• Leasing postponed in Arctic breeding ground
• Birthing ground saved from oil drilling
• Senate blocks oil drilling in Arctic Refuge
• Senate rejects oil drilling
• NRDC stops lease sale of Teshekpuk Lake wetlands

A federal judge blocked the Bush administration from proceeding with oil and gas development in 600,000 acres in the Western Arctic Reserve, including a pristine nesting area for migratory birds and the calving grounds for the Teshekpuk Lake caribou herd. The court ruled that the Interior Department failed to consider the cumulative environmental impacts of oil and gas drilling on this sensitive ecosystem. In tandem with our courtroom campaign, BioGems Defenders sent more than 100,000 messages urging the Bush administration and Congress to uphold protections for important habitat areas within the reserve.