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Issues & Action
Teshekpuk Lake
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© Gerrit Vyn, The Macaulay Library of the Cornell Lab or Ornithology
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TESHEKPUK WETLANDS SAFE, FOR NOW!
Teshekpuk Lake is located in the Northeast section of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A) and is one of the most ecologically important wetland complexes in the entire Arctic. This sensitive wetland provides habitat for tens of thousands of molting geese, threatened species like the Spectacled Eider, and the 45,000-head Teshekpuk Lake Caribou Herd.
Since January 2006 Teshekpuk has been in jeopardy, when the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) opened all areas but the lakebed itself to oil and gas leasing. A last-minute court decision in September 2006 forced the BLM to rethink its plans, address cumulative impacts, and go back to the public for input. Now, after receiving more than 150,000 comments from Audubon members, scientists, Alaska Natives, hunters, and conservationists across the country, the BLM just released a revised environmental impact statement and activity plan for the Northeast section of NPR-A. The revised plan defers oil and gas leasing in the Teshekpuk wetlands for at least ten years.
Although leasing is deferred—not cancelled—this is an important victory in the campaign for permanent protection of this critical area.
Background
What Makes Teshekpuk Lake So Special?
Ways to Help
Learn More
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Background
The area around Teshekpuk Lake is a unique, wildlife-rich wetland wilderness nestled in the Northeast area of NPR-A. At 23.5 million acres—the size of Indiana—NRP-A is the largest single unit of public land in the nation. Originally set aside as an oil reserve for the United States Navy, NPR-A has been managed by the Department of the Interior since 1976 “to meet the energy needs of the Nation,” while providing “maximum protection” for fish and wildlife.
The Teshekpuk area encompasses one of the most important wetland complexes in the circumpolar Arctic. Consequently, the area around Teshekpuk Lake has been spared from oil and gas development for more than 40 years. Secretaries of the Interior from Cecil Andrus under President Carter to Bruce Babbitt under President Clinton have recognized the necessity of balancing development and conservation in NPR-A and have prohibited oil and gas leasing in this most critical habitat.
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Teshekpuk Lake, © Steve Zack, Wildlife Conservation Society
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In January 2006, the Bush Administration reversed this history of protection, opening the area to oil and gas leasing. This decision ignored more than 200,000 public comments, expert opinions from biologists and wildlife managers, objections from many Alaska Natives on the North Slope, and the wisdom of four previous administrations. Only an 11th hour federal district court ruling—the result of a suit brought by Audubon and five other conservation groups—halted the lease sale in September 2006, days before the scheduled sale. The court ruled that BLM failed to consider the cumulative environmental impacts of development in NPR-A.
After another public comment process and more than a year’s worth of additional planning, the BLM released a revised environmental impact statement and activity plan in July 2008. The revised plan defers oil and gas leasing in the Teshekpuk wetlands for at least ten years. This decision falls short of permanent protection, but it is a major victory in that it lifts the immediate threat of leasing. Now, scientists, subsistence users, land managers, and others can work together to find a balanced approach to oil and gas development in the larger NPR-A.
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What makes Teshekpuk Lake so Special?
For starters, geese and caribou. Lots of them.
The area around the lake is the primary annual calving ground for the Teshekpuk Lake Caribou Herd, an estimated 45,000 animals. The herd is a key subsistence resource for Alaska Natives on the North Slope. Thousands of caribou converge near Teshekpuk Lake each May and June, seeking calving grounds with few predators, low levels of disturbance, and abundant, high-quality forage. After calving, the caribou typically move to the coast north of the lake, looking for relief from insects.
The Teshekpuk Lake area is also one of the most important goose molting habitats in the circumpolar Arctic. When geese molt, they replace old, worn flight feathers, becoming flightless and vulnerable to predators and human disturbance. The areas north and east of Teshekpuk Lake provides ideal conditions for molting geese: a remote location that’s free of development, large lakes where flightless birds can escape from predators, and tender sedges to fuel their high energy demands. It is no accident that geese gather annually near Teshekpuk Lake by the tens of thousands; as many as 35,000 Greater White-fronted Geese and 37,000 Brant molt at Teshekpuk Lake, plus thousands of Canada and Snow Geese.
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Spectacled Eiders, © Milo Burcham
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The geese are not alone. More than a dozen Alaska WatchList species nest, molt, or stop near Teshekpuk Lake during migration, including threatened Spectacled Eiders, Long-tailed Ducks, King Eiders, Red-throated Loons, Dunlins, and Buff-breasted Sandpipers. Of special concern is the Yellow-billed Loon, which nests on deep, fish-bearing lakes in the area and is under consideration for listing under the Endangered Species Act.
The birds summering around Teshekpuk Lake have international connections. For example, Brant spend their winters in Mexico, Greater White-fronted Geese in Texas, Tundra Swans in North Carolina, Buff-breasted Sandpipers in Argentina, Bar-tailed Godwits in New Zealand, and Yellow Wagtails in Asia.
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Ways to Help
Join the Audubon Action Alert Network to receive periodic email alerts on urgent issues for Teshekpuk Lake, NPR-A, Alaska, and the nation. Click here to sign up or click here for more information.
Donate now to Audubon Alaska to help us promote a balanced management plan for oil and gas development in the Western Arctic and conserve important bird and wildlife habitats across Alaska.
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Learn More
“Interior Dept. Opens 2.6 Million Alaskan Acres for Oil Exploration”: Read the New York Times article on the Teshekpuk Lake victory.
“Oil or Birds?”: We don’t have to choose! Listen to Stan Senner, Audubon Alaska’s Executive Director, talk about Teshekpuk Lake on Living on Earth, a nationally syndicated radio show.
“Administration Relents on Drilling Near Teshekpuk Lake”: Read Audubon’s press release on the Administration’s deferral.
“Birds of the North Slope”: Listen to recordings of Red-throated Loons, Semipalmated Sandpipers, and Yellow-Billed Loons with Cornell biologist Gerrit Vyn.
“Fall of the Wild”: Read about Alaska’s North Slope in National Geographic Magazine, and check out their interactive map and Sights and Sounds online feature.
“The Ducks of Teshekpuk Lake”: Check out the slideshow of Teshekpuk waterfowl on Field and Stream’s website, and sign a petition at the end of the show.
Read the Audubon NPR-A and Teshekpuk Lake Canon:
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Caribou, © Gary Braasch
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