugar-coat our atrocities . . .