Protecting the Porcupine Herd

Another "cross-boundary" issue that has been attracting headlines involves the "1002 lands" in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. These lands form a major portion of the calving grounds of the Porcupine caribou herd, a herd of some 180 000 animals which migrates back and forth between Yukon and Alaska. A major source of food for native communities on both sides of the border, the "1002 lands" are now the focus of a major push by oil and gas companies to open up the area for full-scale development. Despite the opposition of the Canadian government, and mounting evidence of irreversible environmental carnage at the Prudhoe Bay oil field, industry pressure on the U.S. Congress to open up the "1002 lands" has become intense.

 The legislative battle in the U.S. Congress is now entering its crucial stage as industry seeks to get development approved in the final months of the Reagan administration. Readers may communicate their views on the issue by writing to the following members of Congress.

 The Honorable George Miller
Chairman
Sub-committee on Water and Power Resources
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
 

The Honorable Morris K. Udall
Chairman
Interior and Insular Affairs Committee
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515

 
The Honorable George J. Mitchell
Chairman
Sub-committee on Environmental Protection
U.S. Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

Letters may also be sent to:
 

The Honorable Thomas M.T. Niles
Ambassador
Embassy of the United States of America
100 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1P ST1

 
The Honourable Joe Clark
Secretary of State for External Affairs
Lester B. Pearson Bldg.
125 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A OG2