Stop the Sonar - petition

[Guest guest]

Stop the Sonar

 

 

Dear Fellow NRDC Earth Activist,

 

We wanted to pass along to you our message about the Navy's plans to

blast the world's oceans with a dangerous new sonar system, and the

urgent need for us to fight back. As an NRDC Earth Action r

you've most likely already taken action on behalf of the whales and

marine mammals threatened by this perilous new technology -- and we

thank you. Now, please do us the great favor of forwarding our

message to everyone you know -- your friends, family, co-workers,

discussion groups -- encouraging them to join us in this critical

battle.

 

Sincerely yours,

 

James Taylor

Pierce Brosnan

Jean-Michel Cousteau

 

=====

 

Dear Friend,

 

The three of us have never teamed up like this before. But we all

share something in common: a deep love of the ocean and marine

mammals. That's why we're very disturbed by a U.S. military program

that, if approved, will soon be bombarding millions of whales and

dolphins around the world with intense noise.

 

You may have read about the U.S. Navy's " Low-Frequency Active " (LFA)

sonar program. The military has been testing this new, high-powered

system in secret for years. Now, the Navy wants to deploy it across

80 percent of our planet's oceans. LFA sonar is designed to detect

enemy submarines by flooding vast expanses of the oceans with sound.

Leaving aside the military wisdom of this sonar -- which is still in

dispute -- the environmental dangers are becoming increasingly clear.

 

Here's the problem: LFA noise is billions of times more intense than

that known to disturb whale migration and communication. Whales and

dolphins depend on their sensitive hearing for survival. To put it

simply, a deaf whale is a dead whale. Deafening noise from the LFA

system will interfere with the vital biological activities of marine

mammals. Scientists fear that long-term exposure to LFA could push

entire populations over the brink into extinction.

 

Inevitably, there will also be marine mammals unlucky enough to swim

too close to LFA loudspeakers. Imagine an acoustic wave so powerful

that, even at substantial distances, it can destroy your hearing,

cause your lungs or ears to hemorrhage, or even kill you.

 

We've already seen a glimpse of the resulting carnage. Last year,

whales from four different species stranded themselves and died on

beaches across the northern Bahamas during a Navy military exercise.

All but one of the dead animals examined by researchers had suffered

hemorrhaging around the inner ear -- the telltale sign of acoustic

trauma. The U.S. Navy's own report concluded that it is " highly

likely " that the stranding was caused by the use of mid-frequency

active sonar. But despite this tragic event, the Navy now wants to

deploy LFA, the most extensive active sonar system ever devised.

 

We know that different frequencies will affect different marine

mammals and that the lower the frequency, the farther it penetrates

the ocean. We believe it is unconscionable to expose marine mammals

around the world to more high intensity sonar. If you agree, then

please join us in taking immediate action; it will take you only a

few seconds.

 

Just go to http://www.nrdcaction.org/index.asp?step=2 & item=518. The

Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Ocean Futures Society

(OFS) have set up this web page to make it easy for you to send

electronic messages of protest to your U.S. senators and

representative. Congress is now deciding the Navy's funding for next

year -- tell them to " Turn Off LFA Sonar " by cutting off its funding.

 

And please forward this message to your family, friends and

colleagues. NRDC used web activism to help generate a million

messages of protest to Mitsubishi and, just last year, stopped the

company from destroying the last unspoiled birthing ground of the

Pacific gray whale.

 

Congress cannot ignore millions of us. Together, we can keep whales

and dolphins safe from high-powered sonar.

 

Thank you for your time and your concern.

 

Sincerely yours,

 

James Taylor

Pierce Brosnan

Jean-Michel Cousteau

 

Tell A Friend about this site!