A SMALL VICTORY

The following nice note arrived from the Natural Resources Defense Council...
"Dear Mick, We just got life-saving news for the last 375 beluga whales of Alaska's Cook Inlet. The National Marine Fisheries Service has decided to place these imperiled whales -- one of the smallest populations of marine mammals left on the planet -- on the endangered species list. It's a huge win for beluga whales, whose population has plummeted due to the industrialization of Alaska's most populated and fastest-growing waterway. And it's a huge win for the NRDC Action Fund. More than 118,000 online activists like you sent messages to the Bush Administration demanding protection for the whales. Our messages accounted for some two-thirds of all 180,000 comments received! This outpouring of national pressure put the White House on notice that the American people expect swift action to save beluga whales from extinction. But the Bush Administration still dragged its feet. That's why our partner organization, NRDC, and 10 other conservation groups filed suit and put a halt to the administration's delays. The beluga's newly won protection will help scientists deal with the many dangers now facing the whales: oil and gas exploration, increased pollution, and plans for massive new projects that could endanger the whales' survival. We will hold the government's feet to the fire and make sure that habitat protections are put in place under the Endangered Species Act, while there is still time to save the belugas of Cook Inlet."