Cook Inlet Critical Habitat ~ Defending the Rights Of Nature.

Update: NOAA’s Fisheries Service today announced it is designating two areas of Alaska’s Cook Inlet as critical habitat for the endangered Cook Inlet beluga whale. Scientists estimate there are less than 350 Cook Inlet beluga whales left in the wild. Read NOAA's reasons why! Based on Scientific Research.

On Thursday evening, February 4, 2010, we attended the public comment hearing in Homer put on by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). This hearing was the second of four planned public comment hearings planned for February about the purposed Critical Habitat for the Cook Inlet Beluga Whale.

As expected the hearing was divided by two opposing thoughts. Government and Industry seemed joined in a common desire; the desire to continue operating within the boundaries of the purposed area without interference from scientists or citizen groups concerned with the well-being of the beluga or the ecosystem.

On the other side were the people that have come to Alaska for it's pristine scenery and unsurpassed abundance of flora and fauna siding with the concerned citizen groups that emphatically support this designation. Both the individuals and the citizens groups expressed their desires to help preserve the natural world as we found it. Their statements categorically aligns with our thoughts and leads us to the conclusion that the immediate need for this designation of critical habitat is not only necessary but mandatory.

The Reasons Behind Our Decisions

Our personal observations have lead us to the conclusion that the population of beluga whales in Cook Inlet is not just declining but in peril. Years have passed since we last saw the the belugas in any numbers along the coastlines of Cook Inlet. Our annual picnics to the mouth of the Kenai River have ended as the whales seldom, if ever, enter the river in the summer months like before.

Exactly what is happening we do not know. What is for certain is the fact that if something is not done now, there may not be a whale left to save. The science behind the proposals from the National Marine Fisheries Service seems very sound and falls in line with the observations of many other concerned groups. It just seems like the correct thing to do is to use caution and follow the recommendations of the scientists and not follow the theories of the corporations working in the inlet that might be in some way effected by this decision.

Cook Inlet Beluga Whale Critical Habitat!

Become well informed on this issue. Read everything you can and criticize both sides without falling for any of the biased reporting or political slant.

As it stands today, we are taking the stand in favor of the factual science presented by the National Marine Fisheries Service and understand that at this time, the Critical Habitat designation is essential to the preservation of the beluga whale of Cook Inlet.

Back to Save The Cook Inlet Beluga Whale.