Thanks to nearly 4,400 generous donors, we exceeded our year-end fundraising goal. Now comes your first opportunity in 2012 to speak out for our wildlife and wild places. Please take action today and help protect polar bears, whales and other marine wildlife from risky offshore drilling.

Risky drilling in Arctic waters threatens America's struggling polar bears. Urge federal officials to stop their reckless pursuit of risky offshore oil drilling. The deadline for action is 3:00 PM (Eastern)Monday, January 9th, 2012.  Share on Facebook Dear reader Imagine it: Millions of gallons of oil spilled in one of the most fragile marine environments -- home to polar bears, walrus, bowhead whales and more. What's worse, there's currently no adequate plan for cleaning up a disaster of this magnitude in the remote and treacherous Arctic waters. So why is the Obama Administration pushing forward with risky drilling in this fragile habitat? Take action now: Urge federal officials not to forget the Deepwater Horizon disaster -- and to stop their reckless pursuit of risky offshore oil drilling. Right now, the Obama Administration is proposing a 5-year offshore leasing plan that puts our shores at risk of another Deepwater Horizon Oil Disaster. The plan would open the door to increased drilling in remote stretches of fragile Arctic waters that America's struggling polar bears depend on for survival. But it's not just the sensitive seas of the Arctic. In the Gulf of Mexico, the Obama Administration wants to continue to expand risky drilling before it has completely assessed the causes of the 2010 Gulf oil disaster and its effects on sea turtles, dolphins and other wildlife that live there. Speak out now for sea turtles, polar bears and other marine wildlife. Urge the Obama Administration to stop risky and dangerous drilling off our coasts. After millions of barrels of oil flowed into the Gulf of Mexico from the Deepwater Horizon well -- killing thousands of birds and hundreds of sea turtles -- President Obama promised that drilling under his watch would be cleaner and safer. But Gulf drilling continues with little meaningful environmental review -- and his administration is setting the stage for increased drilling in the fragile Arctic Ocean. Our marine wildlife needs your voice. Please take action today before the Monday, January 9th deadline. Sincerely, Sierra Weaver Staff Attorney Defenders of Wildlife