LETTERS: ASK PRESIDENT TO PROTECT ARCTIC REFUGE

To the editor:

There are a great number of Americans who find the issue of high prices of gasoline a concern, and I am one of them. Unfortunately, to appease consumers, President Bush is listening to calls to open up drilling in the Arctic National Refuge in the remote northeast corner of Alaska.

According to the Sierra Club, this refuge is 19 million acres and is the last place in North America where such a great expanse of arctic life is protected. It is a breeding ground for the 129,000-member Porcupine River caribou herd as well as being home to many species of polar bears, wolves and musk oxen. It is also a breeding and nesting ground as well as a migratory stopover for over 180 species of birds.

This coastal plain of the refuge represents the last 5 percent of Alaska that remains off-limits to drilling. Most experts believe there may only be less than a six-month supply of oil at current consumption rates under the refuge. Plundering more natural habitat is not the way to solve the problem.

Ask President Bush to support the passage of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Wilderness Act, which would permanently assure the safety of the refuge. You can contact him at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20500. Your voice is important to protecting one of America's greatest national treasures.

CHRISTA SHARP

Cape Girardeau