Groups sue to protect rare loon in Alaska's Arctic oil reserve

December 20th, 2007 ^ | December 20th, 2007 | DAN JOLING

[Species8472]

Three conservation groups sued the federal government Wednesday hoping to block Arctic petroleum development through protections for a rare loon that breeds in Alaska's National Petroleum Reserve.

The groups claim yellow-billed loons are threatened by industrialization in the 23 million-acre reserve that covers much of Alaska's western North Slope.

"The yellow-billed loon is one of the rarest and most vulnerable birds in the United States," said Andrea Treece, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. "If the loon is to survive in a warming Arctic, we need to protect its critical habitat, not open it up for oil development."

Inundation of the loons' freshwater breeding areas by rising sea levels tied to global warming is also considered a threat, but petroleum development is the petitioners' main concern.

The lawsuit names Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. According to the conservation groups, the agency is more than two years behind the legal deadline for taking action to protect the yellow-billed loons under provisions of the Endangered Species Act.

A spokesman for the agency said a decision on protections is coming.

"We expect to have money available in the fiscal year '08 budget and then complete the status review and the 12-month finding," said Bruce Woods.

The Center for Biological Diversity, the National Resources Defense Council, Pacific Environment and other U.S. and Russian scientific and conservation organizations filed a petition in April 2004 to list yellow-billed loons as threatened or endangered. After a petition is filed, agencies have a 12-month deadline to issue a proposed rule listing a species or to decide listing is not warranted.

[Species8472]

Greenies gone wild

[Dog Gone]

I’m pretty sure the oil industry has no plans to pave 23 million acres.

[Army Air Corps]

and other U.S. and Russian scientific and conservation organizations filed a petition

Gee, now whay would a Russian conservation group want to get involved? I have an idea as to why...

[Abathar]

Loons get along fine with humans, I have fished and camped next to dozens of them in upper Canada, they swim right by the boat with their little chicks on their backs like we aren’t even there. This is just another ridiculous attempt by these idiots to make sure we don’t drill there for political reasons, nothing else.

[Army Air Corps]

You’re being logical, mate. Logic does not fit into the thinking process of an environut.

[BykrBayb]

Didn’t I just see you on another thread about loons?

[Rick.Donaldson]

They are trying to protect loons? What, there’s like three Greenpeace guys that moved there now, so they are considered ‘rare’ ???

[poobear]

We are being taken over from the inside out. Aging population. Fine, implement Universal Health Care and kill them off early. Illegal immigration, fine they come with openly Socialist behaviors. Oil and energy Independence, block everything with the environmental cause. Need to embezzle money, Global Warming, but only tax the US, Canada and Australia.

Step, by step, by step...

[John123]

for a rare loon

But liberal loons are NOT rare!!!

[Zathras]

So it feeds on oil spills?
Designed to get things tied up in the 9th circus for the next 20 years.

[Alright_on_the_LeftCoast]

That is 35,000 square MILES.....I do believe there is room for the loons and a couple of drilling rigs with small footprints....I think those would take up about 2 square miles, leaving 34,998 miles for the loons to use as they please....

[VOA]

...a rare loon that breeds in Alaska's National Petroleum Reserve.

Rare because they are either pathetic breeders
And/Or
pathetic survivors.

I guess the environuts just love the losers in Darwins' scheme.

Besides loons are a Canadian symbol.
Let's give them a free trip home.

[AxelPaulsenJr]

These enviroweenie goons make me want to hurl. Bet their lawyers didn’t walk to the courthouse to file their suit.

[VOA]

Gee, now whay would a Russian conservation group want to get involved?
I have an idea as to why...

Don't hold your breath waiting for the MSM to do some investigative
reports to see if the Russian oil industry funds that Russian
conservation group...

[Dog Gone]

Didn’t I just see you on another thread about loons?

LOL. Be careful or I'll make you listen to a loon singing a Christmas carol.

[Godzilla]

a loon... didn’t know algore was in alaska. woops, he’s a yellow belly loon, not a yellow beak’d one.

[Army Air Corps]

Gee, that sounds cynical...I like cynical.

[RightWhale]

"If the loon is to survive in a warming Arctic

It is warming. It was -38 this morning. Now it is -35.

[tired1]

believe it or not, Russia and Ukraine have their share of these idiots.

about ten years ago, a huge mall was being built next to Red Square. during excavation, an ancient wooden bridge was discovered. the supervisor immediately had the damn thing blown up; their enviro wackos could have ground the whole deal to a halt.

[Recon Dad]

The groups claim yellow-billed loons are threatened by industrialization in the 23 million-acre reserve that covers much of Alaska’s western North Slope.

Out of 23 million-acres you would think a loon could find some place to screw and raise kids, maybe they deserve to be extinct. Anything that fragile doesn’t stand a chance.