All over North America, wildlife is heading for the northeastern corner of Alaska. Their destination is the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the largest of our 509 refuges. Most of these species are birds: sandhill cranes, golden eagles, red-throated loons, tundra swans, and many more. Traveling hundreds of miles on the ground are 150,000 caribou, who head for the refuge's unique coastal plain to bear their young. The aggregation of these caribou in July is one of the world's most stunning wildlife spectacles. Unbeknownst to these creatures, there is now an intense fight in Congress over the future of the coastal plain. The oil industry wants to drill there, and its allies on Capitol Hill have been trying to pass a bill allowing that. Conservationists are rallying around a bill (H.R. 900) recently introduced by Rep. Bruce Vento (D-MN) and 72 co-sponsors to designate this place a wilderness area. Passage of H.R. 900 would prevent oil development. "The coastal ; plain is one of our greatest treasures and should be passed on to future generations in its natural condition," contends Wilderness Society President William Meadows. For more information on how you can get involved with this issue, please contact The Wilderness Society at 202-833-2300.