TAKE ACTION: Help protect Nature and the Planet.

November 4, 2006

:: TAKE ACTION - BE AN ACTIVIST ::

HELP PROTECT NATURE AND THE PLANET

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More than 55,000 letters delivered to Iceland’s government so farHelp us reach our goal of 100,000

International Fund for Animal Welfare November 3, 2006

Help us reach 100,000 Iceland Actions

An endangered fin whale is hauled to shore with a harpoon still embedded in its side in Hvalfjordur, Iceland

I have some important news to report: more than 55,000 letters protesting Iceland’s commercial whale hunt have been delivered from IFAW supporters to Iceland’s Prime Minister and Icelandic embassies around the world.

The good news is that your support is helping to generate a major international outcry. Twenty-five countries and the EU Commission have issued a joint statement calling upon Iceland to halt its whaling and stop killing endangered fin whales.

The bad news is that some people are slanting the story to imply that there was more of a public outrage when Iceland resumed its scientific whaling program in 2003. In such a small country, winning media and public opinion is crucial to victory.

Please show the Icelandic government that the world will not tolerate whaling. If you haven’t already done so, please help us reach our goal of 100,000 letters today.

There have also been stories that whale watching in Iceland is not a success. Yet more than 89,000 people went whale watching in Iceland in 2006 and this sustainable industry is now worth US$24.2 million.

If you’ve already spoken out against Iceland’s whaling program, you may have received a response letter from the Icelandic Ambassador claiming that: Iceland has no intention of catching endangered whales and that Iceland’s resumption of sustainable whaling is legal under international law.

Seven fin whales and one minke whale have already been killed since the hunt began. Fin whales have been endangered under IUCN (The World Conservation Union) guidelines since 1996, which states that three-quarters of a million fin whales were commercially hunted during the period between 1904 and 1979 alone, and the current global population is unknown.

Additionally, the U.N. Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) bans the international trade of all great whale species. And Iceland was an IWC member when the ban on commercial whaling went into effect in 1986, which it agreed to at the time.

Tourists and consumers don’t want to see more blood in the water

The Fisheries Minister and authorities in Iceland who have issued these permits to cruelly kill whales are out touch with both the international community and their own citizens, only 1.1% of whom eat whale meat once a week or more.

Any day now Japan’s “scientific” whale fleet will leave port to kill even more whales, so it’s critical we keep up the pressure to stop whaling while the issue remains in the international spotlight. Please help me build on the enormous momentum we’ve already generated by taking our campaign to the next level: send your letter protesting the whale hunt to Iceland today.

Keep up the incredible work,Fred O’ReganPresident and CEO

P.S. If you’ve already sent in your letter to Iceland, please send this email to at least five more people so we can keep up the momentum.

Worried about Donating online?I used to be too ... so I made sure our online system is safe, secure, and state-of-the-art. It also eliminates check-processing costs, so more money goes directly to saving animals. But if you prefer to donate by phone or mail, simply click here for address information

PO Box 193 • 411 Main Street Yarmouth Port, MA 02675www.ifaw.org

Pacific leatherback sea turtles have survived ice ages, major volcanic events, meteor impacts and natural predators in the sea. But their nearly 100 million years on this planet could come to an end because of a simpler but deadlier foe: us. In the last two decades alone, Pacific leatherback sea turtle populations have declined by 80% or more, in large part due to drowning in commercial fishing gear, especially in pelagic longlines and drift gillnets.

>> Take action by November 7 to protect the sea turtles! Knowing this, the agency in charge of protecting leatherbacks, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), established a Pacific Leatherback Conservation Area off the Oregon and California coasts in 2001 to give leatherbacks a safe place to feed and migrate without threat of drowning in fishing gear. Since the closure, not a single leatherback sea turtle has been reported caught and killed in the entire fishery. Now the Fisheries Service may soon give in to calls by drift gillnetters to re-open the closed area during the leatherback migration. The record is clear. The closure works. It would be irresponsible for this agency to put a species already struggling to survive at risk. Furthermore, the fishery is the deadliest on the West Coast for other wildlife too, including other turtles, dolphins and porpoise, seals and sea lions, and even large whales Time is running out to save these amazing creatures. Pacific decision makers considering reopening the Pacific Leatherback Conservation Area are making a decision this month. To let your voice be heard, please send a comment before November 7. For the oceans,

Susan MurrayActing Director, North Pacific Office P.S. If you want to learn more about the threats facing these sea turtles, check out this wonderful commentary by my colleague in California.

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Tell Target - Don't Sell Products with Dangerous Chemicals!

Target stores may have the latest designs, but their aisles are filled with products made from a plastic that contains dangerous chemicals linked to cancer. Help get these plastics out of Target stores, and out of your home - Sign the petition now!Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), also known as vinyl, is one of the most hazardous consumer products ever created and it is the second highest selling plastic in the world. It is dangerous throughout its entire lifecycle - from production to use to disposal. PVC is used in thousands of household products from plastic wrap, to shower curtains, shampoo bottles, some children’s toys and thousands of other products we use every day. Companies like Nike, Microsoft, and Ikea have all started to phase out products made from PVC. Now it’s Target's turn! To sign the petition, Sincerely, Lisa GrobOnline Communications ManagerFriends of the Earth

October 31, 2006 - Ocean Defenders Newsletter

Greenpeace arrives in Hawaii and exposes World's Largest Garbage DumpAloha Ocean Defenders, My name is Marie and I work for Greenpeace USA. After 11 months traveling around the world, the Esperanza pulled into port last week in Honolulu. Its crew and I will be celebrating the recent creation of the world's largest marine protected area - right here in the Hawaiian Islands.Unfortunately, the world's largest marine protected area ALSO sits next to one of the world's largest floating garbage dumps. This garbage dump is the size of Texas, where ocean trash, particularly plastic trash, is brought by currents from around the world and gathers in what we call "the Trash Vortex". Because plastic doesn't break down it chokes and tangles marine wildlife like turtles and feeding birds such as Albatrosses, while impacting on every level of the food chain. To learn more about this garbage dump or "trash vortex", The real life story of one young albatross chick gives a graphic example of the danger of our rubbish. Wildlife photographer Susan Middleton watched this chick waste away and die, despite being cared for by its mother. Puzzled, Susan brought the chick to a biologist - whose autopsy found the bird's stomach full of plastic (click to see a picture) that its mother had brought from the ocean. Fifty-five of the sixty chicks that where subsequently examined on the island had died with their stomachs full of plastic trash. Follow these tips to help keep this from happening.

Talk trash with GreenpeaceTraveling on board with me during our expedition is my colleague and scientific researcher, Adam, who works on the issue of marine debris in the world's oceans and its impacts on wildlife. During our expedition in Hawaii, Greenpeace will be releasing its PLASTIC DEBRIS IN THE WORLD'S OCEANS study. This report draws together scientific research from around the world. It also shows what governments need to do to help curb this threat to the marine environment. OPEN INVITATION TO TALK TO OUR ONBOARD SCIENTIST: Greenpeace often works with scientists and researchers to find solutions to environmental problems. As well as Adam, we have joined up with Charles Moore founder of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation, who has been studying the Trash Vortex for years. I want to invite you to visit our discussion forum BEFORE Friday, November 3rd, and submit your questions on marine pollution to us. Adam, Charles and I will go through all submitted questions, and pick 5 to answer and film while on board the ship. Then check out our site oceans.greenpeace.org on November 7th to see if your question was one we answered. If your question was one of the lucky ones, we will send you an Ocean Defender T-shirt (click here to submit your question). I look forward to hearing from you. Mahalo,Marie JorgensenP.S. Talk trash to your friends and family - sharing knowledge CAN bring change - so spread the word! Forward on this animated ecard to as many people as you can TODAY.

Canada blocking high seas bottom trawling moratoriumAs we reported in the last ezine, Ocean Defenders have helped convince governments around the world to support a moratorium on unregulated high seas bottom trawling - including the US, Brazil, Sweden, Netherlands, France, Germany, New Zealand and Australia. But Canada is still trying to block the UN from taking action.We need to turn this one more ocean destroyer into an ocean defender to protect deep sea life. Here are two ways you can help:1) Click here to send an email to the Canadian Prime Minister.2) Click here to call your local Canadian embassy or consulate.

TAKE ACTION!

Trash tips

....to protect the ocean.

Talk trash

....send a funny ecard.

Ask us

....questions about ocean trash.

Donate

....to support this work.

ON THE WEBSITE

EsperanzaCrew weblog from the Pacific.Web TVWatch the latest video reports from the field.

AMAZING OCEAN FACT

More people have traveled to the moon than the deep ocean, and there are more accurate maps of the moon than there are of the oceans.

Trouble with links or images? View this message online:https://community.hsus.org/humane/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=3758876

Seal Hunt Documentary Wins at Wild Screen Film Festival.You Can Watch It Now.

1. View the award-winning documentary.

2. Help us spread the news! Share this link with your friends.

3. Sign the pledge to boycott Canadian seafood.

Learn more about the campaign to stop the seal hunt at www.protectseals.org.

I'm writing to share some exciting news with you: Our documentary exposing the barbaric slaughter of seals during the 2005 hunt in Canada has won an award at the Wild Screen Film Festival in the United Kingdom!

Bearing Witness: Canada's 2005 Seal Hunt, filmed by our sister organization The Humane Society of the United States, follows HSI Canada's Rebecca Aldworth as she observes the annual commercial slaughter of young seals.

“A lot of people ask how I can go back and look at it each and every year that I do,” says Aldworth in the film. “It’s a horrific thing to look at, but I know that in going there and filming and observing, and telling the world what is happening on the ice floes, we can put an end to it.”

Help us tell the world about this cruel hunt. And help us stop it.

See the film. If you have not yet seen this powerful, moving film, I invite you to view it online now:Bearing Witness: Canada's 2005 Seal Hunt(11 minutes. Warning: contains graphic and disturbing images of seal hunting.)

Share this email with your friends.Only by showing the reality of this cruel hunt to the public will we be able to stop it. Please help us stop the Canadian seal hunt by sharing this email -- and this powerful video -- with your friends.

Sign the pledge to boycott Canadian seafood.Then, if you have not already done so, sign the pledge to boycott Canadian seafood. Seal hunting is an off-season activity conducted by fishermen from Canada's east coast. They earn, on average, a small fraction of their incomes from seal hunting -- the rest comes from commercial fisheries. The connection between the commercial fishing industry and the seal hunt in Canada gives consumers all over the world the power to end the vicious slaughter of seals.

Humane Society International is on the front lines every year in Canada, fighting to halt this atrocity. You can help with your simple pledge to keep the pressure on the Canadian government and on the fishing industry that profits from the slaughter of the seals. Thank you for all you do for animals.

Sincerely,Andrew RowanChief Executive OfficerHumane Society International

If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for HSI Global.

Should ExxonMobil’s quest for higher profits determine the fate of our polar bears and environment? Take action now - Tell Energy Secretary Bodman that America’s energy policy must serve our nation’s interest, not just the interests of ExxonMobil.

Take Action for Polar Bears

The Bush Administration is putting Big Oil in charge of our energy future and the future of our precious wildlife and the places they live. Help us stop them -- send a message to U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman right now!

Help spread the word! Please forward this message to a friend to help us send 50,000 comments by the end of the month…

These days, it’s a lot easier to be an oil executive than a polar bear.As increased temperatures rob them of their habitat, polar bears are starving to death and drowning in their long search for food. In contrast, oil executives are swimming in profits.Now, former ExxonMobil CEO, Lee Raymond, will head a task force to determine the course of America’s energy future -- a future that could be disastrous for our vanishing polar bears and other wildlife. Take action now! Write to Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman tell him to give Lee Raymond the boot! Urge him to create a fair and balanced energy task force that will represent our national interest, not just the interests of Big Oil.The Administration has hand-picked former ExxonMobil CEO Lee Raymond to chair an influential study to develop policy solutions to America’s energy crisis.

But ExxonMobil’s refusal to recognize global warming and insistence on drilling in the Arctic Refuge is part of what CREATED our current energy problems! Worse, Raymond’s task force will mainly be conducted by members of the National Petroleum Council -- Big Oil’s mouth piece to the government.Our energy future must be designed by a balanced set of energy experts, not just oil company executives. Take action now -- Write to Energy Secretary Bodman. For years, ExxonMobil has rejected investments in cleaner, safer energy solutions, undermined action on global warming and pushed for pointless drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and other precious public lands.

ExxonMobil has long championed destructive dirlling in the Arcitc National Wildlife Refuge. Such drilling could cause polar bear mothers to abandon their cubs.Tell the Bush Administration to scrap this flawed approach and give this important task to an independent body that will provide policy options that move our nation beyond fossil fuels. Send your message now!When it comes to deciding the future of America’s energy policy, ExxonMobil and other oil giants don’t just have a seat at the table -- they own the table.Make no mistake: this task force is bad news for polar bears and awful news for real energy solutions.Now is the time for America to develop new energy solutions. We can’t afford to put our energy future -- and the future of our wildlife and wild places -- in the hands of the petroleum industry.ExxonMobil and their allies in Big Oil have the Administration’s ear. That’s why we’re working with our allies in the Exxpose Exxon Coalition* to make our voices heard. Please help us meet our goal of sending 50,000 messages to the Energy Secretary by the end of the month Take action now!As always, thanks for all you do to protect our wild creatures and the places they live.Sincerely,

Rodger SchlickeisenPresidentDefenders of Wildlife

* Defenders of Wildlife is a proud member of the Exxpose Exxon Campaign, a collaborative effort of some of the nation's largest environmental and public interest advocacy organizations aimed at informing and educating Americans about ExxonMobil's unique efforts to prevent action on global warming, drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and keep America addicted to oil. To learn more about the coalition, visit its website.

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The world’s largest mining company wants to build a massive LNG Terminal off the coastUrge the Governor to Terminate the Terminal

International Fund for Animal Welfare November 4, 2006

Urgent: Save the Channel Islands Sanctuary

Pierce Brosnan (above) and Halle Berry with Gabriel Aubrey at the Paddle Out protest against the development of a Liquid Natural Gas pipeline

BHP Billiton, the largest mining company in the world, is seeking approval to build a massive floating Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Terminal called Cabrillo Port off the Southern California coast near Malibu and Oxnard.

This gigantic facility (14 stories tall and three football fields long) would be moored for a minimum of 40 years near the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, one of the richest and most productive marine ecosystems in the world.

Tell Governor Schwarzenegger to reject the dangerous and dirty Cabrillo Port liquefied natural gas (LNG) project. Send the Governor an e-mail and urge him to Terminate the Cabrillo Port Terminal Project.

The Cabrillo Port terminal will cause air and water pollution, harm wildlife and the environment, and has the potential for catastrophic accidents that could threaten public health and safety. It would discharge tens of millions of gallons of heated waste water into the ocean each year.

Along with this thermal waste, the intake of massive amounts of sea water each year to cool the plant's generators will directly kill millions of larval fish and billions of other microscopic marine organisms crucial to the health of marine mammals and fisheries.

Marine mammals, including the endangered blue and humpback whales, and federally protected gray whales, commonly travel through the area and feed where the terminal would be located. These endangered marine mammals could be harmed if there was a significant release of LNG. They would also face an increased chance of injury or death from collisions with ships due to the increased tanker traffic.

The likely impacts on marine habitat and wildlife, which will be severe, are unacceptable

Constant noise from the tankers, the terminal and the pipeline construction would be audible from miles away and could harm whales and dolphins by reducing their ability to communicate and find food.

This is just one of many LNG projects being rushed through the permitting process right now in California and in coastal communities around the US and beyond. The Cabrillo Port LNG terminal project is not a sensible choice for our environment or the environment we share with our friends in the marine world. An industrial facility of this magnitude has no place in pristine waters hosting such a diversity of sensitive and, in some cases, endangered marine life. It must be stopped.

The governor of California has the ability to veto this project but he won't do so unless he hears from you. So please, send an email to the governor and ask him to “Terminate the terminal”. Urge him to consider all the alternatives before approving any LNG terminals on or off our precious coast.

For the animals and for our oceans, let’s Terminate the Terminal.Fred O’ReganPresident and CEO

P.S. IFAW is also helping to raise concerns about an LNG terminal proposal off of Cape Cod. With help from IFAW, the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary was able to engage the Coast Guard, which grants the permits for these facilities, in formal consultations with the Sanctuary on the harmful impacts of the proposed facility. With your help, we can achieve similar results to protect the Channel Islands.

All gifts to IFAW represent a contribution to IFAW's entire mission. Donations will be used where they are most needed to help animals.

Worried about Donating online?I used to be too ... so I made sure our online system is safe, secure, and state-of-the-art. It also eliminates check-processing costs, so more money goes directly to saving animals. But if you prefer to donate by phone or mail, simply click here for address information.

PO Box 193 • 411 Main Street Yarmouth Port, MA 02675www.ifaw.org